After Hudson merged into AMC, every 1955-57 Hornet was secretly a restyled Nash underneath — badge-engineering so complete that nobody noticed the shared bones.
Lead trim: Hornet Special 250 cu in AMC V8 (190 hp, late 1956) · up to 255 hp
Hudson Hornet1955–1957
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Hudson Hornet yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactAfter Hudson merged into AMC, every 1955-57 Hornet was secretly a restyled Nash underneath — badge-engineering so complete that nobody noticed the shared bones.
The second-generation Hornet was built by the newly formed American Motors Corporation in Kenosha, Wisconsin after the 1954 Hudson–Nash merger closed Hudson's Detroit plant: no longer on the step-down platform, all Hornets were based on the large Nash Statesman/Ambassador with distinctive Hudson styling (designers Edmund E. Anderson and Frank Spring) and the Hudson straight six kept as an option. The 1955 Hornets shared their styling with the new Wasps but had a longer 121.25 in wheelbase; the 308 cu in (5.0 L) straight-six continued (160 or 170 bhp) alongside a 320 cu in (5.2 L) Packard V8 (1955 to early 1956), and for 1956 Richard Arbib's "V-Line Styling" and tri-tone paint arrived. The Hornet Special was introduced in the middle of the 1956 model year with AMC's new 250 cu in (4.1 L) 190 hp V8 on a shorter 114.25 in wheelbase; for 1957 the price was cut and the power raised with AMC's 327 cu in (5.4 L) V8 rated at 255 hp with a four-barrel carburetor and dual exhausts, and the Hornet was the only Hudson left after the Wasp was dropped. Wheelbase 121.25 in, length 209 in, width 78 in, height 60 in, curb weight (I6) 3,495 lb.
Collectors Spotted in the Hudson Hornet Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Hudson Hornet yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
4 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hornet 308 cu in I6 | 1955–1957 | 5.0 L Inline-6 | — | — | — | RWD | — | — |
| Hornet 320 cu in Packard V8 (1955–early 1956) | 1955–1956 | 5.2 L V8 | 208 hp | 300 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
| Hornet 327 cu in AMC V8 (255 hp, 1957) | 1957–1957 | 5.4 L V8 | 255 hp | 345 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
| Hornet Special 250 cu in AMC V8 (190 hp, late 1956) | 1956–1956 | 4.1 L V8 | 190 hp | — | — | RWD | — | — |
Owning one
We don’t estimate running costs for a car like this. What it costs depends on its condition, its specialist and how it is driven, and an average would mislead.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
After Hudson merged into AMC, every 1955-57 Hornet was secretly a restyled Nash underneath — badge-engineering so complete that nobody noticed the shared bones.
The Hudson Hornet's flathead straight-six displaced a massive 308 cubic inches — the biggest six-cylinder engine in any mass-production car of its day.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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