Vehicle Description
The Nash Rambler was designed during WWII and introduced afterward
as "Well equipped and sensibly priced". It was the only American
manufacturer to get the compact car formula right with styling that
was "Fresh, distinctive, and attractive". This 1953 Country Club
model was among the last produced before Nash Motors merged with
Hudson Motors to become American Motor Corporation.
Restyled for 1953, this Rambler has what was called "Airflyte"
styling, which was an envelope body that encloses the front and
back wheels. The hood line was lowered and a controversial, racy
hood ornament designed by George Petty was offered as an option. It
is on this car, sitting on the hood scoop. It is a sexy woman,
leaning on a wing, flying into the future. The car is finished in
Turquoise with a bright chrome bumper and grill below that hood
ornament and white on the roof as well as the continental spare
tire cover. Polished brightwork follows the low body line from the
front bumper to the back, with Rambler Country Club in script, a
door handle, and an "N" on the gas cap as the only small things
interrupting the body work as seen from the side. The rear bumper
wraps around that Continental spare that has a Nash hubcap matching
the others on the car.
Open the door and you are in for a treat. The door panel is a
two-tone affair with a gracefully curving armrest dividing the top
and bottom. The split bench seat is nicely upholstered in Sand
Beige with alternating dark stripes on the seat bottom with solid
beige trim and tops. Nice. The back seat is trimmed the same way
and looks as comfortable as a living room couch. A two-spoke
steering wheel of concentric circles, one for the wheel, one for
the horn ring, sits in front of the column shifter for the manual
transmission and a very simple, yet elegant, dashboard. A small,
single round gauge has a speedometer and gauges for temperature and
fuel along with indicator lights for charging system or oil
pressure malfunctions. A brushed metal panel in the shape of an
airfoil is on the passenger side with "Airflyte" in script along
with a clock and the radio control knob. Pop the trunk and you will
find that this "compact car" has quite a bit of cargo space
too.
Under the hood of this car you will find a stock inline 6-cylinder,
flat head engine of 184-cubic inch displacement. It is nestled down
in a neat and clean engine compartment that is painted Turquoise.
That makes the black air filter housing and ventilation box really
stand out, along with the long black air horn that looks big enough
to announce a royal family's entrance. The power the engine makes
is sent back through a 3-speed manual transmission to the rear
wheels which sit on multi-leaf springs with tube shocks. The front
suspension is a control arm system mounted on a subframe with coil
springs acting on the upper control arm. Drum brakes all around
handle the stopping chores and the car rolls on 5.60-15 mounted on
steel wheels painted white with chrome hubcaps that have "Nash" in
red embossed into them.
The advertising campaign for this car claimed that "among two car
families - four out of five prefer to drive their Rambler". Come on
down and see if that might be true for you too.
