How fast is your Hudson

On 4 mile stretch of interstate, (I won't say where in case smoky is listening in) I got Gwen up to 100 mph on a cool October day last year. 54 Hornet Special w/ dual range hydro. Did not seem to be taxing the engine too much. (stock 308)
Bob

1953 Hornet sedan, clocked at 105mph. I had just sold it to Gary Klann (1972 or 73) and was delivering it to him... I knew it was fast, I just needed to know how fast. It was my last chance, Sorry Gary.



Terry

I've been up to 60. The road tests that were held at the Bonneville Salt Flats in 1937 with a '37 Hudson Brougham showed a 24-hour endurance speed AVERAGE of just under 89 mph, so I'm confident my car will do that. I'm just not going to do that test myself.

A tired, unrebuilt but fairly sound H-145 308 w/ WGD. 2 lever OD with 4.56 rear end. '53 Super Wasp Club Coupe.



110 on my speedo while being chased by a minivan who topped off at 104 (computer chip shut them down) with the Wasp pulling away steadily and ahead of the van. I don't know if that was the real top speed, or the fact the wasp got up to speed so much quicker than the van. Its debatable



I was really taken with how the ol' girl took off. Rolling start at 40 mph with a "kick down" and flip back into OD at about 65/70. It didn't take long to see the magic ton, but leveled off after that with the speedo climbing very slowly up to the max I observed.



It really impressed the guys in the van, they wanted to go home and get their Chevelle out and try me. I declined, its best to retire while you are ahead - in more ways that one.



Mark

Funny story on the close calls and a Hudson.



My Wasp is unrestored, so its looks do not indicate its mechanical capability.



My wife was riding with me to work on a sweltering July day, temps at or near 100. We had the misfortune of getting behind a vehicle doing less than 30 mph on a very curvy Tennessee highway and no opportunity to pass presented itself. This went on for miles, and miles, and miles.



With us not being able to travel fast enough to move air through the car and the heat of the engine compartment heating up the interior - the wife was getting unhappy and I was literally melting into the seat. The car was fine, the passengers were going from medium to well-done.



Finally, we crossed the Cumberland River into Gainesboro with what looked like a mile long convoy of folks behind us, no doubt blaming the Wasp for the holdup. As we went through town, my wife looked at me and with expletives I hadn't heard in a long time, expressed her desire to pass this guy as soon as possible - laws be damnned.



On the other side of town, the chance arose and I called on the Wasp hard. It doesn't like the "ton", but does snap up to 80+ really quick. Before I knew it, the Wasp was sitting at 80-ish and slipping by the fella with its nose in the air. Behind me the whole line of folks were doing the same but not as fast as the Wasp.



My wife looked over and said "Wow, is this thing actually going that fast?" "Yep" I said with a grin. Just as the exhilaration was wearing off and the Wasp was at 85, I met a State Trooper. A quick look up in the rear view showed the cruiser in a nose dive with the brake lights blaring. He had to wait for several of the other cars who had passed the slow car to get by, but the bubble gum lights were on and here he came.



"Get the registration etc out of the pocket - we've been had", I told the wife. I just let the car coast down to 60-ish and kept going with an eye on the Trooper in the rear view passing all the other cars in the convoy, making his way up to me, fast.



He pulled up next to the car right behind me, lingered there a bit, then pulled it over as I kept on rolling at around 55mph.



I looked over at the wife, we laughed as we couldn't believe the good fortune. "Reckon what saved our butts?" I asked. She said " That Trooper got a good look at this car and said to himself, there isn't any way possible that car was going that fast!"



It was funny, but I'm sure the person in the little white Pontiac behind us was not amused.



Mark