New Britain Motorama ~ Nash Metropolitan 1500 ~ American Motors Corporation ~ 1956. Remember when this small car first came out? It was sold by Tufano Rambler/Nash on Hartford Avenue/Stanley Street way back in the 1950s. Like the Mini and Fiat 500, the Metropolitan was not marketed as an economy car, but as an economical premium car, ideal for commuting or as a second car; the size was also seen as a way to compete in Europe, where traditional American cars were rapidly dying out because of their size. The retail price for the convertible was $1,479; the hardtop was $1,445. That did not place them at the bottom of the cost heap. Numerous features that were optional on other manufacturers’ low-end cars were standard on the Metropolitan, including turn signals, map light, electric windshield wipers, and dual sun visors (at the time, these were usually options, with vacuum wipers standard). Hardtops had two-tone paint; popular options included a radio, heater, and whitewalls. The radio and heater were extremely popular largely because the factory fitted them to nearly all the Metropolitans they made, giving off-the-lot customers no choice. Photo and historical narrative courtesy of allpac.
Posted on: Fri, 08 Aug 2014 23:12:38 +0000
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