LE BARON
Power User
The car you're looking at right now is one of the most historically significant vehicles in American motorsport history, and almost nobody realizes it. The Super Six name first appeared in 1916, making it one of America's first high-performance cars. It set records at Daytona Beach and Pikes Peak, was discontinued in 1928, briefly revived in 1933, came back again in 1940, and by 1941 became the powerplant at the heart of the new Commodore line.
The 1947 model is a particularly fascinating piece of Hudson's story because of its timing. This car rolled off the assembly line immediately before Hudson's most revolutionary engineering achievement arrived. Hudson set the American auto industry on its ear in November 1947 with its new 1948 Step-Down unibody sedans, retooling to build the much larger, completely redesigned cars in only 23 days after the last 1947 model left the line. The 1947 Commodore is the final expression of the pre-revolutionary Hudson, and it wears that distinction beautifully.
The engine under this hood is Hudson's proven 262 cubic inch flathead inline six producing 121 horsepower with a balanced crankshaft that allowed it to spin far more freely than its displacement suggested. That balanced crankshaft was the same fundamental architecture that would go on to dominate NASCAR competition in a bored-out form, and the higher revs it allowed made all the difference. Hudson Hornets, using a developed version of this exact engine family, won 27 of 34 NASCAR Grand National races in 1952, followed by 22 wins of 37 in 1953, and 17 of 37 in 1954.
When Pixar Studios needed a cantankerous former stock car legend for Cars in 2006, the Hudson Hornet was the only choice. Paul Newman voiced Doc Hudson, and the legend lives on for another generation. This 1947 Commodore is where that legend quietly began.
The 1947 model is a particularly fascinating piece of Hudson's story because of its timing. This car rolled off the assembly line immediately before Hudson's most revolutionary engineering achievement arrived. Hudson set the American auto industry on its ear in November 1947 with its new 1948 Step-Down unibody sedans, retooling to build the much larger, completely redesigned cars in only 23 days after the last 1947 model left the line. The 1947 Commodore is the final expression of the pre-revolutionary Hudson, and it wears that distinction beautifully.
The engine under this hood is Hudson's proven 262 cubic inch flathead inline six producing 121 horsepower with a balanced crankshaft that allowed it to spin far more freely than its displacement suggested. That balanced crankshaft was the same fundamental architecture that would go on to dominate NASCAR competition in a bored-out form, and the higher revs it allowed made all the difference. Hudson Hornets, using a developed version of this exact engine family, won 27 of 34 NASCAR Grand National races in 1952, followed by 22 wins of 37 in 1953, and 17 of 37 in 1954.
When Pixar Studios needed a cantankerous former stock car legend for Cars in 2006, the Hudson Hornet was the only choice. Paul Newman voiced Doc Hudson, and the legend lives on for another generation. This 1947 Commodore is where that legend quietly began.