Vehicle Description
To be OFFERED AT AUCTION at Auctions America's Auburn Spring event,
May 11-13, 2017.
Chassis No.
NHA1453
Estimate:
$ 80,000 - $100,000 US
During a chance meeting crossing the Atlantic on the Queen
Elizabeth, Englishman Donald Healey and Nash-Kelvinator chief
George Mason discussed the prospect of collaborating on a sports
car. The duo came to an agreement and batches of Nash Ambassador
six-cylinder engines and three-speed gearboxes with overdrive were
shipped to Warwickshire, England. There they were mated with Healey
Silverstone chassis and a Panelcraft body of Healey design.
Production began for the 1951 model year in December 1950. Racing
versions finished 9th in class in the Mille Miglia and fourth
overall at LeMans, but the steep price for Nash's halo car kept
sales to just 104 units that first year.
Mason never cared for the original slab styling of the car and
having contracted with Italy's Battista "Pinin" Farina to style the
senior Nashes for 1952, he asked Farina to update the Nash-Healey,
too. Steel bodywork replaced aluminum and an enlarged Nash
six-cylinder engine with Carter carburetors added 10-hp. The price
jumped and a total of just 150 were produced. A companion LeMans
Coupe on a 6-inch longer wheelbase was introduced for 1953, yet
production remained low with 162 units built for the model year.
Thanks to its high price, the emergence of the Jaguar XK120, and
Nash's financial troubles, production ended in 1954 after a total
of 506 units had been built.
This stunning 1953 Nash-Healey is offered from a private
collection. The car is painted bright red over saddle tan leather
and fitted with a black convertible top and side curtains. Of note
are the contrasting red rims fitted with wire wheel covers and BF
Goodrich Silvertown whitewall tires, all of which make for a
striking appearance. The car is powered by a 252-cid, 140-hp
in-line six-cylinder engine with twin Carter YH side-draft
carburetors. It's paired to a three-speed manual transmission with
overdrive.