MYSTERY CAR

This month we go back to 1960s US of A and a full-size American sedan. Send your solution, by email or snail mail, to Mystery Cars No. 233, Nzclassiccar, PO Box 46 020, Herne Bay, Auckland by mid June. The winner will be the first correct entry opened from the entries box. Last month’s Mystery No. 232 was the 1956 one-off Nash Rambler Palm Beach sports coupé, possibly intended for production as a likely replacement for the Nash-healey sports car. There is debate as to whether the car was commissioned by Nash designer George W Mason, or came about as a Pinin Farina project. However, the big upheavals within the Nash/rambler/hudson conglomerate after the formation of American Motors Corporation in the mid ’50s as it tried to sort out its future automotive directions probably stymied any ideas for production. It was built on the Rambler platform, and the Pinin Farina design for the body adopted several of the then-current styling trends from America, fins of course at that time being de rigueur, but the jetage frontal treatment was quite interesting too, while the overall shape worked well in styling terms. The Palm Beach used a Rambler side-valve 3212cc straight six producing 61kw (82bhp) at 3800rpm, using a Weber sidedraught carburettor — standard US carbs wouldn’t fit under the low bonnet line. Interestingly, the motor was an old 1951 unit. Transmission was through a threespeed manual gearbox driving to a live rear axle on leaf springs, while front suspension was independent. The car was fully functional when delivered, and aroused considerable industry interest, but production never materialized, the company upheavals noted above resulting in AMC discarding any plans for sporting cars in its new lineup. This car, definitely a oneoff, was in AMC president Roy Chapin’s collection for a while, then passed through the hands of several collectors, before being carefully restored to its original appearance. Regular contestant and master spotter David North from Riverton was on the job again for Mystery No. 231, the handsome Aston Martin DB2/4 MKII fixed-head coupé.