Nash-Healey

In December 1949, British engineer, rally driver, and automaker Donald Healey sailed for America aboard the {{RMS|Queen Elizabeth}} ocean liner. He was going for a meeting with General Motors' (GMs) Ed Cole, hoping to secure a supply of Cadillac V8 engine#331 series. Healey planned to use the engines in his company's Healey Silverstone club racer. Two such Healey/Cadillac hybrids had already been built, one in the US by American sportsman Briggs Cunningham, and one in England by Healey's own Donald Healey Motor Company; the Cadillac-engined X 4 prototype.

While aboard ship, Healey encountered a man using an elaborate stereo camera system that intrigued him. The man was George W. Mason, president of Nash-Kelvinator. The two made an acquaintance based on their shared interest in photography. Hearing Healey's plan and anticipating GM's reply, Mason told Healey to contact him if the negotiations were unsuccessful. When GM turned Healey down due to their defense commitments, Healey contacted Mason, and development of the Nash-Healey started.

As part of the arrangement between the companies, Nash paid off Healey's £50,000 bank debt, which was to be repaid in assembled cars.

A prototype was previewed at the Paris Motor Show in October 1950. The fate of this car is unknown.{{cn|date=October 2022}} The Nash-Healey made its official debut in February of the following year at the 1951 Chicago Auto show. The car's full name is the Nash-Healey Series 25.

Some time after its release, the Chrysler Corporation purchased a Nash-Healey from a Detroit dealership, disassembled it, and submitted an analysis of it to the company executives.

The 1951 Nash-Healey is called the first post-war sports car from a major American automaker, as it was released two years before the Chevrolet Corvette. This appellation excludes the limited volume Kurtis-Kraft and Muntz Jet, as well as the diminutive Crosley Hotshot, Super Hotshot, and Super Sport roadsters.

File:1953 Nash-Healey convertible roadster in light green at Hershey 2019 AACA 7of9.jpg

Nash supplied Healey's company with the powertrain components: the Ambassador's inline six-cylinder OHV {{convert|234.8|CID|L|2|abbr=on}} engine and three-speed manual transmission with Borg-Warner overdrive. Healey fitted a lighter, higher-compression aluminum cylinder head (in place of the cast-iron stock item) with twin {{convert|1.75|in|mm|0|adj=on}} SU carburetors. This increased power from the stock {{convert|112|hp|kW PS|0|abbr=on}} version to {{convert|125|hp|kW PS|0|abbr=on}}.

The chassis was a widened and reinforced Healey Silverstone{{cite web|url= https://auto.howstuffworks.com/1950-healey-silverstone.htm |title=1950 Healey Silverstone |date=24 October 2007 |website=How Stuff Works |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210128032211/https://auto.howstuffworks.com/1950-healey-silverstone.htm |archive-date=28 January 2021 |access-date=17 July 2022}} box-section ladder-type steel frame. Independent front suspension, also Healey Silverstone, was by coil springs, trailing link, and an anti-roll bar. The rear suspension featured a Nash-supplied torque tube and live axle, replacing the Silverstone's Riley Motor parts. Lateral location of the axle was handled by a Panhard rod.

Healey designed the aluminum body, but it was outsourced. Panelcraft Sheet Metal of Birmingham fabricated the body.{{cite web |url= http://www.nashcarclub.org/inquiry/hulmhely.html |first=Ann |last=Hulme |publisher=Nash Car Club |title=From Ann Hulme |access-date=13 April 2015}} It incorporated a Nash grille, bumpers, and other trim.{{cite book |last=Vance |first=Bill |title=Reflections on automotive history, Volume 1 |year=1994 |publisher=Eramosa Valley Publications |isbn=978-0-9698922-0-5 |page=137}} Healey was responsible for the car's final assembly.

The car had drum brakes all around. Wheels were steel, with full-diameter chrome hubcaps and 4-ply 6.40×15-inch whitewall tires. The interior featured luxurious leather upholstery, foam rubber cushions, an adjustable steering wheel, and a cigarette lighter. Completed vehicles were shipped to the United States and marketed through the Nash dealership network.

