Somehow, this is the first 1953 Nash Statesman that we’ve seen here on Barn Finds, and it’s a doozy. The Statesman is between the Rambler and Ambassador but has a lot of the luxury and space of the Ambassador while looking stylish for the time, or at least for Nash. The seller has this 1953 Nash Statesman Custom listed here on eBay in La Verne, California, and the current bid is $10,000, but the reserve hasn’t been met.
This car looks perfect to me, inside and out. I don’t see a single flaw anywhere. The seller has uploaded many great photos, so please check them out at the bottom of their eBay page. I love the fact that they took the photos at an airport, as this Golden Airflyte was meant to evoke sleek transportation, not unlike airplanes of the era. Advertising of the era talks about the “Cabin in the woods” feeling you’ll get from the fold-down front seats that turn the interior into a big bed, including optional insect screens for the windows.
This is a second-generation Statesman and is the top-of-the-line trim, a Custom. There was also a mid-level Super and a base level meant for fleets and other service car functions. A two-door hardtop was also available, as well as a four-door sedan. Pinin Farina styled this generation, and I think they’re beautiful, if not a bit frumpy compared to the Big Three’s offerings at the time. The exclusion of a V8 also didn’t help sales. Nash sold only 1,305 two-door sedans, and even fewer two-door Country Club hardtops, at fewer than 1,000. You can’t notice one very cool feature in the photo above, but here’s a close-up of the right tail light.
While not a feature, one of the best things about this car has to be its condition. They say there is no indication of rust or rust repairs, and they’ve owned this car for five years. They do say that it was painted once, so it isn’t original. Check out the gorgeous, straight rocker area, and there doesn’t appear to be one single flaw on or in this car that I can see. The interior is said to be original, and it’s simply wonderful with perfect seats both front and rear, a perfect dash, a perfect steering wheel, a perfect headliner, perfect everything. The details make me weep like a child. This car is amazing.
The engine photos are a lbit disappointing, leaning heavily on the battery side, and not showing an overall photo from above for some reason. Given the outstanding photos otherwise, that’s a little different, but it’s hard to argue with the condition of the engine. This should be Nash’s 196-cu.in. L-head inline-six with 100 horsepower and 155 lb-ft of torque. The seller refers to it as “the original 173”, so I’m not sure what that means. This one is backed by a three-speed column-shifted manual sending power to the rear wheels, and it’s said to operate perfectly and is used mainly for car shows. Power steering was an option, but I’m not sure if this car has it, and it would sure help with driving ease. How much will this Nash sell for?
What a magnificent Weirdmobile! I love everything about it. It’s a good thing I don’t have the money that this beastie is going to cost because I’m the kind of lunatic that would daily the wheels off this thing
I’ve always found Nash cars from this era very interesting. As a little boy I inherited my older brothers toy cars. He had some that were Nashes, and the covered wheels always intrigued me. As a little kid I didn’t understand how the front wheels had enough room to turn….. Anyways, this is by far one of the nicest Nashes I think I’ve ever seen. That photo of the perfectly straight rockers is amazing.
Maybe I’m going overboard here….. But this sure looks nice enough to be in a museum.
Very nice find Scotty. I enjoyed it.
Wow, nice condition, there can’t be many of these left!
Although Pinin Farina was given credit for the design for advertising purposes it was actually Nash stylist Edmund Anderson who did the bulk of the work, integrating some touches from a Farina prototype into domestic Nash styling.
“Original 173” refers to the flathead engine being an original Nash 173 cubic inch mill that was first introduced in the 1941 Nash “600”. The engine was later enlarged to 184 cid and then finally to 196. As the base engine in the 1965 Rambler American this was the last flathead engine to be used in an American car.
My 1958 Studebaker Scotsman had a flathead 6, 3spd w/overdrive, made in the US
Interesting. Strange how the ugly cars from the 50s & 60s (Nash wasn’t considered an attractive automobile) have gotten better looking over the years and us “old dudes” that were considered attractive in the 50s n 60s are now the “ugly ones”. We can’t be restored and a repaint doesn’t do much good. I tip my hat (and expose my bald head) to this Nash, yep would gladly be seen in it these days.
This has me NASHing with great memories of the first family car I remember. A 1950 AMBASSADOR Airflite (the upside down bathtub). We kept it until November, 1959 with only routine maintenance keeping it running smooth as a clock. We probably would have kept it longer, but Mom’s arthritis became a problem with no power steering. So, it was traded for another soon to be orphan, a DeSoto Firedome. That’s a story for another day. This 53 Statesman is the same color as a neighbors 53 4 door, which she kept until 62 trading for a 62 American. Another neighbor traded every second year. ALWAYS an AMBASSADOR. After their 59, they moved to Rambler Classic. Our small neighborhood had a high concentration of NASH automobiles. IMO, a testimony to the quality and durability of NASH. I’m not surprised at the price, considering how few survived, especially in this condition.
After WW II my dad worked for Nash-Kelvinator/American Motors until 1955. He had a 1950 Ambassador in this exact color combination and my mom had a 1951 Rambler 2-door in gray. He traded the Ambassador for a Cross Country wagon in ’55, replete with the Farina “f” emblem on the C pillar. It took me years to figure out what that meant, but by then it only enhanced my admiration for Nashes.
I agree that Nash cars were frumpy to an extent but at the same time they had some elgant detail features (enclosed wheels, cowl vents, taillights, grilles, etc.) that deifferentiated them from the Big 3. It’s unfair to call them weird without mentioning early ’60s Chryslers and ’59 Chevies.
