Save the Mets! Buy One, All Or Parts, 1952-1963 Nash Metropolitan

I suppose it starts with a “buy one, get the parts car for free” deal- and voilà! you have two Metropolitans. No big deal, they’re little. Then, because you have a pair, your girlfriend’s uncle’s brother gives you another one he’s had lying around. Before you know it, there’s a flock of them out back. Here on eBay is a field full of Metropolitans, awaiting their respective higher purposes, whether that be as donors or resto-mods or even stock renovations. The cost for the whole lot is $1000 or best offer, but keep in mind you’ll need an army of trailers to haul these little guys away from Ramona, California.

The Nash Metropolitan was conceived as a subcompact before the niche existed. George Mason, running Nash at the time, thought the post-war economic boom opened the door for a second car in many garages; he also saw the Metropolitan as an introduction to overseas markets, where small cars were already well-accepted. Producing the car in its own factories would have been prohibitively expensive for Nash – where finances were rarely robust – so Mason contracted the manufacturing duties to Austin and the bodywork to Fisher & Ludlow, both in England. The first Metropolitans utilized Austin’s A40 1200 cc in-line four cylinder paired with a column-shift three-speed manual. As the Metropolitan evolved, badged variously as a Nash, a Hudson, and finally just a Metropolitan, displacement rose, eventually reaching 1500 ccs. Other than the engine and badging, the grille, exterior trim, paint, and rear glass differentiated the cars by series. No matter the iteration, the Metropolitan was considered spunky off the line compared to, say, a VW, but handling was mediocre: the suspension was made soft to appeal to Americans, and the enclosed wheel wells prevented nimble turns.

The Metropolitan was always offered as a sedan or a convertible. Its design was inspired by Pininfarina, but incorporated the “bathtub” elements of other Nash models, including those nearly enclosed wheel wells. A large-diameter steering wheel set at an awkward, upright angle exacerbated handling issues. But the interior was at least partially trimmed in leather or optional Bedford cord cloth, and electric wipers and an AM radio were standard. The scope to include what were often optional extras on the base model was afforded by the very reasonable overseas manufacturing cost.

Despite the cute car’s appeal and a lively marketing campaign, only 95,000 units were sold from 1952 through 1962, with 1959 notching the single-year high of 20,000. A goodly percentage must be sitting on this lot! No doubt sifting through this collection will yield a few desirable parts, but undertaking a complete restoration of any of these has to be categorized as a labor of love. Perfectly nice Metropolitans can be purchased for $12k to $25k all day long. What do you think of this seller’s offering?