What is the model name of the race car that inspires Doc Hudson in Pixar’s Cars?

The Hudson Hornet is the race car model that inspires Doc Hudson in Pixar’s Cars.

Doc’s character is based on the Hudson Hornet, an American automobile famous for its success in stock-car racing during the early 1950s. In the film, Doc raced under the nickname “The Fabulous Hudson Hornet” and won three Piston Cups before a crash ended his career.

The real Hudson Hornet was especially competitive because of its low center of gravity and “step-down” design, which placed passengers lower within the body. Drivers such as Herb Thomas achieved major victories with the model in early NASCAR competition.

The Hudson Hornet is not the same kind of vehicle as Lightning McQueen, who is a fictional modern race car, or The King, whose design draws from the Plymouth Superbird. Pixar used real automotive history to give Doc a believable racing legacy while placing him in a fictional world of talking cars.