File:1951 Nash-Healey luxury sports gran turismo car at Rambler Ranch 1of6.jpg

The 1951 Nash-Healey was the first post-war sports car from a major American automaker, two years ahead of the Chevrolet Corvette.{{cite web|url= http://www.danjedlicka.com/classic_cars/1951-54_Nash_Healey.html |title=1951-54 Nash-Healey History |first=Dan |last=Jedlicka |access-date=13 April 2015}} The custom-built Kurtis-Kraft which predated it never reached "production car" status, with 18 units being built.{{cite web |url= http://www.sportscarmarket.com/columns/profiles/american/5541-1950-nash-healey-roadster |date=August 2013 |title=1950 Nash-Healey Roadster |first=Carl |last=Bomstead |access-date=13 April 2015 |archive-date=27 July 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210727164339/http://www.sportscarmarket.com/columns/profiles/american/5541-1950-nash-healey-roadster |url-status=dead }}

A prototype was exhibited at the Paris Motor Show in September 1950. The production model debuted at the February 1951 Chicago Auto Show, followed that month by the Miami Auto Show. Also classified as a grand tourer for its luxury appointments and extreme price, the car served its purpose and was campaigned in several racing circuits.{{cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=nLrVP8ylggwC&q=Nash-Healey+Le+Mans+roomy+a+genuine+GT |pages=174–175 |quote= Le Mans roomy, a genuine GT |title=Complete book of collectible cars, 1930-1980 |first=Richard M. |last=Langworth |editor=Consumer Guide |publisher=Random House |year=1986 |isbn=978-0-517-47934-6 |access-date=9 March 2019}}{{cite book|first=Rob Leicester |last=Wagner |page=35 |title=Style and Speed: The World's Greatest Sports Cars |publisher=MetroBooks |year=1998 |isbn=978-1-56799-633-3}}{{cite magazine |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=PaUjAQAAMAAJ&q=Nash-Healey+in+GT+racing |page=60 |title=U.S. Challenge in the Le Mans 24 Hours Race |magazine=The Motor |location=England |volume=125 |date=1964 |via=Google Books |access-date=17 July 2022}}

Donald Healey gave the first example to Petula Clark, with the registration number PET 1.{{clarify|"Registration" or "license" number?|date=January 2021}} The only colors available were "Champagne Ivory" and "Sunset Maroon". The suggested retail price (MSRP) of US$3,767 F.O.B. New York City was considered to be high priced.{{cite news|last=Vance |first=Bill |title=Reflections: Healey's creations helped make British sports cars popular |newspaper=The London Free Press |date=16 September 2005}}

File:1953 Nash-Healey Roadster (33939790844).jpg

File:Nash-Healey roadster black.JPG

For the 1952 model year, Nash commissioned Italian designer Battista Farina and his carrozzeria, Pinin Farina, to revise the original body design. One objective was to make the new sports car resemble the rest of Nash's models more closely. The front received a new grille incorporating inboard headlights. The sides gained distinct fender character lines ending with small tailfins in the rear. A curved windshield replaced the previous two-piece flat windshield. The restyled car appeared at that year's Chicago Auto Show.{{cite web|url= http://www.pnwnash.org/common/closeup.php?frompage=/common/gallery.php&pos=17&PageNo=1&syear=1952&eyear=1952&make=&model=&owner=&year=1952&querytype=&personid=&carid= |publisher=Pacific Northwest Region Nash Car Club of America |title=1952 Nash-Healey |access-date=13 April 2015}} Reflecting its role as a halo car, the Nash Ambassador and Statesman models adopted a Nash-Healey-inspired grille with inboard headlights for 1955, and advertising featured the new Nash with a Nash-Healey in the background to show the similarity.

Pininfarina in Turin built the steel bodies with the exception of the aluminum hood, trunk lid, and dashboard.{{cite magazine| url= https://www.hemmings.com/stories/article/1953-nash-healey-le-mans-coupe |first=David |last=LaChance |title=1953 Nash-Healey LeMans Coupe |magazine=Hemmings Sports & Exotic Car |date=October 2007 |access-date=17 July 2022}} The aluminum panels, plus careful engineering, reduced curb weight.{{cite web|url= http://auto.howstuffworks.com/1951-1955-nash-healey7.htm |title=1952 Nash-Healey |date=27 October 2007 |website=How Stuff Works |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200126011959/https://auto.howstuffworks.com/1951-1955-nash-healey7.htm |archive-date=26 January 2020 |access-date=17 July 2022}} The Nash engine was enlarged to {{convert|252|CID|L|1|abbr=on}}, producing {{convert|140|hp|kW PS|0|abbr=on}} with American-made twin Carter Carburetors .

