Hudson Hornet
The Hudson Motor Car Company merged with Nash-Kelvinator in 1954 to form American Motors, and the Hudson nameplate disappeared from the marketplace completely after the 1957 model year. Half a century later, few people other than old car buffs were even aware that there had once been a Hudson Motor Car Company--until they saw the character of Doc Hudson in the 2006 Pixar film Cars.
While Cars is a fantasy, the character of Doc Hudson is firmly grounded in real life. There really was a Fabulous Hudson Hornet that dominated stock car racing in the early 1950s and won three straight championships.
Even off the racetrack, the 1951-54 Hudson Hornet was pretty fabulous.
The Hudson Hornet of 1951 through 1954 was based on the "step down" sedan design first introduced in 1948. The "step down" Hudsons were called that because the floor sat below the door sills, so one stepped down into the car when getting in--as opposed to stepping up over the running boards of a pre-war car. The postwar Hudsons were one of the first American model lines to use unibody construction instead of the traditional "body-on-frame" method. This resulted in a very solid, rigid, almost tank-like car that also weighed less than its competition and had a lower center of gravity. This advanced structure was contained in a streamlined "inverted bathtub" that fit perfectly into the world of film noir and fedoras.
The Hornet was powered by a 308-cubic inch flathead straight six engine, the largest production six-cylinder engine in the world at that time.
To put that in perspective, 308 cubic inches is 5.0 liters. This is a larger displacement than any six cylinder engine now in production. This is a larger displacement than the Vortec V-8 used in the current-production Chevy Silverado 1500, or the "Modular" V-8 used in the Crown Victoria Police Interceptor. This is a seriously big 6-cylinder engine.
In base trim, the 308 made 145 horsepower, which in a car this size is pretty respectable for 1951. The optional "Twin-H Power" induction system, introduced in 1952, used two interconnected manifolds, each directly feeding three cylinders, with separate carburetors and air cleaners. The Twin-H version of the engine produced 170 horsepower. You could go a step further and order the "7-X" performance modifications which boosted the power to 210 HP--which is excellent specific output for the time.
Today's NASCAR events are run with purpose-built racing vehicles. In 1951, that wasn't the case--stock car racing was then conducted with street-legal cars that more or less came straight from the assembly line. With its relatively low weight, low center of gravity, and high-output (for the time) engine, the Hornet was a natural for NASCAR.
The #6 Fabulous Hornet was driven by Marshall Teague. His mechanic, Smokey Yunick, increased the output of the 7-X engine above factory specs through a combination of mechanical ingenuity and aggressive interpretation of the NASCAR rulebook. Teague won 27 out of 34 major events and the 1952 NASCAR championship, before leaving stock cars for the Indy circuit. The driver of the #92 Fabulous Hornet, Teague's teammate Herb Thomas, won the 1951 and 1953 NASCAR championships--so, yes, Doc Hudson's three-in-a-row "Piston Cup" championships do have a basis in real life.
Despite excellent engineering and tremendous racing success, the Hornet's sales declined each year of the production run. The original 1948 "inverted bathtub" styling was a little behind the curve by 1951. Hudson did not have the budget to restyle the unibody because all the development money had been soaked up by the Jet compact car project. When the Jet failed to catch on in the marketplace, Hudson's finances were so distressed that merger with the financially-stronger Nash was its only hope of survival. The "step down" design was discontinued, and Hornets for the 1955-57 model years were restyled, badge-engineered Nashes.
While the Hudson Hornet story doesn't quite have a feel-good movie ending, the Hornet remains a milestone of engineering, an important part of the early history of NASCAR, and a magnificent artifact of the streamlined postwar world. Imagine rolling up to your next class reunion or company picnic in a '53 Hornet. You'd look--dare I say it?--fabulous.
The painting of the Fabulous Hudson Hornets at the top of this article came from the website of the Orange Blossom Chapter of the Hudson-Essex-Terraplane MotorCar Club. The print ad at right is from John's Old Car and Truck Pictures. The black 1953 Hudson Hornet shown in the photos was an entrant at the American Charity Muscle Car Show in Medina, Ohio on Labor Day weekend, where it was deemed fabulous enough by the show judges to win the trophy for "Best 1950s Car." It was certainly a favorite with many of the small kids, who were quite excited to see "Doc Hudson" in person.
If you want to see Doc Hudson in person, the original #92 Fabulous Hudson Hornet is preserved in the Ypsilanti (Michigan) Automotive Heritage Museum.
--Cookie the Dog's Owner
Chris Hafner on November 25, 2008 at 08:30 AM
I've always thought these were beautiful cars.
That Car Guy on November 25, 2008 at 09:43 AM
This makes me want to see "Cars" again. Didn't Paul Newman do the voice for the Hornet?
Anthony Cagle on November 25, 2008 at 02:49 PM
Ah, so that's where my beloved AMC Hornet originated.
I like mine better.
Alex López on November 30, 2008 at 09:50 AM
During the '50s, Hudson commisioned Italian Carrozeria Touring to build a sports car from them. It should be a crossover between an italian sports car with a big American car. To give them an idea of what American cars were like, they shipped a Hudson Hornet to the Touring factory.
Well, Touring's chief designer Carlo Anderloni liked so much the Hornet he really was dissappointed when it had to be returned. Just imagine: a top-notch designer for Lamborghini, Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin & others, driving a humble Hudson Hornet.
By the way, the resulting vehicle was the Hudson Italia:
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/1954-1955-hudson-italia.htm
Niels Pedersen on January 02, 2009 at 04:59 PM
I own two of these Hudson Hornet Coupes, one of which has the 7X engine in it. They are incredible cars to drive and they beat up the V8 cars of the day- look up NASCAR history: they still hold more speed records than any other car made.
Sarah on February 17, 2009 at 11:37 PM
Disney Adventure will be turning twelve acres from what's left of Disneyland's original parking lot into a new land based on the Pixar film, Cars. There's supposed to be a Cars Land Drive-In Restaurant where you eat inside retro-fitted automobiles. Cars Land will probably debut in 2011 or 2012.
Building Place on March 19, 2009 at 05:16 PM
The Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Museum was better known for many years as the LAST HUDSON MOTORS DEALERSHIP in the world. The owner maintained his business repairing, buying, and selling Hudson Motor cars, parts, etc. (along with other classic motor vehicle items) long after both Hudson Motors and American Motors has passed into history.
He finally decided to "retire" and convert his business into a museum, which was subsequently expanded to add new exhibit space for a very cool collection of cars and memorabilia. The museum alone is worth the trip to the Depot Town area of Ypsilanti, Michigan - but there's more....
Down the street are the restaurants and shops of Depot Town (including gluten-free pizza at Aubrey's, which gets my vote! Further down is the firehouse museum with its own cool collection of vintage fire trucks and displays. Also, if you go a couple of extra blocks into "downtown" Ypsilanti, check out Bombadill's Coffee Shop and The Rocket - the best candy store in Michigan according to reliable sources!
Pete Ohman on February 08, 2010 at 06:43 PM
I'm looking for a twin-H power 7x motor to put in a 1934 Hudson Terraplane 2 door sedan. Any info, please E-mail to sc@wavecable.com
Keith on January 18, 2011 at 07:25 PM
Nice. I have a 1954 to 57 (not sure of the year) that I am looking to sell, I am not in the position to restore it. Have some good parts and will have pictures available soon. If you know of anyone who is interested please contact me at my sisters e-mail address.