All you ever wanted to know about NASH
Born: 1918
Nationality: American
Charles W Nash, a former president of Buick and later of GM, bought the Jeffrey automobile company in 1918 and changed its name to his own. Thomas Jeffrey, a Wisconsin bicycle manufacturer, had established his own business with the Rambler car in 1902, and subsequently the Jeffrey Quad 4x4 truck used in WW I.
Nash used the skills of former GM engineer Nils Wahlberg to design cars aimed at the American middle class, who favoured conservative vehicles with good engineering. His early models were all powered by a straight-six engine, and were thus named 681, 682, 683, 685 and 685, produced in touring, roadster, sedan and coupe versions. The new company had already doubled previous Jeffrey sales by 1920, and continued to grow through the 1920s.
Nash also developed a 4-cylinder 2-door sedan, the Carriole, and (with an affiliated brand) the mid-1920s Ajax sedan and touring cars. But it was the Nash name that sold, so the Ajax models quickly were rebadged as Nash Light Sixes, and sold at a budget price.
Nash cars from the late 1920s and 1930s were right up to the marque's slogan: "Give the customer more than he has paid for". Innovations included a straight-eight engine with twin spark plugs, overhead valves, and nine crankshaft bearings. The 1932 Ambassador had synchromesh trans- missions and a freewheel - and its suspension was adjustable from within the car.
Build quality and engineering excellence saw the brand through the Depression, and when it ended it was one of the few marques which had not creaked under financial difficulties.
Charles Nash knew that he wouldn't be around forever and tapped the shoulder of young George W Mason at the Kelvinator refrigerator company to be his successor. To achieve this he bought Kelvinator in 1937, which may have been the reason that Nash was the first carmaker to introduce "conditioned" air in its heating/ventilation system.
Nash continued to innovate - its 1940 600 model was the pioneer of unitary body construction in mass production.
After a period of war production, Nash resumed car-building in 1946 with slightly revised pre-war models, which sold well on the brand's reputation. When Charles Nash died in 1948, Mason took over the running of the company and a year later the odd-looking but very streamlined Airflyte laid the basis for a very strong sales performance into the new decade.
In 1950, Nash invented a new "compact" genre with the revived Rambler nameplate. It was innovative in more than affordability - it provided heater, radio, and indicators as standard . . . but not excitement. For that, the 1951 Nash-Healey reflected the interest in roadster sports cars among GIs back fome from war postings in Britain.
Nash decided to get into the small car business at the beginning of the 1950s, resulting in the diminutive Nash Metropolitan. Lacking small-car expertise, Nash contracted out the building of the "Met" to Britain's Austin, using its 1.2-litre four for power. The 2-door car, in hardtop and convertible form, lasted until 1962, from 1959 with a 1.5-litre engine.
The "Big Three" (GM, Ford and Chrysler) with huge financial resources were making things difficult for the independent car- makers. A post-war merger proposal by Nash to Hudson, Studebaker and Packard didn't happen, but in 1954 Nash finally merged with Hudson to form American Motors. It took just three years for the Hudson and Nash brands to officially disappear, and Rambler became the generic brand.
The Rambler American from 1958 continued the compact ethos - it was a success for AMC through the 1960s until production ended in 1969.
From then it was downhill without brakes, despite buying the Jeep brand and making some good "muscle" cars such as the Matador and Marlin. An affiliation with Renault in 1978 didn't help, and AMC was finally bought by Chrysler in 1987.
BEST CAR: The pre-war Ambassador 8 probably qualifies
WORST CAR: The company's quality ethos didn't allow them
WEIRDEST CAR: The badly misproportioned Metropolitan