Shipping costs were considerable and moderated by Kelvinator's trans-Atlantic success in the European marketplace. From Kenosha, Wisconsin, the Nash engines and drivetrains went to England for installation in the Healey-fabricated frames. Healey then sent the rolling chassis to Italy, where Pininfarina's craftsmen fashioned the bodywork and assembled the finished product. They were then exported to the U.S., with the car's complicated logistical process resulting in a $5,908 sticker price in 1953, approaching double the new Chevrolet Corvette's $3,513.{{cite book |last=Lyons |first=Dan |title=Cars of the Fantastic '50s |publisher=MBI Publishing |year=2005 |pages=43–45 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=cZZ21G08u-AC&q=1953+Nash+Healey+sticker+price&pg=PA44 |isbn=978-0-87349-926-2 |access-date=13 April 2015 }}{{Dead link|date=March 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

File:Nash Healey (4678370942).jpg

File:1953 Nash-Healey convertible roadster in light green at Hershey 2019 AACA 4of9.jpg

The 1953 model year saw the introduction of a new closed coupe{{cite magazine |title=Nash-Healey Adds LeMans Hardtop to Sports Line |magazine=Popular Mechanics |volume=99 |issue=5 |page=101 |date=May 1953 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=aNwDAAAAMBAJ&q=1952+Nash+Healey+stylin&pg=PA101 |via=Google Books |access-date=17 July 2022}} alongside the roadster (now termed a "convertible"). Capitalizing on the 3rd-place finish at Le Mans by a lightweight racing Nash-Healey purpose-built for the race (see below), the new model was called the "Le Mans" coupe.{{cite web|url= http://auto.howstuffworks.com/1951-1955-nash-healey9.htm |title=1953 Nash-Healey |date=27 October 2007 |website=How Stuff Works |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200919183359/http://auto.howstuffworks.com/1951-1955-nash-healey9.htm |archive-date=19 September 2020 |access-date=17 July 2022}} Nash had already named the engine the "Le-Mans Dual Jetfire Ambassador Six" in 1952, in reference to the previous racing exploits of the lightweight competition cars.

Some describe the new design as "magnificent".{{cite book |last1=Adler |first1=Dennis |last2=Moss |first2=Stirling |title=Mercedes-Benz: Silver Star Century |publisher=MBI Publishing |year=2001 |page=90 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=o1rv-nyTXPoC&q=This+was+followed+by+the+magnificent+Nash-Healey&pg=PA90 |isbn=978-0-7603-0949-0 |access-date=13 April 2015 }}{{Dead link|date=March 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Some "people didn't take to the inboard headlights".{{cite book |last=Langworth |first=Richard M. |title=Kaiser-Frazer, the last onslaught on Detroit: an intimate behind the scenes study of the postwar American car industry |publisher=Automobile Quarterly Publications |year=1975 |page= [https://archive.org/details/kaiserfrazerlast0000lang/page/200 200] |isbn=978-0-915038-04-6 |url= https://archive.org/details/kaiserfrazerlast0000lang/page/200 }} This headlight mounting was described as "Safety-Vu" concentrating illumination, and their low position increased safety under foggy conditions. The 1953 "Le Mans" model was awarded first prize in March of that year in the Italian International Concours d'Elegance held at Stresa, Italy.{{cite web|url= http://www.carmemories.com/cgi-bin/viewexperience.cgi?experience_id=560 |last=Conde |first=John |title=Nash-Healey (1951-54) |date=8 September 1975 |publisher=carmemories |access-date=13 April 2015}}

Leveraging the popularity of golf to promote their cars, Nash Motors and Nash dealers sponsored what the automaker described as "more than 20 major golf tournaments across the country" in 1953, and golfer Sam Snead was shown with his Nash-Healey roadster on the cover of the June 1953 issue of Nash News.{{cite magazine |magazine=Nash News |date=June 1953 |title=Nash cashes in on the popularity of golf to sell more cars |publisher=Nash Motors}}{{cite web |url= http://www.carandclassic.com/car/C198228/ |title=Nash-Healey Roadster - Auction 20-21/1, Listing Date: 6 December 2010 |website=carandclassic.com |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110907011507/http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C198228 |archive-date=7 September 2011 |access-date=13 April 2015}}

