Nash Ambassador Airflyte 1952

by

Model number: 5116

Review of the model:

If you like I had known the famous US cars from the fifties way back from your childhood. I’m sure you can list at least the first seven makers. But when it comes to Nash Automobiles from the late forties to the mid fifties, they have surly been overseen in our minds. However the Nash cars from this époque are a group of cars that looks like nothing like before! One can say; if you first have been in touch of a Nash. You will probably never been in doubt when you see another one! 

We are lucky that Sun Star is brave enough to produce a model of this, in many ways strange looking car. It comes with all the extra features of spring loaded suspension, fine hinges on the hood, movable backrests of the seats and many fine details all over. This Nash Ambassador Golden Airflyte 1952 has mounted the “Continental kit” on the rear bumper to house the spare wheel. That means you have to roll the spare wheel to the left to get access to the trunk and gas filler – Oh yes Sun Star have made it possible even on this model. The Nash Ambassador was a car for the travelling salesmen of this time and back then, the Motels where not as common as later. So the car had a nice feature – Just lay the backrest of the front seats down! Now you have a comfortable double bed in the car! Today the agents of this trade will crave for more solid solutions, but in 1952 it was a smart thing. It was a popular feature for the teenagers of the time too! The makers of the model have done a fine job of showing this in the model also.

It not very often Sun Star offers us an American 4 door model car. I think beside this Nash, the 1957 Cadillac Brougham and Checker Taxi is the only one so far. 4 door Sedans where more common than Coupes. A fact, that’s overseen by the modeling world.

This big roomy car is well made in every aspect. Here are so many parts and details that they count in hundreds and one can wonder how it is possible to produce a model to a price of only this. I you add the entire well made wheels, etched-metal emblems, carpet and upholstery, the richness of the interior etc. You will sum up, this is a bargain and a model you have to have as I did!

I can highly recommend the Nash Ambassador Golden Airflyte 1952.

I will give this model 5 out of 6 stars  ******

Below here are pictures of the model, historical description, old brochures, technical data and a little movie clip for the real car. So please enjoy!

History:

By Pat Foster and others.

Nash Cars

The 1935 to 1948 Nashes were well made, but rather ordinary cars. Although people always said Nash built a good car, by 1948 the cars seemed a bit stodgy. CEO George Mason was determined to change that. He okayed production of the aerodynamic 1949 Ambassador and 600 cars known as the Bathtubs. Sure, they look a little cartoonish today, but in 1949 they were viewed as a very exciting, ultramodern design. The body styling was fine-tuned in a wind tunnel to create the most aerodynamic shape of any family sedan then available, and the enclosed wheels were a functional part of the design. Nash was probably the first to use a wind tunnel to fine-tune its styling.

Determined to make Nash a name for innovation, Mason introduced the youthful Rambler compact in 1950 and hired Ed Anderson, former head of the Chevrolet styling studio, to establish a new Nash Styling department. Anderson staffed his new department with talented men filled with enthusiasm. Anderson hired several outstanding stylists: Bill Reddig and Bob Thomas came from Ford; Don Butler was with Hudson before coming to Nash; and a brilliant designer named Allan Kornmiller later went on to a great career at Chrysler. Also present was Royland Taylor, a master modeler who created the clay styling models.

The styling team's first big task was to design all-new big cars for 1952, the company's 50th anniversary, to replace the popular but dated Bathtubs. Anderson wanted a car with styling that was classy and elegant, yet with a touch of sportiness. A full-size clay mock-up bore a passing resemblance to the 1951 Packard, but with jeweled styling touches.

In a design shootout, the Nash Styling design was chosen over a Pinin Farina proposal. Nash Styling's design was being readied for production, but at the last minute someone threw a wrench into the works by insisting the car incorporate certain elements of Pinin Farina's design. Anderson was ordered to create what he later called a composite design, fusing together the best of Nash Styling's model and Farina's.

The Nash Styling men worked feverishly to complete the composite design, which became the 1952 Ambassador. Its styling was universally acclaimed; the hood, placed below the height of the fenders, began a design trend that other companies soon followed.

