The days of the Nash and Hudson brands were numbered when they joined forces in 1954 to form American Motors Corp. (AMC). Neither would field a car past the 1957 model year, which included the 1956 Hudson Hornet with its final restyle. Only 1,640 hardtops were built that year, like the one offered by the seller. Although its cosmetic appearance could use some TLC, mechanical work has been done and the vehicle has participated in a few local shows in Kittanning, Pennsylvania, and is available here on Facebook Marketplace for $5,800.
Hornets were quite popular in the early days of NASCAR and were built by Hudson Motor Car Co. until the AMC merger. Following that marriage, Hornets became restyled Nash products with Hudson script. AMC must have thought there was a future for the Hornet as they were reworked in 1956, incorporating “V-Line Styling” into the flow of the automobiles, one of the more unique looks of the mid-1950s. Unless the seller’s car is a Hornet Special, the V8 may have been supplied by Packard before they closed their engine plant in ’56. That would be 352 cubic inches with 275 hp.
As the story goes, this Hornet was a barn find where it had been sitting since 1979. The mileage is said to be 300,000 and – if that’s true – it’s incredible. A bunch of new parts were required to get it going again, including a tune-up, brake work, an aluminum radiator, carburetor rebuild, a new fuel pump, and more to make it at least driveable to local shows. Plus it has a Continental kit!
Nothing is said about the condition of the body and the two-tone paint has developed its own version of patina. We also can’t talk about the interior, but at a minimum, it looks somewhat worn. If you’re looking for a vintage car to work on, this one won’t cost you a lot to acquire – and hopefully finding parts will not be an issue going forward.
It’s so unique and rare, it really is a unicorn among 50s cars. Only 1640 hardtops built? How many can exist now….100? I love it. The V8 is a plus too.
300,000 miles will wear on an interior…
Hey Junior! Do you have one of these at Samples Sales? Is the number still BR549? Hee Haw! 👍
the guy who owned br549 on hee haw still owns the 58 edsel to this day i know him and he going to restore her.
Gee Mike, glad to know 🎵 Where Oh Where 🎶Is He these days 🎵, Cousin Minnie Pearl says HOWDEEY! PLEASE ask Grandpa What’s for supper? Still Pickin and Grinnin!
Wow power windows too. That’s got to be a pretty rare option. I’d love to have this, but sadly no room for it.
I’d love to have it too, but age, health and inability to do the restoration are too much of a challenge.
I can tell you for a fact the 1956 Hudson Hornet Special, two-tone blue, that my Paw-Paw owned didn’t have power windows. As he was pulling out of the gravel driveway with me in the passenger seats I tried to roll the window down. Instead I grabbed the door handle, pulled on it, and fell out of the car. My granddaddy had to scoop me up and head to the doctor’s office to get my forehead sewed up. Changed his plans for the day.
Recall these being referred to as HASH as a result of 56 HUDSON being basically a rebadged Nash. But final Nash and Hudson really were a great attempt to provide individual identities for a single platform. The 300,000 miles is not surprising. First family car I remember was a 50 Nash AMBASSADOR. It went for 9 years with only routine maintenance. Believe it had well over 150,000 miles when traded Charlie Nash and George Mason built great cars. Unfortunately that ended with Mason’s untimely death and creation of AMC.
“… the V8 may have been supplied by Packard before they closed their engine plant in ’56. That would be 352 cubic inches with 275 hp.”
The engine in this car appears to be the Packard 352, but it was rated at 220 hp in the Hudson, not 275. The 275 hp 352 was used only in Packards and had two 4-barrel carburetors.
As for the “Continental kit,” it was factory and standard equipment on some Nash and Hudson models.
My guess would be that it is a 320 not a 352.
The 320 was used in the ’55s. The ’56s got the 352 which was replaced by the new AMC 250 partway through the model year.
By all rights, this car should have sold faster than a prairie fire with a tail wind, yet, 2 weeks later, bupkus. Why is that? I’ll tell you why over and over, nobody is willing to take these projects on anymore. The price more than justifies that. It was such an important car, many Ramblers and AMC cars used Hudson/Nash parts, and had great success. This was the last gasp for a once famous automaker, and morphed into some of the best cars, me being partial, of course, and should be preserved as such, and not for its kooky styling and 4 colors. The continental kits, has its naysayers, but it was designed for one, and I think always looks sharp.
Unfortunately most of us interested in these rare beauties are now getting to the point of health and other issues making it nearly impossible to do our own work. Professional restoration is expensive and difficult to find. Most young folks haven’t a clue as to the significance and or have no interest. Too involved with electronics, sports, partying, etc. Check out the age of people attending old car shows. The last one I attended also had Harley Davidsons. The younger guys (and some not so young) were all over the Harleys, ignoring cars, except for Corvettes and other muscle cars. IMO the true vintage Classics like this are unfortunately like me, Rolls Canardly. Roll down one hill and Can ardly get up the next! 👍 to all you Barn Finders!
People forget the innovation these cars brought to the car market place like the weather eye climate control wasn’t a roll down your window affair it was modern day climate control but few remember
Boy if I had room in the garage I’d love to take this on. Great styling, very reasonable price, and some mechanical work already completed. That said, the fact it’s still for sale tells me smarter folks than me have identified red flags — likely parts cost and availability.
For context, I had only worked on 80s and 90s projects until last year when I bought a 1970 Toronado for (what I thought was) a song. Then I found out why. Broken leaf spring? Yeah, those hafta be custom made. Rusted out gas tank? Only one place in the country to get a replacement and it costs a mortgage payment. Inner tie rod ends or upper ball joints? Good luck. And that’s all before you get to the interior.
That all said, if this car is a runner or would be reliable following a more complete engine rebuild, I think it is well worth preserving (though not necessarily fully restoring).
This makes the ’66 Bel Air look even better!
This is a Hornet Hollywood, so I’m not surprised about the power windows as much . There must be a lot less Hollywood models left than the Specials. Such an odd styling ; the grille treatment is a bit bizarre, the side design actually is pretty nice, and the rear is pure Nash
One of my bucket list cars. At my age, though, the possibility of ever owning one of these is receding quickly.
Reminds me of Soviet produced cars of the same age, which were made with Packard machinery if memory serves.
When I see these they remind me of the Superman TV show.
Reduced to $2500 in the ad.
…that’s a steal!
Hey guys, I ended up snagging this awesome car. I’m a young buck, it’s in good hands. Drove it all the way back home, no issues other than an exhaust and coolant leak that I’ve found and currently fixing. It drives and runs beautifully. Interior has cleaned up nicely. I’m keeping the patina look to it for now and clear coating it with “Poppy’s Patina.” It’s solid all the way around and will be out for car shows. Definitely a head turner and people have stopped me all over to see it.
Congratulations! Great to see Young BUCKS interested in these Vintage Classics! A thought from a Vintage Rolls Canardly (Roll down one hill and Can ardly get up the next) 🤔. I have a 2007 Lincoln Town Car. Before I got it, it was CERAMIC coated. Many people say it looks brand new. Easiest maintenance ever! 👍