Hudson hornet in Darolington

Unknown

This is the Hudson hornet Doc was based on it's at the Darolington speedway in Southcaroline realy nice place good day trip If you live in South carolina

Unknown

The Doc Hudson in the movie "Cars' was loosely based on no specific hudson hornet racing model (since the movie is fiction) but rather the hudson racing legacy. Ideally, the character was a fictional car that shared the paint scheme of Marshall Teague and Herb Thomas' hudson hornet factory sponsored car, albeit a number 51, instead of either the 6 or 92, that Teague and Thomas sported. The actual movie car was in fact modeled after Ivan Zarumba's (spelling, not sure, sorry if I got it wrong) race car, which is a modified hornet coupe.

Unknown

Sorry I what I said was wrong.

some people that worked for the darolington speed way said that, and some people from pixar also came there.

Unknown

Try this link for more info:www.gunnarracing.com

[Deleted User]

Okay, so I'm addicted to the movie Cars - aren't we all?



I say addicted, because I've done crazy stuff like flash through the credits frame by frame.



Ivan Zaremba is listed by name in the credits. As is the owner of Darlington speedway. I'm pretty sure the likely situation was that Humpy Wheeler convinced Pixar of the Hornet's place in history - hence the reason Doc is blue (I did not know of the Hudson collection at Darlington until Twin-H showed me the pictures). Ivan had one of the only functional Hudson road race vehicles competing at the time and conveiniently was located closer to Pixar headquarters.



I'd say the blue Herb Thomas Hornet is the inspiration for Doc, Ivan's Hornet is that change in exhaust note we so dearly love to hear when Doc puts his racin' shoes on.



Doesn't that picture of the mighty 7x under glass get your blood pumpin?



I've been told that Don Garlits has several of Smokey Yunick's Hudson engines on display at his museum in Florida.



Mark

faustmb

I didn't know that this car was in South Carolina. I might have to work that into my next trip there.



I live less that 1 hour from the Don Garlitts museum. I plan on going this spring. I know the 7X Jet is there, but don't know of any other engines.



Thanks for the info Twin H.



Matt

Unknown

(im sorry I forgot the name of the person that drove it) but in the movie this would be The kings father................

nick s

no that would be "The King." Richard Petty drove#43 (and voiced The King in Cars)is one of the best known people in NASCAR.

by the way it was The King's father Lee Petty driving a Chrysler who kept Hudson off the Top of the points standing in 54 despite Hornets continued dominance over other cars.

[Deleted User]

Twin-H wrote:

(im sorry I forgot the name of the person that drove it) but in the movie this would be The kings father................

That's actually more like...a younger "The King"



The man who drove that car in your picture, is actually "The King" - Richard Petty. Richard Petty himself did the voice for "The King". One of the coolest aspects of the movie.



Do a search for "Richard Petty" and see what you come up with. The line in the epiloge of the movie spoken by 'The King', "The Hudson Hornet was my inspiration" - is very true as Richard's Dad, Lee Petty - once drove Hudsons and Richard's first on track experience was in a Hudson.



Ironicly, the same is true for Dale Ernhardt!



Lee Petty, The King's real father, was likely the pilot of the Plymouth car sitting next to Herb Thomas' Hornet. That Plymouth would be the real father of The King. The Petty family started out racing Hudsons, but were offered a sponsorship by a Plymouth dealership, and went that way. Pity some Hudson dealership or even the factory didn't sieze that chance. The "Cars" movie may have had another twist......"The King finds his long lost Dad in Radiator Springs". Tell me that wouldn't have been great plot! Can you imagine!



If that isn't enough, its a million wonders Mario Andretti's cameo appearance wasn't as a Hudson - they raced Hudson's first also!



