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.
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