A Nash-Kelvinator Statesman? Huzzah!

A NASH-KELVINATOR STATESMAN? HUZZAH!

Look at this thing! So much damn class in one car ought to be illegal. Contributor Max passed this beauty while it was parked for a film shoot and was kind enough to snap a few pics. This is a car you NEVER see even if you frequent car shows:

This is a 1954 Nash Statesman in two-tone Malibu Ivory over Black. Nash had several firsts in the auto industry including unibody construction and the seatbelts. Their fresh air heating and ventilation system is still used today a full 79 years after its 1938 debut!

This is the last year for Nash as a stand alone automaker. In early 1954 Nash-Kelvinator merged with Hudson Motor Car Company to form the basis for American Motors Corporation (or AMC). Nashes and Hudsons were both produced until 1957 when they were phased out in favor of the AMC Rambler.

From this angle you can just make out a major styling cue for Nash; the front wheels are covered! Yes most Nash bodies had wheel wells so diminutive that they are only 3 inches tall with the rest of the wheel hidden within the body. It's a neat trick because they can turn just fine without rubbing the inner fenders. Aerodynamics were important for the automaker and these enclosed fenders, rounded body lines, and slanted back window all played a part. These are known as Bathtub bodies since the front wheel treatment makes them somewhat like an upside-down bathtub.

*That hat on the rear deck is an old NYPD signal that an undercover officer is in the car on duty.

On the right side of the trunk lid there's a chrome emblem that says Hydra-Matic. This is the first fully automatic transmission, developed by GM before WWII. Nash contracted with GM to install them in their cars from 1950 on. All '54 Statesmans (Statesmen?) had inline 6 cylinder engines.

Well there you have it; a ridiculously classy ride still killing it in a tuxedo at age 63. If you follow the family tree from this ride forward eventually you get to Chrysler. 

Nash + Hudson = AMC who promptly swallowed up Kaiser/Jeep, partnered with Renault, begat the Eagle, before finally being bought outright by Chrysler. 

One last mildly interesting fact is George Romney was the man responsible for getting AMC off the ground with its Rambler brand in the '50s. He would go on to becoming the Governor of Michigan. One of his sons is the twice-maligned presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

Very advanced. Very grumpy.

VERY ADVANCED. VERY GRUMPY.

Look at this sad old mug.
I was walking around my future neighborhood of Bay Ridge a couple weeks ago when this city improbability presented itself:

Such an expression! If you put a huge cigar in the grill of this truck it would look like Al Capone.
What we have here is a 1954 Chevrolet 3100 truck in Seacrest Green.

This is one of the Advanced Design series of Chevy trucks first introduced in 1947. After WWII most vehicles were hastily assembled leftovers from the early '40s. When these A.D. trucks hit the scene they were a great improvement on just about every level.

The 3100 was the half ton model.
1954 was the only year for major changes in the A.D. series. This is the first year for a single pane windshield as opposed to split down the middle. That sneering bull nose grill is new for '54 too replacing 5 horizontal bars. The original style hubcaps are brand spanking new just made to look correct. *Those turn signals on top of the fenders are aftermarket by the way.

This is a handsome truck! I love the separate fenders and the overall classic look of these rides. The round taillights were new for '54 as well replacing rectangular ones from earlier.

Who knows what sort of homemade bed extension we're looking at here? Plywood raises the sides in a very specific way with it angled up a bit near the cab. The tarp has been altered to fit this shape perfectly with snaps all around. It took a lot of work for sure right down to painting the plywood to match. Whatever it is it seems this is still a working truck earning its keep.

This has the venerable three-on-the-tree manual transmission. An automatic transmission was an option for the first time in '54 but we would see a gear selector window on top of the steering column if this were so equipped.

Even beautiful classics sometimes get a taste of tape! At least they got a shade of green.

And that's where I'll leave this hardy beast. These trucks are timeless and remain as popular as ever. Despite its age just about every part is available for the Advanced Design series. They sold in huge numbers throughout their run and changes were few. The front end was the same whether you ordered a pickup, suburban, or panel van.
I love the fact that this old Chevy is still waiting faithfully for its owner to come along and turn the key. With basic maintenance these will keep on fulfilling their duties forever. To see one in Brooklyn at age 63 made me happy enough to take some pics while standing in the cold rain.

