Owned this car while in the Navy. 1955_1959. Bought it due to the cheapest car I could find. Drove from San Diego to Los Angeles more times than I can remember. Very comfortable ride and though not a fast ride it was good enough to keep up with traffic. No problems ever and sold the car for more than I paid.
My mother owned a 51' Henry-J ...lot of great memories in that car as a kid. My Grandfather and uncles owned a garage and Gramps had a Hudson Hornet and Gran had a Metropolitan.
I remember them. A family friend drove up from Chula Vista to the Monterey Bay area in the early fifties; father, mother, daughter and son. I think they had an inline flathead six cylinder engine. It was pretty smooth and comfortable. I remember the magazine advertisements that showed how hunters and fishermen could fold the seats back into a bed. Nice.
I love the '49 to '51 Nashes. The aerodynamic cars (Aerosedan, Aiflows, Zephyr's) just have an art-deco charm to them. People might find them quirky, but in their day it was a very modern looking car. They were good, quality cars, but not cheap. That combined with radical styling was always a recipe for trouble.
When I think of slow acceleration, I think of back in the day when a friend of mine had a Volkswagen Beetle with a rebuilt engine. It was dangerously slow, slow accelerating, a slow top speed of about 50-55, depending on the road surface, humidity, etc. Compared to that Volkswagen, this Nash was like the Millennium Falcon of Star Wars.
Back in the late 60's there was one of these Nash's parked leaning over on a bank down the road from my house. It was light faded green and there were weeds grown up around it. I was always fascinated with the old Nash's. Some years later it was gone. Probably taken to a junkyard not too far from my Mom and Dads house. I still think of it every time I go down that road.
How nice that you have kept such great care of that rare old Nash. It's amazing the original motor is still running so well. I'm old enough to remember seeing those old Nash cars on the road and thought they looked ridiculous. Today I can appreciate how special they are. As I remember Nash was an upscale car at the time.
I had a 1961 Rambler that had over 150,000 miles on it in 1970. I drove it around and put another 75,000 miles on it. When I later sold it the mechanic he wanted it for a parts car. After he drove it awhile he liked it so much he used his original car as a parts car. He drove it until 2012 when he passed. The car had over 300,000 miles on it with only tuneups and oil changes. It is still on the road in New Jersey!! It had a 300 CID straight 6 with an oil bath air cleaner. What a car!!!!!
I rode in one like this as a child. It was a great car, kept up with traffic in the day, and it was safe to be in. It rode very well, and gave the owner good fuel mileage.
Flathead six with three on the column is a glorious thing. I love seeing new hoses, battery, etc., but original paint. Got your priorities right! Beautiful car
My uncle Paul had one of those. He left it at our house for months when it needed a repair. He came back later and fixed it. It was really cool looking. It would be fun to have one of those to drive to car shows.
The Statesman was not bought for speed, it was bought for it's gas mileage combined with it being a full-sized 6 passenger car. The Ambassador, with a larger Overhead 6, was quicker, but it also was not as economical and was more expensive to buy.
One might compare the Nash to the original 1980s Chrysler Mini Van. Both were intended to hold 6 people plus luggage. Both were economy cars. Neither was intended to go anywhere fast. They did well for their purpose. Economical family transportation for budget minded people.
@@michaelbenardo5695 This model also had front seats that released and folded backwards to join the rear seat and actually make a bed. If you were traveling and couldn't find a room for the night, you could sleep fairly comfortably in your car. There was an urban legend going around that some fathers would not let their daughters date a boy who drove a Nash for this reason, ie a "bed" was always handy. The "aero' early 50s Nashes were sometimes referred to as "bathtub" Nashes because their shape was reminiscent of an inverted bathtub. Bathtub Nashes, and the ca. 1950 "airplane nosed" or "bullet nosed" Studebakers had some of the most interesting styling of this era.
When I was a kid, my Dad owned a 1951 Nash Ambassador 2-door with a Hydromatic transmission. I actually learned to drive on this car. It was fun to drive and I wish I had it today. It was a nice car. I really like your Nash as well.
It's absolutely gorgeous. Saw a two door wagon version in some early 50s noir movie awhile back & fell in love. I think I remember the old Superman series used mostly Nash automobiles...
That would have been the little Nash Rambler. Nash had 3 car sizes back then Ambassador, Statesman, and Rambler. The big-3 automakers wouldn't have 3 sizes until about 10 years later.
