1935 Nash Advanced Eight Series 3580

Charles Williams Nash was first hired by William C. Durant of the Flint Road Cart Company (which later became the Durant-Dort Carriage Company) in 1890. Nash worked as an upholstery stuffer and within six months was promoted to superintendent of the factory. Within a decade, he became vice president and general manager of the Durant-Dort Carriage Company. By 1910, the primary business of the Durant-Dort Carriage Company was building bodies for the Buick unit of General Motors. Durant had acquired Buick in 1904 and founded General Motors in 1908. In December of 1910, Nash was appointed vice-president of Buick. By November of 1912, Durant had been fired by the General Motors board and Nash was elected as the fifth president of the company. Under Nash's leadership, General Motors' profits and the number of vehicles produced both increased, and by 1914 the company was once again profitable.

By May of 1916, Durant was able to regain control of the majority of voting stock. Nash was offered a $1 million annual salary to remain with the company, but Nash felt it was too much, and resigned on June 1st.

In August of 1916, Nash acquired the Jeffery Motor Company of Kenosha, Wisconsin and by 1914, the company had been renamed to Nash Motors. The first automobile to bear the new name was the Model 671. By the late 1920s, Nash was ranked in fourth place in sales behind the Big Three of GM, Ford, and Chrysler who controlled 75 percent of the automotive market.

The Nash Company initially focused on the upper-medium price range of automobiles, later moving into the less expensive market segment. During the mid-1930s, Nash automobiles had fastback designs and rear wheels with skirts. The 1934 Nash lineup was introduced on Christmas of 134 and again in 1935 via a three-hour radio broadcast over the WABC Columbia network. The big news was the all-new 'Aeroform' design with oil-steel construction. A new name, 'Flying Power,' was used for the twin ignition system and lightweight engine parts derived from airplane manufacturing. The 'Automatic Cruising Gear' was in reference to the overdrive system, and the 'Feather Touch Steering' was for the ball bearings.

The 1935 lineup included both six and eight-cylinder models. The overhead-valve inline-8 displaced 260.8 cubic-inches, had nine main bearings and delivered 100 horsepower. The OHV 234.8 CID unit had 88 horsepower and seven main bearings. The 217.7 CID six, used in the LaFayette model, developed 80 horsepower. All engines were backed by a three-speed selective sliding transmission with a single dry plate clutch and floor-shift controls. Four-wheel hydraulic brakes were used on the LaFayette models, while the others used mechanical brakes.

The highest-priced car in the Nash line was the Ambassador 8 Sedan which sold for $1,290. Bodystyles on the Advanced 8 included a 6-window sedan and a Victoria, with prices just over $1,000.

by Daniel Vaughan | Apr 2020