Encyclopedia
Doctor Hudson Hornet is a fictional character, an
anthropomorphic retired racecar and one of the main cast of the
animated Disney/
Pixar film Cars. He is voiced by actor
Paul Newman.
Story
Cars Movie
Doc Hudson, known as the
Fabulous Hudson Hornet in his time, was once one of the most famous racecars to have ever lived, holding three Piston Cup titles and holding as a claim to his success a good many tricks attributed to a low center of gravity for better handling. He was well known, holding the record for most wins in a single season... a record he still holds to this day, standing at 27.
All that changed for the famous Hornet when a terrible crash on the track at the qualifying race in 1954 saw him put out for the season. Upon his return, he was received with a complete absence of fanfare and told that he was a has-been who had been passed up for the next rookie in line. Keeping a picture of the wreck that ended his career from an old newspaper, he uses it as a reminder to never return to the life that nearly destroyed him.
Jaded by the racing scene, he left that world, apparently taking out time to study medicine. The famous #51 disappeared into obscurity, leaving many wondering where he had gone. He instead opted for a simple dark
blue paint job and a job as a simple county doctor in the tiny town of Radiator Springs, the "shining jewel" of the mother road -
Route 66.
As times changed and the town got bypassed by
Interstate 40, Doc—as he came to be known—stayed on, even to today, where the town is home to a meager dozen or so residents. He is a respected and well-loved resident, now its judge as well as its primary physician.
After meeting the young hot shot
Lightning McQueen, Doc found himself seeing himself far too much in the #95 rookie, although he tried to help him at first and Mcqueen ignored him and by the fact that Doc had told the media that the race car was in Radiator Springs, leaving
Sally Carrera, the town attorney in shock,and took him in grudgingly, wanting to teach him a few tricks he still had left under his hood. He took back his old #51 colors in the end only to become the young racer's pit crew captain when he needed it the most. His excuse for returning?
Mater hadn't gotten a chance to say goodbye.
By the end of the film, Doc has opted to keep his racing colors and becomes a trainer as well as crew chief to the young McQueen after the rookie's show of respect towards Strip "The King" Weathers , after the retiring racecar was made to crash by the film's antagonist
Chick Hicks . Lightning pushed the older racer over the finish line to take third place himself. The ending sees Doc racing with
Lightning out at Willy's Butte and showing off a few tricks he's had yet to teach the young racer.
Cars Video Game
In the follow-up video game, Doc Hudson is first met at Willy's Butte where he watches Lightning brush up on his power sliding skills before challenging him to a friendly competition racing around the nearby desert. At the end of the race, Lightning spots Chick in the distance, but Doc tells Lightning to ignore him. At the season-opening race at Palm Mile Speedway, Doc tells Chick to leave Lightning's pit after the rival racer comes here to gloat.
He accompanies Lightning to all of his Piston Cup races, serving as crew chief and giving constant advice. Also, while back in Radiator Springs, Doc would assist Lightning by tuning him up and bettering his performance.
Following Lightning's Piston Cup-winning victory, he warns the champion racer, who has decided to take a celebratory cross-country trip, to be careful, since he still does not have proper headlights.
Trivia
- Doc's license plate reads 51HHMD, which was the license plate of the real Fabulous Hudson Hornet. It could also be taken to mean "1951 Hudson Hornet, MD", which is probably why he was made a doctor in the film.
- The choice of Doc's unusual build was a dedication to the Fabulous Hudson Hornet racing
A
race is a competition [i] of speed [i]. ...
team, which won three very unexpected
NASCAR championships in the 1950s and held 27 season wins in 1952, the same results as Doc.
- The Fabulous Hudson Hornet team never used #51. They used #6 in the 1951 season, #91 in 1952, and #92 in '53.
- All three of Doc's Piston Cups read "Hudson Hornet." This is apparently his name as well as his make.
- The sign above Doc's clinic reads "Doctor of Internal Combustion"
- Part of Doc Hudson's story echoes the story of "Moonlight" Graham, a Major League Baseball player who played in a single game in 1905, before retiring to practice medicine in the small town of Chisholm, Minnesota. "Moonlight" Graham was featured in the film Field of Dreams. Unlike Hudson, however, Graham's career was not ended by an injury, nor did he hold any long-term animus against other ballplayers.
- In the Mattel die cast Cars toy line two versions of Doc Hudson are available; a "#51 Fabulous Hudson Hornet" version and an offseason version.
References
