Hudson Hash - 1955-'57 Hudson Hornet and Wasp

One of the top definitions of "hash" is "a confused muddle," which is probably what was on the mind of contemporary wonks when they dubbed the new, Nash-derived Hudsons of 1955 by that moniker, a contraction of Hudson and Nash.

More charitably, a hash can be defined as a "new mixture of old material," which is probably apt when looking at American Motors' reworking of Hudson and Nash engineering into a new Hudson line--which would also turn out to be the storied marque's final line.

Hudson had bet the farm on the compact craze of the early 1950s, kicked off by then-competitor Nash's 1950 Rambler. Rather than retool from the 1947-vintage "step-down" platform to a new full-size car, Hudson management elected to produce a compact called the Jet.

Although the 1953 Hudson Jet followed the Rambler formula of making a well-built, well-equipped compact, rather than a stripped-down cheapo with margins too small to turn a profit, the quirky styling of the smaller Hudson is largely agreed to have irreparably damaged the company. That damage led directly to Hudson's 1954 merger with Nash-Kelvinator and the formation of American Motors. A 1953 sales war between Ford and Chevrolet, which took its toll on all the independent makes, didn't help matters.

For 1955, a new Hudson Hornet was unveiled. Its lineage from the Nash Ambassador was easy to see, but with its outboard headlamps, non-skirted front wheels, and broad egg-crate grille, it was arguably the better looking of the two cars. A shorter version, wearing the Wasp nameplate, was based on the Nash Statesman platform.

1955

The world caught its first glimpse of the American Motors Hudsons at the Chicago Auto Show in February 1955. This would be the first redesign of the brand since the introduction of the 1948s, and AMC designers, including Edmund Anderson and longtime Hudson stylist Frank Spring, did their best to marry a platform shared by Nash with styling that was distinctive to Hudson and respectful of the brand's history.

Stylistically, all the body panels save for the decklid were unique to Hudson. In fact, the bodywork ahead of the cowl had been designed by Spring as an update for the old stepdown body shell. Aside from the aforementioned egg-crate grille, wide-set headlamps, and exposed wheels, the Hudson featured an upper grille surround shaped like inverted steer horns, with the traditional triangular Hudson badge inset. At the leading edge of the broad, flat hood were block letters spelling out "HUDSON." Near the windshield was a prominent, full-width cowl vent, a considerable change from the old-fashioned, pop-up style vent used in 1954.

1957 Hornet V-8 Custom four-door sedan

A simple horizontal molding decorated the front fender and extended back to near the trailing edge of the front door. The quarter panels were accented by a beltline molding that dropped from the A-pillar and extended to the rear of the car before wrapping around below the taillamps. This also provided a break point for two-tone color schemes, which carried the upper color from the roof down to the top of the doors and rear fenders. The Wasp came in three varieties: standard, Super Wasp, and Custom. In previous years, the Super Wasp had been a larger-engined variation on the Wasp, but for 1955, it was simply a trim variation on the Custom.

All 1955 Wasps were built on a 114.25-inch wheelbase shared with their corporate twin, the Nash Statesman. That meant the traditional low Hudson stance and wide front track were gone, though AMC engineers did manage to retain Hudson's traditional dual braking system with a mechanical backup in the event of a hydraulic failure. Inside, the plush Hudson interiors (at least in the upper trim levels) were augmented by Nash-derived All Season air conditioning and Airliner reclining seats and travel beds.

An important part of retaining a separate Hudson identity within the AMC Hudson-designed engine, the 202-cu.in. 120-hp straight-six from the departed Hudson Jet was carried on. The Twin-H package, including a high-compression cylinder head and twin carburetors, was available and good for 130 horsepower. A three-speed manual transmission, shifted on the column, was standard--overdrive and Hydra-Matic drive were optional.

Hornet styling was very similar to that of the Wasp, though stretched to the 121.25-inch wheelbase of the platform shared with the Nash Ambassador. The base engine choice for the Hornet was the vaunted 308-cu.in. straight-six first introduced in 1951, albeit modified to mesh with Nash transmissions and the Nash enclosed driveline. Twin-H dual carburetion boosted the standard 308's power from 160 hp to 170 hp. Solid lifters, retained from earlier Hudson engines, would prove to be tough to adjust in the Nash-derived chassis. With the six-cylinder, transmission choices were the same as for the Wasp.

Big news for Hudson this year was an available V-8 engine. The 320-cu.in., 208-hp unit was purchased from Packard. This was intended as an initial step in George Mason's planned next phase of independent consolidation, where Studebaker and Packard would merge with AMC to produce a corporation able to compete with GM, Ford, and Chrysler. It did not pan out, but it accounts for use of the Packard V-8 in Nash, Hudson, Studebaker, and Packard automobiles. Also used was a Packard-sourced Twin Ultramatic transmission, the only transmission choice when the V-8 was ordered.

