[freebeard]

STEP DOWN HUDSON

The design that Andrews and crew developed was just over 60 inches (1,533 mm) high, the lowest in America at the time, and some 5 inches (127 mm) lower than some of its contemporaries. With its high beltline and low roof, it looked like it had been “chopped” by the new California custom shops. It also looked thoroughly aerodynamic, which it was to a point. According to wind tunnel tests conducted by Hudson’s rival Nash, it had nearly 20% less drag than contemporary notchback sedans, although it wasn’t significantly better than other fastbacks despite its lower frontal area. (It was also inferior to the Nash Ambassador, which was actually designed using wind-tunnel testing.)

http://www.allpar.com/cars/adopted/hudson-hornet.html

In 1950 Hudson and Oldsmobile dominated the racetracks.

The Hornet one of the hottest vehicles on the road thanks to its 262-cubic-inch inline six, bored out to 308 cubic inches; it also found itself to be one of the hottest cars out on the race tracks. The Hornet had a low center of gravity, and stock-car racers in the 1950s took advantage of that, the dual carburetion (Twin-H Power, available as an option in 1952), and the robust L-head (H-145) engine. Surrounded by high-compression V8s from Cadillac and Oldsmobile and low-compression V8s from Ford, the Hornet still dominated stock-car racing in the Fifties, largely because it could easily out-handle competitors.

Twelve of 13 AAA events in 1952 were won by Marshall Teague, who became synonymous with Hudson performance in that era; he claimed 112 mph in the Hornet. In the NASCAR Grand National Series, 27 of the 34 races in the 1952 season were won by a Hudson; 22 of 37 were won by a Hudson in 1953, and 17 of 37 in 1954.
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Winning 40 out of 48 events, the Hornet had an 83% winning percentage.

The Hornet’s superior handling came from its chassis’ low center of gravity, thanks to its stylish and functional “step-down” design; its floorboards were lower than the door sills.

Twin H-Power was first offered as a parts-counter kit in November 1951. It became a factory option on Hudson Hornets in mid-January 1952 and was also offered for the compact Jet in 1953 and 1954. On Hornets, Twin H-Power was good for an extra 15 horsepower (11 kW). It was not available on Pacemakers, but since the Pacemaker’s 232 cu. in. (3,798 cc) six was essentially the Hornet’s engine with a smaller bore and stroke, adding it was not difficult.

http://ateupwithmotor.com/model-histories/step-down-hudsons/

The pressure-lubricated 6 had more displacement than the splash-lubricated inline 8.

In 1951, Barit opted to develop a new compact model, the Hudson Jet, which he hoped would make Hudson more competitive against the “Low-Priced Three.”...suffice to say that Hudson sunk some $16 million — the last of the company’s cash reserves — into its development, which proved to be a fatal mistake.