OT: Hudson Hornet

Dean

Well-known Member
Folks, the times were changing and the handwriting was on the wall.

Nevertheless, Hudson ruled both road and track for a few years in the late 40s/early 50s with 308 cubic inches of "high compression," high torque, inline flat head 6 power and innovative LCG "step down" design.

Dean
Hudson
 
One of my Uncles owned one of those, when he died my Aunt sold it along with another one he had for a parts car. That was 12 years ago.
 
For a couple of years in the late 1960s, I drove an auto parts delivery truck along a country route.

I remember seeing a couple (3?) of old cars sitting under a couple of trees. One of the cars was facing away from the road and had a chrome emblem on the trunk "Twin H-Power."

Though I was a motor head and well versed in 60s HP lingo, I wondered what the emblem meant.

It took a long time but I finally learned.

Dean
 
Dean, you might enjoy reading about Hudson Racing as experienced by Smokey Yunick who built engines for the race cars.If you can find a copy of Volume 2 of Smokey's "Best Dam Garage in Town". Chapter is , The Fabulous Hudson Hornet, page 37.
It is a 3 volume set. Ebay and Amazon have the 3 volume sets but are not cheap.
 
Thanks, Duner.

I'm well familiar with Smokey and have heard of the books but have not read them.

I was aware that Smokey wrenched for Bill (Grumpy) Jenkins but not aware that he was involved with the Hudson racing team. He must have been a very young man at the time.

Smokey was a legend in his time as was Grumpy.

Dean
 
I know a fella that has a { bought new}1950 Packard 4 dr w/ approx. 48K miles. Looks good and shedded. He also has a {bought new} 1968 Orange color Merc. Couger with approx. the same miles which is his main car. He will not part with either one.
 
Reminds me of the movie, "Cars" in which the Hudson Hornet's voice was done by Paul Newman. Sound track of the car racing was pretty accurate. The sound of that big six was something else even for me who is addicted to the sound of V8s. Those Hudsons had the same profile as the 49-51 Mercs but I don't recall ever seeing a Hudson around here.
https://youtu.be/1y8-0XHWA2I
 
I remember as a 13 year old boy looking at the engine in Dads' new car and asking him why he bought a 6 cylinder car when OHV V8 s were available. He told me not to worry, they didn't compare to him new Twin H. He was right. Several years later my brother and I took the car apart and put the running gear in a '38 Chevy coupe. Went from 85 hp to 170. Needless to say there was little competition. I still have the '38 and. I am getting it ready to run again. Super fun car and one of a kind.
 
I once owned a 1954 Hudson Hornet with the Twin -H Carburetor. If you could get the throttle linkages synchronized it would really run. Car was really ahead of it's time.
 
In 1966 my Grandpa gave me his 53 Hudson Hornet as he had a new car and the Hudson had been sitting for a while. It had the 308 but only one carb but it would really go, 90 mph and still climbing. I thought it had a 2 barrel carb, but I could be wrong. I had to go to the army in 1970 and then a neighbor bought it and I don't know what happened to it.
DWF
 
First car I bought, in 1959, a jr in high school was a 51 Twin H Hornet for $35.00. Not the nicest example around, but coupes were hard to find, and that's all the $ I had I'm sure. Dad was a Hudson nut used to race those things in the early 50s, drove them into the 60s as our regular driver... My sr year I built up one of their X engines, the high altitude/police engine. Bigger valves, dual cast iron exhaust headers, aluminum high (for a flathead) compression head, it was quite a ride, that thing, when you put it in overdrive would give anything a run for the gold................ Wish I had a pic around of that bugger!
cvphoto16996.jpg
 
I was at an auction several years ago in Northern VA and they sold two Hudson cars one was original and one had been repowered with a Chevy 327 motor both needed work.
 

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