Established in 1909, the Hudson Motor Car Company disappeared in 1957, three years after it merged with Nash-Kelvinator to form the American Motors Corporation (AMC). While largely forgotten outside the Hudson fan club, the brand left a noteworthy legacy behind.
Hudson brought many innovations to the automobile market. It introduced dual brakes, the use of dashboard oil pressure and generator warning lights, and it produced the first balanced crankshaft. More importantly, it designed the Hornet, one of America’s greatest 1950s cars and one of the first true “Kings of NASCAR.”
Introduced for the 1951 model year, the Hornet was based on the company’s “step-down” chassis, which debuted in the 1948 Commodore. The design did not fully merge the body and the chassis into a single structure but had floor pans recessed between the rails.
The “step-down” layout gave the Hornet a lower center of gravity, improving handling and ride. The sleek body with nearly enclosed rear wheels made the Hornet exceptionally aerodynamic, too. These feats enabled the otherwise luxurious Hornet to become a successful NASCAR racer at a time when the series was contested by actual stock cars.
The Hornet hit the NASCAR ovals in 1951 and rendered the Oldsmobile 88, which had dominated the first two seasons, obsolete. With drivers like Herb Thomas, Marshall Teague, and Tim Flock behind the steering wheel, the Hornet won two championships and a whopping 66 races through 1954. It also made Hudson the first automobile manufacturer involved in stock car racing.
Oh, and did I mention that the Hornet achieved all of the above with a straight-six engine? While Oldsmobile and Ford used V8 powerplants, the Hornet relied on a 308-cubic-inch (5.0-liter) inline-six mill. And at 145 horsepower, it was also almost on par with most V8 mills available at the time.
As a result, the Hornet became one of the most popular cars of its era. Hudson sold over 131,000 units from 1951 to 1954 when the Hornet was redesigned. The second-gen model, however, abandoned the “step-down” platform in favor of the Nash full-size chassis. The nameplate disappeared in 1957 when AMC discontinued the Hudson brand.
Come 2023, the first-generation Hornet is becoming an increasingly scarcer classic. Because it’s not as desirable as the GM and Ford vehicles of the era, the Hornet is a car you’re more likely to see in a junkyard than at a classic car show. But some examples are still alive and kicking. This two-tone 1951 version is one of them.
A weathered four-door version finished in an unlikely color combo, this Hornet looks out of place in a garage packed with classic and modern muscle cars. But it’s just as important as a Plymouth HEMI ‘Cuda in my book because these first-year Hornets are getting harder and harder to find in solid condition.
This one may not be entirely original, though. While the paint may make this classic look like a barn survivor, the pink hue is most likely not authentic. Hudson offered no fewer than 12 different colors in 1951, but pink wasn’t one of them. And I’m pretty sure this car is a 1951 due to the grille and the turn signal bezels. All told the pink (salmon?) and black paint job is an aftermarket thing.
The inline-six engine also got a few upgrades. It’s definitely of the iconic “Twin-H Power” variety, but the carburetors (and other components) have been swapped. But the mill sounds fantastic out of the exhaust pipe, so I won’t complain about the lack of a factory-correct drivetrain and paint. This four-door sure sounds like it could win a NASCAR race against other Detroit-made 1951 classics.