The Hudson Hornet was a series of full size cars introduced for the 1951 model year. The Hornet featured Hudson's "step-down" construction, which was first introduced on the Hudson Commodore. The "step-down" construction method created a lowered floorpan, which gave the sensation of stepping down into the car. Due to this construction, the Hornet had a lower center of gravity, giving the model better handling than its rivals. Over its lifetime, the Hornet was fitted with a range of inline six and V8 engines. Production of the Hudson Hornet was done in two generations: 1st Gen (1951-1954) and 2nd Gen (1955-1957).