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1951-1954 Nash-Healey

Posted by Gregory Masten

The apocryphal version of the tale stages the steel hull of the Queen Mary as a transatlantic cocktail shaker that swizzled together Donald Healey and George Mason. The result, so the story goes, was a drunken toast that spawned the Nash-Healey. In reality the events were probably far less boozy, but no less noteworthy.

In 1950, Healey was heading to Detroit with the hope of procuring Cadillac V8s he could use in his latest two-seat roadster. Meanwhile, Mason, the CEO of Nash-Kelvinator, was returning home from a European holiday. The two met by chance over dinner and struck up conversation. Mason, well familiar with Healey's racing reputation, realized that a partnership could invigorate the dying Nash nameplate. Healey on the other hand, who had already used Ambassador six-cylinders in previous one-off racers, recognized Mason could be a suitable backup plan should his negotiations with GM prove futile. So, when Ed Cole rebuffed Healey's request to tote home Caddy power, Healey and Mason struck a deal. A prototype was built shortly thereafter, and the resulting Nash-Healey hit the track. Finishing fourth at Le Mans convinced Mason that Nash had its halo car and proved to Healey that he had sufficient power.

Nash began shipping a high-compression version of the Ambassador's 125-hp, 3.8L I6 drivetrain from Kenosha to Warwickshire. Healey would then promptly fit aluminum heads, hotter cams, and dual SU side-draft carbs to the powerplant. The cars received a suspension system similar to the ones utilized with much success on the Silverstone Healey, with coil springs and roll bars front and back, a front trailing link setup, and a solid rear axle. From there the chassis were sent to Panelcraft in Birmingham, where a Healey-designed aluminum body was slipped over the package and sent back stateside.

The car's hefty initial price was approximately $4,000, which was more than a new Cadillac or XK 120. Far from being as luxurious as other cars at that price, standard equipment included a 3-speed Borg Warner manual transmission with overdrive, leather seats, chrome disc wheels, whitewall tires, plexiglass side windows, hydraulic drum brakes, and a tilt steering wheel. The car wasn't much concerned with luxury, however, and it finished ninth at the 1951 Mille Miglia and sixth at the 1951 Le Mans. Despite the promising showing on the race circuit, the car's cost, limited distribution channel, and lack of name recognition conspired to suppress sales.

For the 1952 model, Pininfarina redesigned the skin. The 1951's curvaceous fenders morphed into large slab sides, and the headlights migrated to within the grille. A single piece of glass replaced the dual pane windshield, and the new Nash-Healey resulted in a thoroughly unique treatment of 1950s chic. Today, the Nash-Healey generates polarizing opinions regarding its styling.

The new, now-steel body was sent to Healey in England from Italy, where the package was again assembled and then sent to market in the U.S. In all, it wasn't unusual for a Nash-Healey to rack up more than 8,000 miles from start to finish (Kenosha to England; Turin to England; England to New York). For comparison, a typical Detroit car moved the length of a football field or two during its production run. As such, it was difficult to cut the car's price to compete with similar roadsters of the era in the U.S. market.

A few of the early Pininfarina cars were equipped with the same 3.8L engine that powered the 1951 models, but a 125-hp, 4.1L quickly replaced the smaller six-cylinder (starting with S/N N-2251). Using this engine, the 1952 Nash-Healey recorded its best Le Mans finish, placing third behind two Gullwings. The 4.1L was used for the rest of the car's production run.

A hardtop coupe was added to the line in 1953, while the roadster was discontinued before the 1954 model year. The coupes, which were ten inches longer than their roofless counterparts, were christened Le Mans in an effort to capitalize on the marque's run of racing success. The car was too expensive and too different to gain a toehold, though, and the Nash-Healey was cut from the model lineup once American Motors absorbed the Nash name. In all, 506 examples of both body types were produced from 1951 to 1954.




Despite the car's seemingly impressive race finishes, the Nash-Healey's showings were often due more to endurance than elan. For example, the exceptional 1952 third place trophy was a direct result of two-thirds of the field not even finishing the race. Detractors are quick to complain that the engine is brutish, the drum brakes provided poor stopping power, and the handling is unassured. Nonetheless, the car can now compete in any number of prestigious events, and do so virtually worry-free. And even if the deal from which the car sprung wasn't gin-drenched, the car's look, feel, and story have piqued the interest of enough enthusiasts to keep it on the collector car radar.