The Metropolitan was a subcompact car before there was technically such a thing. Designed by Nash Motors in Kenosha, Wisconsin, they were built by Austin in England from 1954 to 1961. The target audience was women and/or those families that needed a second car as suburbia was on the rise. Most of the 95,000 that were produced were shipped to the U.S. and they still pop up for sale from time to time. Like this 1954 edition, which must have been built early on. It hasn’t run in a couple of years but may be an easy project if your goal is for it to be a Cars & Coffee driver. Located in Bainbridge, Indiana, this nifty novelty is available here on Facebook Marketplace for $3,500. Thanks, Barn Finder “Ted” for this pre-AMC tip.
Development of the Metropolitan may have been the last such project before Nash merged with Hudson in 1954. Both AMC divisions sold the car with their branding until 1957, after which only Metropolitan badges appeared anywhere. The Metro was the direct opposite of what most U.S. car builders were selling as bigger automobiles were popular after WW2. From one year to the next, the changes were few, such as adding a trunk lid so you could access that area without having to go through the interior. The seating was comfortable for two, but a jump seat was in the back for smaller passengers or children.
Shipments of the 1954 Metropolitan were about 13,000, with 11,000 destined for the U.S. 48 states (remember there was no Alaska or Hawaii yet). Demand peaked in 1959 and trickled off by 1961 (a few leftovers were titled as ‘62s). Earlier Metros had a 1200cc inline-4 while later ones were upgraded to 1500c. Neither made for a speedy little car, but economy was more the objective anyway.
We’re told the seller’s mini car has only 37,000 miles which could be true. It was running until it was parked a couple of years ago (in the barn on the farm?), so some coaxing will be needed to get the Nash going again. But these were simple cars so – unless you have to hunt for some hard-to-find parts – maybe you could have it running in a weekend or two. The interior isn’t great, but certainly passable if vintage cheap wheels were your goal. These were cute little cars, and I always wish I had gotten one in my younger days.
Ive liked these little cars since I was a kid. I never quite understood why Austin didnt have a 4 speed gear box in these as apposed to the 3 on the tree transmission they came with. I cant explain why, but Ive always wanted one. Just another car on my bucket list probably never going to be able to get or drive.
These actually did have 4-speed transmissions but Nash blocked off 1st gear since the standard transmission for U.S. cars at the time was 3 speeds.
Some of the early Metros were badged as Hudson Metros, and for such a tiny car they had an enormous turning radius due to the enclosed front wheels.
It’s not a Metro, it’s a Met.
I’ve owned 3 -54 Austin A40 which must be technically very similar to these Metropolitans. I am not surprised about the comment about the blocked off first gear because the A40 had a bizarre gearing. First gear was so low you could hardly reach walking speed. I understand that British roads were not designed for speed, but even in 4th gear the A40 started feeling out of its depth somewhere around 45 mph. And let’s just say that the handling was closer to my dad’s Nuffield farm tractor than to a sports car… But they are quite robust and easy to work on so as a cheap local runabout this one could still make sense to get running.