1954 Hudson Hornet

On January 14th, 1954, Hudson's Board of Directors approved a merger with Nash-Kelvinator, which was ratified by shareholders on March 24, 1954. Hudson officially became part of American Motors Corp. on May 1st, and on May 27, employees were notified production would move from Detroit to the Kenosha, Wisconsin, Nash factory. The last Detroit-built Hudson was built on October 30th, 1954.

For 1954, Hudson revised the styling of their 'senior' models with cues borrowed from the compact Jet. The Hornet, which earned 81 victories during its racing career, continued as the company's performance and image leader. The final Detroit-built Hornets were given many standard features, including crank-type front vent windows, a cast aluminum 'high-compression' cylinder head, an electric clock, foam rubber rear seat cushions, Custom wheel covers, and upgraded trim.

by Daniel Vaughan | Apr 2019