Which real automobile model inspired Pixar's Doc Hudson in Cars?

Pixar's Doc Hudson is inspired by the real Hudson Hornet automobile.

In Cars, Doc is remembered as the Fabulous Hudson Hornet, a champion racer who later becomes Radiator Springs' doctor. His design and racing history draw on the Hudson Hornet, a model produced by the Hudson Motor Car Company in the early 1950s.

The real Hudson Hornet became famous in stock-car racing. Drivers such as Herb Thomas achieved major success with the model, helping establish its reputation before Hudson merged with Nash-Kelvinator in 1954. The company later became part of American Motors Corporation.

Paul Newman voiced Doc Hudson in the first Cars film. The character is not a fictional version of a Plymouth Superbird or another famous racing car; the name “Hudson Hornet” is the specific historical model that supplies Doc's identity.