Every once in awhile, the Disney fan in me meets up with a real life Disney star. During the summer, I go to a few car events in my area. A couple of weeks ago, I came across a beautiful 1951 Hudson Hornet. Yes, like many cars in the Disney animated movie Cars, “Doc” Hudson had a real life version. Just check out the photos I got of the stock car version starting with the truck showing the Hornet emblem.

Trunk of a 1951 Hudson Hornet car.
Nikon D750/24-120VR, 1/125s, f/8, ISO 1000, EV 0, 44mm Focal Length.

The rocket ship shaped Hornet emblem also appears on each quarter panel of the Hudson.

Quarter panel emblem of a 1951 Hudson Hornet car.
Nikon D750/24-120VR, 1/125s, f/8, ISO 2800, EV 0, 85mm Focal Length.

What made the Hudson Hornet so fabulous in real life was it’s Twin H-Power of the dual carburetors.

Twin H-Power dual carburetors of a 1951 Hudson Hornet car.
Nikon D750/24-120VR, 1/80s, f/8, ISO 4000, EV 0, 55mm Focal Length.

Being a stock car, this Hudson Hornet had a dashboard of the early 1950’s. Stark but functional.

Dashboard of a 1951 Hudson Hornet car.
Nikon D750/24-120VR, 1/50s, f/8, ISO 4000, EV 0, 44mm Focal Length.

Here are the front and rear views of the 1951 Hudson Hornet which was in great shape for a car that is 67 years old.

Front and rear views of a 1951 Hudson Hornet car.

Now, compare the real thing with the race trimmed “Doc” Hudson from the movie. The Pixar animators did a great job.

Doc Hudson from the movie Cars.

So, as you wander about your life, be on the lookout for Disney references. You just never know when you will run into a Disney Movie Star like I did when I visited Carsland at Disney’s California Adventure a few years ago.