The only body styles available for full-size Hudsons in 1955, whether Wasp or Hornet, were a four-door sedan and a two-door "Hollywood" hardtop--convertibles and the storied Club Coupe body style were gone. Hornets were divided into Six and V-8 series and further subdivided by Super or upscale Custom trim. The company produced 7,191 Wasps, 6,911 Hornet Sixes, and 6,219 Hornet V-8s, a considerable decline from the 11,603 Wasps and 24,883 Hornets produced for 1954.

1956

With such a precipitous slump in sales, AMC was naturally anxious to rework the new Hudson into something more appealing to the public. Futuristic stylist Richard Arbib, perhaps best remembered for the 1955 Nash Metropolitan-derived "Astro Gnome," was given the task. He took as his inspiration both the traditional Hudson triangle logo and the newly introduced V-8 engine, for what he called "V-line Styling."

At the forefront, quite literally, of this revised styling was a V-shaped grille with a V-shaped dip in the center, looking somewhat like a bird's beak. The large egg crate of 1955 had been reduced to a finer mesh. The side trim (also boasting V-dips) became vastly more complicated, permitting tri-tone paint schemes, and featuring such details as air-scoop fender-top ornaments and wedge-shaped surrounds for the parking lamps.

The Wasp line was pared back to only four-door sedans with Super trim. The engine and transmission choices were unchanged from 1955. At mid-year, however, the Wasp platform would receive renewed attention, thanks to the introduction of the Hornet Special, essentially a Wasp wearing Super Hornet trim and interior, and equipped with AMC's new 250-cu.in., 190-hp corporate V-8. The Hornet Special was available as both a four-door sedan and a Hollywood hardtop. Priced between the Wasp line and the long-wheelbase Hornets, the Hornet Special foreshadowed the 1957 Rambler Rebel as an affordable performer.

The long-wheelbase Hornets came in both Super and Custom trim. The fancier Custom-trim cars had a Continental-style external spare and a large, gold panel just aft of the V-dip in the side trim. The Hornet "Championship" six, now offering 165 hp or 175 hp, depending on carburetion, returned in both the Super and Custom lines, but was now equipped with hydraulic lifters for easier servicing. The Packard V-8, now a 220-hp, 352-cu.in. unit, returned, but only in the Custom line and, once again, only with the Ultramatic transmission. It was discontinued at mid-year and replaced by the AMC 250-cu.in. V-8.

At the end of the model year, Hudson had produced 2,519 Wasps, 1,757 Hornet Specials (including just 229 Hollywood hardtops), and 6,395 long-wheelbase Hornets. This was not the shot in the arm AMC had hoped for, and the new automaker was left wondering if its heritage nameplates were a boon or a detriment.

1957

The controversial styling of 1956 was largely retained for the 1957 model year, though the Hudson body itself was lowered by two inches, thanks to a generous sectioning of the roof. That change helped restore some of the low-slung proportions of earlier years, and the elimination of the old, L-head six-cylinder engine helped give the Hudson name a veneer of modern performance. No matter how legendary the Hornet six had been early in the decade, a flathead six-cylinder was nothing to brag about in a mid-priced car in 1957.

Other styling revisions included a standard padded instrument panel, more modern interiors, a new "V" medallion in the center of the grille, dual-fin front fender ornaments in place of 1956's faux air intakes, trendy tail fins, and heavily revised side trim that, at a glance, appears to be a mirror image of the 1956 trim. Top-line Hornet Customs received a textured aluminum insert inside the front fender trim.

Only the long wheelbase was available for the 1957 model year. The Wasp and the Hornet Special had been discontinued. Additionally, the Rambler and Metropolitan models had been spun off into their own marques, leaving only the Hornet Super and Hornet Custom, both of which were available as a Hollywood hardtop or a four-door sedan.

The sole engine choice for 1957 was an enlarged version of the 250-cu.in. V-8 from 1956, now displacing 327 cubic inches and producing 255 horsepower. The standard transmission was still a column-shifted three-speed with overdrive, and an automatic transmission was also available. Only 3,108 Hudsons were produced for the 1957 model year.

Afterward

With Hudson and Nash both selling poorly, AMC made a dramatic decision. Redesigned and downsized 1958 Hudson models had been prepared, but with the difficulty in finding buyers for the historic nameplates and Rambler models selling very well, AMC elected to consolidate all its vehicles under the Rambler banner. The 1958 Rambler Ambassador would combine a traditional Nash nameplate with styling that was largely intended for the Hudson Hornet--hence the heavy triangle motif. The gambit was a success, and AMC was the only automaker to gain market share that year.

Some hardcore Hudson fans discount any car built after the end of the 1954 model year, but though they may not be the NASCAR-dominating stepdown model, the 1955 to '57 Hudson Wasp and Hornet provide a quality car and retain a lot of Hudson heritage for any enthusiast looking for a postwar Hudson. Further, their unique looks and late-Fifties flair are quite attention-grabbing on the car-show circuit.

Whether one considers the Hash years to be Hudson's swan song or a missing link in AMC history, the 1955 to '57 Hudsons are a worthwhile and interesting automobile to own.