The decline of famous independent Hudson was swift. While racking up three NASCAR national manufacturers’ championships (1952, 1953, and 1954 – a number that is tied for third most all-time behind Chevy and Ford), Hudson was flailing on the street. The same “step-down” design that helped to make the Hudson Hornet so successful on the track was looking a bit stale by 1954, and a price war between Ford and Chevy signaled the beginning of the end for most of the surviving independents. Therefore, Nash and Hudson merged into American Motors, and the 1955 Hudson looked significantly different from those race winners. Fundamentally a rebadged Nash with a twist (derisively called a “Hash”), the 1955 Hornet was nonetheless a neat car that still carried over some Hudson DNA. Barn Finds reader T.J. found this one on craigslist in Calimesa, California, and with a “believed to be accurate” 53,000 miles on the odometer, the asking price of $11,900 might be do-able for those who love a good independent mashup.

So what about that Hudson DNA? In a strange turn, you couldn’t get a Nash engine in your Nash-bodied Hornet. Standard equipment on the Hornet Custom was the famous 308-cubic-inch “Twin H-Power” six that powered Hornets to so many NASCAR race wins (80 of them). With those twin carburetors, the 308 produced 170 horsepower, which was cooking for a flathead six-cylinder, no matter how big it was. With the Hornet six, the available automatic transmission was GM’s Hydra-Matic Drive, finished up with a tallish 3.15:1 rear axle ratio. This particular Hornet is well-detailed under the hood and is ready to drive with fresh fluid changes, an aluminum radiator with electric fan, an alternator conversion, and working air conditioning (an aftermarket unit, although this is a true factory-air-equipped car). The seller says that it “runs and drives great!”

Speaking of independent mashups, the Hornet also had an optional V8, a Packard 320-cubic-inch unit. It’s too convoluted a story to get into here, but AMC and Studebaker-Packard entered into a parts-sharing plan that ended up being a little one-sided; as a result, AMC developed their own V8, leaving a few real parts-bin Hudsons behind. Packard-engined Hornets also used a Packard Ultramatic rather than GM’s automatic.

The seller says that the “service center in Grants Pass, Oregon” that worked on the car for years believes that the odometer reading of 53,000 miles is “accurate.” Of course, the car has not escaped from 70 years on the road in completely original condition; the upholstery has obviously been redone and the car was repainted in the ’90s (the clearcoat on the roof appears to be failing). The front seat should have that “exclusive American Motors” reclining feature.

This particular Hornet is even a minor celebrity (if you collect automotive literature): the color combination (Island Green and Bermuda Green?) is the same one featured on the brochure Hornet Custom. Don’t let yourself be fooled that someone tacked a Continental kit onto the back of their Hudson: it was standard equipment on the Hornet Custom (and doesn’t look too bad considering that so many of them do). This Hornet has a new battery and newer tires, so it is ready to drive on the hottest day with the air conditioner cranked up. No, it doesn’t have a racing heritage as its immediate predecessors do, but it’s a unique old car without a lot of work to do, and with only 5,357 Custom Sedans built, you’re unlikely to see another one.