Jay Leno Drives the Rare 1953 Hudson Hornet Convertible Coupe | Jay Leno's Garage

Before the V8 horsepower wars took over Detroit, one low-slung, "step-down" six-cylinder machine utterly dominated NASCAR: the legendary Hudson Hornet! In this week's episode, Jay Leno welcomes owner Chris Duhon and master restorer Steve Stratis to showcase one of the finest automotive restorations ever attempted: a jaw-dropping 1953 Hudson Hornet Convertible Brougham. Rescued from an abandoned, stalled project that arrived completely scattered across cardboard boxes, this ultra-rare survivor took a dedicated Chicago craftsman team three and a half painstaking years to bring back to life. Jay and Steve dive deep into the car's revolutionary engineering—from its "step-down" unibody chassis and dual-carburetor "Twin H-Power" 308-cubic-inch flathead inline-six to over 310 individually re-plated pieces of exterior chrome. They also highlight Hudson's ingenious safety features, including the fail-safe mechanical backup rod linkage for the hydraulic brakes and the silky GM-sourced 4-speed Hydra-Matic transmission. Watch Jay hit the road with the top down to experience why this 170-horsepower NASCAR king handles and cruises like a genuine modern automobile! 💬 WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Would you take this legendary Twin H-Power inline-six Hudson Hornet over a 1950s GM V8 cruiser? Let us know in the comments below! Shop car care and detailing supplies from Jay Leno’s Garage: https://www.lenosgarage.com/shine » Subscribe: http://bit.ly/JLGSubscribe THE BEST OF JAY LENO'S GARAGE » Exclusive First Looks: http://bit.ly/JLGExclusives » Ultra Rare Supercars: http://bit.ly/JLGSupercars » Jay's Book Club: http://bit.ly/JLGBookClub JAY LENO'S GARAGE ON SOCIAL Facebook: http://facebook.com/JayLenosGarage Twitter: http://twitter.com/LenosGarage Instagram: http://instagram.com/jaylenosgarage/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jaylenosgarageofficial ABOUT JAY LENO'S GARAGE A new video every Monday! Visit Jay Leno's Garage, the Emmy-winning series where Jay Leno gives car reviews, motorcycle reviews, compares cars, and shares his passion and expertise on anything that rolls, explodes, and makes noise. Classic cars, restomods, super cars like the McLaren P1, sports cars like Porsche 918 Spyder and Camaro Z28, cafe racers, vintage cars, and much, much more. #JayLenosGarage #HudsonHornet #1953Hudson #TwinHPower #FabulousHudsonHornet #ClassicCars #NASCARHistory #StepDownHudson