Amazing old Hemi enjoying retirement near the ocean

CONEY ISLAND HEMI!

I rode out to Coney Island the other day and all the way out on the end of Ocean Parkway within blocks of the beach I passed this cruddy beast:

This is a 1954 Dodge Coronet in what was probably Willow Green. The paint job has gone through plenty of transformation over the years though as you will see.

This is quite the handsome ride. Cars from the early-to-mid '50s were some of the first new designs since the beginning of WWII since production halted in 1942 through the end of the war. When the war was over there was a pent-up need for new cars so the automakers all cranked out what they had the tooling for which were essentially 1942 era rides. This car represents the small window between looking and acting more modern without going full-on '50s tail-fin and chrome drenched glitz.

The original color is peeking out from below the grill. That turn signal is real glass like a little lighthouse lens. The magnifying capabilities were essential as this car had a 6 volt system from the factory.

The Coronet name has had its ups and downs. Introduced in 1949, it was the highest trim level of Dodge. However starting in this year of 1954 it was knocked down a peg by the addition of the newly top-of-the-heap Dodge Royal. Just a year later it would further get the shaft, falling to the lowest trim level. What a sad story for Coronet!

Let's take a moment to admire the brushwork this shadetree mechanic uses to touch up the paint.

This is a nicely proportioned car with just about equal hood and trunk length. Notice how the roof is high enough for the hats that most men of the day were wearing. This was a legitimate concern that people noted if the headroom didn't allow for it.

That wrap-around back window is pretty slick. In the following year wrap-around windshields would really begin to take hold.
Check out the roof. You can see where the owner stood at the back corner and painted what he could reach from that one spot!

Inside is just lovely. The chrome T-handle emerging from under the left side of the dash is the parking brake.
The center cap of the steering wheel has the V symbol denoting the engine choice as well as the optional POWER STEERING written around it in gold. The radio is another option, but to the right of that there is a panel that just reads CORONET. This is the spot where the clock would be installed if it had been ordered.
*That radio cost an extra $83 back in the day; $735 today after inflation!

The upholstery looks original!

I love ancient stickers like this one.

At first glance I thought this birdcage full of flowers was painted on the rear side window, but it might be a large old sticker. Either way it's confounding and charming.

The paint job looks alright (or at least you don't notice it) from 20 or so feet, but once you get closer;

You see that parts of the body have been repaired with regular old tape painted over with a brush!
I thought this metal circle was the gas cap but the paint looks to have overlapped onto it. Maybe it hasn't gotten gas since the latest touch-up?

You can see the placement of that possible gas cap and how it is mirrored on the other side by a reverse light.

Everything in this picture is awesome! The trunk lock consists of 2 small padlocks on a hinged latch. The totally awesome and futuristic emblem is bragging about the VEight engine as well as the optional PowerFlight auto trans, and that sturdy thick glass reverse light proudly stares out from its tape and paint setting. Incidentally that PowerFlight was the first fully automatic trans offered by Dodge and it was a 2 speed.

The standard engine was the 230 inline 6 cylinder. However since this has various V8 emblems on it we know that this was built with the 241 Red Ram Hemi V8. This was the smaller version of the famous 331 FirePower Hemi first released in 1951 by Chrysler/DeSoto. Even this smaller 241 set several land speed records at the Bonneville Salt Flats in a Dodge much like this one.

Everything looks pretty normal here except, wait a minute, what's with that door handle?

WHAT!? I've been fascinated with cars since I was sitting in a stroller and I've NEVER seen this! The handle came off or something and the owner just decided to cover over it with mesh drywall tape and slap green paint over the wound? Dude. This is next-level out of the box thinking. All that original 62 year old chrome and he's slapping paint all over it too. This owner is a BEAST!

It's sporting the original set of Dodge V8-specific hubcaps. You can see the lettering used to filled in with red. Maybe I'll head back and leave a note and a jar of red house paint to see what they'll do.

Still looking cool even after all it's been through.

We'll leave this old Hemi with a glance at the awesome ram hood ornament and another V8 emblem. This is such a cool car and I'm not even mad that it looks like it's lived its life on the streets of Havana. My hope is that somebody has owned this thing since new and parks it outside their retirement apartment on the border of Coney Island and Brighton Beach. Somebody continues to love it and show it off and for that it's lucky.