At right is a photo of Dad with his 1954 Hudson Hornet. He purchased this car in the Fall of 2001, drove it for a while after getting it up and running, and then spent two years meticulously restoring it to its nearly-original form (and color). He and Vicki have won ample awards showing this car at various exclusive car shows in the area, namely the prestigious Concours d’Elegance shows, since he completed restoration in the Summer of 2004. This year alone, they took Best in Class at the Ault Park Concours d’Elegance in Cincinnati and Second in Class at the Keeneland Concours d’Elegance in Lexington, Kentucky.
This car was certainly not Dad’s first exposure to the Hudson – in fact not even his first 1954 Hudson Hornet. In the photo below you will see my Dad in front of his father’s 1951 light blue Hudson Super-Six. He had purchased it new and sold it in August of 1955, around the same time this photo was taken. Dad currently had his own ’51 Super-Six as well – awaiting restoration.
Dad purchased his first 1954 Hudson Hornet in October of 1965 – as seen in the photo below. It was the same yellow color as his current Hudson. He only hung on to this car for about a year, selling in the Fall of 1966 before he entered the Army.
Of course, in the mid-seventies Dad focused his sights on an earlier model Hudson Super-Six from 1949. We had two of these models – a blue one for a short time, and then a black Commodore 6 which he meticulously restored as well. I spent an ample amount of my young childhood in the late 1970’s visiting car shows and Hudson conventions, all events I fondly remember.
Vicki and Dad at Keeneland August 2007
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