Product placement was another marketing strategy. A roadster owned by Dick Powell was driven by George Reeves, as Clark Kent, in four TV episodes of the Adventures of Superman.{{cite web |last=Koza |first=Lou |title=This is a car ... for Superman! |url= http://www.jimnolt.com/nashhealeyJWP1.htm |publisher=The Adventures Continue Website |date=15 April 2006 |access-date=13 April 2015}}{{cite news|first=Thomas |last=Watterson |date=31 January 1991 |newspaper=The Boston Globe|title=Collectibles: Porky Pig Meets The Big, Bad Wolf |quote=His collection includes the "Superman car," a 1953 Nash-Healey driven by the Clark Kent character in the 1950s television series.}} Another roadster appears in the 1954 film Sabrina starring Humphrey Bogart, William Holden, and Audrey Hepburn .{{cite web|url= https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047437/trivia?ref_=tt_ql_2 |title=Sabrina (1954) Trivia |publisher=Internet Movie Cars Database |access-date=13 April 2015}}

File:Nash-Healey 1954 vvl.JPG

Nash-Kelvinator became reorganized as a division of American Motors Corporation (AMC) that was formed as a result of a merger with Hudson Motor Car Company on 1 May 1954. Nash was faced with limited resources for marketing, promotion, and further development of this niche market car compared to its volume models.{{cite web|url= http://auto.howstuffworks.com/1951-1955-nash-healey12.htm |title=The Nash-Healey's Demise |date=27 October 2007 |website=How Stuff Works |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181018201708/http://auto.howstuffworks.com/1951-1955-nash-healey12.htm |archive-date=18 October 2018 |access-date=17 July 2022}} By this time AMC knew that a similar luxurious two-seat Ford Thunderbird with V8 power was being planned. In light of the low sales for the preceding years, Nash delayed the introduction of the 1954 models until 3 June and discontinued the convertible, leaving just a slightly reworked "Le Mans" coupe, distinguished by a reverse slanted "C" pillar and a three-piece rear window instead of the previous one-piece glass.

Healey was focusing on its new Austin-Healey 100, "and the Nash-Healey had to be abandoned."{{cite book |last=Bonds |first=Ray |title=Illustrated Directory of Sports Cars |publisher=MBI Publishing |year=2003 |pages=378–379 |isbn=978-0-7603-1420-3}} Although the international shipping charges were a significant cost factor, Nash cut the POE (port of entry) price by more than $1,200 to $5,128. Production ceased in August. A few leftover 1954s were sold as 1955 models.{{cite web|url= http://auto.howstuffworks.com/1951-1955-nash-healey10.htm |title=1954 and 1955 Nash-Healey |date=27 October 2007 |website=How Stuff Works |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180729050034/http://auto.howstuffworks.com/1951-1955-nash-healey10.htm |archive-date=29 July 2018 |access-date=17 July 2022}}

File:1953 Nash-Healey convertible roadster in light green at Hershey 2019 AACA 8of9.jpg

All 1951 Nash-Healeys were British-built. Bodies were crafted at Panelcraft Sheet Metal, and final assembly was completed at the Healey factory in Warwick. The 1952 through 1954 models were built in Italy by Pinin Farina.

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The Nash-Healey registry has 520 entries, including prototypes and race vehicles.

For contextual comparison, the Nash-Healey is framed in U.S. auto history with the 1953 Kaiser Darrin, 1953 Chevrolet Corvette, and 1955 Ford Thunderbird. The 1954 model year Nash-Healey price to the public was close to $6,000 compared with around $3,500 for a Chevrolet Corvette and $3,000 for a 1955 Ford Thunderbird.

