Step Down Into a Hudson

My friend Alan is the owner of a lovely 1950 Hudson Commodore 6 Sedan, and is a member of the Northern California Hudson Club. Last weekend the club planned a meetup in Portola Valley on the Peninsula, to visit and tour the Military Vehicle Technology Foundation’s museum there. Alan invited me along- we drove in his Hudson down to Portola Valley then carpooled up to the museum. I’ve written posts about the museum- here I’ll just post about the Hudsons.

Here’s Alan’s Hudson. Like I wrote above, a 1950 Commodore 6, started life as a Commodore 8, but the flathead straight 8 engine is not as well designed as the flathead 6, so Alan swapped it out long ago. It’s also got a Hornet intake and Twin H Power dual carb setup, headers and exhaust work. It’s outfitted with a 3 speed manual and original oil bathed cork clutch.

It’s not a museum-restored car, and the decades have taken their toll on the trim and interior, but it’s a very solid and beautiful car.

It’s got character.

When we arrived, two other Hudsons showed up as well, a 52 Hornet and a 53 Hornet. Alan arranged that we ride with Ed in his 53 Hornet up to the museum, he said I ought to see what a really nice Hudson is like. And was he telling the truth or what-

Ed’s car is particularly unusual because it has the original upholstery intact, actually in really excellent shape. The car just looks 1/4 its age in every way. It’s not been restored, it’s just the result of an extremely luck barn find.

These are pretty neat cars. Riding in Ed’s superbly preserved car is like a time capsule, gives you a real feel of what the car life was like back in the 50s when these were sold. As well, it’s even good by modern standards- smooth, quiet, quick– well, of course these cars don’t measure up to fuel economy or safety standards. But the style, such style.