nash airflyte

It was most interesting to read the Oversteer article in Issue 48 article on Nash models. As a long-time Nash owner and collector (someone has to!) it is rare to see anything written here in NZ on what many would regard as an ‘orphan’ make.

As I’ve owned three bathtub Nash’s myself, I’d like to point out the photo of the real car sitting obviously in front of his grandparents home is in fact most likely a 1949 or 1950 model and is NOT a 1951.

The last year of this body style had pronounced rear tailfins unlike the more rounded ’49/’50 versions. Most probably, the car which the author recalls as a 1951 model, was a 1950 model simply registered here the following year. He thus has the right model to match his pop’s car!

I recall the skeleton at Horopito as I bought some parts off it to aid in the restoration of mine. I believe I may even have the body tag in my collection which I’d be glad to make available.

As for the comment about granddad preferring to use a VW for trips, maybe he found it sprightlier than the big Nash. If ever you could call a VW sprightly! Though voted one of America’s most comfortable long distance highway cruisers, the bathtub Nash Statesman models were renowned as slugs.” Phil Gibbs Auckland TH Thanks for the correction. I guess if it looks like a slug, then it should perform like one as well? It would certainly be possible that the car was a previous model by the time it sold and was registered here. I recall in 1996 when I worked for the AA in New Plymouth I was doing motor registrations and a guy came in to register his brand new Lada (poor bugger!). When the VIN no. was entered into the LTSA (as I think it was then) system it came up with 1994 as the year of manufacture, which was what it had to be registered as. Needless to say, our new Lada owner wasn’t happy about having a 1994 date on his new car, but that was how it had to be.