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A Nash-Healey served as the course car for the 1951 Carrera Panamericana, described as one of the most dangerous automobile races of any type in the world. Driven by Chuck Stevenson, the Nash-Healey ran ahead of the racers to ensure the way was clear on "the world's greatest road race".{{cite book |last1= Tipler |first1=Johnny |last2=Ramirez |first2=Jo |title=La Carrera Panamericana: "The World's Greatest Road Race!" |year=2008 |publisher=Veloce Publishing |isbn=978-1-84584-170-6 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=RuCTDr6mafcC&q=Nash-Healey+Carrera+Panamericana&pg=PA26 |page=26 |access-date=13 April 2015}}

To create a racing pedigree for the marque, Donald Healey built four lightweight Nash-Healeys for endurance racing{{cite journal|url= http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2007/03/11/sia-flashback-nash-healey-at-lemans |title=Nash-Healey at Le Mans |first=Richard M. |last=Kaufmann |journal=Special Interest Autos |date=October 1970 |publisher=Hemmings |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071111043630/http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2007/03/11/sia-flashback-nash-healey-at-lemans/ |archive-date=11 November 2007 |access-date=17 July 2022}} Like the road cars, they had Nash Ambassador engines and drivelines. However, fitting higher-compression aluminum cylinder heads, special manifolds, and twin SU carburetors increased their power to {{convert|200|hp|kW PS|0|abbr=on}}. The cars had spartan, lightweight aluminum racing bodies. Three open versions were built, and one coupe. These cars competed in four consecutive Le Mans races and one Mille Miglia.

Tony Rolt and Duncan Hamilton debuted the prototype at Le Mans in 1950. It was the first-ever Le Mans entry to have an overdrive transmission. Not only was the car one of the 29 finishers from the field of 66,{{cite web|url= http://auto.howstuffworks.com/1951-1955-nash-healey4.htm |title=The Nash-Healey and the 1950 LeMans 24 Hours |date=27 October 2007 |website=How Stuff Works |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170702114420/http://auto.howstuffworks.com/1951-1955-nash-healey4.htm |archive-date=2 July 2017 |access-date=17 July 2022}} but also finished in fourth place. This outstanding achievement sealed Healey's contract with Nash for a limited production run of the road cars.{{cite web|url= http://www.amxfiles.com/amc/healey.html |archive-url= https://archive.today/19970327161530/http://www.amxfiles.com/amc/healey.html |archive-date= 27 March 1997 |last=Conde |first=John |title=Nash-Healey (1951-54) |date=8 September 1975 |publisher=AMX Files |access-date=13 April 2015}} Roger Menadue, head of Healey's experimental department, played a significant role in the success: He filed slots in the backplates of the brakes and extended the adjusting mechanism to a small exterior lever. Thus, in a matter of seconds, he could adjust the brakes during pit stops without jacking the car up—an innovation that saved as much as half an hour at each stop.{{cite news|url= http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article1121802.ece |newspaper=The Times |title=Roger Menadue: Motor engineer whose unorthodox approach fuelled the race-circuit success of the Healey's stable |date=22 March 2003 |access-date=13 April 2015}}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}

In the 1951 Le Mans race, Rolt and Hamilton took fourth in class and sixth overall behind a Jaguar, two Talbot-Lagos and two Aston Martins. They finished immediately ahead of two Ferraris and another Aston Martin.{{cite web| url= http://auto.howstuffworks.com/1951-1955-nash-healey5.htm |title=1951 Nash-Healey |date=27 October 2007 |website=How Stuff Works |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200126021206/http://auto.howstuffworks.com/1951-1955-nash-healey5.htm |archive-date=26 January 2020 |access-date=17 July 2022}}

File:1952 Nash-Healey Competition Roadster X8, Greenwich 2019 (front right).jpg

In the 1952 Le Mans race, when only 17 of the 58 starters finished, the entry driven by Leslie Johnson and motoring journalist Tommy Wisdom{{cite web|url= http://www.motoringpicturelibrary.com/preview_image.asp?lcID=31&fleID=3200 |title=Image Preview: Tommy Wisdom, winner of the Grand Turismo Class of the Mille Miglia |publisher=Motoring Picture Library |year=2004 |access-date=13 April 2015}} took third overall behind two factory-entered Mercedes-Benz 300SLs; also first in class, ahead of Chinetti's Ferrari, and second in the Rudge-Whitworth Cup for the best performance over two consecutive years. In addition, they won the Motor Gold Challenge Cup. The drivers said the car was more nimble through the corners than its more exotic competitors. It delivered {{convert|13|mpgus|L/100 km mpgimp|abbr=on}} and the engine needed no oil or water during the entire 24 hours.{{cite web|url= http://auto.howstuffworks.com/1951-1955-nash-healey8.htm |title=The Nash-Healey's 1952 Racing Record |website=How Stuff Works |date=27 October 2007 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200126012740/http://auto.howstuffworks.com/1951-1955-nash-healey8.htm |archive-date=26 January 2020 |access-date=17 July 2022}} The car had been built from scratch in a fortnight, Menadue and his assistant Jock Reid fabricating the body in less than a week, by eye, without any drawings. Healey said: "That's an ugly bugger, isn't it, Roger?"

