1950s Nash Metropolitan - the American car built by Austin!
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- Опубликовано: 9 июн 2024
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About the Nash Metropolitan
In the late 40s, the US had a very different motoring landscape to us Brits and their automotive world was dominated by the big three: GM, Ford and Chrysler. There were others of course and these included Nash, Hudson, Packard and Studebaker.
Nash was headed up by the forward thinking George Mason who decided post war, it was time for something different, something new and with that; he acknowledged the car buying market was very different post war. Women after their incredible war efforts, had become more vocal and more visible within society and many had continued to work post war. This shift in the dynamic alongside a move into the suburbs for more and more Americans meant there was a new growing market worth tapping into: the affordable second car household market.
Nash knew the budgets and coverage of the big three was no match for what they had at their disposal, so they set about trying to tackle this market sector which they felt nobody else was really addressing.
Mason decided to commission a freelance automotive designer called William Flajole to build a prototype using his design and a Fiat Topolino as a base. It was quite a canny little thing and was named the Nash Experimental International. To keep costs low, it was planned the front and rear wings were interchangeable as well as the doors. The final thing kept the door concept, but the wings were unique front and rear.
But what do you do with an idea like this, especially when it’s so new? Well, Mason took it on the road and displayed this prototype for both press and some public and gave them a questionnaire. An innovative idea for the time, they even showed two engine choices: the smaller Fiat engine and an English engine option, believed to be from Standard.
American car factories of the time just weren’t spec’d out to build these smaller cars, which meant Nash decided to see what the English car manufacturers could do. After all, this was the era of post-war export or die, so it was a gift for meeting those quotas. After talks with Standard Triumph, Nash picked Austin.
Made at Longbridge, the first cars which came off production lines in autumn of 1953, went on sale at circa $1500 - which gave the marketing strapline ‘the car with the price you won’t forget’
The name was soon swapped from the NX1 to the Metropolitan and Early versions were fitted with the 1200cc Austin A40 engines, delivering 39bhp which was enough to push the 816kg vehicle to a top speed of 70mph.
The considered competitor for the US market was the Beetle, which was noticeably slower than the 22.4 seconds to 60 which the Nash achieved.
Interestingly, the car wasn’t available until 1957 in the UK due to Austin deciding to prioritise the American market and to ensure the export quotas were exceeded.
By the time the first Metropolitans arrived in America, Nash had merged with another of the smaller copmanies, Hudson, to become American Motors Corporation (AMC). Metropolitans were badged as either Nashes or Hudsons, depending upon which dealer sold them.
A facelift in 1956 saw the B Series, 1489cc Austin A50 engine for extra liveliness (delivering 55bhp and top speeds of 80mph), and it was this facelift that eventually went on sale in the UK in 1957 as an Austin, having already earned millions of vital dollars for the British car industry and was reputed to be second only to the Volkswagen Beetle in terms of volume car imports to the States at that time.
Fun fact: UK-supplied cars are correctly described as Austin Metropolitans, though they were never badged as such.
From 1957 on, all cars were duo-toned with white, with the main body colour (red, green, yellow and later black) separated by a stepped stainless steel moulding. The Metropolitan was to stay in production until 1961 with only minor changes in 1959 to accommodate an opening boot lid, one-piece rear window and quarter lights in the doors.
In total, the Metropolitan was on sale for 7 years and 104,000 were sold - 9,000 of which were outside of the US. Whilst this may not have been enough to worry the "Big Three", it did just fine for Nash and Austin, with the British company making $35 million in the first five years, from tooling costs of just $800,000.
Today the Metropolitan is a rare sight on British roads, although there are higher numbers remaining in North America. 
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I don’t mean this as a criticism but the Metropolitan always reminded me of a fairground dodgem car. 😀
I don't disagree
Yes. There was a 50s dodgem car that looked exactly like this.
A triang pedal car
I think the way the front wheels are partly hidden within the body is what gives it that dodgem/toy look, as well as the protruding 'bumper' thing all the way round the car
Yes I always thought that.
