O Scale Motor Vehicle Chronicle Nov13

My grandfather drove a dark green Nash. I don't know what year it was, but it was the last body style before the big Nashes went away. Nice looking car, big and comfortable. Nashes were built in Kenosha, Wisconsin, only about 70 miles from where my grandparents lived in Oconomowoc.

I have two Hudson Hornets: one from Franklin Mint and a Western Models kit, which I haven't gotten around to building yet. Here's the Franklin Mint model next to a Franklin Mint DeSoto. The Hudson is missing its radio antenna, which should be at the top center of the windshield. The eBay seller I got it from busted it off and lost it after he took the auction photos. (He did give me a partial refund.)

 Brooklin and others have also has made some earlier Hudsons. Here's a 1931 roadster from Brooklin that I repainted.

And finally, a Hudson Terraplane, also by Brooklin. The green sedan on the left, shown with a Studebaker Dictator sedan and a Studebaker President roadster. The Terraplane was  less expensive than the regular Hudson line. It was only built from 1932 through 1938.

The '50 Rambler and '54 Hudson are not only among the best from Franklin Mint, but also among the better 1:43 models. If you are looking to buy the Hudson, make sure the antenna on the windshield is present.

Mention of the Nash Metropolitan brings to mind an experience from 1961. A high school buddy and I drove out to Sterling, IL in his Metropolitan, site of Northwestern Steel & Wire, which was still using ex-GTW 0-8-0's around the mill. Additionally about 100 Burlington, GTW and NKP steam locomotives were awaiting scrapping. We "borrowed" a Burlington 2-8-2's headlight and mounted it on top of the Metropolitan - - - it was huge (to quote Donald Trump) and looked quite comical!

Orphan cars are my favorites, and there were literally thousands of American makes,

my favorites being those powered by Lycoming, 1925-35. The brands went from Allen

to Zimmerman, but from Auburn to Velie with the Lycoming engine.  My great uncle,

a Michigan RR telegrapher, as I've noted before, drove Hudsons until he got one with the Packard V-8, and was forced to Chevies.  I helped my aunt shop for a 1958 Rambler American, and she later bought a larger Rambler.  I have the Terraplane above and the 1935 Nash Ambassador (which I will bet was sold in very small numbers).  I want somebody to offer a Terraplane pickup.

Gee, I'd like to find one of those USA models of the Nash Ambassador.  Back in those days, coming from Milwaukee, Nash was a favorite car for many of us kids.  Nash Ambassador engines were way ahead of their time, in my opinion.  The post war Ambassadors were in line six cylinder engines with seven main bearings.  Very few cars had main bearings in front and back of each cylinder.  In fact, before WWII, the Nash Ambassador 8 cylinder engines had NINE main bearings.  The only other marque that duplicated that specification were the big Packard's and they were common flat-head engines.

In 1951 Nash came out with a "LeMans" version of the engine with 3 side draft carburetors.  ( The same engine was used on the Nash Healey sports car.)  That year, Nash set some sort of top speed record at Bonneville with the hot rod Nash Ambassador, I believe was around 105 MPH;  **** fast at that time.

Any of you have one of those "bathtub" Nash's for sale, let me know.

Paul Fischer