Nash was one of the predecessors of American Motors and may be best remembered for the “Airflyte” cars of the 1950s. They were often referred to as “upside-down bathtubs” for obvious reasons. The Statesman was the entry-level variant of the Ambassador, riding on a shorter wheelbase. This 1950 Statesman Super wears an older restoration, with more recent work done to the paint, interior, and motor. A solid-running automobile located in Phoenix, Arizona, this bulbous beauty is available here on craigslist for $9,699. Hats off to T.J. for another tip from days gone by!
The Statesman was part of a redesign that Nash did after World War II and the cars would remain in production for a couple of years after the creation of AMC in 1954. These vehicles were designed with unibody construction and were rounded at every turn, built with an eye toward aerodynamics. I’ve always wondered how well these cars handled as the tracking in the front was a half-foot shorter than in the rear. The I-6 engine displaced 184 cubic inches with a design that dated as far back as the 1920s.
This Statesman Super was the base model in 1950, although not much about it looks basic. We’re told the auto was owned by one party for the last 20 years and the motor was recently rebuilt, so the car starts, runs, and drives as it should (the 3-speed manual tranny has overdrive). Though no photos are provided, the seller says the undercarriage of this Nash has also been detailed.
The interior and paint are new, and the latter includes fold-down front seats that enable the passenger compartment to turn into a bed. That would come in handy with apartment rent being what it is today. Once you replace the old tires, this machine should be ready to turn heads at your local car shows. The trunk is full of spare parts, some of which are new and never used. BTW, check out that “Uniscope” instrument pod – I’ve never seen one quite like it!
Nice work, Russ, and another great find, T.J.! How is this car still for sale? That sure seems like a steal to me for how nice it looks in the photos.
That’s alot of car for the money! Have you ever seen such an embellishment on a fuel filler door on any other car?
Check out Buick’s from that era!
What a beauty! I saw the first image before the title, thought I was looking at a Tatra 603, but this one has cleaner lines. Would this be an example of art deco?
I’ve never been convinced these cars can actually turn LOL. Does the front fender flex out or something, when one turns the steering wheel?
I always wondered about turning also. I think this from the article explains it. “I’ve always wondered how well these cars handled as the tracking in the front was a half-foot shorter than in the rear.”
I remember my Dad had one of these back in 1960-’61. I remember how big the back seat was and the rear opening windows. He loved that car until one night he was driving home in a snowstorm and turned into our driveway and onto the cement culvert and got stuck! That was the last time I ever saw that car again. He purchased a Dodge Lancer Station Wagon new around Christmas. I remember a large red bow on the car we He and Mom (kids in tow) went to pick it up.
The fender did not flex. The turning circle was larger than normal.
Don’t know about 1950, but the ’47 Nash my dad got from my Uncle Frank turned just fine. It was 2-tone “Army green”, looked like a military staff car. Cloth seats, very comfy, great heater. My uncle went from that car to a ’55 Buick my dad inherited when my uncle passed.
You couldn’t restore this for what they want – solid buy!
My dad had one in a medium brown color. He loved the car. 3 spd with o/d and he said he could get 30 mpg on the highway. We did a lot of traveling in that car and it never let us down.
I saw this on Facebook Marketplace. Sellers profile shows some other cars sold at prices under what they are worth. This Nash Statesman is work every Penny of the asking price. Hope it’s not a scam.
When I look at these I’ve never thought ‘bathtub’ — I always think 1940s style airplane fuselage a la the Douglas DC-3.
I don’t understand why some of these marques never found much of a collector following. This is a beauty with 100% unique looks.
Remember on happy days? Richie’s dad Mr. C drove one of these. Great car Nash was way ahead of its time.
Mr. Cunninghams car was a Desotto.
You are so correct Mike’s 57….I feel so inadequate 😐😐
Best car for teenagers who liked drive in movies.
Only thing I see that’s not mentioned is why the heater core hoses are missing (seen in the engine pic). Otherwise it appears to be a great price for a lot of automobile.
WOW price is great under 10k you would get some looks at a car show
Now this one is priced to sell. Love It!
When I first saw the instrument pod, I thought it was a F1 type steering wheel. Beautiful. They WERE ‘way ahead of their time: the reflector in the LH side of the trunk opening is really impressive for the thought put into owner safety, long before that was much of a consideration.
A side note: there are people, out there, whose thinking goes somewhat like this: I don’t have $28k in this car, I’d rather find a nice owner. They are to appreciated, as they are rare, and to be treasured
Nice write-up, Russ.
This is a gem, all right. Can’t believe it’s still up for sale. Seller should have mentioned about the missing heater hoses; apparently the heater core was leaking, therefore disconnected.
Extremely ugly design – and equally cool.😁 Yet another example that some cars don’t need be pretty to be desirable. Seems like surprisingly little $ for what you get, pick it up and I’m confident one will have the only one at the next cruise in
Craigslist post deleted
Posting deleted?
Incredible Nash for very low $. I wouldn’t do any transaction with this car unless it was in person and with title in hand at the DMV. If it’s too good to be true, it might well be. Read this months Sports Car Market Place legal page for perspective….
the engine in this was newly designed in 1941 for the Nash 600 and does not date back to the 1920s.
…craigslist post deleted….probably a scam…craiglist known for that…
This car has windshield washers. Odd for a base model. Optinal?
A few years ago I bought a 1941=Buick Sedanette.. beautiful car in its day…lovely interior. And it had Elephant ears..they were big front bumper corners front and rear… turned a lot of heads with that Buick…
Same color as this Nash.
Dad had a ’49, back seat was like 2 huge arm chairs, plus every time he hit a big bump or RR tracks gear shift lever would pop out of column. Traded it for a new ’53 Ford.