Nash Healey

Today, it is common for many manufacturers to collaborate on new car models. This was not the case previously. Nash Healey is an early example of such a collaboration. European design and solid American technology were behind this sports car.

Nash was an American automobile manufacturer founded in 1916 by Charles W. Nash. He wanted to produce simple and solid cars for the American mass market. The cars were both solid and reasonably priced, and sales were good. Safety was an important selling point and the Nash was among the very first affordable American cars to have brakes on all 4 wheels. In the 1930s, Nash introduced many technical innovations. One of these was the "Bed-In-A-Car" where the entire interior of the car could be converted into a "sleeping compartment". Nash is probably best known for the new streamlined models that came in 1949 with the name "Airflyte". The competition between the car factories in the USA became tough in the 1950s, so Nash merged with Hudson in 1954. The new company was named AMC (American Motors Corporation). 1957 was the last year in which the Nash name was in use and the factory chose to collect all the brands under the "Rambler" name.

The Nash Healey sports car was produced between 1951 and 1954. The car was described as the first American sports car produced after 1945. The foundation was laid when Donald Healey met Nash director George W. Mason where they began to discuss sports cars. The result was a collaboration where Nash supplied engines and drivetrains. Healey designed the new aluminum bodywork and was responsible for the final assembly of the car. The prototype was presented at the Paris Motor Show in 1950. Already in 1952, changes were made to both design and production. Pinin Farina was commissioned to adapt the car's design to the other models from Nash. The result was an elegant car with incredibly complicated production. The engine and drivetrain were manufactured by Nash in the USA and shipped to England. This was fitted into a frame manufactured at Healey and forwarded to Farina in Italy where everything was fitted into an elegant body and shipped back to the US. The end result was an elegant car that was very expensive with minimal sales. Total production was only 507 cars in 4 years.