Next up we have Hornet Six and the Hornet Twin-H Six.
The Hornet Six was a cast iron power plant and displaced 308 CID. Like all the Hudson 6 cylinders this was an in-line L-head. This had 3 – 13/16 bore and 4.50″ stroke and a compression ratio of 7.5:1 and with a two barrel Carter carb (WDG Model 2252S) it would be the Hornet down the street with 165 hp.
Here a commercial image of the Cater WGD carb.
The Hornet Twin-H Six is basically the same engine, same displacement, bore and stroke, but this was topped with 2 WA-1 Carters (Model 2113S) one barrel carbs. This set up helped it reached 175 hp.
Think there was much of a choice of engines back in 1956? Well there were a few for the 1956 Hudson.
As was custom back in the 40’s and 50’s, the engines were often named similar to the model of the car they powered. For the 1956 Hudson, the company had the Hudson Rambler, Wasps and Hornet. The engines followed suit for the most part. There were 5 six cylinder versions and 2 V8s.
The first up is the Hudson Rambler Six. This was an in line 6 L head with a displacement of 195.6 cid. It was a cast iron block with bore of 3 1/8″ and stroke of 4.25″
and a compression ratio of 7.5: 1. The four main bearings, solid valve lifters and 1 barrel Carter Carb (YF model 2009s) combined to produce 120 horse power.
’56 Hudson Rambler In Line Six
The Wasp Six was a In Line L-head 6 cylinder. It to was a cast iron block same compression ratio 7.5:1. Its bore and store was larger than the Hudson Rambler – 3.00 x 4.75 (vs. 4.25) and it manged to displace 202 cid without a change in hp still at 120. The engine came from the factory with a Carter one barrel WA-1 carb (2009s).
The Wasp Twin-H Six was similar to the other Wasp except it managed 8.0:1 compression ratio with the help of the H carb configuration. This consisted of 2 Carter single barrel carbs (WA-1 model 2013s) that helped the 202 cid engine produce 130 hp.
One of the great things about cruising the back roads, is you’ll never know what you’ll run into. Case in point is this GM classic machine that we spied while passing through small town Richmond, Illinois. At first glance, you may assume the blue beauty is one of Pontiac’s GTO varieties or some sort of Chevelle creation. Give it a closer inspection and you’ll find a ‘BEAUMONT’ badge across the rear panel. This may be where you scratch your head. But dig deeper into your memories of General Motors’ history and mentally go North and soon you’ll uncover the identity of the four-wheeled cruiser.
Beaumont was the stand-alone marque GM used in the Canadian market from 1966-1969. The vehicles were sold through Pontiac-Buick dealers and utilized a slightly tweaked Chevrolet Chevelle body with some Pontiac Tempest/LeMans/GTO trim and interior bits thrown in. Even the badge was different to help set the cars apart from its US siblings. The Pontiac arrowhead design was used but incorporated two maple leaves.
As with anything, nothing lasts forever and in 1970 the Pontiac LeMans replaced the Beaumont model. This cobalt ’67 example looked ready to hit the highways and is sure to stand out at whatever cruise night or show it’s parked in.
Just about anyone can put together a car show; just throw a few flyers in car windows and tell people where to be. You are bound to have a couple cars show up. However, it takes a whole lot more than that to create an extravaganza that everyone from around the country hears about and is willing to cruise cross-country to attend.
