What real automobile is Doc Hudson modeled after in Pixar’s Cars?

Doc Hudson is modeled after a 1951 Hudson Hornet in Pixar’s Cars.

Doc is the respected physician and judge of Radiator Springs, but his past is much more dramatic. He was once a celebrated race car known as the Fabulous Hudson Hornet, winning three Piston Cups before a crash ended his racing career.

The real Hudson Hornet was introduced by Hudson Motor Car Company for the 1951 model year. Its “step-down” design gave it a low center of gravity, and the model became famous in stock-car racing during the early 1950s. Real Hudson Hornets won numerous NASCAR races during that period.

Paul Newman voiced Doc Hudson in the first Cars film. Because Newman died in 2008, Doc does not receive a new speaking performance in Cars 2; archival material appears instead. The character’s story combines a classic American car’s history with a retired champion’s identity.