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Why the Hudson Hornet so Underrated?

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by rush_gto, Jan 12, 2011.

  1. rush_gto
    Joined: Sep 30, 2010
    Posts: 15

    rush_gto
    Member
    from Vancouver

    The Hudson Hornet is one of my favorite cars of all times. I really wish more people at least knew what it was and how rare and unique the car really is. I saw one a while ago that was done fully custom painted a dark green, chopped and dropped and it was truly a beautiful sight. There is an article about it here:

    http://americanclassicars.com/hudson-hornet/

    [​IMG][​IMG][​IMG]
     
  2. There are a lot of us here who love Hudsons.

    In fact, there's a Hudson group here on the HAMB, and tons of good Hudson info. Here's a link.

    Here's mine, granted it isn't a Hornet, but...
    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Jan 12, 2011
  3. cavemag
    Joined: Jan 8, 2011
    Posts: 209

    cavemag
    Member

    I love Hudsons. Those things were mean cars for the time.
     
  4. carcrazyjohn
    Joined: Apr 16, 2008
    Posts: 4,843

    carcrazyjohn
    Member
    from trevose pa

    If I had money Id own one ,Sweet looking cars I call them mini Mercs ,They dont even need to be chopped
     

  5. 55chevr
    Joined: Jul 12, 2008
    Posts: 985

    55chevr
    Member

    Love the Hornet ... bit large like 50 Mercury ... cool ride
     
  6. 3x2rocket
    Joined: May 1, 2007
    Posts: 248

    3x2rocket
    Member

    I love em'... always wanted one that looks kinda like the avatar above this post.
     
  7. Always remember, the Stepdown Hudsons came out a full year BEFORE the '49 Merc...perhaps you should call a chopped Merc a "mini Hudson"!
     
  8. Or perhaps a "Hudson Jr" or "Hudson light", or we could just call it what it is..."Hudson Copy".
     
  9. Plus a Merc has to be chopped to look anywhere close to as good as a stock Hudson!
     
  10. jerseymike
    Joined: Sep 25, 2008
    Posts: 707

    jerseymike
    Member

    man your car is perfect, i never get tired of seeing pictures of it.
     
    Last edited: Dec 30, 2012
  11. chucklz
    Joined: May 9, 2008
    Posts: 170

    chucklz
    Member
    from KC

    beautiful cars. here is one in my 'hood
     

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  12. bobj49f2
    Joined: Jun 1, 2008
    Posts: 1,926

    bobj49f2
    Member

    I helped my neighbor dig this '50 Pacemaker two door out of the snow over the weekend. Drove 150 to get it.

    [​IMG]
     

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  13. Hey all, I have one for sale here on the HAMB. It's an original, solid 49 Super 6. Take a look, make an offer, open to trades. Its a neat car, but I want to get my 40 Coupe done. Thanks

    Murph
     
  14. resinjeff
    Joined: Aug 25, 2008
    Posts: 93

    resinjeff
    Member
    from detroit

    and soon there'll be a 1/25 scale model of the hornet.. i have seen the test shots and its killer
     
  15. Like them more than the merc....i think. Hard to find a 2 dr hudson. Great sled
     
  16. resinjeff,

    Who is making the model and what year are they doing?


    rush_gto,

    There's NOTHING under-rated about the Hudson- they were well known and respected in their day, just a shame that the company didn't last.
     
  17. rush_gto
    Joined: Sep 30, 2010
    Posts: 15

    rush_gto
    Member
    from Vancouver

    Yes, it's really too bad that Hudson didn't last. Just imagine if they went on to the muscle car era...
     
  18. hoggyrubber
    Joined: Aug 30, 2008
    Posts: 572

    hoggyrubber
    Member

    they were the original muscle car.
     
  19. leocad
    Joined: Sep 7, 2007
    Posts: 306

    leocad
    Member
    from LA, CA

    my good friend has a 51 Hornet Coupe all original car that he is thinking about selling. I try to convince him not to, but he needs cash.
     
