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HUDSON RACING

Hudson Wins    Wins Stats    Styling     Hudson Factory    Win On Sunday    Heaven    Speed Parts   Marshall Teague

"Fabulous" Hudson Hornet Racing Wins! Featuring 1948's innovative "step down" body design which lowered the center of gravity and gave superior handling, Hudson Hornet dominated stock car racing in the early 1950's. Famed drivers such as Marshall Teague, Herb Thomas, Dick Rathman, Fonty and Tim Flock, Jack McGrath, 'Rebel' Frank Mundy and Lou Figaro were part of the Hudson team. Together they accounted for 13 wins in 1951, 49 in 1952, and 46 in 1953. no other car of the time could match the Hudson's bulletproof construction, low center of gravity, good handling, and factory support. The true sting of the Hornet came from the powerful 7X racing engine. Developed by Marshall Teague and Hudson engineer Vince Piggins, the big six had a bigger bore, bigger valves, relieved and polished combustion chambers, high compression head, high performance cam, split dual exhausts, and and "Twin H-Power" carburetors and manifold. This combination boosted the big straight 6 up to 220 gross horsepower, a jump of 75 horses over the showroom stock figure of 145. All the stock components made the Hornet nearly untouchable on the track, and a record setting 27 wins out of 34 starts in major stock car races in 1952 was proof!   1951 Hudson Hornet Marshall Teague     Year   Date    Race    Winning Driver         Track 1951    02/11    1      Marshall Teague         Daytona Beach Course 1951    04/08    4      Marshall Teague         Carrell Speedway 1951    04/22    6      Marshall Teague         State Fairgrounds 1951    05/30    9      Marshall Teague         Canfield Fairgrounds 1951    06/30   13     Lou Figaro                    Carrell Speedway 1951    07/01   14     Marshall Teague         Grand River Speedway 1951    09/03   24     Herb Thomas               Darlington Raceway 1951    09/08   26     Herb Thomas               Central City Speedway 1951    09/15   27     Herb Thomas               Langhorne Speedway 1951    09/23   28     Herb Thomas               Charlotte Speedway 1951    10/07   31     Herb Thomas               Occoneechee Speedway 1951    11/04   38     Herb Thomas               Speedway Park 1951    11/11   39     Tim Flock                     Lakewood Speedway     1952 Hudson Race Car #91 Tim Flock     Year   Date    Race    Winning Driver         Track 1952    01/20    1       Tim Flock                   Palm Beach Speedway 1952    02/10    2       Marshall Teague       Daytona Beach Course 1952    03/06    3       Marshall Teague       Speedway Park 1952    03/30    4       Herb Thomas             N. Wilkesboro Speedway 1952    04/06    5       Dick Rathmann          Martinsville Speedway 1952    04/12    6       Buck Baker                Columbia Speedway 1952    04/27    8       Herb Thomas              Central City Speedway 1952    05/04    9       Dick Rathmann           Langhorne Speedway 1952    05/10   10      Dick Rathmann           Darlington Raceway 1952    05/18   11      Dick Rathmann           Dayton Speedway 1952    05/30   12      Herb Thomas              Canfield Fairgrounds 1952    06/01   14      Tim Flock                    Fort Miami Speedway 1952    06/08   15      Tim Flock                    Occoneechee Speedway 1952    06/15   16      Herb Thomas              Charlotte Speedway 1952    06/29   17      Tim Flock                    Michigan Fairgrounds 1952    07/01   18      Buddy Shuman            Stamford Park 1952    07/04   19      Tim Flock                    Shangri-La Speedway 1952    07/06   20      Tim Flock                    Monroe Speedway 1952    07/20   22      Tim Flock                    Playland Park Speedway 1952    08/15   23      Tim Flock                    Monroe County Fairgrounds 1952    08/17   24      Bob Flock                    Asheville-Weaverville Spdwy 1952    09/21   28      Dick Rathmann           Dayton Speedway 1952    09/28   29      Herb Thomas              Wilson County Speedway 