My brother had a turquoise and white hardtop in the 60’s , memorable as I locked the keys in it as a 5 year old 😁✌🏻
Great how you always match outfit colour to the car colour…. 😎
I had an Austin Metropolitan in the 60s and I loved it, great style with classic looks.
2 Classmates drove a Metro to school I think they still have it in the family. I'm 64 my Senior year was 1978
I'm in the US and my family owned one of these in the early 60's as a 2nd car... It was a coupe, green over white and it was used when my Dad bought it. My Mom was the primary driver and my brother and I sat on that "bench" back seat. Luckily we were all very petite people. I thought it was the coolest car... and I still do!!
I live in Northern Michigan, USA, and there is a man in my little town of Boyne City that has a Metropolitan in the same paint scheme, except it is a hardtop. He brings it out to all the local car shows during the summer and it always draws a crowd. Thank you for all the history on the marque - much appreciated!
WOW Steph - you've made an old man very happy today. Over 60 years ago, our neighbour had one of these. She swapped an Austin Atlantic for a Metropolitan. Being a very slender lady of over 6 feet tall, she somehow folded herself into the car, and would often take my sisters and I up and down the road in it, just for fun. I've always loved these cars - that styling is gorgeous, and the bright colours and 'smiling' face front end. I evny you so much for getting this to review. Well done and thank you so much for your video. Take special care 🙂
One of my favourite cars my uncle worked for Austin and later BL on the longbridge track and worked on them when new we have a mint condition yellow and white metropolitan living around here which the family have had from new! Great review as ever Steph well done!
when i was little in the 60s someone up the road from us had one. i've always thought they look like a fairground ride car.
Even in the US these are very rare, even with our vast car culture
I actually parked beside one of these 3 weeks ago in Lurgan at a car show, couldnt Believe my eyes!
Looked really odd next to a Lada....😊
My sister had 2 of these, a coupe and a convertible. Omg they are incredibly primitive but for a little city car they are a lot of fun. You cannot be an introvert driving one as you will be the center of attention.
I've always wanted one of those. A next door neighbour had a late model in 1963 (yellow over white) and I've liked them ever since. The very first ones in 1953 were badged as the "Kelvinator Custom" but the badges were removed before sale and badged as Nash Metropolitan and then later also as Hudson as the two companies merged in 1954 to become AMC.
The bodies were made by Fisher & Ludlow (a newly acquired subsidary of BMC) whilst Austin added all the mechanicals. The deal between Austin and Nash-Kelvinator stipulated that Austin could not sell the cars on the home market and it was not until 1957 that Austin was allowed to sell them here. This co-incided with the demise of the Nash and Hudson marques when all models were sold as purely "Metropolitan's", the US versions being sold through Rambler dealers and the UK versions being sold by Austin dealers. At no time in either market were they advertised as Rambler's or Austin's. The cars sold in the UK were the tail end of series 3 production and the series 4 (the series 4 having the luxury of a boot lid). Production ended in 1961 with a production span of almost 8 years.
I had a refrigerator that was made by Kelvinator.
@@pauljackson6593 don't ask me why, but your comment just made me titter 😂 cheers 🍻
@@pauljackson6593 General Motors also made refrigerators.
@@andrewthompsonuk1Harrison-Frigidaire….they also made your Chevrolet’s radiators and air conditioning
@@andrewthompsonuk1 So did Ford, after they bought Philco.
Had mine since the early 70s..
A real life cartoon car. Love it!
Great video, as always!
Metropolitan are adorable. But Steph it would have been interesting to show us the boot and how it is accessed from inside the cabin. Also with the roof up. Cheers
It has real side windows though so it's not one of those British sports car pup tents.
My grandparents gave one of these to my mother as a birthday present back in 1958. My mother said it was extremely underpowered but, she managed to get it up to 80 MPH once. She said though that there was one hill that the car couldn't get up even in first gear. We live in an especially hilly part of Connecticut. The end finally came when she ran out of engine coolant and poured some new anti-freeze in when the engine was still hot and she cracked the engine block.
