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By model year 1954, the end was very near for a fine line of American-made automobiles which had been in production since 1909. The car's 'sign', for those of you who follow astrology, is Aquarius, as the company was founded in Detroit on February 9, 1909 by eight area businessmen whose goal it was to build a quality automobile for $1,000.00 or less. Many folks, like me, who fall into the 'post middle age, pre-senior citizen' category (and way too young to be called 'elderly'!), remember the days when a handful of Hudsons cruised the streets of our home towns. Yes, we were very young, but those of us who were interested in cars knew the Hudson look when we saw one coming our way. Early fifties Hudsons were massive in appearance, yet 'low slung' when compared to the cars being stamped out by Ford, GM and Chrysler. Hudson's perimeter frame design allowed the passenger compartment to be placed lower to the ground which, in turn, resulted in an overall lower center of gravity. This, combined with the powerful Hornet engines, made for a package that would become a consistent winner at the tracks and a favorite with the stock car racing crowd.

By 1954, the Hudson (and related Nash) automobiles were finally beginning to lose the 'bathtub' look that had defined those makes at the turn of the decade. Their style was now conforming with the lower, longer, wider look that was becoming so popular and a theme which dominated the styles of 'the Big 3' auto makers, Ford, GM and Chrysler as they entered the mid-fifties years.

The voluminous Hudson Hornet convertible for 1954, shown above in Rio Red, was a large and powerful car, but nothing to write home about in the looks department. One, particularly objectionable styling cue was the heavy, body color header which topped the windshield frame. I guess it's the designer background coming out in me, but I never did care for that look, and it was one of the things I disliked about my first car, a 1959 English Ford Consul ragtop.

But I digress; the Hudson was a fine motorcar with a lot to be said for it. The Hornet engines, straight six blocks, were not only rugged, but powerful for their time and were responsible for Hudson's fame on race tracks around the world back 'in the day'. Standard power for the top-of-the-line Hornet models was the Hornet 'Big' Six, an in-line design which displaced 308 cubic inches and churned out 160 horsepower at 3,800 rpm. 'Twin-H' power was offered in the form of dual carburetion and twin intake manifold which boosted the output to 170 horsepower. Gear changing was accomplished by way of a three-speed manual transmission with column-mounted shifter. Overdrive was available as a $111.00 option. Customers wanting to avoid the manual shifting could opt for the $178.00 Hydra-Matic Drive automatic.

Appearance and convenience options were plentiful for this period and included such popular items as outside rear view mirrors ($6.00); an eight-tube, AM, push button radio ($100.00); power steering ($177.00); power brakes ($43.00); extra heavy duty shock absorbers ($14.00); Weather Control heater ($74.00) and a 'safety group' which included backup lights, directional lights (turn signals), glare proof rear view mirror and outside rear view mirrors for $66.00. Curiously, hydraulically operated power windows were offered only on the Wasp and Hornet convertibles and cost an extra $67.00.

Wheels could be dressed up with wide whitewalls and a number of wheel enhancements including rims painted the same color as the upper body (on two tone painted cars); deluxe full wheel covers (as shown on our feature car above); painted wire wheels and for customers with deep pockets, chrome plated wire wheels.

Standard Hudson color choices for the 1954 models included Beret Blue, Spring Green, Pacific Blue Green, Silver Blue, Roman Bronze, Palm Beach Green, Royal Red, Pasture Green and Ebony Black. Algerian Blue, Coronation Cream, St. Clair Gray and Lipstick Red (shown on this week's feature car illustration above) were special colors available at extra cost. A dizzying array of interior color combinations were offered in a choice of vinyls, cloth and leather.

The Hudson Hornet was the largest and most luxurious of the Hudsons for 1954. It rode a 124" wheelbase and measured nearly 269 inches in overall length. Factory suggested base prices on Hornets started at $2,571.00 for a two-door club coupe and climbed to $3,288.00 for the 6-passenger, two-door convertible Brougham shown above. That equals about $26,159.00 in '09 dollars... not unreasonable for a full sized rag top. If you could find a show quality example today, it would likely set you back approximately ten times that figure or more.

 
Other models in the Hudson line included the slightly smaller 'Wasp' series and the 'Jet' series, which was, at the time, called a 'compact', although it more likely fell into what would later be called an intermediate sized car.

Your article on the Hudson and racing was a little trip down memory lane.