1952    10/19   31      Herb Thomas              Martinsville Speedway 1952    10/26   32      Herb Thomas              N. Wilkesboro Speedway 1952    11/16   33      Donald Thomas           Lakewood Speedway 1952    11/30   34      Herb Thomas              Palm Beach Speedway       1953 Hudson Race Car #92 Herb Thomas   Year   Date    Race    Winning Driver         Track 1953    03/08    3       Herb Thomas             Harnett Speedway 1953    03/29    4       Herb Thomas             N. Wilkesboro Speedway 1953    04/26    7       Dick Rathmann          Central City Speedway 1953    05/16   10      Tim Flock                    Hickory Speedway 1953    05/24   12      Herb Thomas             Powell Motor Speedway 1953    05/30   13      Fonty Flock                Raleigh Speedway 1953    06/14   15      Herb Thomas             Five Flags Speedway 1953    06/21   16      Dick Rathmann          Langhorne Speedway 1953    06/26   17      Herb Thomas             Tri-City Speedway 1953    06/28   18      Fonty Flock                Wilson Speedway 1953    07/03   19      Herb Thomas             Monroe County Fairgrounds 1953    07/10   21      Dick Rathmann          Morristown Raceway 1953    07/12   22      Herb Thomas             Lakewood Speedway 1953    07/22   23      Herb Thomas             Rapid Valley Speedway 1953    07/26   24      Dick Rathmann          Lincoln City Fairgrounds 1953    08/02   25      Herb Thomas             Davenport Speedway 1953    08/16   27      Fonty Flock                Asheville-Weaverville Spdwy 1953    08/23   28      Herb Thomas             Princess Anne Speedway 1953    08/29   29      Fonty Flock                Hickory Speedway 1953    09/20   32      Dick Rathmann          Langhorne Speedway 1953    10/03   33      Herb Thomas             Bloomsburg Fairgrounds 1953    10/04   34      Herb Thomas             Wilson Speedway 1954    02/07    1       Herb Thomas             Palm Beach Speedway 1954    03/07    3       Herb Thomas             Speedway Park 1954    03/21    4       Herb Thomas             Lakewood Speedway 1954    03/28    5       Al Keller                      Oglethorpe Speedway 1954    03/28    6       Dick Rathmann         Oakland Speedway 1954    04/04    7       Dick Rathmann         N. Wilkesboro Speedway 1954    04/18    8       Herb Thomas             Orange Speedway 1954    05/02   10      Herb Thomas             Langhorne Speedway 1954    05/29   14      Herb Thomas             Raleigh Speedway 1954    06/19   19      Herb Thomas             Hickory Speedway 1954    06/17   21      Herb Thomas             Williams Grove Speedway 1954    07/03   22      Herb Thomas             Piedmont Interstste Fairgds 1954    07/04   23      Herb Thomas             Asheville-Weaverville Spdwy 1954    07/10   24      Dick Rathmann          Santa Fe Speedway 1954    08/01   27      Danny Letner             Oakland Stadium 1954    09/06   31      Herb Thomas             Darlington Raceway 1954    09/26   34      Herb Thomas             Langhorne Speedway 1955    02/06    2       Herb Thomas             Palm Beach Speedway Total Wins  =   80 Until Hudson's innovation all car drivers had stepped up into the driver's seats. The "step-down" design gave the Hornet a lower center of gravity and, consequently, better handling. Fitted with a bigger engine in 1951, the Hudson Hornet became a dominant force on the NASCAR circuit. For the first time a car not manufactured by the Big Three was winning big. Excited by the publicity generated by their success on the track, Hudson executives began directly backing their racing teams, providing the team cars with everything they needed to make their cars faster. The Big Three, fearing that losses on the track would translate into losses on the salesroom floor, hurried to back their own cars. Thus was born the system of industry-backed racing that has become such a prominent marketing tool today. The Hudson Hornet would contend for nearly every NASCAR race between 1951 and 1955, when rule changes led to an emphasis on horsepower over handling.

