The Hudson Hornet is best remembered for its success in auto racing in the early 1950s. Then, along came Hudson’s merger with Nash-Kelvinator in 1954, forming American Motors. Things changed after that, and the 1955-1957 Hornets were largely rebadged Nash products. Located in Brookings, South Dakota, this ’56 Hornet 4-door sedan looks good but has transmission issues that will require it to be towed. It’s available here on Facebook Marketplace for $6,500.
For the 1955 to 1957 model years, the Hornet lost much of its identity as Nash design and styling took center stage. But that was short-lived as the Hudson and Nash brands were discontinued at the close of the 1957 run. Depending on when the seller’s car was built in 1956, it could have either a 320 cubic inch V8 sourced from Packard or a 250 V8 from the newly formed AMC arsenal. The cars were restyled in ’56 and took on “V-Line” styling, evident from the front grille. Tri-tone paint jobs would become popular.
The Hudson Hornet’s fresh look did not resonate with buyers, and 1956 production dropped to 6,500 4-door sedans and another 1,600 2-door hardtops. We’re told this Hudson runs well but has automatic tranny “issues.” The seller doesn’t speculate what the problem is, but we assume that the car won’t move on its own. The odometer is said to be 12,345 miles, but that sounds like a placeholder.
While the body of this car presents well, there are a few dings and dents. So, it’s not a restored museum piece. The back seat looks good, but the front seat will require new upholstery. These are automobiles you don’t see much of anymore, and perhaps the number of 4-door survivors left could only number in the hundreds. Fix it and drive? Thumbs up to T.J. for the tip!
I’ve seen a number of mid-fifties Hudsons for sale recently, some have been featured on Barn Finds. This one looks solid from what we can see and it appears to have all the hard to find exterior trim pieces. I think it would be a worthwhile project for any orphan/oddball car lover, most people these days will have no idea what it is when they see it.
I looked at some online pics and this looks like the Rambler motor. If so it may be equipped with a Flash-Away Hydramatic, made by GM.
This was a sad end for Hudson. As I said in another post the Hudson stepdown was a hard car to update. Even though AMC tried to give it a different look than the Nash, I guess Hudson fans were not impressed