I recall when the Hornets burst on the auto scene.  A large six with 145 HP and up to 170 HP with "TWIN H POWER"

They dominated the stock car races for a couple years.  They were not the fastest or had the most acceleration (Chrysler and Olds owned those titles) but their lower center of gravity (Hudson's Step Down Design) allowed Hudson to take the curves 5 to 10 MPH faster than the other cars which gave the Hudson's enough edge to win most races.

I saw what I believe was the first stock car (and I do mean stock car) race in St Louis.  I was an Army Sgt stationed at Granite City Army Depot and went to the Midget Races held at Walsh Stadium quite often. This was in 1949 & 1950.  One day they announced, at the start of the evening races, they were going to have a stock car race and that any one who wished to enter his car in the race to bring it to the gate for inspection and to sign a waiver.   About 7 or 8 guys signed up. Just about all the cars were prewar Ford 8's with one big exception.  A guy in a '31 Model A sedan.  Everyone laughed at him.  When the race started he was left in the rear, which didn't seem to bother him. He got his car in high gear and stayed on the outside of the track.  The guy's in the 8's didn't know how to drive in a race.  They would floorboard the gas on the straight-a ways then have to jam on their brakes for the curves and get jammed up with the other cars.  They slide around, lost traction and, of course, time and speed.  It was a 5 lap race. The guy in the model A stayed on the outside and started passing everyone on the curves.  By the 5th lap he was in front and won the race.  I think he got a five or ten dollar prize.  Anyhow it was a lot of fun.

Bill Hollis

What was the connection between the Hudson automobile and a department store chain?

Seventeen U.S. states have towns or cities named Hudson. How many can you name?

The first location of this well-known, fast-food burger restaurant opened on December 4, 1954. In the early 1970s, it would become the first fast-food chain to offer an enclosed, air-conditioned seating area. What is the name of this fast-food restaurant chain and where was the first store located?

What modern-day auto maker built and showed a concept car named Hornet in 2006?

"Sh-Boom" was a top hit during the year 1954, reaching number seven on the top ten chart. Who performed this hit?

A loaf of bread in 1954 would have cost you:

A. $0.17

B. $0.49

C. $0.75

D. $0.89?

 
Answers Below

Answers

What was the connection between the Hudson automobile and a department store chain?
The Hudson Motor Car Company was named after Joseph L. Hudson, a Detroit department store entrepreneur and founder of Hudson’s Department Store.  It was Hudson who provided the necessary capital to get the business off the ground.  

Seventeen U.S. states have towns or cities named Hudson. How many can you name?
Colorado
Florida
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Maine
Massachusetts
Michigan
New Hampshire
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Texas
Wisconsin
Wyoming 

The first location of this well-known, fast-food burger restaurant opened on December 4, 1954. In the early 1970s, it would become the first fast-food chain to offer an enclosed, air-conditioned seating area. What is the name of this fast-food restaurant chain and where was the first store located?

The first Burger King location was opened on December 4, 1954 in a suburb of Miami, Florida.  Originally called ‘InstaBurger King’, it was the brainchild of James McLamore and David Edgerton, both alumni of the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration.  A burger or a milk shake could be purchased for just eighteen cents.  By 1959, the operation had grown to five locations around the Miami area and Edgerton and McLamore decided to expand the company nationally by offering franchises. 
 

What modern-day auto maker built and showed a concept car named Hornet in 2006?

The Dodge Hornet was a micro-crossover concept car first shown in 2006 and tentatively scheduled to go into production for the 2010 model year.  The rally-inspired vehicle, designed to compete with the Mini, is based on the Jeep Compass platform and is powered by a 1.6 liter, turbocharged 4-cylinder engine.
 

"Sh-Boom" was a top hit during the year 1954, reaching number seven on the top ten chart. Who performed this hit?

The 1954 hit ‘Sh-Boom’ was performed by the Crew-Cuts.  
 

A loaf of bread in 1954 would have cost you:

A. $0.17

B. $0.49

C. $0.75

D. $0.89
A loaf of bread in 1954 sold for an average price of just (A) seventeen cents, or about $1.34 in ‘09 dollars... a whole lot less than I paid for one at Shop ‘n’ Save today!

Trivia Sidebar:

The song “Sh-Boom” was the inspiration for the name of today's popular nostalgia band which performs on a regular basis at the local Chuck-A-Burger restaurants in St. John and St. Charles, Missouri.

The first production transistor radio of significance was introduced on October 18, 1954. The TR-1 was manufactured by Texas Instruments and marketed under the Regency brand name. The pocket-sized radio received only AM signals and sold, at the time, for $49.95 or about $500.00 in '09 dollars.