Not only is a 1954 Nash Statesman an oddity here on BF, today, courtesy of Scott, we’ve got a pair, and they’re both “Super” trim level cars. One’s considered a builder and the other a parts car, so let’s look them over and see if we agree. Corvallis, Oregon, is where you’ll find this dynamic duo, and they’re available here on craigslist for a combined price of $5,000. The seller states that he won’t separate.
I always find fallen flags to be an interesting study. And in this case, 1954 was the last year of Nash’s independence before it joined forces with Hudson to form American Motors. Nash’s full-size lineup in ’54 consisted of the Ambassador and the lower-echelon Statesman, which was offered in Custom and Super trim levels. Body styles included two-door hardtops and sedans, and a four-door sedan such as our subject. Nash came in tenth place in the 1954 domestic sales race with 104,000 units; of that total, 19,000 were Statesman Supers, and 11,000 of those had the four-door configuration.
The upside-down bathtub styling is attributed to Pinin Farina and his “Styling Genius,” as Nash’s 1954 sales brochure opines. Sure, Mr. Farina was a styling juggernaut, but I think he missed the boat on this design. Anyway, Statesman One, the red one is said to be the builder; it has a solid body, though it’s suffering from some floor pan rust. The bumpers, trim, grille, and fabulous hood ornament, however, are all still in good nick. Red’s engine, however, is half dismantled, and a good deal of it is in a box on the back seat. As for the seating upholstery, it’s suitably shredded, but the dash and dusty instrument panel look OK – the entire arrangement is typically “hip” for the era.
Statesman Two, the green one, is said to be “rotten with rust,” though as represented by the listing images, it doesn’t look much different than Statesman One. One difference is that Statesman Two has a three-speed manual transmission as opposed to Red’s Hydramatic automatic.
Green’s engine, a non-running 110 gross HP, 196 CI, in-line six-cylinder unit, is said to be intact, and the seller adds, “Green’s engine is all there with dual carbs and Alcoa aluminum head.”
The seller is emphatic, “Will not separate. You have to buy both. I have Oregon titles for both…Neither car runs/drives/stops. Bring a trailer.” I’m conflicted here, one doesn’t seem much better than the other, though I suppose that undisclosed “rotten with rust” matter is what has determined the “builder” vs. “parts car” designation. So, focusing on Statesman One, I suppose the plan would be to hike the engine from Statesman Two, drop it into Statesman One, and go to town on a restoration. Or…what else could be done here, perhaps a restomod, hot rod, custom, or just fuggetaboutit?
I may be viewed by some as a buzzkill to this site, nothing could be further from the truth. With the visual memories, and interaction from great people, it’s obvious I really enjoy this site, but it’s the hobby in general, I’m so disappointed with. Take this post for example, 20(30?) years ago, Superman was still on many of a mind, this would have been a wonderful find, and probably how the seller got them in the 1st place. It was a family project, we schlepped them home, little by little had a running classic, and down to the DQ, with all the other “half jazzed” restorations, and we had fun. In the 50s, Nash was still considered a great car, a bit behind the times, but AMC fixed that. For the most part, no one knows or cares about that rich history today, and it’s just another kooky car from the 50s. Today, the grim reality is nobody wants this stuff, and while I give all these sellers a thumbs up for trying, as they are, I just don’t see interest anymore. Here’s another, like the pink Caddy, restore modded with modern guts, be a hit.
Superman IS on many a mind, but the incumbent product-placement mobiles are Toyotas. Lois Lane has a picture of a Metropolitan on her desk but is seen driving a Busy Forks that looks for all the world like a Daily Planet fleet car.
As a retired industrial designer– well, as a then-practicing industrial designer– I had always thought the honest and bold boxiness of these Pf Nashes to be outstanding. They were the max in the min, that is, maximum enclosed volume for the smallest footprint, the epitome of efficient design.
As for beauty, it has been said that it lies in the eye of the beholder and I’ve always found the shorter wheelbase Statesman to be better proportioned than the long-nose Ambassadors.
True, they didn’t go like stink but when it came to honest design, nothing else from the era can hold a candle to these Nashes ‘cept for maybe “Dutch” Darrin’s Kaisers which took the opposite tack, that of swooping lines allowed to gobble up real estate.
Odd how the innately balanced but poor-breathing flat head straight sixes drove– literally– many of the independents into extinction.
Howard you are correct in so many ways,plus besides parts,there is hardly anyone or shops with knowledge to work on these old cars. Carburetors….what’s that ? A local shop that only works on classics charges $ 189.00 a hour labor.I called 4 shops for a oil change, 3 said no,cars to old,one wanted me leave it 1/2 a day..I got a mobile mechanic for $ 100.00 and put the oil in that these old cars use which is dinosaur oil with Zinc,plus a Motorcraft filter.
Being born in the 50s, but growing up in the 60s, by that time these cars looked really funny. No one I knew wanted to be seen in one of these. Now they are just an oddity and that’s OK. Some people want that. Tons of work to make a reasonable car out of both of these.
The seller is much too optimistic on his $5000 price. And this comment comes from a 1954 Nash owner.
Much of the design that Pinin Farina had proposed for this generation of Nash was rejected as too European and too far removed from Nash’s established design cues. Farina’s proposal ditched the fully skirted wheels, for example. About the only feature of the Pinin Farina proposal that reached production was the reverse C-pillar and wrap-around rear window. Nonetheless, Nash was permitted to apply the Farina emblem to the C-pillar.
Compare what happened with Giugiaro and the Chevrolet Spectrum. Isuzu submitted his proposal to GM Design and implemented their notes causing him to disown it for a decade.
Look up George Petty.
Some folks seem to prefer naked mountain goats on the hoods of their pickups instead. Weird.
Now here are 2 cars that you can have some fun with. All you’d need are 2 258 cube AMC sixes and adaptors from Transdapt to
adapt the engines to the trsnnies
in both cars. Do this AFTER you sort the brake and fuel systems.
Converting them to 12 volts is a
no brainier. Then drive and enjoy them while you redo the paint and interiors. Factory floors and
trunk pans? Forget about ’em!
Any good metal shop can fabricate and weld them in for a
reasonable price. The same would be true with the paint and interior work. I’m sure that any good upholstery or body shop can help you out with these issues without breaking the bank.
Same thing goes for tranny service. It can be done locally at a fair price as well. I’d probably do the Maroon car first as it has an automatic in it. Maybe that way, the girls would wanna drive
it. And while the Maroon car is
being repaired, I’d be assessing
the extent of the rust in the Green
car and make a to do list of what that car will need to complete it.
The torque tube drive would be alright for awhile until you can replace it . With that setup, it’s a
pricey proposition to replace the U-joints or work on the tranny.
So go ahead! Have fun with these Nashes. After all, they don’t have to be in concourse
condition to be enjoyed.