Kayden's Wheel Reports: Hudson Hornet

Kayden's Wheel Reports: Hudson Hornet

History

The Second World War certainly had an effect on the automotive industry worldwide, with all major manufacturers being forced to give up their production facilities to aid in the war effort. Even after the conflict's end in 1945, it was clear the world would never be the same. 

But in the US, things were looking up, Once things started going again, the automotive manufacturers began rolling out new designs in anticipation of a new wave of consumers looking to buy the next big thing after years of 'making do'. One of these, was the Hudson Motor Car Company, who in 1951, released the Hudson Hornet. 

The Hornet was one of the first to use a 'monobuilt frame', Hudson themselves coining it as the 'step down design', which made the car sit lower to the ground, giving it a sleek appearance and significantly improving the handling. Keep in mind, most cars from the 1950s were 'float boats', as the manufacturers prioritised comfort, thus requiring the fitment of soft suspension. This made them comfortable over bumps and potholes but causing them to 'roll' around corners. Thus, the Hornet was a breath of fresh air in this regard.

This, coupled with Hudson's then brand new Twin Carburetor engine (known as Twin-H Power), made the Hornet adequate for racing, particularly in stock car racing. This had been born out of the races that moonshiners would do during the prohibition era (a period from 1920 to 1933 where alcohol was banned in the United States), to convince the public looking for cheap booze that they could deliver the goods without getting busted. Hudson themselves was in the action too, making custom parts and an entire supply chain for it for the racers to soup up their Hornets to their own specifications. 

Many stock car drivers made their careers in Hudson Hornet, one of the greatest being Herb Thomas (1923-2000). The man lived and breathed racing, doing it for the sheer thrill of being behind the wheel where most others were in it for the fame and fortune alone. Even today, he has one of the highest percentages of races won over races participated. Unfortunately, his career was cut short by a crash in 1956 that severely injured him. Nontheless, his career is one worth talking about, just as much as the car that helped him achieve it. 

Unfortunately, in 1954, due to poor sales and being unable to keep up in terms of innovation with the USA's Big 3 Auto Manufacturers (Ford, General Motors and Chrysler), Hudson merged with Nash-Kelvinator to form the fourth major American auto manufacturer, AMC (American Motors Corporation). However, their spirit was somewhat lost, due to the forced co-operation and differing opinions between the two companies.

My Personal Thoughts

Herb Thomas' career went on to inspire a cartoon character who would immortalise the Hudson Hornet forever. Doc Hudson, who was voiced by Paul Newman in Pixar's Cars (2006), is certainly one of my favourite fictional characters of all time, arguably stealing the show from Lightning McQueen in it. This was Newman's last role before his untimely demise, and his passion for racing clearly reflected in it, as he himself helped to edit the script to be 'how a real racer would talk'. 

Spoilers if you haven't seen the film yet, but seeing Doc drive on the dirt track solo in the film and taking the corner McQueen consistently failed to amazed me immensely as a child. Even as a young adult, he still speaks to me, especially when he reveals the crash that ended his career, thus mirroring the real Herb Thomas.

I sincerely hope I'll someday get a chance to drive a real Hudson Hornet, as it was certainly one of the first to ignite my passion for cars in general. I hope its stories will continue to live on, even in a world where our beloved internal combustion powered automobiles are shut off for the final time, and EVs take on the reigns as king of the roads. Try as they might, they will probably never hold a candle to the history, heritage and pure soul of legends like the Hudson Hornet!