1940 Nash LaFayette Convertible Coupe

The LaFayette Motors Corporation was founded in 1920 but was taken over by Nash and discontinued after 1924. Nash brought back the LaFayette marque in 1934 as a low-priced brand, but in 1937 the LaFayette became a low-priced Nash model with the same styling as the larger, more expensive Nash Ambassadors, just on a shorter wheelbase, and powered by a 99-horsepower 234.8-cubic-inch inline 6-cylinder engine. 1940 would be the last year for the Nash LaFayette, as it would be replaced in 1941 with the all-new unibody Nash Ambassador 600. This 1940 Nash LaFayette Convertible Coupe was photographed at the 2004 Clatskanie Heritage Days Car Show.

1953 Nash-Healey Roadster

Photo by Cliff West

 

1953 was the last year for the Nash-Healey Roadster, the result of a chance meeting aboard the Queen Elizabeth between Nash CEO George Mason and British sports-car builder Donald Healey, who wanted to buy American engines. They partnered to introduce the Nash-Healey in 1951, a low-slung two-seat roadster with a British-built aluminum body and a 125-horsepower Nash Ambassador 234.8 cubic inch overhead-valve L-head six-cylinder Jetfire engine on a 102-inch wheelbase, assembled at the Donald Healey Motor Company in Warwick, England. The following year brought new steel bodywork by Pinin Farina in Italy, where final assembly was performed, and a 140-horsepower dual-carburetor option. 1953 saw the introduction of a Le Mans coupe version on a 6-inch longer wheelbase. It was the best year for the Nash Healey, with a total of 162 built. Production would end after another 90 coupes were built in 1954, some of which were reserialed as 1955 models. This 1953 Nash-Healey Roadster was photographed at the Northwest Car Collectors Association Car Show & Swap Meet at the Portland Metropolitan Exposition Center in Portland, Oregon, on October 18-19, 2003.

1951 Nash Ambassador 4-Door Sedan

Photo by Cliff West

 

1951 was the final year for the Nash Airflyte that had been introduced in 1949. Available as a Statesman on a 112-inch wheelbase and as the Ambassador on a 121-inch wheelbase. One of the most advanced cars of its day, the aerodynamic Airflyte featured a one-piece curved windshield, a “Uniscope” gauge cluster in a teardrop-shaped pod on the steering column, optional seatbelts and fully-reclining front seatbacks and Nash-Kelvinator’s pioneering “Weather-Eye” fresh air heating and ventilation system. For 1951, styling featured a new grille and extended raised rear fenders. The 1951 Ambassador’s 234.8 cubic inch overhead-valve L-head six-cylinder Jetfire engine produced 115 horsepower, up from 112 previously. This example was photographed at the Northwest Car Collectors Association Car Show & Swap Meet at the Portland Metropolitan Exposition Center in Portland, Oregon, on October 18-19, 2003.

1954 Nash Statesman Custom Country Club Hardtop Coupe

Nash introduced the Country Club hardtop coupe in 1951 for the compact Rambler model, and when the larger Statesman and Ambassador were redesigned for 1952, they also gained their own versions of the stylish body style. 1954 would be the last year for this design before a facelift in 1955. The 1954 Nash pictured here at the Heritage Days Parade in Clatskanie, Oregon, on July 4, 1999, appears to be a Statesman Custom Country Club. The Statesman was Nash's midrange model, on a 114.25-inch wheelbase with a 195.6 cubic inch inline 6-cylinder engine that produced 100 horsepower, or 110 horsepower with the Dual Powerflyte dual carburetor option. The top-of-the-line Ambassador looked almost identical, but rode on a 121.25-inch wheelbase and were powered by the 252.6 cubic inch Super Jetfire inline 6-cylinder engine that produced 130 horsepower, or 140 horsepower with the optional LeMans dual carburators and high-compression aluminum head.