Nash a car that had truly seen the future.

 

In the 1950’s there was a car manufacturer named Nash, which is now never heard of and is a very rare car. The story of Nash cars began with Thomas Jeffery, who left Great Britain at the age of 17, settling in Chicago. He built telescopes and patent models, then created a new bicycle with a cheap, strong frame (made by brazing flared tubing). The bike, named “Rambler,” was quickly became the second bestselling bicycle in the country. Jeffery then invented the “clincher” tire (in 1882), selling the rights to Dunlop, which called it the “pneumatic tire.” It became the basis for all modern day tires, to this day. The company has seen many great technologies being added for each car. Thomas Jeffery was one of the few automobile manufacturers to use a production line for its cars. Thomas Jeffery died in 1910, and his son took over. The company came out with the Quad, an early four wheel drive vehicle developed for the army. In 1916, though, Thomas Jeffery sold the company to Charles Nash for around $10 million, but this did not stop the company from creating cars ahead of its time

Nash later on was headed by Charles W. Nash who was the head of GM. By 1920, in an expanding market, Nash was selling double the Jeffery record of 1914, and started a new company, Lafayette, in Indianapolis, selling an expensive luxury car; the company failed, but Nash used its factory for a new Ajax line of cars starting in 1925.

Nash Ambassador Airflyte

This car was one of the most advanced car in 1950 it was known for its aeroplane like construction. It came with a straight six and came with an automatic and a 3 speed it had 150 hp. the automatic was borrowed from GM, it was a hydromantic transmission and had a unique feature called the sealed in head which allowed for more carburation. The Airflyte also had cushioned chairs that would turn into a bead, this was added after the President of Nash was charged extra at a motel hence added the seats that would also turn into a bead. It had aerodynamic construction and a strengthened structure hence making it safer and comfortable. The 1951 Airflyte had the weather eye system which was nothing but an air conditioning system that had a thermostat that could wary the temperature. A new Ambassador had been in the works for a number of years and in 1973 was introduced as a 1974 model. It was available only as a four-door sedan and station wagon. The two-door hardtop had ceased in 1973. The Ambassador was even bigger than before, growing by seven inches. Part of this growth was due to the new safety features, such as the five-mph bumpers. The interior was redesigned, a larger fuel tank was added, and sound insulation was installed to control exterior noise.

When the fuel crisis was in full swing, the sales of the Ambassador plummeted. By June of 1974, the Ambassador name was discontinued. It had been in service for 42 years. The whole company had shut down due to lack of finance and mismanagement of funds. In the summer of 1957, the final Nash Ambassador rolled off the Kenosha, Wisconsin production line. The name continued to exist though under Rambler and AMC brands up until 1974.