All through the 1950s, Nash Styling produced very futuristic concepts--and Nash production cars were generally a few steps ahead of styling trends. The 1952-'54 Ambassador was in many ways predictive of things to come. Cadillac copied Nash's rearward-sloping C pillars, using them on the 1957 Series Sixty-Two and Eldorado Seville hardtops. Everyone copied Nash's cowl-mounted fresh air intake

The Nash Ambassador received its last complete restyle in 1952 that carried over into 1954 almost unchanged. The Golden Anniversary Nash Airflyte, styled by Pininfarina, received several prestigious design awards.

With all the delays the all-new 1952 Nash didn't actually get introduced until March 14, 1952. Nash rolled it out with an elaborate press kit, necessary to explain the car's many new features. Also, it was obvious the American press wasn't all that familiar with, nor enamored of, the Pinin Farina name or reputation. Nash felt it necessary to educate the press and the public about its new design consultant, Farina, making sure to include him (and sketches of some of his earlier designs) in the sales catalog.

These brochures, however, said Farina "has worked with Nash to help create the outstanding style car of our time" rather than give him sole credit for the car's look, as was the original plan. The cars themselves did their part to help hammer home the connection by wearing a Farina crest on their right front fenders.

"ENTER A NEW 'WHO'S WHO' IN MOTORING" suggested Nash's handsome sales brochure. It went on to proclaim, "Today Nash places in your hands the proudest achievement of its fifty golden years ... The Golden Airflytes for 1952 ... cars excitingly new to the motoring world!"

There were a number of new features, all carrying those important-sounding names so popular in the Fifties: "Airflex" front suspension, "Eye-Level Visibility," "Road-Guide" fenders, "Super Jetfire" engine. But behind those high-sounding tags were real product improvements.

Airflex suspension was basically a large-car version of the compact Rambler's "Deep Coil" front suspension, wherein long front springs were mounted high and angled for better ride and handling. Eye-Level Visibility referred to the huge glass areas, including a windshield that was 44 percent larger than in previous models, while the raised Road-Guide fenders helped in parking.

The lineup began with Statesman two- and four-door sedans in base Super and snazzier Custom trim, and a two-door hardtop, which Nash called the Country Club, available in Custom trim only. Customs came with foam cushions, two-tone upholstery, a clock, directional signals, chrome wheel discs, and courtesy lights. Custom Country Clubs also included a specially tailored interior.

The earlier Statesman L-head six-cylinder was stroked to 195.6 cubic inches, putting out 88 horsepower at 3,800 rpm. Nash called it the Super Flying Scot. Wheelbase was increased as well, up 2.25 inches to 114.25.

The Ambassador series, flagship of the Nash line, had a model range identical to that of the Statesman. From the cowl back, Ambassadors shared body and interior dimensions with the Statesman. Up front was where the differences were. The Ambassador's wheelbase was 121.25 inches, and those extra seven inches were all ahead of the windshield. Longer front fenders were used, of course, though they were styled like the smaller car's fenders.

Ambassadors also came with a much more powerful engine, an overhead-valve six called the Super Jetfire. A 1/8-inch overbore of the 1951 Ambassador engine resulted in 252.6 cubic inches that put out 120 horsepower at 3,700 rpm, a gain of five horsepower over the 1951 version.

As Nash pointed out, the Ambassador's engine had a feature available "Only in Nash and Rolls-Royce -- not in any other American car -- a 100% counter balanced 7-bearing crankshaft." Both Nash series came with a column-shifted three-speed manual transmission as standard equipment, with overdrive or Dual-Range Hydra-Matic transmissions optional.

At 78 inches in width, these cars were immense by any standard. Ambassadors stretched out 209.25 inches long overall, exactly seven inches longer than Statesman series cars. Inside, the old "Uni-scope" instrument cluster was replaced by a wide, handsome dashboard with Nash's unique slide-out package drawer centrally mounted, speedometer offset in front of the driver, and speaker grilles placed on each end. Interior space was commodious, and Nash's front seat that converted into "Twin Travel Beds" was a popular option.

