Get to discover the Nash-Healey (1951-1954) Often cited as Americas first post-war sports car, the Nash-Healey was a joint venture between Nash Motors and Donald Healey, pairing his frame and bodies with Nashs engines, gearboxes and rear axles. The cars were fast and beautiful, but with a price tag of over $3,700, just 507 Nash-Healeys were built in the four years produced. The production of Nash-Healeys were a collaborative effort between Donald Healey and George Mason, the president of Nash-Kelvinator. Healey was a former Royal Air Force pilot turned race car driver, designer, and builder. His business, Healey Motors, was founded in 1945. Healey and his staff had designed and built three special cars with lightweight aluminum racing bodies. They competed in four consecutive Le Mans races and one Mille Miglia. At the 1950 Le Mans, a Nash-Healey entry, driven by Tony Holt and Duncan Hamilton, finished in fourth place. This outstanding achievement brought about a contract with Nash for a limited run of production sports cars. Nash Motors supplied the powertrain components, which consisted of the Ambassador’s 3.8-litre straight-six engine, three-speed manual transmission with Borg-Warner overdrive, plus torque tube and differential. The existing Healey-Silverstone chassis, a box-section ladder-type steel frame, was widened and reinforced. Independent front suspension featured coil springs, trailing link, and a sway bar. The rear suspension was Nashs rear end and coil springs replacing the Silverstones leaf springs. Wheelbase was 102 inches.
Posted on: Mon, 11 Aug 2014 18:47:27 +0000
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