Jet styling not as attractive?

Sarah Young
Sarah Young Senior Contributor
edited November -1 in HUDSON
Reading through all the information I've gathered about Jets, I've read again and again (books, magazine, and the internet) that Jet styling in general was not as attractive as the 1953 Rambler and Willys; the Jet's compact, medium-price range competition. Slab-siding and height are usually the target of critique.



So, I'm sitting here studying these other two cars as well as the shoebox Ford. The Willys is good competition, but taking the chance of offending Nash owners, I just don't get the Rambler. It looks like a submarine. All you have to do is paint it yellow, throw a snorkel on top for good measure, and play the famous Beatles tune we know so well.



Setting biases aside and not considering opinions on the Jet's tole on the Hudson company, how do you rank these 1953 cars in styling? What features sway your vote?



1. Jet

2. Willys

3. Rambler

Comments

  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    I put wide white walls on my Jet and set of skirts and I think it looks great, plus I get many comments. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, ( Or Jet owner!)



    Barry Smedley
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    The taillights look like a certain part of the female anatomy.

    The stylists at Hudson must have liked the Jet design, they styled the '54 Hornet to look like a '53 Jet.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    You should have pictures of each so we can compare without doing a search on the internet. Since you didn't and in the interest of being fair I will look on the net at pictures of each and then vote for the Jet.



    Harry
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    I'm just gonna stay out of this discussion. I'm the (1) that voted for the Nash Rambler!
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    I think this is a stacked poll....



    there should be a none of the above option, or walking option, at that....



    If you stack a polll like this, with one loser of a car, and two huge losers, the one you want to come out on top will. I didn't think it would be possible, but someone put effort into finding two vehicles, that you would just have to hate to drive or own over a jet....



    I think jets are horrible in styling, but at the same time, if a 2 door jet became available, I would jump on the chance.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    wow, looking at the three choices, I would amost have to think that a 53 Willy's Aero in a 2 door form, would be pretty cool.
  • hudsontech
    hudsontech Senior Contributor
    Unfortunately I've seen the sketches of the original Jet design - before Barit insisted the Jet had to be high enough for a gentleman to wear his hat!!! So I'm a tad biased.

    I voted for the Willys - the styling, while not radical, was just different enough to be, well, different.

    That said, I still like Hudsons or else I wouldn't have been in the HET club for 35+ years, but then I like Mopars and I drove the hell out of Ramblers for many, many years.



    Hudsonly,

    Alex Burr

    HudsonTech

    Memphis, TN
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    Kid, I don't know how you can say a poll about an ugly Hudson among ugly cars can be biased. When you marry a girl you don't reject her ugly sister, you reject her and thank god you didn't marry her first. I had to vote for the Jet, the next poll might be against my Hash and I will need support.



    Harry
  • 53jetman
    53jetman Senior Contributor
    Sarah Young wrote:
    Reading through all the information I've gathered about Jets, I've read again and again (books, magazine, and the internet) that Jet styling in general was not as attractive as the 1953 Rambler and Willys; the Jet's compact, medium-price range competition. Slab-siding and height are usually the target of critique.



    So, I'm sitting here studying these other two cars as well as the shoebox Ford. The Willys is good competition, but taking the chance of offending Nash owners, I just don't get the Rambler. It looks like a submarine. All you have to do is paint it yellow, throw a snorkel on top for good measure, and play the famous Beatles tune we know so well.



    Setting biases aside and not considering opinions on the Jet's tole on the Hudson company, how do you rank these 1953 cars in styling? What features sway your vote?



    1. Jet

    2. Willys

    3. Rambler



    Sara: From the picture of the Willys you have here, you can see the similarity of design in the roof section of the Willys and Jet - both bodies were built by Murry of Detroit. When someone makes a statement to me that my car is ugly, I pull out pics I carry of the 1953 Plymouth, 1953 Chevy, 1953 Olds 88, and the 1953 Rambler - then ask them to repeat their statement. All kidding asside, I always thought the '52 thru '55 Willys were a decent looking car, but they were at a bigger disadvantage than than the Jet because they had nearly no dealer organization to promote their cars.



    53jetman

    Jerry
  • bent metal
    bent metal Senior Contributor
    I wonder what a Jet would look like with 48' thru 53' quarters and trunk. Also move the back window forward about a foot (so that little rear side window looked more the size of a step down). Then chop the top about two or three inches, not too much. That might take the tallness and boxyness out of it. IMHO ...hmm, couple weekends of work maybe? ...nah, never mind
  • MikeWA
    MikeWA Senior Contributor
    Sorry, Sarah, had to go with the Willys. They had a 2 door hardtop model (Aero Bermuda, I think?) that was just way cool, and would have made a great hot rod, it it had enough of a frame to stand up to something more than a Briggs and Stratton. There was one parked in a service station on the street we used to turn off to go to church when my kids were younger- always teased youngest daughter that that was the car for her- I would buy it, fix it up, and when she turned 16, I would "give her the Willys". She agreed that that car would, indeed, give her the willys. I did see a Nash like your picture with the logo and name "Daily Planet" on the side, and it was awful cute (or just awful?), too.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    The Willys is a much better-looking car. None of these cars were marketed properly, to begin with. Plus, they were all ugly in their day (and even more today!), and the styling was dated as soon as they rolled off the line.



    If I had to go ugly, I'd go with the Willys first. And that is how I voted.