Tom McCahill tested the new Ambassador for Mechanics Illustrated. Although an anonymous Nash executive had admitted the design wasn't entirely the work of Farina, Uncle Tom said of the famed designer: "He has turned out the best-looking Nash in the company's history."

But McCahill wasn't one to judge a car by its looks alone. He put the Nash through its paces and concluded, "the new Ambassador has, in my book, the finest shock-proof ride in the world today. ... A short time ago I reported the Buick Roadmaster had the finest rough road ride of any car made in America but that was before I tested the Nash Ambassador." He summed up by saying, "The Nash Ambassador is a magnificent riding car."

Motor Trend also tested an Ambassador and noted, "Hardly any body vibration is noticeable by passengers, even over washboard and dirt roads. This is accomplished by the structural strength and rigidity afforded by the unitized-type of body construction." It went on to state, "Without a doubt, the Nash Ambassador is one of America's top family cars."

Nineteen fifty-two was a down year for automakers and Nash was no exception. Calendar year production totaled 152,141, a drop of 8,999 compared to 1951. Model year production for Nash's "5200" series was 144,200, and that included 53,000 Ramblers. More telling, however, were fiscal year sales, down 40,026 units to 137,587 for the 12 months ending Sept. 30, 1952.

Some of that reflected government restrictions on materials, as well as a strike at a steel supplier's plant. Still, Nash president George Mason expressed overall satisfaction with the year's results. It was hoped that with production snags resolved, 1953 would be a better year.

Technical specification:

Nash Ambassador Super Four-Door Sedan Dual-Range Hydra-Matic, model year 1952, version for North America (since February) (up to December)

• 4-door sedan body type
• RWD (rear- wheel drive), automatic 4-speed gearbox
• Petrol (gasoline) engine with displacement: 4139 cm3 / 252.6 cui, advertised power: 89.5 kW / 120 hp / 122 PS ( SAE ), torque: 298 Nm / 220 lb-ft
• Characteristic dimensions: outside length: 5315 mm / 209.25 in, wheelbase: 3080 mm / 121.25 in
• reference weights: estimated curb weight: 1670 kg / 3680 lbs
• How fast is this car ? top speed: 144 km/h (89 mph) (theoretical);
• accelerations: 0- 60 mph 18.6 s; 0- 100 km/h 19.8 s 1/4 mile drag time (402 m) 22.3 s
• fuel consumption and mileage: average estimated by a-c: 16.1 l/100km / 17.5 mpg (imp.) / 14.6 mpg (U.S.) / 6.2 km/l

Old brochures of the Nash 1952

Who was the man Battista Pininfarina?

By David LaChance

Pinin" may mean "small" in the dialect of Italy's Piedmont region, but there was nothing diminutive about Battista "Pinin" Farina's vision of automotive design or his confidence about the major role he would play in that world. In 1910, when he was just 17, Farina was given the opportunity to submit a design for the new Fiat Zero. Asked whether he preferred his own design or Fiat's proposal, he boldly told Fiat founder Giovanni Agnelli, "I prefer this one because I designed it." He won the commission.

Battista Farina was born in Turin, Italy, on November 2, 1893, the son of farmers who had moved from the province of Asti in search of a better life. Because he was the tenth of eleven children, he was given the nickname that would become so much a part of his life and legacy. One of his elder brothers, Giovanni, had become apprenticed to a coachbuilder, and it was through his visits to the shop that young Farina became enthralled with automobiles. At the age of 12, he began working beside his brother; five years later, when Giovanni set up his own shop, Stablimenti Industriali Farina S.A., to repair and build automobile bodies, young Pinin followed him as an apprentice.

In spite of his youth, Farina was put in charge of design, which is how he came to meet Agnelli and win the older man's respect. His curiosity took him across the sea to America, where he met Henry Ford. He was offered a job with the Ford Motor Company, but chose to return to Italy, carrying with him an appreciation for the free enterprise system and the creativity it inspired.

