Time for the Wayback Machine, in more ways than one. First, Barn Finds featured this exact car in 2018, when it was priced at $29k. Not much later, it was reoffered at about $23k. Today, this 1924 Nash Victoria is for sale here on craigslist at $13k, and it’s located in Columbia, South Carolina. I would like to be able to say the seller has become realistic, but alas: here is a nicely restored, well-running Nash Six roadster that recently sold for around $16k, only a bit more than this needs-everything Victoria. Shifting an early Nash with needs to a new garage will be tough sledding, even at today’s new, improved price and despite the seller’s family’s fifty-year ownership history. Thanks to Tony Primo for finding this grand old lady for us!
Yes, that’s an overhead valve six-cylinder engine, made when most cars – including the ubiquitous Model T – were ratcheting along with flathead fours. The advanced engineering was courtesy of Nils Erik Wahlberg, recruited from General Motors shortly after Nash was founded in 1916. A single updraft carburetor fed the intake, and the crank rolled on seven main bearings. The whole kit produced about 55 hp for a comfortable cruising speed of about 40 mph. A three-speed non-synchro gearbox and mechanical rear brakes were more typical of contemporary technology. This Nash needs resurrection in every corner, and when it comes to the mechanicals, beware that year-by-year model changes make determining interchangeability an exercise in confusion.
The seller makes a vague claim that this Victoria was somehow a one-of-one custom car, with no real explanation. The seating arrangement is unusual, with a fold-away passenger seat up front (I’m not sure if the seller believes this feature is “custom”; I found it in this Nash brochure on page 6, apparently part of the production model), and a chair for the driver. Aside from the seating, a beefy vent is found in the floor for heat, and the windows are equipped with roller shades. Nash aimed for upscale appointments, so a clock, and nickel-plated trim and handles were found in every enclosed car.
Nash delivered most of its cars with wood-spoked artillery wheels, but tall steelies were an extra-cost option. These are 32″ tall – so tires will be a special consideration. And if you’re wondering about the “Victoria” body style: while the names assigned to body configurations were sometimes marketing imaginations, the Victoria was a two-door, short-coupled sedan with a rounded rear end, like a cross between a coupe and a saloon. This early bit of Americana has long been in the market for a new home; what do you think about its prospects?
What a nice surprise to see yet another Nash. This would look stunning restored, with an OHV!
What, is this Nash Week, at Barn Finds?