The Nash-Healey is a three-seat luxury sports car or grand tourer produced from 1951 to 1954. It was marketed by the Nash-Kelvinator conglomerate in North America as a halo car to promote sales of its Nash Motors division.
The car was the result of a joint venture between Nash-Kelvinator and British automaker, the Donald Healey Motor Company. Nash supplied the drivetrain from their range-topping Ambassador model, and Healey provided the chassis and early bodies. One year after its introduction, the car was restyled by Pininfarina, and final assembly was transferred to Italy. The Nash-Healey is described by some as the first sports car introduced in the U.S. by a major automaker after the Great Depression.
Various Nash-Healeys, some modified road cars and some purpose-built racers, competed in several endurance racing events, most notably posting a third-place finish at the 1952 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Origin
In December 1949, British engineer, rally driver, and automaker Donald Healey sailed for America aboard the ocean liner. He was going for a meeting with General Motors' (GMs) Ed Cole, hoping to secure a supply of Cadillac's new V8 engine. Healey planned to use the engines in his company's Healey Silverstone club racer. Two such Healey/Cadillac hybrids had already been built, one in the US by American sportsman Briggs Cunningham, and one in England by Healey's own Donald Healey Motor Company; the Cadillac-engined X 4 prototype.
While aboard ship Healey encountered a man using an elaborate stereo camera system that intrigued him. The man was George W. Mason, president of Nash-Kelvinator. The two struck up an acquaintance based on their shared interested in photography. Hearing of Healey's plan, and anticipating GM's reply, Mason told Healey to contact him if the negotiations were unsuccessful. When GM turned Healey down due to their defense commitments, Healey contacted Mason, and development of the Nash-Healey started.
As part of the arrangement between the companies, Nash paid off Healey's £50,000 bank debt, which was to be repaid in assembled cars.
A prototype was previewed at the Paris Motor Show in October 1950. The fate of this car is unknown. The Nash-Healey made its official debut in February of the next year at the 1951 Chicago Auto show. The car's full name is the Nash-Healey Series 25.
Some time after its release, the Chrysler Corporation purchased a Nash-Healey from a Detroit dealership, disassembled it, and submitted an analysis of it to executives of the company.
The 1951 Nash-Healey is called the first post-war sports car from a major American automaker, as it was released two years before the Chevrolet Corvette. This appellation excludes the limited volume Kurtis-Kraft and Muntz Jet, as well as the diminutive Crosley Hotshot, Super Hotshot, and Super Sport roadsters.
Features
Nash supplied Healey's company with the powertrain components: the Ambassador's inline six-cylinder OHV engine and three-speed manual transmission with Borg-Warner overdrive. Healey fitted a lighter, higher-compression aluminum cylinder head (in place of the cast-iron stock item) with twin SU carburetors. This increased power from the stock version to .
The chassis was a widened and reinforced Healey Silverstone box-section ladder-type steel frame. Independent front suspension, also Healey Silverstone, was by coil springs, trailing link, and an anti-roll bar. The rear suspension featured a Nash-supplied torque tube and live axle, replacing the Silverstone's Riley Motor parts. Lateral location of the axle was handled by a Panhard rod.
Healey designed the aluminum body, but it was outsourced. Panelcraft Sheet Metal of Birmingham fabricated the body. It incorporated a Nash grille, bumpers, and other trim. Healey was responsible for the car's final assembly.
The car had drum brakes all around. Wheels were steel, dressed up with full-diameter chrome hubcaps and 4-ply 6.40×15-inch whitewall tires. The interior featured luxurious leather upholstery, foam rubber cushions, an adjustable steering wheel, and a cigarette lighter. Completed vehicles were shipped to the United States for sale through the Nash dealership network.
Model years
1951
The 1951 Nash-Healey was the first post-war sports car from a major American automaker, two years ahead of the Chevrolet Corvette. The custom-built Kurtis-Kraft which predated it never reached "production car" status, with only 18 units being built.