Hudson (1909-54): In 1909, four former associates of Ransom E. Olds (Roy Chapin, Howard Coffin, Frederick Bezner and James Brady) began building a line of cars that became known for solid engineering, performance and value.

Each of the founders had put up $1,500, not much by auto industry standards, even in those days. The big bankroller was Joseph L. Hudson, of Detroit department store fame.

Roy Chapin, who emerged as the leader of Hudson Motor Car Co. and whose son, Roy Jr., would later run American Motors -- the result of a merger of Nash-Kelvinator and Hudson -- prudently decided to name the car after the man who put up most of the money.

In 1919, the company decided to bring out a smaller, less expensive "companion car" to the Hudson and found a name for it on a map of England -- Essex, selected for its snob appeal.

Hudson built the Essex through a separate corporation and in 1922 the Essex was the lowest-priced closed coach car in America and selling well.

By 1929, the Essex was selling so well that it was merged into the Hudson line and enabled Hudson to finish third in sales among American nameplates. The Terraplane was introduced in 1932 as a model of Essex and in 1933 Hudson dropped the Essex name and called its companion car the Terraplane

Hudson built the Terraplane as a separate car until 1938, when it made the Terraplane a model of the Hudson, then dropped it in 1939, apparently because it felt the Terraplane tail was beginning to wag the Hudson dog and Terraplane was overshadowing Hudson.

Hudson had many glory days -- famous aviatrix Amelia Earhart helping tointroduce the first Terraplane, Marshall Teague and his road-racing triumphs in the booming big-six Hornet of the '50s -- but the Depression had hurt the company badly and the stakes were getting too big in the auto business for the smaller independents.

 

Hudson and Nash merged in 1954 to form American Motors and the Hudson, the real Hudson, was dead. From then on, Hudsons were Nashes with a Hudson nameplate. The '57 was the last Hudson of any kind.

 

 

 

 

Dick Rathmann

 

 

The Hudson Hornet - "Win On Sunday, Sell On Monday"
By Jack Nerad for Driving Today

The Hudson Hornet was one of the vehicles that made NASCAR viable, but NASCAR didn't help Hudson, at least not enough to stave off its demise just a few short years after racing domination had thrust it into the limelight.

The company that would eventually spring the Hornet on the unsuspecting public was founded in 1909 by Howard Coffin, George W. Dunham, and Roy E. Chapin. A substantial portion of the funding came from Joseph L. Hudson, a member of the family that owned and operated Detroit's pre-eminent department store, thus the company was named in his honor. Of the founders, Chapin was the most experienced automotive executive; Ransom E. Olds had, in 1900, sent Chapin on a journey from Detroit to Manhattan in a Curved Dash Olds, a publicity stunt that helped make the brand.

Now at the top of his own company, Chapin and his crew immediately set about turning Hudson into a name to be reckoned with. With savvy management and deep financial pockets, the company quickly vaulted ahead. In just its second year of production - 1910 - Hudson Motor Car Company ranked 11th in the nation in automobile production.

Chapin realized that most potential customers didn't want to ride out in the elements, as they were forced to in the open cars of the era, so he developed "closed" models that allowed driver and passengers to ride in relative comfort, an innovation that helped sales skyrocket. Other advances soon followed.

Hudson joined the Ford parade and moved the steering wheel and driver's position to the left side of the car, and, at the same time moved the hand levers for gear selection and emergency braking inside to the center of the car. Hudson also was quick to adopt the General Motors-developed self-starter, the device that made gasoline-powered cars viable as a general consumer product.

In 1916 Hudson introduced what it claimed was the first "balanced" crankshaft in its six-cylinder engine. The innovation offered unparalleled smoothness, and it was quickly copied, but not before Hudson established the reputation of its
"Super Six."

By the close of World War I Chapin realized that his company needed a competitor to the Ford Model T, which was the dominant vehicle of the era, so he had his engineers develop the Essex line. With an advanced all-steel body, the new brand quickly established itself, despite the 1919-20 recession.

Hudson roared through the Roaring Twenties. On the strength of its growing reputation in the United States, the company went on an international kick and built assembly plants in Belgium, England, and Canada. In fact, the company acted as if the boom of the mid-to-late Twenties would never end.

Unfortunately, for Chapin and Hudson, the boom did end. By 1929 the company had leapfrogged its way to the number three spot on the U.S. sales chart, behind just Ford and Chevrolet, with 300,962 units sold. But that proved to be the high-water mark for the company. The stock market crash of October 1929 and the decade-long Depression that followed hit Hudson particularly hard, possibly because the bullish Chapin continued to be optimistic.

Through the Thirties, Hudson continued to be an innovator with its Essex and Terraplane lines. In 1932 those brands offered a choice of either six or eight cylinder engines, but 1932 was the low point of the Depression, and the expensive changes to the models were greeted with yawns, not with profits. To jump-start sales, Hudson tried stunts. Several hill climbs, economy runs, and speed records were established, but still sales languished.

It wasn't until the United States became involved in World War II that Hudson really shook off the doldrums. Like all major U.S. industrial companies, Hudson became part of "the Arsenal of Democracy," building aircraft parts and huge engines for naval craft.

