Vehicle Description
1956 Nash Metropolitan Series III Hardtop
"Here is a smart foreign car flavor with all the convenience and
comfort associated with American made cars. It's a head turning,
crowd stopping gem of car, and it's one you'll never tire of
driving. Its sparkling new power, sensational handling ease and
responsiveness make it a joy in heavy traffic or on the open road.
There has never been a car that offered so much to so many as the
smart new, all new Metropolitan 1500. Take the wheel and see." From
the 1956 sale brochure.
For consignment, a 1956 Nash Metropolitan Series III hardtop with a
title verified 50,238 actual miles. The Nash was designed in
Kenosha, Wisconsin, assembled in England, and was the first postwar
car marketed to women and in the 1956 brochure, it portrays active,
tennis playing women and a woman dressed more formally behind the
wheel.
Exterior
50's styling in miniature, the Nash wears a two tone coat of
Caribbean Blue over Snowberry White and the colors are delineated
with stainless trim that descends diagonally on the door to expand
the blue over the rear quarter. The A-pillars and roof retain the
blue just long enough to meet a curved glass rear window with three
sections. The slight bugeye face with diminutive grille and wide
wrap around bumper adds to the Nash's cute demeanor and in profile,
the short wheelbase on 13-inch wheels is consistent with the
brand's reputation "as fun to look at as it is to drive". Out back,
a more formal addition is ironically cute, the inclusion of a
Continental type rear mounted spare, this one covered in a color
coordinated jacket and flanked by small, oval tail lights.
Squeezing 50's style into a subcompact car results in a boxy little
149 inch car and this one presents very well. Imperfections include
some paint chips, lots of bubbles on lower and rocker panels, rust
on the pinch welds, and cracking paint.
Interior
The two tone palette continues on the interior where vinyl door
panels present smooth white uppers over stitch patterned blue
lowers with some uniform creasing on the clean and fully intact
panels. The vinyl split bench artfully puts the angular white
design on top as vertical stitches cascade down meeting the lower
bench which is based in a white sided frame. The extremely small
rear bench shares in the design and clean conditions with the
carpet covered inner fender wells serving as armrests. The simple
dash begins with a thin rimmed black steering wheel, here in nice
shape and framing a single gauge, the speedometer, in the center.
Knobs, small horizontal gauges, and an AM radio fill the rest of
the panel which is satin black in color and provides a storage
shelf in lieu of a glove box. The turquoise carpet with vinyl trim
is in great shape and protected by color matched mats, and the
white headliner is intact but showing some water spots.
Drivetrain
Under the hood, a driver quality 1197cc inline4 cylinder rated at
42 horsepower and fueled by a 1-barrel carburetor. A 3-speed manual
sets the car in motion sending power to the rear axle with 4.60
gears. Drum brakes occupy the front and rear wheels.
Undercarriage
Driver quality here as well with minor surface rust coating most
untreated areas and a spot of invasive rust on the body frame.
There's some oil film about but may not be actively leaking, and
some grease on the knuckles but not built up too much. The single
exhaust flows through a stock style muffler and sends out a single
tailpipe that extends past the rear bumper. Suspension consists of
coil springs up front and leaf springs in the rear.
Drive-Ability
The brochure shows a Metropolitan parking between two enormous
looking normal sized cars, and sitting inside it, it's easy to
envision parking just about anywhere. The car is short, narrow, and
provides decent visibility fore and aft. These were marketed as
personal cars and it would be difficult to have more than one other
person on board, think of the back seat as storage. Meanwhile the
little four cylinder pulls us eagerly on our way around the test
loop where the car shifts fine and tracks straight. There are
limited features with this econo box, and each one of them works!
While Classic Auto Mall represents that these functions were
working at the time of our test drive, we cannot guarantee these
functions will be working at the time of your purchase.
Just 7,645 Nash Metropolitans were produced in 1956. Want an
instant show car that won't take up much garage space and elicit
smiles wherever you go? This is among the most recognizable cars in
the country and it presents mid century eccentricity and uniqueness
wrapped up in a little package that's fun to own, fun to show, and
fun to simply peek in on as it sits poised in your garage. Today,
the Metropolitan Owners' Club of North America has a couple dozen
regional chapters and plans a homecoming in Wisconsin this July.
Mark your calendar twice. Once to pick up your new car and the next
for your trip to Kenosha!
Classic Auto Mall is home to more than 1,000 classic and
collectible vehicles for sale via consignment in a climate
controlled 336,000-square foot showroom (that's more than 8
acres!). The largest single location consignment dealer of classic
and collectible vehicles in the country is located in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, just 1-hour west of Philadelphia off Exit 298 of the
I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. For more information visit
www.classicautomall.com or call us at (888) 227-0914. Contact us
anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in person.
There is no guarantee of mileage. A $299 Dealer Administrative fee
is not included in the advertised price.
With so many great cars, you know we have a lot to talk about, and
we do that each week on the Classic Auto Mall Podcast with host
Stewart Howden. Stewart discusses new inventory as well as trends
in consignments and car prices, while interviewing celebrities and
automotive professionals about amazing cars and their history. Tune
in each week to the Classic Auto Mall Podcast wherever you enjoy
listening. You can also watch on YouTube!
