Hudson L-head straight-six engine

The Hudson L-head straight-six is the flathead six-cylinder engine that powered Hudson cars before the 1954 merger that formed American Motors Corporation and stayed in Hudson-badged cars built by AMC through 1956. In its Wide Block form, introduced in 1951, it came in 232, 262 and 308 cubic inch sizes, and the 308, about 5.0 litres, was the engine of the Hudson Hornet. With its valves in the block, an L-head design is simple and cheap to make but breathes poorly, yet careful hand fitting at the factory gave it strong output, and at the time it was the largest six used in a mass-production car. Twin H-Power, a pair of one-barrel carburettors, raised output, and a 7-X version was sold for racing. After the merger AMC kept the 308 as the only Hudson six, alongside Packard and later AMC V8 engines in the Hornet.