When I was a kid, we had a 1949 Nash that looked a lot like that. I don't remember much about it; my strongest memory was me bawling my eyes out because my dad wouldn't take me along when he traded it in. I couldn't have been more than 5 years old, so around 1960-61. In our family, it was always "the old Nash."
Thanks for showing us your Nash. A high school buddy drove a 1949 2dr. 600 (mid 1960s ) that had been in the family since new. It had a smooth ride, was roomy with very comfortable seats inside, with the overdrive would cruise easily on the highway . The the small flathead six wouldn’t beat anything in a drag race , and the narrow track of the front wheels allowed more body lean on curves and turns than I had with a Plymouth of that vintage. Overall I thought these Nashes very nice cars.
The nostalgia for old timers is the sound of that six cylinder engine reving up to the shift point. No tachometer. Just the sound of the engine. No one thought about 0-60 times until people like Tom McCahill of Mechanix Illustrated started using the number as a reference in road tests.
I got to drive one of these about 1970, maybe the smoothest i have ever driven, the stuff they are making today cannot compare to the heavy cars of the 50's.
spent a few years driving around in one of these with a friend...roomy, economical and slower than a vw... it was green "the bean" is what we called it..amazing cars of another time and mind set
My my highshcool teacher Miss Beasly drove a 51 Nash .She was just starting out teaching.After about 6 months she got s 64 Mustang and really impressed us boys.
I remember the Airflyte Nashes as a kid in the '50s. We called them and '48-'50 Packards "bathtubs." When I started driving, I learned the hard way NEVER get behind a bathtub Nash going up Cajon Pass out of San Bernardino on the old US 66-91-395 expressway...you'd wind up with the trucks going up that grade! My '50 Ford Custom (239 flattie) just didn't have enough poop (100 HP) to get out in the fast lane with all the Cadillacs, Chryslers and Oldses that were swooshing around us. So we'd wind up eating diesel smoke. The ultimate embarrassment was when we got passed by a brand new GM SceniCruiser Greyhound.
Those old Nashes were built like tanks....and weighed about the same too! My parents had a Nash Rambler when we were kids and my mom actually cried when we had to finally take it to the junkyard.
@@rustyoldchevy1149 Yep. Bessie was her name. The car, not my mom! I was just an infant so I don't remember this, but knowing my mom I can definitely picture it happening. LOL.
Grand Dad had one that he pulled a camper trailer with. And used it for hunting trips!!!!!!!!!!!! Of course i've only got the stories and photo's.....I was born in 58'...great video!!!!!!!😎😎
It's style kinda grows on me. My dad grew up with these cars and said they were a very smooth reliable auto. Your drive showed that was true. It ran pretty darn good for an auto that age.
That was wonderful to watch. I miss the variety of cars that used to be on our roads, today they all look much the same (due to Federal regulations mostly.) It's great that you keep that old car in such good condition, and I love those old 3-speed w/overdrive cars. Some of them would really burn up the road! One thing that maybe you didn't know: (From Wikipedia: Nash Ambassador)-- "Charlotte Speedway on April 1 (1951)- Curtis Turner won the 150-lap NASCAR Grand National race with his Nash Ambassador.[62] This was the only first-place finish for the large-sized Nash Ambassador in the NASCAR Grand National series.[63] The car driven to victory in the 400-lap NASCAR Short Track Grand National race in Lanham, Maryland by Tony Bonadies on July 14, 1951, was the new compact-sized Nash Rambler." My father once had a Nash Rambler, but the car I really liked was my grandmother's Hudson Hornet. What a cool car!