A lovely review. Friendly car from another era.
They could have done a special edition with three tone paint in chocolate, cream and pink; called the Neapolitan.
I used to hate the Metropolitan, but it has grown on me.
Boom Boom!
That's cool
Even rarer than the Metropolitan is the Austin A40 Sports, 1200cc twin SU carbs, Aluminium body made by Jensen, a genuine 4 seater with a top speed of 80mph from a 46 bhp engine. I don't think I have been much over 60 with mine which feels fast enough. I live in Cornwall and my car is running quite well at the moment and could be available for a test drive.
Steering wheel is 180 degrees off. We bought our Met in August 2023. Lovin' it so far!
That one is a series 3 (RHD / no hood scoop / no boot lid).
Got my 1st one in 1979, been a member of the MOCNA Metropolitan Owners Club of North America, we get the monthly publication, the Met Gazette. I prefer the later models with trunk lid and vent windows. Still have a 1960 model. Not fast but fun to drive.
i used to see those little critters all the time as a kid in the early-mid 1960,s......as well as the Renault Dauphine.....a rare sight nowadays. the little Nash Rambler was immortalized in a tune titled "Beep,Beep" by The Playmates in which a little Rambler "blew the doors" off of a mighty Cadillac.....!
Used to see a few driving around in the 60s, my uncle had a Turquoise & white one. Never got a chance to ride in it though.
A car that proves fashion changes, style remains.
I remember seeing a few of these, as a child in the 60's. They looked different. I have always liked cars, so paid attention when something caught my eye. They reminded me of fairground 'bumper' cars.
I was given a yellow n cream convertible by an old lady that lived close by.She asked if i wanted an old car that she thought was a Morris minor,was in a big overgrown barn next to her house,i couldnt believe it when i saw what it was although it was in a pretty poor condition.This was back around 1988,remember the fuel tank fell off in the main road when we towed it away.I started having the welding done but due to other jobs i was unable to finish it.I sold it to a car dealer who completed the welding n interior and he sold it on again.Last i knew it ended up in Dartford area.I often wonder if its all up n running now.
my grandfather was Leonard Davis, a pioneer of the "old car" restoration, preservation, club/hobby & by the early 1950s, he was well known for his talent & the quality of such work. In 1971 i found a 1960 Met with 26K original miles, in Memphis, on a family vacation to see Graceland. Grandpa thought it so amusing that I fell for the Met, he had my parents go back and buy it. In researching the Metropolitan thru his friend & client AMC VP of design Dick Teague, he helped organize the Metropolitan Owners Club of North America along with the help of Nick Savage, who had already began a club in the UK. Eventually there were 13 Mets in the family and since MOCNA allows family to "inherit" membership numbers, i am MOCNA member #7. I still own that very same 1960 Metro, which now has 38K miles & I can not begin to express just how much fun it is, in spite of its inherent quirks.
I wish the video had shown the 2 man top being erected & i question that the 1500 series could achieve over 60 mph when new, as mine has a terrifying 0 to 60 time of about 28+ seconds, at which point I determined to further avoid expressways.
Of the near 40 vehicles I've owned in 53 years, my Metro is still the most fun and beloved of all. One simply can not maintain a foul mood when driving a Metropolitan. I highly recommend attending the Annual Orphan Car Show every Sept in Ypsilanti MI , which i always enjoy for its diverse display of incredible defunct manufacturers & my car can also be seen in the finale scene of David Mitchell's film _ "Myth of the American Sleepover" or jaunting about the streets or Royal Oak.
Great video Steph! Thank you once again for the great history lesson. As an American viewer that loves (and owns) Brit cars, this was really appreciated. I own a brick from the original factory that Charles Nash purchased from the Sterling bicycle manufacturer in Kenosha, Wisconson that was demolished. The history of Nash, Hudson, then to AMC are important to both American and British auto history.
