1957 Nash Metropolitan

George W. Mason, president of Nash, had teamed up with Donald Healey to produce the Nash-Healey sports car and with Austin, which assembled the Metropolitan at Longbridge for the American concern. Since Nash's factories were not configured to build cars of the Metropolitan's size and did not have suitable engines or transmissions, they collaborated with the European manufacturer.

The Metropolitan was developed in the early 1950s and patterned after the NXI (Nash Experimental International) show car which had been built by Detroit-based independent designer William J. Flajole for Nash-Kelvinator. It was marketed under its own name in the United Kingdom and as either a Nash or Hudson in the United States, the latter having merged to form American Motors Corporation (AMC).

The Metropolitan was the company's postwar foray in the burgeoning market for smaller, more economical cars. The early brochures for the Austin Metropolitans used a reversed photograph to show an apparently right-hand drive car parked in an English country town (Chipping Campden) because only left-hand drive vehicles were available at the time the photos were taken.

Styling was courtesy of Pinin Farina and built as either a two-door coupe or convertible. Mechanically, the Metropolitan drew heavily from the BMC parts bin, its running gear being shared with the contemporary Austin A30/A40. Austin's 1,200cc A-Series engine was fitted initially, the 1,489cc B-Series being standardized from mid-1956. A three-speed gearbox with column change was the only transmission on offer.

Coincidentally with the introduction of the '1500' model, the Metropolitan was extensively restyled, gaining a new front grille and losing its bonnet air intake, while the adoption of a stepped chromed waistline facilitated the provision of duo-tone paintwork. By 1961 a total of 104,377 Metropolitans of all types had been built on either side of the Atlantic.

Series I
The Series I Metropolitan was produced from 1953 through 1955 and rested on an 85-inch wheelbase with an overall length of 149.5-inches. Body styles included a convertible and a hardtop, and the engine was an overhead valve 1,200cc straight-4 Austin 'A40' series unit backed by a three-speed manual transmission. They were initially to be called the 'NKI Custom,' but two months prior to its introduction, its name was changed to 'Metropolitan.'

The Metropolitan went on sale on March 19th of 1954 and was badged as 'Nash.' Nash (Nash-Kelvinator Corporation) merged with Hudson (forming American Motors Corporation (AMC)) in May of 1954, and marketed the car as a Hudson Metropolitan in 1955. Hudson Metropolitans wore a Hudson grille badge, a 'bulls-eye' horn button design, an 'M' logo, and a plain spare wheel cover.

Series II
The first 10,000 examples were equipped with the Austin A40 engine, before switching to a B-Series but retaining the 1,200cc displacement. These examples are referred to as a Series II or NK2. Additional modifications included a new gearbox and hydraulic actuation for the clutch, replacing the previous mechanical clutch linkage.

Series III
Production of the Series II had begun on August 19th of 1954, beginning with VIN E11001. Production of the Series III began with VIN E21008 on November 28th of 1955. These models continued to use the B-Series engine but with a larger displacement size of 1,498cc as used in the Austin A50 Cambridge. Another significant modification was the polished stainless steel sweep-spears on the body sides which accommodated a new two-tone finish. In the front was a redesigned grille and the hood was now devoid of the non-functional hood scoop. To help distinguish it from its earlier 1,200cc siblings, the name was changed to 'Metropolitan 1500.'

The interiors of the Series III models used a 'houndstooth' check material for the seats trimmed with white vinyl. Series I and Series II models had body color dashboards, while Series III models were painted black.

The Nash and Hudson brand names remained with the Metropolitan through September of 1957, after which they were marketed under the 'Metropolitan' name only, and sold through Rambler dealers.

Series IV

The fourth and final iteration of the Metropolitan was the Series IV, introduced in January of 1959 - officially with VIN E59048 on January 12th. New exterior and interior modifications were introduced, including a compression ratio increase from 7.2:1 to 8.3;1 and output rising to 55 bhp. Usability increased dramatically with the addition of an external decklid which now allowed access to the trunk. Previously, this space was only accessed via the rear seat back.

Exterior colors remained the same as the Series III but the interior now used a diamond pattern for the seats, with white vinyl trim.

Production of the Metropolitan ended in April of 1961, with VIN E95981. Sales of the existing inventory continued for another year, ending in March of 1962.

Production
During the production lifespan of the Metropolitan, a total of 94,986 units were built. The vehicle's best year of sales was in 1959 with 22,209 units built. A total of 743 units were sold (shipments) in 1953, 969 in 1961, and 420 in 1962. These totals include both the United States and Canada. The United States received the lion's share of production, with 83,442 units reaching its shores. The Canadian market received 11,544 units.

by Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2021