MotorTrend Classic Magazine and Straight 8, etc.

50C8DAN
50C8DAN Senior Contributor
edited November -1 in HUDSON
While waiting on my plane in Nashville this week I picked up a copy of Motor Trend Classic Magazine. I guess Hemmings got the ball rolling with the "Classic" magazines and Motor Trend has a bi-monthly version now. It is pretty well done. Anywho, there is a article about the GM Motorama concept cars of the mid-50's, specifically the '54 Pontiac Bonneville-Special and the '53 Buick Wildcat. A couple of things came to mind while reading the article. First in comparison the Hudson Italia and X-161 are not at all out of place with these cars. I have heard many comment how goofy or ugly the Italia is but not in this era of concepts. Also, I have always liked the Bonneville Special, looks kind of like a Corvette of the time, but never realized that it had the Pontiac 268 cu in straight 8, the V8 did not appear until '55. The normal stock output of the Pontiac St8 was 122hp, which puts it in Hudson 8 territory, both in displacement and output. However, for the Bonneville Special they used 4 sidedraft carbs and a little more work got it to 230 hp, which is probably more than most early V8s! It gives you an idea of the potenial of a Hudson 8!

Comments

  • Unknown
    Unknown
    Hemmings did not get the ball rolling; it was Collectible Automobile back in 1984 and it is still going strong. I have read some of the magazines which try to follow in CA's footsteps and many of them come across as the usual Big Three suck-up mags. CA has always been scrupulously fair to ALL marques, especially orphans, and I would like to see that happen with the other magazines as well, instead of them treating orphans as the black sheep of the auto industry. :mad: I guess time will tell.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    Special Interest Autos by Hemmings started in 1971. They didn't have a full color mag like Collectible Automobile, but it was still an excellent magazine.
  • SamJ
    SamJ Senior Contributor
    Special Interest Autos became Hemming's Classic Car. Any of us who subscribed to SIA had our subscriptions continued into HCC. Hemmings has been very supportive of orphans in general and Hudsons in particular for many years. They own a 1937 Terraplane Panel Van which is the pride of their fleet.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    Sam, You Should Of Told The Whole Story. They Bought The 37 Panel From Me Many Yers Ago. I Have Been Trying To Get It Back Ever Since Lol, Bill Albright
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    Bill, Isn't that the truck that was once owned by Dave Bullock? If it is it came from a mortuary in Pennsylvania! I guess some things live longer when they stay at mortuaries.
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