In 1985, George Jones released his 45th album, titled “Who’s Gonna Fill Their Shoes.” The album’s name was also the name of the hit song and video from that record, which asks the listener who is going to replace country’s legendary singers. Sadly, over 37 years later, the answer is pretty much nobody. We have our own version of the problem in the collectible car world. Who is going to replace the generation that restored the various cars of the prewar period? Cars like this 1929 Nash Cabriolet for sale on eBay in Palmetto, Florida were lovingly restored by a previous generation of automobile enthusiasts. However, with two days to go and little interest shown to the ad, is the $32,995 buy it now price keeping a new generation from filling those shoes? Thanks to Larry D. for the tip!
The question of who is going to take over the ownership of many of the less famous prewar automobiles is a serious one that eventually the market will address harshly. Classics will always have a following, Model A Fords are enjoying a renaissance of new ownership and V-8 Fords are probably not far behind, and there is still a lukewarm desire for out of the ordinary cars like low production number open cars and those with special bodies. On the other hand, makes such as Grahams, Nash, Hupmobile, and their equivalents still have their followers. It’s just that there aren’t many of them, and their numbers dwindle every day.
Part of the problem is that most of the folks walking the Earth today never saw these cars in regular use. They never lusted for them growing up, and the current generations have little knowledge of anything that wasn’t birthed by GM, Ford, or Chrysler. Mention Babbitt bearings or non-synchromesh transmissions and their eyes glaze over. Add to this the fact that most of the existing cars have already gone through a restoration decades ago and need refreshing to the parts issues that orphan makes will certainly have and you see the negatives stack up.
On the positive side, cars like this Nash were well built and very drivable once you learn their various differences from modern cars. Many can run secondary road speeds with little fuss and in some measure of comfort. The Nash you see here was actually on par with Buicks in the market and had a reputation for excellent engineering. A look at the pictures here and in the ad show this to be a rather luxurious, well-made car for the day. While it lacks the simplicity of a Model A, it is definitely a step up in quality. It even has Trippe lights! These alone add a few thousand to the value, as they are a desirable addition to luxury automobiles of the time.
Under the hood is an inline six-cylinder engine known for having a “Twin Ignition Motor.” This references Nash’s practice of having two spark plugs per cylinder and the required 12 wire distributor to gain additional horsepower. That horsepower was delivered to the rear end with a three-speed manual transmission that lacked synchronized gears. Meaning that you will have to learn the art of the double clutch and shifting with deliberate purpose not reckless abandon.
The seller is a classic car dealer out of Florida and they do a very good job documenting the condition of the car in the ad. There is even a short video of a walkaround and test drive of this beautiful car. It appears to be a very good driving automobile that would be ready for tours and local shows. There are clues to this not being a fresh restoration. The top is water stained, the tires will likely need replacement, and the paint has lost some shine and exhibits a few imperfections.
When you take into account that the overwhelming desire to restore cars to perfection and trailer them everywhere has cooled for all but the concours set, this really looks like a solid car that can provide decades of enjoyment to someone that wants a good driving car from the period. Parts may be an issue, but the internet has opened a lot of doors in that regard. Hopefully the buy it now price is a Doug Flutie moment, and a new owner will make a respectful offer that will seal the deal. Cars like this need to be saved and filling those shoes can be a rewarding experience.
What do you think about the future of prewar cars, specifically those from orphan makes? Do you think those shoes will be filled? Let us know what you think in the comments.
Cars like this will most likely end up on display at museums around the world. Parts will become harder to come by as interest dwindles. Even in todays world there’s few people that remember these cars on the streets. I’m 75 and saw quite a few prewar cars still in use into the 60’s although I had little interest in owning one with the exception of my 35 Chevy which was my first car bought in 1960 for $35.00. There was also a 32 Plymouth touring car a mile down the road from us in very bad condition that intrigued me because it had a factory installed radio. But alas! most of those cars were recycled and made into Hondas and Toyotas. Nash was a fine automobile but by the 50’s the styling was out of date as were a lot of other makes thus their demise. Even if someone were to purchase a car like this they wouldn’t want to drive it as replacement parts are so hard to find. That’s why they make hot rods out of them which is a sad commentary on such historically significant machinery. So it’s a dilemma as to what to do with these once fine automobiles. Once again it falls into the hands of wealthy car enthusiasts to preserve automotive history.
God Bless America
This one screams high quality. I would love to own this beauty but the price tag is too steep for my “soda pop” pocketbook. Someone is going to have a gorgeous car to drive when they buy this one.
These high dollar cars require a rich guy to own and keep it roadworthy there’s always those guys out there with big billfolds to care for them .
This is a beautiful car. I am not sure how big the following is for a 20’s Nash. Someone is going to get a really beautiful car if they can justify the asking price.
Big, beautiful, high-quality car! Fun fact: Every car restored circa 1990 was required to be painted tan and chocolate brown.
Custom jobs and new cars were mostly metallic teal, with nubby gray velour interiors with red accents.
State law!
Yeah John, I’m 68 but I still recall seeing a lot of cars like this still being
driven daily into the late ’60s and beyond. Cars like this Nash were the
stuff of local legend in my hometown.
Seems like every guy you knew had
some story about knowing about, or
finding a car like this in some elderly
person’s garage or some guy who
bought one and brought it back to life
and hung onto it. If I could see well
enough to drive, I’d probably have one
of these or something like it and would be driving it proudly after restoring it. Used to work on stuff like this with my Dad and his friends
so I know what it means to see a
grand ol’ gal like this motoring down
the road to show young folks today
what driving was really like. But as it
stands today, I’ll add it to my video
file of cars to draw and sketch for my
art business. Great find though.