Bathtub Nashes....

[plain old dave]

Am I the only one that thinks a '49-53 Nash is the neatest car of the late Golden Era?

 

[CaddyKid21]

It is one of the coolest cars, its such a eye catching and interesting shape, that you just gotta love. If I had a chance to get one, I would.

 

[JimInSoCalif]

Am I the only one that thinks a '49-53 Nash is the neatest car of the late Golden Era?

Was that the series where the front seats folded to make a bed? At the time, that feature was the cause of many, mostly lame, jokes.

Cheers, Jim.

 

[Slim Portly]

Was that the series where the front seats folded to make a bed?

Yup, that was them. A very nice set of wheels.

And they had a variety of amazing hood ornaments.

 

[Twitch]

Another bathtub design that lived to 1950 was the Packard. This is my 50

 

[Nathan Dodge]

I'm pretty high on the 1949 Hudson myself.

Looks like something out of an MGM Tex Avery cartoon:

 

[Decodence]

Chrysler Thunderbolts were the epitome of bathtub.

 

[plain old dave]

This has potential as a thread.... The Hudson DOES have some of the bathtub vibe, but for me the full-skirt front fenders on the Nash set it off... Let's see some more pictures, folks!

 

[MaryDeluxe]

I really like them too! Here's one of my favorites!! Love the color love the rag top! Can someone tell me what year this is, I forget?

 

[plain old dave]

I'm wanting to say that's about a '50-52 Rambler... Remember the song Beep Beep?

 

[MaryDeluxe]

Beep Beep!!

I'm wanting to say that's about a '50-52 Rambler... Remember the song Beep Beep?

No, I don't think so?? Now I'm curious?

 

[plain old dave]

Beep Beep was a late 50s novelty song. Now that you mention it, there is a bit of Tex Avery in the Nash Airflyte lines....

 

[Gaige]

Wonderful pics...

 

[JimInSoCalif]

Hudson Hornets were pretty successful in stock car racing after the factory came out with an 'export kit' that included stronger spindles among other heavy duty bits and pieces.


Cheers, Jim.

 

[Tony in Tarzana]

Beep Beep!

http://www.lyricsdownload.com/the-playmates-beep-beep-lyrics.html

 

[59Lark]

nash ramble story

my nash ramble story was during high school, in auto shop a local kid got hold of his grandfathers rambler after he died and was getting checked over in auto class. The couple of things he was doing was changing the front seat to buckets, i went up him to him and the bench seat and said , you are stupid the only redeeming feature the make out seat and you take it out. He stood speechless , he hadnt known probably his eighty year old grandfather didnt use that feature in his car. I also thoght they were different but an oldtimer told me they were a pain changing tires. 59Lark.

 

[MaryDeluxe]

http://www.lyricsdownload.com/the-playmates-beep-beep-lyrics.html

Oh wow love that one!! Thanks Tony!! lol lol lol

 

[Twitch]

It's about a 52, Mary, and it is the type that Lois Lane drove in the George Reeves Superman series.

 

[Flivver]

I'm wanting to say that's about a '50-52 Rambler... Remember the song Beep Beep?

Beep Beep, by the Playmates.

I stood up and sang that song in front of my second grade class in 1958. I practiced at home with the 45 rpm record so I could sing it faster and faster as the Rambler gained speed in the song.

The overturned bathtub school of automotive design was popular in the late 1940s but disappeared quickly in the early 1950s. It was employed mainly by the independant manufacturers like Packard, Hudson and Nash.

The "Big 3" pretty much stayed away from this look although the '49-'51 Mercurys and Lincolns are pretty much bathtub designs. It was the high fendered, slab sided designs like the '49-'51 Ford and then all the "52 Ford Motor Company products that really pointed the way to mid-'50s car design.

While the bathtub designs were initially very popular, the introduction of leaner designs from the "Big 3" soon made the bathtubs look very old.

But I've always been a fan of the '48-'50 Packards, the Step-Down Hudsons and the Nash Airflytes. After all, this is what postwar cars were *supposed* to look like...at least according to artist's renderings in popular magazines during WWII.

 

[MrNewportCustom]

I love the Bathtubs!

There are picture of this car on pages 84 and 123 of Cars of the Fabulous '50s. Judging by the vent between the grill opening and the bumper, as well as by the hood ornament and the lettering on the front fender (the fact that it has either), it's a '52. Otherwise, '51s and '52s are pretty much identical.

I really like them too! Here's one of my favorites!! Love the color love the rag top! Can someone tell me what year this is, I forget?