Very much doubt if anyone else watches schlock movies on late night TV, but Armored Car Robbery (1950, b/w) on BBC2 at 12.50 this morning HAD NASHES IN IT! The other cars in the movie were a random collection of 30s and 40s stuff, but there were two cameo appearances by Nash police black-and-whites, brand new, in one case with an obviously falsified (by sound men in post-production) engine note, and looking like spaceships alongside the other machines on view.
Whether any police force even in the US would ever have specified Nash cruisers without being heavily bribed is a bit of a moot point. They were a cheap lower-middle-class make renowned only for their bizarre styling and notably lacking in the performance, handling or real quality departments. The wish to make the car look like a flying saucer led to the concealment even of the front wheels behind a sort of roomy skirt. Don't suppose they handled much worse than anything else of the period but they looked as if they ought to. They came in all sizes from large to enormous, but don't think they ever made a V8. Just big soft sixes. Utter American carp for which the word 'tinny' might have been invented. In my sentimental dotage though I would love one now, if I could find a decent example (always wanted an Edsel too to remind me of my days in market research). They were always very rare in this country though. Not to the British taste really.
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Home groannnn ones!
tinyurl.com/hb5s3
or
tinyurl.com/k7x6v
Which colour for you sir?
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Lud,
according to the Nash owner's club there were police cars which match your description:
www.nashcarclub.org/nccaphot/fifty/nccapl50.html
You're going for the most eclectic post prize? Good one!
JH
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Thanks very much for photo link JH. As you see when you look at the pix year by year, the true naff Nash spaceship appeared in 1949 and by 1954 was already growing ornate and decadent, not to say turning into a badge-engineered Hudson... 1949 and 50 best, the bigger and plainer the better. The old-gold police cruiser is particularly fetching.
Of course the horrible Metropolitan - actually not as horrible as it looked - is not the real thing and too small to count. Nor do I mean Nash Healeys which were good-looking and quite sporting by US standards for their day.
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Lud, according to the Nash owner's club there were police cars which match your description: www.nashcarclub.org/nccaphot/fifty/nccapl50.html You're going for the most eclectic post prize? Good one! JH
It's big, it's gold(ish), it's got a boot ..... where's Adam ?
Go on, get out of the car...
www.mikes-walks.co.uk
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>Police cars matching description:
A stretched Standard Vanguard springs to mind.
PhilI
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Dare I ask, is a Nash Healey, half Nash and half Healey as in Austin Healey?
JH
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Seems they made fridges as well.
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PU,
I was curious as to what became of Nash and I stumbled across:
In 1918 Charles Nash took over all assets of the company and immediately changed the name of the car to Nash. In the 1930s Nash began looking for a young man who could take over management of the company should the need arise.
George W. Mason had been successfully running Kelvinator for some time introducing several innovations into the home electric refrigerator market. When Nash approached Mason with the idea of accepting a position at his company, Mason said he was quite happy at Kelvinator and was not interested in making a change. Nash then ask Mason if he would continue to work at Kelvinator if he, Charles Nash, bought the company. Mason indicated that he would, so Nash purchased the
assets of Kelvinator January 4, 1937 forming the Nash-Kelvinator
Corporation.
One up on Victor Kyam!
JH
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Dare I ask, is a Nash Healey, half Nash and half Healey as in Austin Healey? JH
Yes I think so, made in US for US market but as you say.
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I mean, made by Nash as Austin Healeys were made by Austin... only Healeys were made by Healey, rare birds indeed, Riley engined sporting saloons a la Bristol and the fabulous vintage-looking Silverstone, Riley engined too but there were some Jaguar engined ones and they're the ones you'd want...
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Have you tried horlicks before bed may stop you watching late night movies!
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Not crossed just close together like my very first free car, a 6 cyl 1.5litre 30s Fiat, used to be thought a sign of criminality...
Bon voyage mm, doubt if horlicks wd work I've tried everything, perhaps the movies are the real solution...
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