Usually the scariest aspect of a barn find is that the mechanical condition is a complete unknown. Often engines are seized, and rarely does a true barn find run and drive. With a face only a mother could love, this 1956 Hudson Hornet Custom is claimed to start off a bottle and is even able to drive around! It’s for sale here on eBay with no reserve and is located in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It may not be the most handsome vehicle ever built, but it’s packed full of automotive history.

Sporting a continental kit, flashy gold panels along the side, wraparound windshield and rear window with many chrome bits and baubles, this Hudson is far removed from the late 40’s and early 50’s clean and understated Hornets. The good reason for that is Hudson’s absorption into AMC. Instead of the old Hudson “step down” platform, the “new” Hornet was based on the existing Nash sedan.

This Hudson has some very good points. With what looks like a totally original dash including a radio that’s claimed to work, the view from the driver’s seat is encouraging.

Unfortunately, the view of that driver’s seat isn’t encouraging. There’s some rust in the floor as well, and holes also exist in the rocker panels, rear floor and trunk, as well as some perforations on top of the passenger side front fender. Surface rust is present over most of the hood, trunk lid and driver’s side front fender.

Looking at the possibilities for this particular Hudson, I was surprised to find that new rocker panels are available, and at a great price to boot! While I realize having the panels is one thing and installing them is another, at least the sheet metal is available to make it easier. And with the majority of the body damage being much simpler to repair than the rockers, and the body being straight and complete, suddenly this barn find looks less daunting.

Of the just over 8,000 Hornets produced in 1956, only the most powerful ones were fitted with the Packard 320 cubic inch V-8. So now we have a Nash dressed up as a Hudson with a Packard engine under the hood – but that engine is said to run! The seller does state that the brakes need work, but having an engine to listen to in between working on them has to help! While it’s not the usually desired Chevy or Ford, this mid-50’s Kenosha product is one of the last Hornets built with production ending forever in mid-1957. So, have you got room for it in your garage?