1956 Hudson Hornet

From Wikipedia: "The Big Three could afford constant development and styling changes, so that their cars looked fresh every year, whereas the smaller manufacturers could only afford gradual change. Hudson's once innovative "step-down" unit body construction, while sturdy and innovative, also made restyling difficult and expensive." So, they just couldn't compete. I was also very surprised to read, when I first uploaded these, that Hudson was the dominant car in racing for many years.

Thanks again, Don!

Thanks for that cite from Wikipedia, I always wondered why some brands just disappeared. My family was always one to seek out the unique and relatively innovative, so we never owned vehicles from the big three. I grew up with Kaiser, Studebaker, and Rambler, so have a history of sympathy with brands that end up disappearing.

We never had a Hudson,but pre-AMC Hudson's were common on the local drag race tracks and favorites of street-car modifiers.

Kaiser! I don't even know what they looked like, so you can be sure I'll do an image search. My parents weren't too interested in vehicles, so we had standards of the day like a beast of a Pontiac station wagon. But, my brothers, my son and grandson have all been wheel-crazy, so made up for Dad's lack of interest.

Three photos from my collection:

Kaiser/Little Talbot Island

SF Hunters Point Kaiser (0987)

PS Gay Pride Parade Kaiser (5055)