The greater societal impact of the Nash automobile cannot be discounted either. The reclining seats certainly made a significant contribution to the numbers of the Baby Boomer generation.
Good write-up Scotty. What a clean, straight Nash. For the person who wants something different, here you go.
Oh Superman, where are you now? Nash was the sponsor, and threw everything they had into that show. From Nash Healeys, to Ambassadors the cops used, to Lois Lanes convertible, to a Statesman like this in a car chase. A Nash car chase? Too easy, I think if a perp knew the city had Nashes, be an easy target with a V8 Ford. I read, Nash began in 1917 in Kenosha, but in 1924, took over the defunct Mitchell Motors in Milwaukee, and had almost 6500 employees at its peak. Naturally, way before my time, but it was a major employer of the state for almost 70 years. Cars like this were their bread and butter, even though I doubt the Superman exposure did much for sales.
With literally tens of thousands of garages, it’s no surprise to see these low mileage 50s cars surface, where from a time, believe it or not, driving was NOT a priority like today. Super(man) find, and naturally, the stick is the killer here, again, what 231 viewers and 20 bids? Might be some merit in my madness after all.
As much as Superman used Nash cars, Kelloges was the actual sponsor of the show.
That is one fine car. I agree the details are exquisite. That paint color, what do you call it? Low points, Flat Head engine, no power steering.
Growing up in Tucson, family outings took us up to Mt Lemmon. Our flathead Rambler American (same engine) always struggled but usually boiled over once or twice. I don’t know how many head gaskets my Dad replaced!
I did the same drive yesterday as I always do on Father’s Day.
But nobody has mentioned this car’s connection to Ferrari!! Both styled by Pinninfarina! A number of Ferraris had a similar grill, they weren’t all eggcrate grills!
The overheating issue prompted me, at age10 to write AMC and suggest replacing the cooling system with Freon! I got a letter back saying it wouldn’t work.
Highly recommend watching this:
https://www.pbs.org/show/the-last-independent-automaker/
This is another beautiful automobile! It’s in fantastic shape! The color combination is great too. I hope it goes to an owner who really loves it.
I inherited a 1953 Nash Statesman from my great aunt in 1973. It was not this color, but like this one, it was in perfect condition with very low mileage. It ran well, but the automatic transmission seemed to have a very big step between 1st and 2nd gear. At the time, my friends and I wondered if it might be a malfunctioning 4 speed transmission, with the car shifting from 1st directly into 3rd gear, skipping 2nd altogether.
That drop between first and 2nd was normal for that transmission. My grand dad had a 55…same thing…other grand dad had a 54 Caddy…shifted the same way..they were 4 speed hydro
The turning radius was not as bad as one might think. The fit and finish was on a par with Buick, not Ford or Chevy. The power, on the other hand, was just not there for the fast freeways and turnpikes of the ’50’s, let alone the interstates of today where Honda Civics cruise at 80 mph all day long. In 1957, as a 16 year old passenger, ready to take the wheel, in a ’56 DeSoto, we went a steady 80 on the Maine Turnpike, up hill and down with my friend’s 18 year old sister driving. Doubt this Nash would do that. And, stick shift is death, if you live in a high crime area buy a stick shift car, since the kids who steal them can’t drive them.
This is definitely one nice Nash. And while I love outliers, the styling just doesn’t appeal to me. Beautiful color and I love the interior. Just looking at the quality of the materials one can see that Nash was definitely marketing to a different buyer than the big three. I can’t remember the last time I saw one of these in the two door variety. As to the transmission: a three on the tree is ok with me. I’m sure this Nash gets a lot of attention wherever it goes. Hopefully, the new owner treats it with same degree of TLC as it has obviously received in the past. GLWTS.
This Nash appears to be in excellent condition. I wish there were more photos of the interior. — The car always looked really weird to me. When I was a kid – with the windshield and rear window configuration – they always looked like it was driving backwards — and it still does to me. So, it’s a novelty of a car in apparently excellent condition, but I wouldn’t want one.
That’s so funny that you say that, because my friends said the same thing about my ‘53 Nash! They joked that they couldn’t tell if I was coming or going!
I was surprised while reading a book on the
Mexican Road Race that Bill France & Curtis Turner
co-drove a 1950 Nash in that year’s race.
I remember lots of these in the 1950s… but then they just seemed to go “extinct” (like a lot of other things)
I remember lots of these in the 1950s… but then they just seemed to go “extinct” (like a lot of other things).
Quite a handsome vehicle don’t what finally price could be. Definitely something to look into.
The first thing that came to my mind when I saw this was an old phrase that I heard a few times in my earlier years: “It has a face that only a mother could love”.. and for me that isn’t too far off the mark. I always thought Nash designs were a big weird anyway, but having said that this restoration is amazing and I think whomever did it deserves big kudos because regardless of what anyone thinks it’s now preserved for later generations.
Scotty, You nailed it ,what more can I say. Just the comments about this car shows almost everyone loves it! I have never owned an original car like this one. I would love to be it’s care taker. You can’t own it you have to preserve it and let it be appreciated.
Very clever taillight gas filler. My 58 has a nearly identical dash. I wouldn’t underestimate the ease of steering this car without power steering.
Very clever taillight gas filler. My 58 has a nearly identical dash. I wouldn’t underestimate the ease of steering this car without power steering.
Auction update: this one made it to $13,700 and didn’t meet the seller’s reserve. They have relisted it with a $19,500 buy-it-now price, or you can make an offer; presumably higher than $13,700…