Vehicle Description
1960 Nash Metropolitan 1500
After launching the popular Rambler, Nash worked for many years on
an even smaller car. Its first public concept, the NXI, (Nash
Experimental International), was shown in 1949, followed after one
year by the NKI, (Nash Kelvinator International). The name of the
car was to be NKI Custom until shortly after production began, and
new badges had to be retrofitted to early cars. The concepts were
designed by independent stylist William Flajole, using the Fiat 500
chassis and running gear; the Nash Metropolitan was styled by
Battista "Pinin" Farina.
Fresh out of long term storage and buzzing around our Hallowed
Halls here at Classic Auto Mall, (literally it could do that!), we
present to you...drum roll please...a 1960 Nash Metropolitan 1500.
This is a hardtop version and has had a repaint at some point and
is showing with flaws both on the exterior, interior, and
undercarriage. However, it's all there and could very well be the
makings of your next project. Restomod, concours show winner,
possibly rat rod??? The choice is up to you.
Please Note: NO TITLE-SOLD ON A BILL OF SALE ONLY
Exterior
So we have the smallest car with a feature ubiquitous to the
largest car...the "Continental", (think big car), rear tire
enclosure...go figure! This metal bean has been refinished in a two
tone aqua and white that presents with chips, inclusions, and
cracks in the body work. Exterior panels otherwise retain decently
minded gaps for the steel. An accentuated dip in the door and lower
body bulgegive a somewhat boat-like appearance to the body and what
little chrome we see has dimpling or has been painted silver. A
white roof hovers over the aqua body and the roofline is just
lovely, with the triangular "B" pillar holding fort for the curved
rear glass. Oval tail lights are flanking the rear mounted spare
tire enclosure, wrapped in a black cover with a cream retainer.
This cream appears again on the painted egg crate oval grille with
a single headlight mounted on the corner of each front quarter.
Beep! Beep!
Interior
The utilitarian door panels in black and white vinyl show some
soiling and wrinkling on each side andhouse the window crank and
door handle. Chromed trimming separates the colors and adds some
bling to the utilitarian look. Slipping inside using my shoehorn,
I'm on a front bench with a split back so one has access to the
rear area. These are covered in aqua vinyl and have tight tuck and
roll inserts, smooth vinyl bolsters and a central smooth pattern.
They are in surprisingly good condition for the age and provide
decent comfort for my larger frame. Note the rear bench lower has
been removed and we see the rear panel has a lock in the center
which gives access to the trunk. An original aqua dash in steel is
fronted by a large 2 spoke black steering wheel and gives view to
the nice chromed bezel surrounding a centrally located round speedo
gauge cluster. A nifty dial tuner and volume control radio is in
the dash center and a few other simple knobs and pulls line up
along the bottom. Black carpeting is on the floors, and a stained
white headlight hangs tightly above.
Drivetrain
A flip of the hood and we see the original 90.89ci BMCengine in
4-cylinder format with a black block and green valve cover and
1-barrel Zenith carb under the black air cleaner. The engine and
bay present as complete with a healthy dose of patina. A 3-speed
manual transmission is on back sending power to a 4.22 geared
axle.
Undercarriage
Some patina, undercoating and surface rust make an appearance down
below. But the areas of concern are the flooring, rockers,
crossmembers, and frame that are all suffering from invasive rust
with some areas being in need of immediate remediation. Independent
coil sprung front suspension, and leaf springs for the back provide
the ride. Drum brakes are on all 4 corners.
There are several cars here at Classic Auto Mall I just fall in
love with, and this is one of them even needing the work it does. I
have a soft spot for these unique designs, and this one is
definitely one of my favs. Of course I'm also in love with our
Mercedes choices as well as some of the mid 70's Corvette...my wife
says I have trouble making up my mind, but I digress...Stay tuned!!
Keeping the unique original design and quirky looks, why not take
this Metro under your wing and forget about "Super Sizing" it.
Please Note: NO TITLE-SOLD ON A BILL OF SALE ONLY
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special
interest automobile showroom, featuring over 850 vehicles for sale
with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle
barn find collection is on display.
This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia
on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is
www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914.
Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the
vehicle in person.
