1956 Nash Metropolitan

1956 Nash Metropolitan Series 3 Convertible Here is a smart foreign car flavor with all the convenience and comfort associated with American made cars. It's a head turning, crowd stopping gem of a car, and it's one you'll never tire of driving. Its sparkling new power, sensational handling ease and responsiveness make it a joy in heavy traffic or on the open road. There has never been a car that offered so much to so many as the smart new, all new Metropolitan 1500. Take the wheel and see. From the 1956 sale brochure. For consignment, a 1956 Nash Metropolitan Series III hardtop with a title verified 59,570 actual miles. If there's one car that will always put a smile on the faces of owners and onlookers, it's the unique and friendly looking Nash Metropolitan. Exterior Fifties styling in miniature, the Nash wears a two tone coat of Sky Blue over Snowberry White and the colors are delineated with stainless trim that descends diagonally on the door to expand the blue over the rear quarter. A white canvas top hovers over the car with some of the typical graying, but fully intact. The slight bugeye face with diminutive grille and wrap around bumper adds to the Nash's cute demeanor and in profile, the short wheelbase on 13-inch wheels is consistent with the brand's reputation as fun to look at as it is to drive. Out back, a more formal addition is the inclusion of a Continental type rear mounted spare, this one with a chrome rimmed white case and flanked by small, oval tail lights. Squeezing 50's style into a subcompact car results in a boxy little 149-inch car and this one presents very well. Imperfections include some touched up paint chips and scratches. Interior The two tone palette continues on the interior where vinyl door panels present smooth white uppers over black lowers, both presenting cleanly. The split bench artfully puts the angular white design on top as houndstooth cascades down meeting the lower bench which is wrapped in a white vinyl base. The small rear bench shares in the design and clean conditions with the vinyl covered inner fender wells serving as armrests. The simple dash begins with a sporty three spoke steering wheel framing a single gauge, the speedometer, in the center. Knobs, small horizontal gauges, and an AM radio fill the rest of the panel which is satin black in color and provides a storage shelf in lieu of a glove box. A triple gauge package has been added to monitor oil, water, and volts and it maintains the black and white palette, as does the black carpet and white vinyl that lines the footwells. Two 12 volt outlets have also been added to the dash. Drivetrain In contrasting green, we find the clean 1197cc inline 4 cylinder rated at 42 horsepower under the hood, fueled by a 1-barrel carburetor. A 3-speed manual sets the car in motion sending power to the rear axle with 4.60 gears. Undercarriage Driver quality conditions prevail underneath with some typical surface rust, drops of oil, oil sling, and some build up. There are areas of flaking invasive rust, areas of spray foam and some areas which were repaired while other parts encapsulated. Drum brakes are found at all four wheels and the single exhaust travels through a stock style muffler on its way to the back. Suspension consists of coil springs up front and leaf springs in the rear. Drive-Ability The brochure shows a Metropolitan parking between two enormous looking normal sized cars, and sitting inside it, it's easy to envision parking just about anywhere. The car is short, narrow, and provides decent visibility fore and aft. These were marketed as personal cars and it would be difficult to have more than one other person on board, think of the back seat as storage. Meanwhile the little four cylinder pulls us eagerly on our way around the test loop where the car shifts fine and tracks straight. There are limited features with this econo box, and each one of them works with the exception of the odometer and