As a little tidbit, the factory Charles Nash had is credited with being the first to use an assembly line for commerical automobile manufacturing. Ford is usually credited with this (he did perfect it) but the Nash factory was the first to actually use it for production,
I nearly bought a 1954 Nash Metropolitan as my first car...in 2016. It needed quite a bit of work but by, golly was it cool.
Great fun Steph! Thanks for the ride!
I watched this this morning, and all day I've had a song going through my head...
"While riding in my Cadillac
What to my surprise
A little Nash Rambler was following me
About one third my size
The guy must've wanted to pass me up
As he kept on tooting his horn
I'll show him that a Cadillac is not a car to scorn
Beep, beep, beep, beep
His horn went beep, beep, beep"
Interestingly, we got different lyrics in the UK because of advertising rules 🤣
Excellent review, btw 👍🏻
I remember a few of these in New Zealand in the 70s. They were totally unloved...I have to admit as a 5 year old I hated the design. Now I love it.
I was going to write the same thing - they seemed quite common in New Zealand. Haven’t seen one fir a long time.
Back in the 60s I would always call these cars a Nash "Neopolitan" after the multi cloured ice cream, also they were a bit camp.
I thought they were named after the ice cream too!!!!! And I grew up in the 60s.
My grandparents had a Nash Metropolitan station wagon. Certainly a very rare care in its day. They actually went camping in it and would drive from Ohio to California during the winter to stay with my grandmother's sister out there.
Beautiful car. Great fun to have as a second car. Love the styling and the colour. It reminds me of the retro styling of the Nissan Figaro.
Thank you for taking me back to the time I owned a Metropolitan (TCJ 438) such great memories of a great car!!
I had an art professor that drove one. It perfectly suited her.
Thank-you!
If you look at other Nash cars of the era, such as the Airflyte, the Statesman and the Rambler, you can clearly see the Metropolitan is really a Nash, regardless of who assembles it or sells it.
My dad had one, same colour as this but a hard top. I was folded up into the ‘back seat’.
The dashboard, controls and shifter are similar to Nash Ramblers. I sure many of the parts are the same. The American versions had the British steering wheel though (some are a little different and white) , not the Rambler version.
I have one my grandmother bought back in the 80s ill have to dig it out next year and get it running again. Only driving it twice but such a fun little car
When I was in the army one of my friends bought one of these and loved it.
Noddy and Big Ears scored this automobile at Silverstone's Auction House London , easily out bidding a petulant Mr Bean in a canter .
My first car was one of these in 1970. I recently got another one to restore.😊
They really didn't sell very many in the U.S. In 1955 Chevy sold 1.8 million cars. Nash and Hudson 95,000 in ten years.
Great video, been waiting for this. The Metropolitan & Austin A 90 Atlantic are two iconic cars of this period.
We have a pink and white one. Lovely little cool car. I brought it for my wife’s birthday.. She’s always wanted one. 👍❤️❤️
I have a 1961 Metropolitan with a boot, she is for Sale. We have taken her to shows and she is a real headturner. Many people have never seen one. Suffolk UK
I have owned 5 or 6 cars with steering column change and whenever changing was tricky, I found it was due to worn bushes in the linkages. The worst one was a Morris Oxford where it was difficult to engage gears and it didn't always get the one you wanted. The bushes were badly worn and I could not get new ones as they were obsolete parts. I fabricated my own bushes and after assembly it transformed the gear change. You could engage any gear easily with just your little finger and it was accurate and very smooth.
That's definitely the case on a European car which this basically is, or an older American one. I think the US automakers deliberately allowed their column-shift linkage *tooling* to get worn out so that owners would pony up for automatic, or at least 4-on-the-floor which was sold as an (expensive) upgrade, the next time.
Renault 16s and post 1966 Peugeot 404s have superb column changes.
Seen plenty of these at shows here in the US, only seen a Hudson badged on at our nationals in Detroit.
