Vehicle Description
West Coast Classics are proud to present an exceptionally straight
and great daily driving survivor of this original southern
California 1959 Nash Metropolitan 1500cc 4 cylinder Coupe with
Continental Kit!This an original southern California car, repainted
in a striking two-tone 'Black amp; White' color combination with a
matching two-tone 'Black amp; White' houndstooth interior and is a
true survivor without rust. It drives very well and will not
require any work to enjoy driving today.To answer the demands for a
tiny but practical automobile Nash introduced the original 'Smart
Car', the Metropolitan with a body built by 'Fisher amp; Ludlow' in
Birmingham, England and wrapped around an Austin rolling chassis
complete with an Austin A40 engine. This was the forerunner of the
famous 'B' series unit that later powered the legendary MGA amp;
MGB with the 'B' remaining in production until 1980! The
transmission is derived from the 4 speed used in the Austin A40
with the bottom gear removed so the Nash uses only the upper 3
ratios. This was possible due to the good power of the A40 engine
compared to the light weight of the Metropolitan body. The car has
a 'Wishbone' front suspension with coil springs on the upper
wishbone and telescopic shock absorbers on the lower
wishbone.Production at Austin's Longbridge, UK factory had started
in October 1953 with two models, a convertible and a hardtop, which
were powered by the Austin 'A40' series engine with a three-speed
manual transmission. The new model was initially to be called the
'NKI Custom', but the name was changed to 'Metropolitan' just two
months before its public release. New chrome nameplates with the
'Metropolitan' name were made to fit into the same holes as the
'NKI Custom' script on the passenger side front fender.In May 1954,
Nash announced that it had merged with the Hudson Motor Company to
form AMC, 'The American Motor Corporation' and by August 1954,
Metropolitans also became available from Hudson dealers. These
'Hudson Metropolitans' carried a Hudson grille badge and hubcaps
incorporating an 'M' logo, a 'bulls-eye' horn button design, and a
plain spare wheel cover. In October 1956, Austin Motor Company
obtained permission from American Motors to sell the Metropolitans
in overseas countries where AMC did not have a presence. Until 1959
the Nash had no trunk lid meaning that all luggage had to be fed
into the trunk from behind the seats. This 1959 Series IV model is
the first year to boast the Austin A55 engine and a functioning
external trunk lid. The last Metropolitan's were sold in 1961.This
is an extremely unusual opportunity to own a great daily driving
example of this very desirable original Series IV 1959 Nash
Metropolitan coupe with Continental Kit in very fine daily driving
condition ready for any classic American car enthusiast to enjoy or
collect today!
