The Nash Healey was one of the most exciting automobiles to reach America in the 1950s. It was the brainchild of George Mason, who commissioned Kenosha-based Healey Motors Ltd. to build the sports vehicle on behalf of Nash Motors.
Source: Hyman LTD
The Nash Healey was the product of an unlikely joint venture between Nash and Donald Healey, along with their British-based Austin-Healey company. A limited number of roadsters and convertibles were built from 1952 to 1957, but most of them had long since been lost or are in private collections. With a long list of innovations and one of the most distinctive appearances on the sports vehicle scene in its day, the Nash Healey Roadster can hold its own today.
Source: Kimballstock
The Nash-Healey was a hand-built roadster produced by the Nash-Kelvinator Corporation of Kenosha, Wisconsin. It was the brainchild of George Mason, who commissioned Kenosha-based Healey Motors Ltd. to build the sports vehicle on behalf of Nash Motors. The prototype was built in 1951 and used a modified MG TF chassis which was supplied by Donald Healey’s company. However, later they set to work building their unitary tubular frame from scratch at a new facility in Worthington, Ohio. The fiberglass body featured some pieces from Bristol that helped keep costs down, but it was still an expensive production automobile. The chassis and body were built by American automobile designer/engineer George W. Mason at his North Hollywood California U.S. factory. Then the vehicle was shipped to Britain and reassembled at AC Cars of Thames Ditton, Surrey under the direction of Arthur Mulliner who designed many of Healey’s components. The last part of this roadster to be made was the sheet metal rear deck lid. It was stamped with a “stamp” built into the vehicle before being folded and assembled in on itself, giving it a clean look when viewed from behind that no other roadsters had. The first automobiles received an inline six-cylinder engine and body designed by the Italian Pininfarina studio. Two body styles were available – a convertible and a coupe with a removable hardtop. This high-performance, luxury sports model was released in small numbers. It was well-received by critics and was popular with automobile enthusiasts.
Source: Bonhams
1954 became the last full production year for this outstanding automobile. The model had seen little change from previous versions. In addition to the classic modification, Pininfarina made a two-seater coupe called Le Mans, which had panoramic rear windows and a longer wheelbase of 2743 mm (108 inches). The latest engine version called the Le Mans Dual Jet Fire Six with a displacement of 4138 ccs came out in February 1954. In May 1954, Nash-Kelvinator and the Hudson Motor Car Company joined forces through a merger, although discussions had been ongoing since January of the same year. This merger resulted in the creation of the American Motors Corporation, which became one of the top 100 companies in the United States. The prudent Mason chose Hudson because this American company produced cars equipped with a monocoque body, thereby simplifying the production of two brands on the same conveyor, which reduced logistics costs. In June 1954, the “new” Nash Healy appeared and the company stopped offering the Roadster. The new car received a one-piece three-section rear window and a larger engine with a displacement of 4.1 liters. At the end of the year, only 90 coupes were made, most of which were sold. These events were followed by a merger with AMC, which was the largest merger in US industrial history. Nash-Healey ceased to exist. Interestingly, following these events, which were not particularly pleasant, Donald Healey went on to become a co-founder of Austin-Healey.
Source: Mecum Auction
The Roadster modification was produced until the beginning of June, and the hardtop version until the end of August, while it survived the upgrade. So instead of a panoramic rear window, a three-section one was installed, but of the same shape. The stoppage of production of this series was because Ford planned to release a sports vehicle Thunderbird with a V8. Nash-Kelvinator saw no reason to compete with Ford, especially since the latter asked half as much for its car as the Nash Roadster or Le Mans.
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