Mid 60's I rode in the back of one ,black and white in color,thanks for the memories Ohio USA
The 80s musical "One from the Heart" has a metropolitan parked on a street built inside a soundstage to fool the eye..it appears to be a full sized Buick or Pontiac
Thanks
lovely
I thought I knew classic cars but this another I've only encountered through you Steph.
Love your presenting style & knowledge. And your matching outfits!
I do remember seeing these on the Kent coast as a kid in the early 1960s, not very often, though they certainly stood out then as something different. Visiting the States in the 1990s, I was quite surprised to see the body of one of these on an overgrown scrapheap beside a garage in Maryland.
😢😢😢
6:00 they were never badged as Austin in the UK ... just Metropolitan though sold only through Austin dealerships.
The only Austin badge was on the engine rocker cover.
Most people of the time though called them the "Metropolitan Nash" although that wasn't official.
I love the way that you match your outfit to the time of the car! Great reviews, thank you.
Always liked these and their transatlantic story. Your test drive has made me want one more (again).
In the 1950’s version of the Superman tv show, Lois Lane was driving a Metropolitan.
The gearshift looks typically '50s Nash with that ball-and-socket connection adjacent to but not actually on the column. The combined key/lightswitch and hub-mounted turn signal switch were typical BMC/Austin but would've needed explanation for someone who'd only ever driven even '30s/40s American cars before.
Wonderful very detailed overview (as usual), thank you very much..! Nice little car....
Given Nash's relarively lower production volumes, quite impressive that they produced right hand drive cars.
Didn't realise these great little cars were such a big hit for BMC love the farty exhaust from the 1498 engine best review on this car thanks Steph
I'm always surprised at car events to see how many of these survive in the US.
Another great vid Steph. Always liked a traveller
Steph this Metropolitan is definitly different l thought these were one of the ugliest cars ever made but no that honor goes to the Nissan Juke park this Metropolitan next to Nissan Juke the Metropolitan looks good
The Juke is a joke.😊
@@stephenholland5930 l agree with you when l see one of them l can't look at it it is the ugliest thing ever created and people who buy them have no interest in cars l do know they have several nick names like junk and joke plus been from Nissan they aren't a very good car to start with l have no desire to drive one or even ride in one
I've been working on a couple of these at my neighbors house. They are so tiny, I feel like I'm gonna break every bolt!
1957 metropolitan same year as myself, such a cute car again like myself 😅 my uncle and aunt owned a black over white hard top one in 1967. I remember getting into the back a hitting my head on the rear window. I love the yellow and white colour scheme is my favourite.
It's an interesting car, my brother had one back later 60's/early 70's. I think it was black/white. nice review. Thanks Bob
My uncle Bill had one of these in Canada and was doing a light restoration on it. That was about 45 years ago. They were not super rare here at the time.
The Achilles heel of the Metropolitan was the column gear change. The linkage and the bushes used to wear quite rapidly. It was also a bit of a trial after repairing the linkage, to get the gear change adjusted to operate satisfactorily.
Interesting car. I think it was the styling that split opinions in the UK. It's very American so a bit love it or hate for UK buyers. Good one Steph, keep up the good work.
Thank you for this video. My uncle bought one of these when they were first available in the US. My dad borrowed it to take my (eventually) mom on one of their first dates. She said it was scary, being so much smaller than typical American cars of the day. Those stories probably had something to do with me owning a number of classic British cars.
Steph column change was the sport's shift option in the (30s_40sdesign department but designers weren't mechanics )
I've been waiting for this review! My grandmother's neighbor had an aqua and white coupe that I was fascinated by as a child. Here in the states I think they have a strong following
I enjoyed that very much Steph. The car looks similar to a Ford Zephyr MK1. Thanks for posting 😊👍
I saw one with the Hudson name on it. it was a hard top and a older guy owned it. had a metropolitan name on it too same place as that one on the side.
Great to see this, I often wondered what these cars were after seeing one in someone`s garden when I was younger. It looks a fun car. My Metro and Midas don`t like the rain too LOL! Thanks again, happy classic motoring.