  20. T.KITCHEN
    Joined: Jan 19, 2008
    Posts: 154

    T.KITCHEN
    Member

    Love the '49-'52 Hudsons! '52 Commadore 8 Hardtop was my 1st car in HS in '57 & '58.Used car salesman asked how much money I had saved. I said "$250" and he said "thats just the price of the car". WOW! Leather interior,chrome headliner bars, low & long like a Merc.That long rear set got a lot of action. Wide rear seat arm rest that I could put a couple of guys or girls in the trunk and pull into the drive-in and they could crawl up through the armrest hole. All to fat to do that now. I heard that an Olds v-8 would bolt right up to the trans, but no one told me you had to cut the firewall. Boy was my Dad mad that I "ruined" that car (I did). Could adjust the distributer from inside the car while running, and at first could only turn left as the steering link hit the oil pan. Got that fixed and didn't get all the water drained on a -25 degree night and cracked the block. Friend tried to push me up to 35mph (hood off) with his white '53 Chev and blew oil & water all over his white car!
    Hauled it to the junk yard (Dayton, Ohio)and got $50 for it.
    Bought/sold a Hollywood (Hardtop) about 3 years ago....still LOVE Hudsons.
     
  21. Fiatdude
    Joined: May 5, 2010
    Posts: 89

    Fiatdude
    Member
    from SoCal

    This is my friends Hudson and his engine
     

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  22. Yes !!!! I love these cars and I would love to have one.My Grandfather always drove a Hudson in the 50s,he owned a couple of em,he said "No other car even came close.....end of story." Im glad to see people appreciating these under appreciated great cars.
     
  23. Jonnie King
    Joined: Aug 12, 2007
    Posts: 2,078

    Jonnie King
    Member
    from St. Louis

    Hudsons' were always cool ! When equipped with "Twin H" Power (Dual Carbs) they could run like a scalded cat !

    My favorites are the Rare (like T.Kitchen above had) 1954 Hollywood Hardtops. Like the '51 Merc., the '54 was in its last year of that body style, and they elongated the fenders and gave 'em a shape...rather that being "rounded off", and being a true hardtop was an extra bonus.

    Great, solid cars !

    Jonnie King www.legends.thewwbc.net
     
  24. I think those hudsons are one of the best looking 4 doors on the planet.. be a great car to own..
     
  25. Don´t worry - thanks to Pixars "Cars", every kid under the age of eight now knows what a Hudson Hornet is. :D
     
  26. 45_70Sharps
    Joined: May 19, 2010
    Posts: 331

    45_70Sharps
    Member

    I don't know about under rated or under appreciated.
    Hudson's are very cool cars. Just not nearly as many around as say a '50 ford. Harder to find the car, harder to find parts. That makes it cost more.

    I've been looking for a very long time for the right hudson to come along at the right time.
    Fell in love with the lines of them the first time I ever saw one.
     
  27. 50Fraud
    Joined: May 6, 2001
    Posts: 10,101

    50Fraud
    Member

    My mom drove Hudsons -- a '40, a '48 (got totaled), and a '50. They were not regarded as cool when they were current, and after the first one she only traded up for other Hudsons because nobody else would pay a decent trade-in. Good cars, though.
     
  28. Ned Ludd
    Joined: May 15, 2009
    Posts: 5,026

    Ned Ludd
    Member

    Strictly speaking the company lasted a lot longer than the Hudson name. It lived on as Rambler/AMC/etc.; technically it is part of Chrysler now.

    If only they hadn't gone for unitary construction when they did. It left them with enough capital either to make styling changes or to develop a V8, not both, in the early to mid '50s. Body-on-frame construction would have allowed them to do styling changes a lot more cheaply and therefore have something left over to spend on engines.
     
  29. AssGasket
    Joined: Apr 19, 2002
    Posts: 402

    AssGasket
    Member

    They still kicked nascar ass with a flathead 6 in the days of the OHV V8's....

    Mindless consumers and brand loyalty to the "Big Three' kept them from being popular,, and it's a damn shame....
     
  30. B Blue
    Joined: Jul 30, 2009
    Posts: 281

    B Blue
    Member

    The Hudson was well respected, but sadly, the country was infatuated with style changes. The top sellers of the day were cars that had a distinctive look for each year. The independents could not keep up the pace, especially Hudson and Nash, both using the expensive to redesign unit construction.

    Guys who were not alive during the period have a difficult time understanding the style dynamic. New car style fever was so bad in the fifties the new cars were delivered under wraps and withheld from public view until the official unveiling. Dealers would cover their showroom windows with newspaper until the unveiling. The hype was unbelievable. Somewhere in the mid fifties (56-57?), Ford had an advertising jingle that flooded the air waves "Oh the kissing cousin of the Thunderbird arrives September 23rd". How do you compete with that?

    Cars of the era were so distinctive that one night a cousin and I played a game of identifying cars by looking out the back of our Hudson. We were able to able to I.D. about 75% of them simply by light location and the way their lights reflected off the chrome.

    Bill
     

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