The Terraplane was built by the Hudson Motor Car Company in Detroit, Michigan from 1932 until 1938. The Terraplane is an advanced design vehicle that was affordably priced and would fill the gap between the lower priced Essex and the higher priced Hudson. The Terraplane, as its name implies, was engineered using design cues taken from the airplanes of the era. In an effort to promote sales before public introduction, Hudson gave the first and second Terraplanes built to Orville Wright and Amelia Earhardt who were aviation pioneers.