Lot Ended
Description
Rare automatic model; good running order; scope for cosmetic
improvement
At a time when
most US car makers were wholeheartedly embracing the ‘bigger is better’
philosophy, executives at the Nash Motor Company decided to branch out in the
opposite direction and create a small, economical car aimed specifically at
women and the overseas market. Designed by William J Flajole, it looked like a
scaled-down Nash Ambassador and had a shorter wheelbase than the VW
Beetle.
To keep tooling costs down, production
was farmed out to two British firms – Fisher & Ludlow would produce the
bodywork while the Austin Motor Company would provide the mechanicals and
undertake final assembly. This was the first time that an American-designed car
had been entirely built in Europe. Two body styles were offered, a
convertible and a hardtop coupe. Power initially came from a 1,200cc Austin A40
engine driving through a three-speed column-change gearbox.
The Metropolitan went through four series between 1953 and 1962 and
just short of 105,000 were sold in total, all but 9,400 in
the US and Canada.
This
particular car is a Series 3 model, easily distinguished by two-tone paint and
larger 1,500cc B-Series engine which produced 47bhp and gave the Nash a top
speed of 76mph. It does not have a boot lid, a luxury that was introduced for
the Series 4 of 1959, so luggage has to be stowed by folding the rear seats
forward. While the vast majority of Metropolitans had 3-speed manual
transmission, this one is an exceedingly rare automatic version.
Sadly there is no history with the car other
than a V5C which shows that it was made in 1958 but was first UK registered in
1985 so it perhaps lived abroad for its first few years, or was off the road for
a long time prior to the Eighties – who knows?
It has had five former keepers, our vendor acquiring the car in
2019. He reports that it is in good running order but other than that we can’t
tell you much more about it. HPI/Experian records a colour change from Green and
White to Black and White in 1985 and then again to the current Turquoise and
White in January 2014.
As you can see in the
photos, it looks solid and presentable although the bodywork could be smartened
up here and there. Starting promptly and running well as we have moved it around
on site, it is on offer here at a modest guide price (good ones can make £12k+)
which should leave ample scope for any remedial works required.
For more information contact James on
07970 309907 or email james.dennison@brightwells.com
* All charges are subject to VAT