Farina married Rosa Copasso soon after his return; the couple would have two children, Gianna, born in 1922, and Sergio, born in 1926. He also took up racing, to the consternation of his wife and mother, and in 1921 drove his own car to victory in the Aosta-Gran San Bernardo race, beating prepared race cars and setting a course record that would stand for 11 years. It was during his racing days that he met a number of influential people, among them Vincenzo Lancia.

In 1930, Farina decided the time had come to set out on his own. With the support of Lancia and a wealthy aunt, he opened a shop on Corso Trapani in Turin, and hired 100 employees. Already well known by his childhood nickname, he christened his new business Carrozzeria Pinin Farina, and chose as its emblem the familiar rectangle with a lower-case "f" (for "Farina") set off by red triangles in the upper left and lower right corners and topped with a crown.

His plan was to construct custom bodies to order, as well as to produce small runs of six to a dozen examples of special models that he would sell directly to the public. Much of the carrozzeria's earliest work was on Italian chassis-those of his friend Lancia, as well as Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Isotta Fraschini and others. Farina's earliest designs were well-proportioned, conservative efforts in the Italian style, with heavy emphasis on unbroken horizontal lines. Intent on expanding the influence of the coachbuilder on chassis design, he persuaded Vincenzo Lancia that his radiators should be tilted back in the aerodynamic style then being pioneered in Europe. As his style developed, he would often be influenced by his peers, finding inspiration in Pontiac's Silver Streaks, Gordon Buehrig's Cord 812, and the Grand Prix cars of Mercedes-Benz. By 1939, he had 500 workers and was producing two cars per day.

After World War II, when the Paris Auto Show barred him from participating as a citizen of a former Axis power, Farina and his son, Sergio, were audacious enough to drive two new cars, an Alfa Romeo Sport 2500 and a Lancia Aprilia cabriolet, to Paris, parking the cars outside the entrance to the motor show. "This devil Farina has opened his own personal anti-salon," grumbled the French press, but the crowds loved the cars.

It was after the war that Farina was able to design what many consider his masterwork, and one of the most influential designs of all time, the Cisitalia 202 coupe of 1947. He had been involved in the design of the chassis from the beginning, and was able to realize many of his long-held dreams, including the horizontal radiator and seamless integration of the fenders with the body sides. Immortality arrived quickly; in 1951, the Museum of Modern Art in New York named the Cisitalia one of the ten great automotive designs of all time, and put the car on display.

The company grew and prospered through the 1950s. Carrozzeria Pinin Farina now could not only design models for major manufacturers, but could build them in quantity as well. He created models based on the Lancia Aurelia, Alfa Romeo 1900 and 6C2500, Fiat 1100, and Maserati A6; he designed the 1952 Ambassador for Nash, and the Nash-Healey sports car as well. Designs for the British Motor Corporation and Peugeot flew off his drawing board. In 1958, he relocated the company to a larger site at Grugliasco, outside Turin.

Of course, the single marque most closely associated with Farina is Ferrari, and it is probably inevitable that he and his fellow Italian, Enzo, would meet. Sergio has said that both men were too stubborn to visit the other's factories, and that their first meeting was at a restaurant midway between Turin and Maranello. Did Enzo really give Farina one minute to decide whether he would work for Ferrari or for Maserati? If that often-told story isn't true, it certainly could be.

In 1961, by decree of the president of Italy, he was granted the last name Pininfarina, to recognize his industrial and social contributions to the nation. He turned control of the company over to his son, Sergio, and his son-in-law, Renzo Carli, and devoted his later years to travel, filmmaking, and cultural and charitable works. Among his many honors, he received the key to the city of Detroit. He died on April 3, 1966.

Video of the real car from Youtube

If you have any question or comment your are free to contact me at: aeronautic@stofanet.dk

Dealers are welcome to get their models reviewed too.

Aeronautic Sep. 2017

© 2004-2024 Aeronautic pictures. This website, the content, the design and the pictures and are intended for public non commercial use, and may be redistributed, freely printed, or electronically reproduced in its complete and unaltered form provided distribution is for private use only. Partial and other distribution means require the permission of Aeronautic Pictures. All rights reserved.