1956 Hudson Hornet

American Motors of 1954 was the predictable result of the Hudson-Nash merger. Instead of being built at Hudson's Detroit factory, they were produced on the Kenosha, Wisconsin, assembly line. They were based on a re-skinned Nash platform instead of the 'Monobilt Step-Down' Hudson. The 1955 Hornet had an 'egg-crate' style grille and two-tone paint finishes.

For the 1956 model year, AMC executives gave the Hornet more character with its design courtesy of designer Richard Arbib, who gave the Hornet and Wasp one of the more distinctive looks in the 1950s, which he called 'V-Line Styling.' Using the traditional Hudson triangular logo shape, Arbib applied its 'V' form to the interior and exterior of the car in every conceivable manner. Tri-tone paint combinations added to the unique and noticeable appearance.

The 1956 Hornet was styled similarly to the new Wasp model but given finer interior accouterments and more standard equipment. They had identification nameplates in the V-shaped din in the rail moldings. Trim levels consisted of the Super Line Six Sedan, the Custom Line Six and V-8 in both sedan and Hollywood hardtop, and the Hudson Hornet Special Series 50 in sedan and Hollywood hardtop configuration. The inline six-cylinder L-head engine displaced 308 cubic inches and produced 165 horsepower. The Hornet Twin-H Six had 175 horsepower. The 352 cubic-inch V8 produced 220 horsepower, and the Hornet Special Eight had 190 horsepower. A three-speed manual was standard, with an Ultramatic transmission a mandatory option for the 352 CID V8.

The Hornet Sixes and Series 80 Hornet V8s rested on a 121.25-inch wheelbase. The Hornet Special had a 114.25-inch platform. Hornet Sixes came with 7.10 x 15 tires and the V8's had 7.60 x 15 tires.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jan 2019