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Back in the early 50's, Stock Car racing was just that - stock cars! And one of the hot cars was the '51 Hudson Hornet with Twin-H-Power. Now FM has replicated this piece of history in a gunmetal gray version with modest (by today's standards) decals proclaiming "6 Fabulous Hudson Hornet 6" - and the sole sponsor was "Smokey's - The Best Damn Garage in Town - Daytona Beach". (Mike Martin)
This is a replica of the car raced by Marshall Teague, a successful driver even before NASCAR became an official orgnization. Representative of a period long predating today's atmosphere of corporate sponsorship and million dollar purses, it was a a time when your sponsor got his name on the car for keeping you supplied with spark plugs and letting you borrow his wrenches. Your safety equipment consisted of something that looked like a hard-hat with chinstraps and maybe a seatbelt if you had a big budget.
Gray, while not a real stunner visually, is probably an appropriate color for the replica since the paint scheme familiar to most fans in those days included lots of gray...primer that is. Many of the cars did personal duty during the week and never got a real paint job beyond that of the original manufacturer. After sponsor names and numbers were added, funds for cosmetic improvements played second fiddle to money for engine parts and race equipment. After all it didn't have to look good to race, but it DID have to run. The Hornet was a popular choice amongst early drivers because Hudson, unlike most of the major automotive manufacturers of the '50's, offered a few bolt-on performance options which could easily be added to the stock engine. The issue price is $120.(George Dill) (06/27/1999)
(06/07/1999)
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