REMEMBER THE HUDSON HORNET?

[crazyphil]

If my memory is working right, it was 1951. I was working in a
shoe shop down town. There were two pominant business men
who had bought new cars. One of them had a beautiful Lincoln
Continental. The other one had a Hudson Hornet.

They got into a friendly argument about who had the faster car.
A ways out of town there was (is) a stretch of highway without
a curve for about 20 miles, quite level, and very little traffic.
That's where they went to settle their argument. The bet was
a hundred bucks. That was a lot of money in 1951.

When it was over the Lincoln owner said the Hornet left him in
the dust like he was standing still. The Hornet would do over
120 MHP.

 

[Rustyt1953]

It's famous. My grandkids know about it.

 

[Bekeart]

Do not remember exact year - probably 52/53/54 Dad had a Hudson Wasp.
No idea of top speed - I was too young to drive it.
Traded off before I was of driving age.

I do remember it having two carbs.

Bekeart

 

[Andy Lowry]

A woman down the street had one when I was a kid. She didn't drive it fast. I thought it looked really cool, but then I liked Studebakers too.

 

[URIT]

I'm not surprised that the Hudson Hornet trounced the Lincoln Continental. My neighbor had one. I remember you had to step down when you got into it.

The Hornet dominated NASCAR races in the early 50s. This was an incredible accomplishment considering the car had some legitimate luxury credentials.

 

[BC38]

It's famous. My grandkids know about it.

I didn't even know it was an actual car. My only knowledge of it was from the movie (my kids were in elementary school when the first Cars movie came out).

 

[shouldazagged]

I remember them well. We used to joke about an inexperienced passenger stepping into one and falling three floors to his death.

 

[JcMack]

I was about 9 yrs old and my father and I were going to go smelt fishing in Chicago in Lake Michigan. Were were on Lake Shore Drive in his '55 Dodge Hemi. We caught a light and up pulls a Hudson Hornet ragtop full of teenage girls n guys. Light turns green and we both take off. We beat the Hudson for a city block or so and my Dad let off the gas and the Hudson flew by. I remember the girls waving out the back window. Hornets were quite impressive. Dual aces on a 6 cyl..

 

[italiansport]

One has to wonder what these cars would have evolved into had Hudson been able to stay in business. BTW: My 1st ride in a car was in a Hudson on the way home from the hospital with my Mom & Dad!
Jim

 

[crazyphil]

Again, if memory serves me right, Hudson was gobbled up by American
Motors? Nash, Rambler, etc.???

 

[ColbyBruce]

A fellow I delivered mail to had one. It could use a paint job.

 

[Marshwheeling]

By the time I had any interest in cars, they were around, but no longer being made.i was aware of their presence in stock car racing. The only one I saw engaged in any kind of competition was at a sports car hill climb around 1971. It was quite an oddity in the company of Triumphs, MGs, Sunbeams and Porsches. It didn't win anything, but it wasn't the slowest car out there either.

 

[ParadiseRoad]

 

[ParadiseRoad]

 

[ParadiseRoad]

 

[ParadiseRoad]

 

[ParadiseRoad]

 

[ParadiseRoad]

 

[ParadiseRoad]

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itQLkpIrEjo[/ame]

 

[ExcitableBoy]

Rode around in one, a '52, all through the '70s with my buddy Crazy Dave. If we weren't on motorcycles we were in the Hornet.

Gigantic, comfortable, mohair-covered seats that never wore out. It was like driving around in your living room. A great ride, and fast for a straight six.

 

[rwsmith]

I never heard...

I never heard a discouraging word about the Hudson Hornet.

Now the AMC version was different:

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7hch0wQD1w[/ame]

 

[wundudnee]

Hudson also made pickups using the same six cylinder dual carb engine.

They were the first car/truck beating out Fords ranchero and Chevys El Camino.

 

[amazingflapjack]

Clifford Research-that makes performance parts for inline motors was founded by a west coast aircraft worker who had a Hornet that held NHRA records for quite a while IIRC.

 

[crazyphil]

In the early 60s I was working for a contractor. He had a Hornet in his
fleet. I would drive it on errands. By that time it was older and he had
everything in his fleet painted seafoam green. It was kinda ugly, but it
still a good old car.

 

[Old cop]

I grew up in a two bedroom apartment in the city and one of our neighbors had a Hudson Hornet that I wanted to ride in. Never got the chance but I do recall thinking it was quite a tank of a car.

 

[Old TexMex]

My godson is named Hudson. His dad named him after the Hudson Terreplane. Matter of fact, the dad just gave him the '50 model that was several year project to restore. The car went from Austin TX to Newburg NY last year. (The son is nearly forty years of age now, and a top Mercedes mechanic up in Yankeeland.)

 

[Maddog 521]

My grandpa had a green Hudson Hornet on the farm. He took the back seat out and hauled feed back to the farm. I remember seeing a mouse back there one day when we came home. What a memory.

 

[Kurusu]

The first time I ever went over 100mph was in a 1949 Hudson Hornet. A highschool friend had one in the late 1950s/early 60s. We were dating twins who lived several mile outside of town. We would pick up the girls on dates. He always drove into town and I drove taking the girls home. Not only was it a fast car, the backseat was like a living room.. Great memories.

Don't you mean a Commodore? The Hornet started in 1951

 

[ajellydonut]

Trivia.... The old Hudson clutch plates used "cork" discs on the plate in a fluid.

 

[Kurusu]

Trivia.... The old Hudson clutch plates used "cork" discs on the plate in a fluid.

Surprised? That's the traditional material in multidisc wet clutches.