In this day & age all the off brand oddball cars from the past have lost their bad stigma & become historical pieces of automotive evolution. This Nash survivor is just oozing with art deco coolness!😎👍
She does good for an old car! Something that most people don't know is that until the mid Fifties, the NATIONAL speed limit was only 45mph... That's on rural roads and what little freeway there was at the time. If anyone gets the chance to see a pre-1956 movie that features say "hot rods", notice that the kids driving those hotrods only do about 80 while running from the police... Even old movies featuring motorcycle gangs, the clubs only run at about 55 or 60 when traveling... There was an old saying that people used up into at least the Eighties when somebody was talking really fast, or someone was moving around quickly... They'd say "so and so was going like 60"... So apparently actually "going 60" really was MOVING back in the Forties and Fifties. What really boggles my mind THESE DAYS, is how people b*tch about the price of gasoline, but then are compelled to hammer the car as soon as the light turns green, then drive it like they're going to a fire until the last second before they come to the next red light, where they nosedive the damn thing because they're on the brakes so hard... Then floor it as soon as the light turns green again. Over and over and over... But they still squeal about the price of gas😕
City driving: everybody guns it from one stoplight to the next, because all the other traffic is doing the same to jockey for position. Expressway driving: You can't leave a safe interval in front of you because other cars will be filling it up changing lanes in an endless quest to improve their positions. So everybody tailgates to make sure there is never enough room for another car to cut in front of them. They tailgate at any speed and any road condition. You will see this even in light traffic, the cars behind will always go fast as necessary to stay on top of whatever is in front of them. On 2 lane highways they will form pods. The pod will stack up tightly behind something slow like a truck to make sure you can't pass from behind them without having to overtake 7 cars and the truck in 1 maneuver, which means you will have to do 90 in the passing lane, then you become the villain who is driving fast, then everybody curses you and hopes you get a ticket. It is no fun to drive slow when there is nothing behind you. Slowpokes on 2 lane roads will instinctively speed up when the road changes to 4 lanes and everybody can pass easily. Slowpokes are unhappy people who feel better about their miserable existence when they see frustrated traffic in their rear view mirrors. Then there's the drivers who use the brake to regulate speed. Follow one of these drivers and you'll notice unneeded braking several times per mile. Then later they will wonder why the car always needs a brake job.
There was not National Speed Limit. Most mulit-lane highways had a 50 MPH speed limit, until the war. Then a national speed limit of 35 MPH was put in effect for the duration, then it was lifted, and the speed limits soon were as high as 70 out west.
Keep in mind that 50 mph was the prevailing highway speed in the early 1950s. This car was built to get good gas mileage. Sixty mph was really fast at the time.
Our neighbor bought one new and my cousin had one. As a petulant 10 year old I thought it was a a cartoon car. Upside down bathtub, I said. Now, of course, it is really interesting, if not ready for the NASCAR track. Thanks, Lloyd!
this was the first car I can remember as a child , my mother learned to drive in it and scared my dad to death in the process , I had the whole back seat to myself , and loved it
I drove one of these Nashs to my High School Graduation in 1961 Coral Gables High School Miami, Florida....It belonged to my Mother and Father's best friends parents....
Nash made some of the coolest cars. If you want to see the ultimate, look up Nash Ambassador Brougham. It has two "theatre" seats in the rear that are like armchairs, turned slightly inward to each other. Fantastic!
You don't have to ever get out of the Nash,, the front seat fully reclines with the back and turns into a full Double Bed,, like a real bed. really! at least on the 1950 model Airflight,, all you need is some bedding, a drive through restraunte and a good supply of adult diapers & that dashboard with the uniscope vision can be yours 24/7, love these things got one in my front yard without a speck of paint on it. hasnt ran since 62 but i just like looking at it. yard art
Cute car. The chrome patina, almost endearing. 85hp when new, I doubt it would be 30% of the original, not half. But doesn't matter. This car is a timepiece.
My older siblings begged my parents for their own car to drive to high school, so one day my dad went to an auction and came home with one of these. My sister cried! I mostly remember the huge back seat and very slow speeds.
Is that with or without the air on? I don't think people bought these cars for speed. Faster definitely doesn't mean better. I do love this Nash! Reminds me of the good old days. How I do hate the twenty-first century. Keep the great videos coming. Always fun stuff.
Airflytes have such a unique, beautiful styling that speed isn't the most important. I'd love to test drive one. Thanks for that cool clip and hello from Switzerland!
A lot of people don't understand how to start the car. You might pull the throttle out a little, maybe the choke, turn the key on and the actual starter button was on the floor. In this case, the starter button was on the floor under the clutch. This means you couldn't accidentally engage the starter with it in gear. Now, you could if you tried and it probably would move the car forward a bit.
Awesome. Was shocked to see where you were driving at. I pass the ice house all the time. I live just east of there. We must be living close. My dad had the 1951 2dr Plymouth, flat head six when I was growing up.