    Like Hudsonkid, I'd drive a 2-door Jet if one presented itself for the right amount.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    66patrick66 wrote:
    The Willys is a much better-looking car. None of these cars were marketed properly, to begin with. Plus, they were all ugly in their day (and even more today!), and the styling was dated as soon as they rolled off the line.



    If I had to go ugly, I'd go with the Willys first. And that is how I voted.



    Like Hudsonkid, I'd drive a 2-door Jet if one presented itself for the right amount.



    mine would have to have a 308 in it.... :eek:
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    Of course, THAT requires just a teeennnyyy bit of surgery, but they are out there! Coulda bought one from Jim Guinn back in 2000 that was set up for a 308, and was a drag car, at one time. It was complete, but needed restoration, as it had sat for years.
  • Hudsy Wudsy
    Hudsy Wudsy Senior Contributor
    Here's a thread from the archives that touches somewhat on this subject.



    http://www.classiccar.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8329



    I beleive that I used the Volvo 242 as an example of too high a roof. Here's a comparison of a stock Volvo and one that was sylized by Bertone:





    http://volvo240.free.fr/images/bonan3.jpg



    http://www.volvoforlife-fr.com/240-260_fichiers/image022.jpg





    The "submarine- like" Rambler, as dreadful looking as it is to us today, sure had styling all over the place. Note the hood positioned slightly lower than the cowl, the roof line at the "C" pillar, the body side treatment, etc. I'm afraid that the Jet was quite unadorned, something that only works with a well-sculpted form from the begining. I'm afraid that most people agree that the Jet was anything but well-sculpted. The Willys Aero, however, was a real cute car from front to back, and would get my vote even if it were pitteded against a much longer list of contestants. There simply wasn't as much desire for small cars at the time as Detroit thought. That, and the lack of dealers, doomed the Aero from the start.
  • Nevada Hudson
    Nevada Hudson Senior Contributor
    Sarah Young wrote:
    Reading through all the information I've gathered about Jets, I've read again and again (books, magazine, and the internet) that Jet styling in general was not as attractive as the 1953 Rambler and Willys; the Jet's compact, medium-price range competition. Slab-siding and height are usually the target of critique.



    So, I'm sitting here studying these other two cars as well as the shoebox Ford. The Willys is good competition, but taking the chance of offending Nash owners, I just don't get the Rambler. It looks like a submarine. All you have to do is paint it yellow, throw a snorkel on top for good measure, and play the famous Beatles tune we know so well.



    Setting biases aside and not considering opinions on the Jet's tole on the Hudson company, how do you rank these 1953 cars in styling? What features sway your vote?



    1. Jet

    2. Willys

    3. Rambler



    Maybe someone should put on a photo of a Rambler in a little better condition , just to be fair. 'Consumer Reports' and 'Motor Trend 'really liked the Willys. Rated it 2nd to the Cadillac !
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    Out of all the 'compacts' of the early 50s, the Jet and the Aero were not only the 2 best cars, but also the best looking save for the 53 & 4 Stude coupes. I voted for the Jet but think the Aero was just as good. The Rambler wasw the worst piece of crap Nash ever produced and it was the most sucessful in the showrooms. Just goes to show, people didn't care about quality, they just wanted CHEAP! Ever tear down a Rambler engine w/100k miles on it? There ain't much left.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    I'd like to see some of the Jet's styling photos pre-Barit roofline.



    The way Mr. Spring intended it, rather than the final product.



    Mark
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    id like to see a jet with an aussie chrysler 265 in it. E49 spec of course. that would move!
  • 4starservice
    4starservice Member
    Hello,



    I think the Willys just edges out the Jet, but as mentioned the Jet was changed from its original Frank Spring design plan. In my personal opinion the Jet is a very close second. The Jet's appearance really only suffers when viewed from the from the front. Side and rear views are pleasing. My great affinity for Hudson is the logical careful engineering they applied to the product. I'm certain the Jet has all the same engineering care applied to it that the step downs received. As stated in another post I would gladly own a Jet if my budget some day allows for it.



    The Nash is very different and I think that is what leads to few voting for it. In most cases if something is quite radically different in appearance or concept we tend to avoid it. We have to keep in mind that the Ramblers styling if perceived as pleasing to the public then would have resulted in all the car companies trying to mimic it.



    I've heard it stated and believe it is somewhat true that the independent companies were willing to be more radical and innovative than the big three to win sales for their product. What ever turned out to be a hit would of course be offered by the big three in due time and the search for new ideas was constant.



    Drew Meyer (1949 Super Six in my stable) Love all Hudsons!
  • Sarah Young
    Sarah Young Senior Contributor
    hudsonkid wrote:
    I think this is a stacked poll....



    there should be a none of the above option, or walking option, at that....



    If you stack a polll like this, with one loser of a car, and two huge losers, the one you want to come out on top will. I didn't think it would be possible, but someone put effort into finding two vehicles, that you would just have to hate to drive or own over a jet....



    I think jets are horrible in styling, but at the same time, if a 2 door jet became available, I would jump on the chance.



    LOL. I didn't take the time to pick out the Jet contenders myself. My primary source came from a vintage fifties magazine, which had made the comment about the "Jet styling not as attractive as..." the aforementioned medium price competitors and then left it at that. They didn't go into detail about what made one more attractive than the other or what issues really disserviced the car. They just went on to annouce their findings of their raodability test. So, that's why I threw this thread and poll out there. I thought it would be fun to get some feed back on these three particular cars and why one is perhaps more desirable or less desirable than the others. Styling, features, whatever...
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