1949 Nash Airflyte 600 Series 40

The 1949 Nash 600 was the company's first totally new postwar car. The styling was the work of Nils E. Wahlberg, Nash's vice president of engineering. Its aerodynamic shape was perfected in a wind tunnel and featured a rounded body, open-piece curved windshield, and signature enclosed fenders. On a single tank of fuel, it could be driven 500 miles and achieve 25 mpg. They were built using a unitized single-unit construction method which earned them the title of being the first United States manufacturer to mass-produce automobiles using this technique. The interior had a 'Uniscope' gauge cluster with all the instruments contained in a single pod resting above the steering column.

The 1949 Nash 600 line consisted of three trim levels including the Super Special, Super, and Custom line. All three included a brougham and a four-door sedan. The Super lines also had a 2-door special. The Custom Line was the most exclusive offering with just 17 examples of the Brougham and 199 of the sedan. The Super line accounted for 51,154 sales with the 4-door sedan accounting for 31,194 of those sales. The Super Special line found 35,775 buyers.

Power was courtesy of an L-head 172.6 cubic-inch six-cylinder engine delivering 82 horsepower. A three-speed manual gearbox was standard and hydraulic drum brakes were located in the front and back.

by Daniel Vaughan | Apr 2019