Mark

Unknown

Thanks , but in a book about raceing it says.....

that the Plymouth in the pic. above was the 2nd car he drove next he drove a Ford Torino then the road runner..........

thats just what a book said, but If any one would like to see more pics. from the Darolington speed way here K.I.T.T master Deviant art click on gallery they pics. we took should be on the first or 2nd page. Oh K.I.T.T master is part of the Hudson team and has a stupid computer like I do (only it has AI programs) but were very much alike she has a 944 and we have omost the same cars!!! well were best friends^^

http://kittmaster.deviantart.com/

SuperDave

I think the Plymouth was driven by Charlie Mantz. The first winner of the Darlington Race. The car was partly owned by Bill France and was said to have used Firestone truck tires. Although the car was slow, It made less pit stops and won . As i recall Avg. speed somewhere in the 75 MPH range .(only one "O" in Darlington I have seen these cars a couple of times and think they may actually be replicas. I couldn't find anyone there that had personal knowledge of the cars, just museum employees. The museum is under the grandstands. back when i visited the place, it was under the front stretch bleachers, but since they moved the flag stand..?? Don't know if they moved the museum along with the flag stand. It may be on the back side now. Worth a visit if you are into the "Old Skool" Stock Car Racing.

Dave w

Unknown

There not replicas there the real one (My dad " the car expert" in my family told me)

Unknown

I have loads of autographed Petty memorabilia including a photo signed by Lee, Richard, Kyle, and Adam. That Plymouth in the picture is a '67 model, I have a '65 myself. I don't know about his racing a Ford Torino because they didn't come out until model year 1969, and at that time Richard was getting saddled up for his '70 Plymouth Superbird, which is the car in "Cars". Lee, Richard's father and the patriarch of this four-generation racing enterprise did indeed set the speed record at Daytona February 18, 1954 in a '54 Chrysler coupe'.



P.S., I have an '86 944, Guards red.

SamJ

Don Garlits has a recreation of Smokey Yunick's shop in his musem in Ocala. When I was there, there was only one 7X on display, the one that Smokey had on display in his office in Daytona Beach for many years. Garlits has a large engine display, and there is at least one other Hornet mill in that collection. Just as interesting is the Sloan McCauley Jet, which set a lot of NHRA records in the '60's. It looks great in Don's collection of '60's full-bodied race cars, which predated Funny Cars. When I arranged to bring Smokey to the National in Nashville in 1999, I had Don's permission to bring up that engine for display, and SEMA agreed to cover the cost. However, at the last minute I chickened out because transportation and insurance turned out to be a hassle. However, many people met Smokey at that meet and he gave a great talk. Despite the fact that it was about 210 degrees F in the parking lot :eek: , Nashville was a great meet with a lot of great cars, including 3, count 'em 3 Italias. Here's a photo of the engine that WAS there, and a half-assed picture of Smokey talking to Vern Ellis in the show area. :cool:

Unknown

Okay, to be correct, Johnny Mantz won the first Darlington in a 50 Plymouth with truck tires. Nine laps ahead of the second place 50 Olds of Fireball Roberts. The Plymouth #98 started 43rd. It look like the plymouth in the picture is his car or a clone.

SuperDave

hudsondad wrote:

Okay, to be correct, Johnny Mantz won the first Darlington in a 50 Plymouth with truck tires. Nine laps ahead of the second place 50 Olds of Fireball Roberts. The Plymouth #98 started 43rd. It look like the plymouth in the picture is his car or a clone.

OK... I will try to be more clear...The Mantz car is the Black 50 Plymouth parked next to the 51 Hornet (on the Hornets left in the museum)I was refering to. I'm getting old, but I do know the difference between a 67 and a 50. I think both the 50 plymouth and the 51 Hornet are REAL cars, but clones of the original race cars. I am old enough to remember looking at those cars in the pits when they were being raced. In those days, the pits and infield were one and the same. Back "in the day" those people had no clue that what they were driving would be of historical interest in years to come. Old race cars were recylced many times and few if any were preserved as they were raced. Many went on to be modifieds and then local dirt track cars.

Unknown

I would also have a hard time believing that any real stock cars from this period survived, due to the reasons Super Dave mentioned.

SamJ

hudsondad wrote:

I would also have a hard time believing that any real stock cars from this period survived, due to the reasons Super Dave mentioned.

I ran the NHRA Museum for several years (its not just drag racing), and I know for certain that no stock cars run in the '50's survived...:cool: