The second and last-generation Hudson Hornet was made for just three years, 1955 through 1957. Finding one with just 26,907 miles on it would be out of this world. This 1956 Hudson Hornet Custom Six with Twin-H power is figuratively out of this world but it isn’t literally out of this world as it’s located in Bristow, Indiana and the seller has it listed here on eBay. I can’t believe that there is no reserve on this one but there isn’t, and the current bid price is $5,200 with just one day left on the auction! If you’ve ever wanted a nice one, this is your chance.
This post-merger Hudson appears to be in fantastic condition other than needing a few fixes, mainly interior work and going to town on the underside which has very heavy surface rust on it. I would want to remedy and/or treat that ASAP especially since this is a unibody or unit-body car. This car deserves to live for another 65 years. Given its condition, it’s hard to believe that this car is in fact 65 years old.
If this rear 3/4 view doesn’t scream 1950s color scheme nothing does, gorgeous! The anodized gold trim is an added plus and nice touch of luxury. After the creation of American Motors Corporation in 1954, Hudson offered a V8 engine for the first time for the 1955 model year and in their last year, 1957, a 327 cubic-inch V8 was available. The seller mentions a repaint sometime during the 1980s and there is a bit of rust poking through in spots. They show us two YouTube videos here and here and it’s fun to see this good-looking car and especially to hear it.
The interior needs a little work and a lot of cleaning, not necessarily in that order. But, what a great, spacious, posh interior that it was and still is. With power steering, power brakes, and automatic transmission, this is a jump-in-and-go car for almost anyone. You can see the dirty front seat but the back seat looks perfect and the pattern fits perfectly with the mid-1950s style. The headliner needs to be replaced but any decent upholstery shop can do that, although it won’t be inexpensive. I would guess $1,500 to $2,000? I had one replaced for under $1,000 about 18 months ago in a smaller car. In case you were wondering, yes, the seats fold down into a bed but there’s no word on if an accessory mattress comes with this car so I’m guessing not.
This isn’t one of two V8s available for 1956 which would have been a Packard-sourced 320 cubic-inch V8 for the first half of 1956 and AMC’s 250 cubic-inch V8 after that. This engine is the famous and very cool-looking 308 cubic-inch straight-six with Twin-H power and around 175 horsepower. The seller tells us that it runs and drives with no smoke and it looks good, other than the super dirty air cleaners that I’d want to change sooner rather than later. Are there any Hudson Hornet fans out there?
That is one cool lookin’ car that just oozes late ’50s, over the top glitz. Doesn’t matter that it has two extra doors and the color combo in and out is gorgeous. The claimed miles may or may not be true and it does need some things attended to but I have a feeling this Fabulous Hudson Hornet won’t go for a lot of money so the winning bidder should be willing to put a little money into it.
Ended because there was an error in the listing? Oh well, even if it is a “Hash” this is a car worth saving. The big six with Twin H power adds to the attraction.
GMC made hashes too … Chevriacs, Oldsuicks, and Buidillacs; Ford made Lincurys, and Chrysler, well …
Actually, the only main parts interchangeable with Nash are the bumpers, rear doors and trunk lids. the mechanicals are different.
Listing ended due to an error?
The common translation is, he accepted an offer.
Steve R
I thought it might mean he forgot to include a “reserve”.
I thought it meant bidding didn’t get high enough and the last 12 hours of the auction was getting close…….
“This listing was ended by the seller because there was an error in the listing.”
Yeah, nobody was bidding.
Steve, and others, maybe because the seller realized he didn’t put a reserve on it. Any way, let me put my 2 cents in; my grandfather had a 1956 Hudson Hornet Special that, as a kid, I fell out of when I went to roll down the window and grabbed the door handle instead! Seat belts? We don’t need no stinking seat belts! Handed down to my Dad and it was the family car for years. I don’t remember it ever failing us. Ours was a two-tone royal and sky blue. Let’s keep an eye out for this to reappear on the market.
This car shows the unhappy ending to a once-proud marquee.
*marque (a “marquee” is an overhanging sign as seen at many movie theatres).
A marquee asset–also referred to as a “flagship asset” or “crown jewel”–is a company’s most prized possession. … A company with a coveted marquee asset may become a target for a bigger rival, or a rival with deep pockets, even if the other assets in the company’s portfolio do not amount to much
Is it me or does the engine sound kinda noisy and thrashy for a flathead? Maybe it’ll quiet down after it runs for a while.
mmm!!!
*marque (a “marquee” is an overhanging sign as seen at many movie theatres).
Wow, the first pictures and the low mileage seemed to go hand in hand, but the more you look at the Ebay pictures the more issues you see . No way is this a 26k car .Maybe a 126k maintained survivor with a newer paint job
My ’39 MGSA had this engine transplanted into it. It was essentially smooth and silent and had plenty of power at all RPM’s – of course it was powering a car half the weight of this one. The father of a girl friend offered to give me the Nash twin of this, but I had a ’56 Chevy which was reliable and inexpensive to run (6 cylinder) and so I turned him and the girlfriend down. If this engine is thrashing it has a problem.
My Dad had a’53 Hudson Jet that he ran until the body was rotting badly. Gave it to a friend who had a farm. They cut the body off behind the front seat and built a platform on it. Used it for many purposes on the farm for over a decade. They said it never failed to start and run every time.
I’ve never owned a Hudson but I admire them, especially the pre-Hash models including the Step-Downs. But despite its half-and-half nature, this thing is cool. I’ve always heard that Hudsons were greatly over-engineered in a good way, and bulletproof reliable.
Front end reminds me of a Russian made Volga.
Yeah, looks like a Soviet car for sure. The Soviets were given Packards during WWII and back engineered more than a few. Perhaps the same thing happened with the Hudson.
There was a time when I wouldn’t give this car a second glance but I guess I will blame it on age I like makes and years like this one probably because of the rarity and the few that still exist today. If not sold and if a reserve is added is not unreasonable I would give it some serious thought.
If it was near me, I would have purchased it.
Sold: $3,500. Since it’s nearby, I probably would have bid, if I had known sooner. Ah, well. …
Actually it sold for $15,000 which is why the listing ended
I think it is very likely that this is on the second time around. Those cars do not get big rust holes in the frame at 25,000 miles.
With that fold down bed I’ll bet a lot of ‘parking’ went on. And we wonder where those seat stains “came” from :)
No extra charge for that type of “patina”😉