1954 Hudson Metropolitan
$8500
What an odd car BUT what an adorable car. Odd and adorable.
Conceived by The Nash Motor Company in 1950 as a small 'round town "woman's" car for errands, back and forth to school or work, and an attempt to offer American drivers an economical alternative to the huge cars of its era.
Finding it less expensive to contract the construction to an outside supplier, BMC in England was given the task. An early example of an American auto manufacturer having a 'captive import.' With the overall design to be aimed for (radical at the time) a family's "second car."
(I think I would have prefered one of its contemporaries like an MG TF, a TR2, a Healey 100-4 or...kind of obvious if you look at the rest of our inventory. However, none of them seat four.)
But this car DOES seat four, it is rather cute, it runs and drives quite nicely, and it certainly draws a crowd. While most of the Metropolitans were sold under the 'Nash' nameplate, some were sold as 'Hudsons' and others under their exclusive and generic 'Metropolitan' name.
Our car: body passed the 'kitchen magnet' test for plastic filler, paint is either VERY old or original, has a few chips that could easily be touched up with a brush and looks quite good.......its original 1200cc Austin A40 engine doesn't miss a beat. Oil pressure light goes out immediately and doesn't come back on, even on a hot day at low idle. No smoke when starting or running, and performance? Lets just say all 42 of its English horses are running nicely.
Tranmission, three on the column, works well, clutch does not slip, brakes work well, can see new front and rear shocks, exhaust is quiet, top is okay, tonneau is home made and could use replacement, interior is also okay and certainly usable, all original trim, chrome, details are very well preserved.
Wha to do? I think if I was going to retain this car in my collection, I would install a new matching set of white walls, have a new tonneau made, touch up the paint, add seat belts, and not much else. For the money, what else can one buy that is SO unusual, SO adorable and SO weird?
An odd bird in an odd world of collector's cars and just about ideal for a rare classic that seats four, the top goes down, is in pretty good overall condition, DOESN'T need paint or any mechanical work, and is the perfect car to drive to the beach. And suitable for low key shows....you decide...a foreign or domestic car? Sort of a bit of both.
Conceived by The Nash Motor Company in 1950 as a small 'round town "woman's" car for errands, back and forth to school or work, and an attempt to offer American drivers an economical alternative to the huge cars of its era.
Finding it less expensive to contract the construction to an outside supplier, BMC in England was given the task. An early example of an American auto manufacturer having a 'captive import.' With the overall design to be aimed for (radical at the time) a family's "second car."
(I think I would have prefered one of its contemporaries like an MG TF, a TR2, a Healey 100-4 or...kind of obvious if you look at the rest of our inventory. However, none of them seat four.)
But this car DOES seat four, it is rather cute, it runs and drives quite nicely, and it certainly draws a crowd. While most of the Metropolitans were sold under the 'Nash' nameplate, some were sold as 'Hudsons' and others under their exclusive and generic 'Metropolitan' name.
Our car: body passed the 'kitchen magnet' test for plastic filler, paint is either VERY old or original, has a few chips that could easily be touched up with a brush and looks quite good.......its original 1200cc Austin A40 engine doesn't miss a beat. Oil pressure light goes out immediately and doesn't come back on, even on a hot day at low idle. No smoke when starting or running, and performance? Lets just say all 42 of its English horses are running nicely.
Tranmission, three on the column, works well, clutch does not slip, brakes work well, can see new front and rear shocks, exhaust is quiet, top is okay, tonneau is home made and could use replacement, interior is also okay and certainly usable, all original trim, chrome, details are very well preserved.
Wha to do? I think if I was going to retain this car in my collection, I would install a new matching set of white walls, have a new tonneau made, touch up the paint, add seat belts, and not much else. For the money, what else can one buy that is SO unusual, SO adorable and SO weird?
An odd bird in an odd world of collector's cars and just about ideal for a rare classic that seats four, the top goes down, is in pretty good overall condition, DOESN'T need paint or any mechanical work, and is the perfect car to drive to the beach. And suitable for low key shows....you decide...a foreign or domestic car? Sort of a bit of both.
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