After the war ended in 1945, Hudson got another chance to vault towards the top of the United States auto industry. Hudson's management was much more attuned to succeeding in boom times than in retrenching when times grew tough, and the American auto market was poised for unprecedented growth. Pent-up demand for cars was at its all-time peak after four war years had completely shut down auto production for civilian use.

Hudson got off to a good start by introducing an all-new Super Six in 1948, but it might be said that the car was too advanced for the marketplace. With unit body construction that Hudson sales brochures referred to as "monobilt," the landmark Hudson Super Six set the stage for today's automobiles, most of which use similar designs. The floorpan of the Hudson was suspended from the bottom of the chassis, a throwback to Harry Stutz's "underslung" technique and the precursor of today's low-aspect vehicle profiles. The chassis also extended outside the rear wheels, giving the car a well-enclosed "low-rider" look. From ground to rooftop it was a foot lower than many of its contemporaries, and there was no doubt it was a handsome design.

The Hudson Hornet, introduced in 1951, took the Super Six chassis, refined it and then added a significantly more powerful engine. When the 262 cubic inch displacement in-line six-cylinder engine was bored out to 308 cubic inches, the Hudson Hornet instantly became one of the hottest cars on the road.

On the strength of its powerful engine and low center of gravity, it didn't take long for early Fifties stock car racers to figure the Hornet had something going for it. In some ways it was odd that Hudson's rather mundane L-head straight six became the hot ticket in the early Fifties, because that era was highlighted by the revolutionary high-compression V-8s from Cadillac and Oldsmobile. But the combination of dual carburetion (Twin-H Power) and cubic inches proved impressive in the face of high-tech. It dominated stock car racing in the early Fifties, when stock car racers actually raced stock cars.

Marshall Teague, seen here with his #6 car on Daytona Beach, became synonymous with Hudson performance in the Fifties, won 12 of 13 AAA events in 1952. Overall, Hudson won 27 of the 34 NASCAR Grand National races in 1952, followed by 22 of 37 in 1953, and 17 of 37 in 1954. It was an incredible accomplishment, especially from a car that had some legitimate luxury credentials.

The chassis' lower center of gravity, created by the "step-down design," was both functional and stylish. The car did not only handle well, but treated its six passengers to a sumptuous ride. The low-slung look also had a sleekness about it that was accentuated by the nearly enclosed rear wheels.

Unfortunately, the unibody design was expensive to update, and it suffered against the planned obsolescence of the Big Three. Hudson's competitors, using separate body-on-frame designs, could change the look of their models on a yearly basis without expensive chassis alterations, but the Hudson Hornet design was essentially locked in until a re-engineering came due. So, despite its racing successes, Hudson's sales began to languish. Finally Hudson merged with Nash to form AMC, and the brand disappeared for good in 1957.

© Studio One Networks

Hudson Heaven

A Visit To Dany Spring's Hudson Headquarters

By Steve Magnante          Photography: Steve Magnante, The Dany Spring Collection