I think the *Bonks* on the record are for the salesman to advance the slide in the carousel with every bonk. [My Dad was in PR/Advertising. He had an account with a Chicago Nash/Rambler dealer in the early '60s. He'd take me along on Saturdays. Sometimes my more life-like toys got used as props in local TV commercials.] It's that Air Conditioner that's robbing all your power.
@@desertbob6835 Yeah. You're right. The Kodak Carousel 35mm slide projector system was not developed until 1965. Might as well have been Magic Lantern glass plates.
These cars were not about the 0-60 but about comfort, quiet and dependability. They would get you there comfortably and relaxed. They are great cars. Thanks for the ride along.
I love these, they have all tbe potential to make a great kustom, so unique. Edit: and btw, that old boat anchor sounds absolutely amazing, I'm quite jealous I must admit! 😅
The title of the video was about 0-60 time. He never said what it was. Guessing from the playback it was 27 seconds. Dump the clutch at 3000 rpm, shift at 4000 rpm and speedshift, you could knock off 5 seconds.
Wonderful vehicle and channel. Had one exactly like this one not long ago and of course you sparked a lot of memories. Thank you. I have to subscribe now!
They were great to get laid in at the drive in movies as the front passenger seat folded down into a bed😊 Sales men used them and wouldn’t have to pay for a motel room. Fun and practical for the times.
Thanks for sharing your Nash! Zero to sixty in about Seventy One seconds. Drove my 1948 two door fastback oldsmobile straight six to Pennsylvania and back from Wisconsin. Top speed of 77mph according to Ohio trooper without a sense of humor. At every stop it attracted wrinkle misers to complain I had moved the dummy clutch. "Mine is on the road. Where's yours." Try to be sympathetic to those wishing to reminisce but don't take crap. XP Averaged 22 miles per gallon without regard to speed or conditions. One instance of dieseling in 90 degree plus weather. Probably needed more additive running that hot. Without the back seat on long trips you have plenty of storage. Otherwise get a trailer. Plenty of torque but no passing gear. Thanks for sharing your Nash!
Suzuki made a 2-cylinder street bike, the RGV250 V23 Gamma, that was only 250cc. It was a water-cooled 2-stroke engine. This was in the mid-1990s, before 2-stroke engines were outlawed. That engine could put out 80 horsepower if tuned correctly. If 2-stroke engines were still being made - in this time, 30 years later - we would have 250cc motorcycles putting out 120 horsepower. This car is for the record books. I believe Nash and Rambler had a connection somewhere in history. .
My grandpa had this one! Most people were sane back then and drove under 50 mph. Only idiots and jet pilots worried about speed back then. However, if you really wanted to see a snail crawl vehicle, look at the 1960s VW van. It could go from zero to 60 in 2 weeks, 8 hours, and 10 minutes (on a good day)!
I just counted to myself and had 28 seconds. lol... I love these old cars. They are fun to just cruise around in and heck, they can keep up with traffic once you get them going usually unless you are going up a mountain road. Thanks! Subscribing now.
As a 6 year old in 1961 My mom was friends with a lady who had one of these and picked me up at school in one day in it. Nice lady, but I thought the car was creepy.. After this viewing this post now I want one.
There was a little old lady in my home town that had one of these beast and a Nash Metropolitan that she drove until just before she passed in the late 70's .
She actually has some pretty good get up and go for it is . I love old cars I haven't bought a new car sense the early 90's they cost a fortune and are made so cheaply like a new house.
On the floor starter, on the steering column manual shifting, I also barely remember the Rambler/Nash Dealerships. Changing a Front Tubed Tyre is insane without the now large opening.
In a town where I used to live there was someone who kept three old Nashes on blocks in their front yard (I nicknamed the place Airflyte Ranch). Of the 1949-'51 Nashes I think the '51 was the best looking but lacks the Uniscope instrument panel of the earlier years. The AC compressor in the featured car is obviously aftermarket. Was it engaged during the acceleration run?
@@rustyoldchevy1149 A singular special automobile. Very unique, wonderful driving experience. Unfortunately I don't have mine anymore. But great memories. When I want to torture myself, I'll look at video of them on RU-vid.
My dad had several Americans that had the same engine - I think. You can definitely wind that engine up further than you did. I’m not sure you even came into the torque curve. For the era the American was a superb alternative to the large gas guzzlers that the big 3 put out and a whole lot cheaper to buy and own.
