1954 Hudson Hornet Brougham

By 1954, Hudson was in deep trouble, so a lot of changes were made to the 1954 Hudson Hornet Brougham. In the past, the "Step-down" Hudson Hornet Brougham had been a marvel when it debuted in 1948. However, Hudson's straight-eight engine was way outclassed by newer Big Three V-8s, and although Hudson's six-cylinder Hornet dominated stock-car racing in the early '50s, it was still just a six. Worse, Hudson's unitized "Monobilt" design was costly and difficult to change, and its "torpedo" styling dated quickly. 

                                                  The 1954 Hudson Hornet Brougham updated its looks from previous
                                                                                   "torpedo" styling. 

Hoping for salvation, Hudson gave the '54 Step-downs a square-lined makeover. There was still no V-8, but the 308-cubic-inch six in top-line Hornets again delivered 160 healthy horses, 170 with optional racing-inspired "Twin-H-Power" carburetors. Interiors were spruced up too. The Hornet Brougham convertible, still Hudson's only ragtop, was particularly attractive in this new finery, but at $3288 it was overpriced for a six-cylinder car in 1954. So were other Step-downs. As a result, sales skidded again, dropping to 36,436 for the model year. Of these, an estimated 3857 were ragtops.

The 1954 Hudson Hornet Brougham was the only ragtop convertible
made by Hudson.

Compounding these woes was the 1953-54 Jet, an ill-advised compact that cost a bundle and didn't sell. With all this, Hudson had little choice but to join with Nash in 1954 to form American Motors. Three years later, Hudson was gone, a victim of too little change for fast-changing times.

The 1954 Hudson Hornet Brougham's six-cylinder engine was outdone by
Big Three V-8s.