If you're reading this, chances are you've already seen the Hot Rod Magazine Quick Test of Dany Spring's 14 second '41 Hudson Traveler in our June 2003 issue. If not, run to your local new stand and pick up a copy before they're all sold out. To recap, Dany Spring is a 40-year-old molding manufacturer from Ontario, California who's been raised around Hudson cars and trucks all his life. While many of Dany's Hudsons are pristine restorations or cherry originals that are too nice to abuse, he resurrected a sixties-vintage drag car so he can tap into the Hudson performance legacy when he feels the urge to go fast. Check it out elsewhere in this story. Though high performance seekers under the age of twenty have laong since stopped uttering the Hudson name, there was a time the Detroit, MI based company was a dominating force in stock car and land speed racing. Most importantly, the company was well aware of the connection between racetrack victories and showroom sales.   In the early fifties, "Fabulous" Hudson Hornets driven by racing legends like Marshall Teague, Tim Flock, Herb Thomas and Jesse Taylor rivaled the Olds 88 (with its revolutionary new OHV V8 powerplant) as the most feared competitors on the fledgling NASCAR roundy-round circuit. Though other carmakers could boast more horsepower than the 170 delivered by the Twin H-Power, 308 cube Hudson 6, the low center of gravity imparted by the Hornet's step-down chassis design (where the perimeter frame ran outboard of the rear wheels) gave the slab-sided wonders superior handling. Add the wild 210 horsepower "export" 7X engine and suspension package (dealer installed) and the Hudsons easily stayed ahead of the V8's. Though Oldsmobile won the NASCAR championship in 1950 and '51, Hudson stole it away for 1953 and '54.   The passage of time obscures the fact that a young Smokey Yunick helped to develop the 7X kit and a pre-GM, pre-Z28 Vince Piggins was tasked with shepherding Hudson's Severe Usage parts program. But thanks to the go-fast goodies and perimeter frame, Hudson drivers simply rubbed their cars against the steel Armco barrier on turns, mashed the throttle and hung on. Just like a giant Hot Wheels set, the Hornets cornered high and wide while the tall-boy competition was forced to go low and slow. As a direct result, the Hudson Hornet was a 1950's household name and sales blossomed.   Moving back two decades, lets examine the positive impact land speed record and endurance competition had on Hudson sales. The year 1939 was one of declining showroom activity so between August and September of 1939 Hudson launched its 1940 models amid a frenzy of shattered records at the Bonneville salt flats.   It started when famous land speed racer John Cobb pushed a nearly stock '40 Hudson 8 sedan to an International Class C flying kilometer record for closed sedans with a 93.89 mph exit speed. The same car then achieved 27.12 mpg during a closely scrutinized 1000 mile fuel economy test. Next, factory test drivers Al Miller and Buddy Marr tallied an impressive 102 official AAA (American Automobile Association) Class C and D records for speed and endurance. In strict adherence to the rules set forth by the sanctioning body, these Hudsons were standard production models except for the addition of dealer optional rear axle ratios, overdrive and high compression heads.   Other Hudson endurance claims included a Hudson 6 sedan that ran an average speed of 70.62 mph for 30,000 kilometers and another Hudson 6 that delivered an amazing 32.66 mpg in another 1000 mile economy test. All in all it was the greatest sweep of speed, economy and endurance records to that date, surpassing the group of 40 similar records set in October 1936 at Bonneville by a fleet of...you guessed it...1937 Hudsons and Terraplanes.   The result of all this bravado was an aggressive advertising campaign touting the record runs and a dramatic upswing in sales. Total 1940 sales for the month of September were up 149% over '39 and overall sales for '40 totaled just under 80,000 cars versus 62,000 for '39. Of course, the 1940 Hudsons featured new sheetmetal and numerous improvements such as Hudson's first coil spring front suspension, a lateral rear stabilizer bar and vacuum spark advance. So what happens when you roll Hudson's Bonneville and NASCAR exploits together? You get a high level of brand awareness and a substantial pool of hot rodders willing to take Hudson products seriously, even after the company went under in the late fifties. Though he's a bit young to fit the demographic profile, Dany Spring's childhood immersion in all things Hudson makes up for lost time and explains his infatuation with the marque.

Hudson Speed Parts With all of the factory and independent racing activity over the years, its no wonder there's a bounty of Hudson go-fast goodies still floating around. Here are just a few of the scores Dany has made in the last few years.
Hot induction setups include (clockwise from bottom left) ceramic coated factory Twin-H dual Carter 1-bbl, Clifford Performance triple Weber manifold, Edmunds large plenum dual 2-bbl, Edmunds small plenum dual 2-bbl, hand fabricated triple 1-bbl, hand fabricated ram-type triple 1-bbl, factory Hudson single 2-bbl with modern Holley 2300 conversion.		Cylinder head selection includes (from bottom) factory Hudson cast iron, factory aluminum high compression, aluminum Clifford Performance (you can buy one today) and 50's vintage Edmunds finned unit.		Comparison of stock Hudson iron head in foreground and aluminum Clifford casting shows smaller combustion chamber and centered spark plug location for increased compression and better flame propagation.
Exhaust goodies include (from left to right) custom equal-length header of unknown origin, factory cast iron manifold and dual-outlet Clifford header.		Here's what it takes to get 353 cubes from a 308. The 5-inch stroker crank from Wilson Brothers Grinding in Ontario, CA is a re-worked stocker (welded and offset ground). Dany scored the fully polished and prepped Hudson rods at a swap meet for $100.		This neat N.O.S. Mallory dual point distributor was discovered in its original box on the back shelf of a speed shop. Also shown are a pair of matched Mallory 6-volt coils.
		V8 junkies will puzzle over the unusual lobe spacing and general architecture of this old Moon racing cam.

The end of the plant.

The end.

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