I love the way the radio is integrated - ahead of its time and if only they'd done this more in the 60s-90s, fewer car break ins
It's a part of my family lore that, when I was an infant, my mother would bundle me up and place me in the little cargo hold behind the seats of her girlfriend's Metropolitan when they went out for a ride. Times were much different then and I'm fortunate to have lived so long to be able to share the story.
We knew it as a 'Metropolitan' in the 1950's, I've never heard of the alternatives You suggest. To find this I had googled 'Austin Metropolitan'
I got this from magazines/booklets of the era :)
It has always reminded me of The Amphicar? The one that couldfloat like a boat! Tim Dutton the CEO of Dutton Kit Cars. Now produces The Dutton Mariner and others? Which are very popular! Thanks for another great video. Steph! I remember these as a young boy! 😀
Thanks, Steph! Did you know that they used an Austin 4-speed gearbox with one gear removed to turn it into a 3-speed? This was done to suit American market tastes. One has to wonder what the extra gear would have done for acceleration performance.
9:11 🐕
UFO close to rear view mirror right before it.
👍🏻😊👊🏻💚🔥🔥💨 BIG RESPECT
I learned to drive on this thing I think it was in 1955 or so.
hi steph great video ive got a 58 hard top the blue and white one .in the seventies i put the floor change four speed gearbox in a red and white one dead easy but now ilike the column change cheers tony elson
That's so cute! The whole aesthetic works for me. There's something of the Sunbeam Mixmaster styling about it that makes me chuckle. Thanks for showing us Steph.
Steve Jobs had a Metropolitan, I think his first car. Here in the U.S. they're a bit of a cult, more so among younger people like yourself to express an independent, anti-materialistic aesthetic. The Austin engine was quite reliable but had a reputation for using oil and a joke was I stopped at the gas station with my Metropolitan to check the gas and fill up the oil.
They only use oil if not well maintained the B series engine is generally pretty reliable it will need more maintenance than a more modern engine as basically the design goes back to the war
Have not seen many youngsters at the met car club gatherings. The average owner is 60+. In southern Calif.
Great litttle car,I always thought it should be amphibious!
I agree with you about the gear shift.
I really hate column changes.
An under dash change like the early Mini's would have been better.
@@richardsealey3626 I know that but an early Mini was neither.
@@MariazellerbahnI learnt to drive in a Mini with this "wand" style change. If you sat in the middle of a bench seat with one of those being used it would be.... Interesting. I also learnt in a Renault 16 with had a brilliant column change (mostly due to a more direct connection with the engine behind gearbox layout)
It is a Nash Metropolitan. Made in the UK by Austin .
And this one is a Big Block B series.
US market love, and still love column changes.
These things are and always were bit weird, But I guess they had a market and it filled a gap. A bit of a noddy car really. I have seen them but do not want one.
You need to find an Austin to compare it with.
I guess these were replaced at AMC by the Gremlin.
You can't beat this car for cuteness. I don't think you mentioned it on your presentation, but did you know that the Metropolitan's doors were reversible during assembly? Each door blank could be finished with hinges on the left or right, to save production dollars. Imagine there are many people around your home base that come home from a drive and say, "I saw that red-headed woman driving ANOTHER strange/posh/old car today!" Here in the States, these cars used to have an avid club network, which is rather diminished these days as The Greatest Generation is mostly resting in peace. Maybe 25-30 years ago, there were many Metropolitan clubs doing tours in the mountains of Colorado where I grew up, having weekend fun and displaying their modified Metro's which included stretched wheelbase Fire Engines, Police Cruisers, Limousines as well as people who's taken the rear end of a wrecked Metro and made a trailer out of it, restored and painted exactly as the car towing it!
I beg to differ. We DO expect 1950's cars to be spaceships!
Seen lots of these but never realised the doors were reversible! Friend had a turquoise duotone one.
Great video! An Austin Atlantic on the bucket list perhaps?
Hi Steph
Are you in Peterborough this morning ? I’m sure you just crossed the road in front of me !