Nash-Healey (1951-1954): from “grandfather cars” to sports star

Who is this handsome guy who excites collectors so much and delights the public at car shows? Upstart. Dared to be born two years earlier than the incomparable Chevrolet Corvette 1953. The success of the latter is tied to the sporting qualities of an ordinary road car. This category was destined to appear in the auto industry: people in post-war America and Europe demanded fast cars on public roads.


Sports, auto racing, laurels for brave pilots - wonderful. But we also want a crazy headwind, spectacular jerks from a standstill, sharp turns. Give the ordinary motorist speed in serial vehicles... We asked, meet us - “Nash-Healy”.

Excuse me, what kind of Nash? Isn't that the Nash-Kelvinator that made refrigerators and neat old cars? He still had 18th place among American manufacturers in the 50s. And we haven’t even heard of “Healy”... In a word, we need to figure it out.

"Nash-Healy": who is the manufacturer

Wondering how transatlantic car corporations stack up? Exactly the way all global projects are born - over a glass of collectible cognac. In December 1949, the noble drink splashed in the glasses of two gentlemen: the corpulent American George Mason and the lean Englishman Donald Healy.


It was on board the luxury ocean liner Queen Elizabeth, sailing between Southampton, UK, and New York, USA. An hour earlier, respectable gentlemen were strolling along the deck.

Healy noticed a newfangled stereo camera in Mason's hands. Being a passionate photographer, the Briton became interested in the device. A friendly conversation ensued. The acquaintance continued with tart intoxicating drinks in the cabin of one of them. Who are these people?

American

George Mason served as CEO of Nash-Kelvinator. The company was founded in 1916 by automobile entrepreneur Charles W. Nash (we found the first name in the title of the hero of our review).


To get the talented engineer and smart manager J. Mason on board, Charles had to buy a Kelvinator. The company produced refrigerators and other household appliances. Why this was the condition of the candidate for the post of general director, we do not undertake to judge.

So, in 1937, the Nash Kelvinator corporation was formed, headed by a man with a fashionable camera on the deck of a luxury liner. “Tubny” was returning home from the Old World. I went to see the world and, in between, to copy the design of European cars. A common practice for those years among mechanical engineers.

Englishman

J. Mason's companion in the cabin over a glass was Donald Healy (the middle name of the subject of our attention). The former pilot and racing driver, and now an aspiring manufacturer of track rockets, was heading to America with grandiose plans.


Healy had recently created a successful thing - a car for the American athlete Briggs Cunningham. Under the hood of the car, Donald installed a Cadillac 5,4-liter V8 engine. The racer was pleased. Inspired by the success, the Briton intended to purchase another batch of engines for the club racing car of his company, Healey Silverstone.

joint venture

J. Mason was skeptical about the plans of his new friend. Cadillac was a division of General Motors, which means you had to go to the main boss, Ed Cole. And this is a strict comrade, with harsh methods of ruling a huge empire called GM.

He wouldn’t sell the motors to just anyone, George suggested. And he knew American automotive cuisine very well from the inside. But don’t be upset, just come to me. I don’t promise eights, but strong in-line sixes – please.


And so it happened: GM turned the young Briton away, citing certain obligations to the US government. Disappointed Donald Healy arrived at Mason's doorstep. Friends decided to jointly produce cars. Not just any kind, but cool sports road racers. Happened!

Here you have a transatlantic corporation, albeit a tiny one. It was born from a chance meeting between “Fat” and “Lean” based on their common passions for photography over a glass of good cognac.

Nash-Healey Model Review

Production of 2-seat roadsters with a retractable soft or fixed hardtop began at the Donald Healey plant in Warwick, UK. The speed at which dreams were realized amazed contemporaries: the first prototype was shown at the Paris Motor Show in the fall of 1950. The audience gave a warm welcome.


The car was put up for a 24-hour race at Le Mans. Of the 66 crews entered for the race, 29 reached the finish line. Pilots Tony Rolt and Duncan Hamilton were fourth in the new model.

The right path was chosen, the partners decided, and the official debut of the model was scheduled for February next year in Chicago. Those gathered saw a beautiful car. There was a real athlete on the podium: collected, fit, with an expressive front end.


The headlights were located close to the radiator grille with two large horizontal crossbars. The turn signals found a place on the wings. The powerful bumper with massive bumpers protruded far forward: the car felt protected.


The 1951 Nash Healey's exterior, with its prominent rear fenders and V-shaped windshield, is the work of English stylist Len Hodges. Yes, don't forget! Mason's passion for refrigerators manifested itself in the trunk and hood release handles, rough but reliable. We remember these from the Baki refrigerators.

We continue to explore the exterior and interior of the car

In an effort to reduce weight (1112 kg), the body was created from aluminum. The sprung section was based on a reinforced ladder frame from Healy's early Silverstone model.

Roadster dimensions:

✅ Length - 4318 mm
✅ Width - 1676 mm
✅ Height - 1410 mm

The distance between the axles is 2591 mm. The wheel size with chrome-plated intricate rims and white sidewalls was 14 inches. In the cabin, to please the American user, they installed not individual chairs, but a soft leather sofa. The 4-speed manual gearbox lever was placed on the floor.


The devices on the parprise looked like expensive watches. The steering wheel was a “banjo” with three wire spokes. The design, like a buffer, cut off tremors from the road from the driver’s hands. The curious ancient technology is now forgotten.


During the year, 104 Nash-Healey units were built. The car was sold through Donald Healy's dealer networks exclusively in America for $4063. The high price, due to complex logistics, scared off Europeans. But it didn’t work out any other way: power units, according to the agreement, were imported from overseas.

Technical part

The friends' far-reaching plans came true. Nash Healey was the first production sports car on American roads, if you don't take Kurtis Kraft into account. The circulation of the latter was 37 units.

In 1952, the Pinin Farina studio was entrusted with building the bodies. The Italians added their inherent elegance, changing, in particular, the relief of the rear wings. The rudimentary “fins” on the stern were left in the Pinin Farina, although this purely American body element was not respected.


The J. Mason OHV six cylinder engines from the Nash Ambassador were good. But Healy modified the units: he installed aluminum cylinder heads, and equipped the power system with two SU carburetors. The measures taken increased the power output by 13 “horses”.

Engine Specifications:

✅ Volume - 3849 cm³
✅ Power - 125 liters. With. at 4,0 thousand rpm
✅ Moment of force - 285 N * m at 1,6 thousand rpm

The Italian modifications featured 4,2-liter 140-horsepower engines. The drive went to the rear axle. The front independent suspension is based on coil springs and trailing arms with anti-roll bar. The rear suspension mechanism consisted of springs with a Panhard rod.

Hydraulic drum brakes. The performance indicators pleased the owners: maximum speed – 165 km/h (Italian models – 181 km/h). The first “hundred” was left behind after 11,5 seconds.


The logistics chain, starting in 1952, lengthened: units from Wisconsin were transferred to Donald in Warwick. Here the chassis was assembled and sent to the Apennines for fusion with bodies and other assembly activities. The cars were then sent to America for sale.

Difficult, long, expensive. The price has risen to $6399. User interest has dropped. In four years, 507 sports cars were sold. “Lean” became interested in another project - Austin-Healey, “Tuchny” took up the organization of American Motors Corporation (AMC). Their joint brainchild still appeared in 4-6 positions at Le Mans and Mille Miglia, but the friends decided to close production.