Hornet 'Big' Six Trivia Question of the Week: 1. What was the connection between the Hudson automobile and a department store chain? 2. Seventeen U.S. states have towns or cities named Hudson. How many can you name? 3. The first location of this well-known, fast-food burger restaurant opened on December 4, 1954. In the early 1970s, it would became 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? 4. What modern-day auto maker built and showed a concept car named Hornet in 2006? 5. "Sh-Boom" was a top hit during the year 1954, reaching number seven on the top ten chart. Who performed this hit which was 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? 6. A loaf of bread in 1954 would have cost you, A. $0.17; B. $0.49; C. $0.75; or D. $0.89?

Trivia sidebar: 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.

For the answers to this week's trivia questions and to see a photo of the Regency TR-1 radio, visit the FIN MAN's web site at http://www.thefinman.com.


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.


The FIN MAN's web site (http://www.thefinman.com) is undergoing a total makeover and will be viewed in a new format at the same address starting on February 20th. Be sure to check it out and come back often to see the updates and new pages that will be added as we go into the 2009 collector car season.

For the answers to this week's trivia questions and other 1954 Hudson images, visit the FIN MAN's web site at http://www.thefinman.com. To e-mail him, click on this link: mailto:the_fin_man@msn.com.

EVENT ANNOUNCEMENTS: The FIN MAN will be appearing at St. Clair Square in Fairview Heights, Illinois on Saturday, March 7th, 2009 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation's mall walk. Watch the FIN MAN's web site for details. http://www.thefinman.com.

You can e-mail The FIN MAN at mailto://the_fin_man@msn.com. 'The FIN MAN'TM is available for your group's special occasion. In addition to his seminar schedule, he has been a guest speaker at group meetings including car clubs, engineering clubs and other professional associations. He has also acted as host or emcee at a number of special events including trivia parties, holiday parties, social and professional club events, benefits and fund raisers. There are still a few open dates for December, 2008 and we are now accepting bookings for calendar year 2009. During his appearances, he presents an overview of the collector car hobby plus a detailed look at American cars from the fifties and sixties. His program includes a fascinating Power Point presentation with images of collectible automobiles and various associated nostalgia and Americana. Guests also have the opportunity to play "FINS for FUN," the video game he produced in 1987 which inspired his nickname, in which players compete to identify the year, make and model of cars from tightly cropped photos of fins and taillights. Those who score the highest win auto-related prizes donated by supporting Fin Man sponsors. For more information, click on this link: http://groups.msn.com/the-fin-man/seminaragenda.msnw.

Bruce Kunz is a member of the Society of Automotive Historians, the St. Louis Chapter of the Buick Club of America and the Monte Carlo Owners Association of America. He welcomes your comments and suggestions. To e-mail him, click here > mailto:the_fin_man@msn.com.