The same year, Johnson raced the car in the Mille Miglia, the thousand-mile Italian road race that would be banned as too dangerous five years later. Daily Telegraph motoring correspondent Bill McKenzie rode as passenger.{{cite web|url= http://www.carkeys.co.uk/news/2004_august/12/4060.asp |publisher=Car Keys |title=Sports Cars on Stamps |date=12 August 2004 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20040812151112/http://www.carkeys.co.uk/news/2004_august/12/4060.asp |archive-date=12 August 2004 |access-date=13 April 2015}} They finished a creditable seventh overall to Bracco's winning works team Ferrari, the works Mercedes-Benz 300SLs of Kling and Caracciola, and three works Lancias;{{cite web|url= http://wsrp.ic.cz/nonchamp1952.html#11 |title=World Sports Racing Prototypes, Non Championship Races 1952, Mille Miglia results |date=24 December 2011 |website=wsrp.ic.cz |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150222004410/http://wsrp.ic.cz/nonchamp1952.html |archive-date=22 February 2015 |access-date=13 April 2015}} they also took fourth in class. The coupe driven by Donald Healey and his son Geoffrey crashed out.

For the 1953 Le Mans race, the factory partnered Johnson with Bert Hadley in one of two cars with redesigned bodies. Johnson started in 27th place. Although he and Hadley advanced steadily up the race order, they were 11th at the finish, 39 laps behind the winning Jaguar, despite an average speed of {{convert|92.45|mph|2}}—higher than the previous year's run to third place. However, they beat both of Donald Healey's new Austin-Healey 100s. The second Nash-Healey of Veyron and Giraud-Cabantous retired after nine laps.

This concluded the factory's race program with the lightweight competition cars. The 1952 Le Mans/Mille Miglia car passed into private ownership and raced in America.[http://www.brightcove.tv/title.jsp?title=139041089&channel=8017&lineup=143931373 Wheels TV Film about the 1952 Le Mans/Mille Miglia Nash Healey; includes Le Mans footage]. Retrieved 22 March 2008. {{webarchive |url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080922024639/http://www.brightcove.tv/title.jsp?title=139041089&channel=8017&lineup=143931373 |date=22 September 2008 }}

Nash's designer, Ed Anderson, wanted to bring the design for a successor to the Nash-Healey back in-house after Pinin Farina restyled the car for 1952. In 1953, he created the Wisp. Sketches of the car show a low 2-seater with a tapering tail and side coves, foreshadowing the Corvette. Master Modeler Charl Greene created a wooden scale model of the Wisp to show to management, but Nash did not have the resources to fund the development of a new car for a small market. Anderson requested a quote from Pinin Farina to have a single copy built for him, but did not proceed with the project.

The 1956 Nash Rambler Palm Beach was a design commissioned by Mason as a possible successor to the Nash-Healey. Pinin Farina drew the shape. This 2-seater featured a large circular air intake at the front, reminiscent of Farina's Lancia PF200 of 1953, and prominent tail fins. The car was built on a Nash Rambler chassis and is powered by a Rambler straight-six flathead engine mated to a three-speed manual transmission. The car debuted on Farina's stand at the 1956 Turin Auto Show, after which it was in the personal collection of Roy Chapin Jr., CEO and Chairman of American Motors, until Joe Bortz purchased it. In 2007, the Palm Beach was bought by Jacques Harguindeguy.

In Britain, Healey sold a model with Hodges' original Nash-Healey bodywork as the Healey Sports Convertible. A different piece replaced the Nash grille, the power bulge in the hood was deleted, and other minor features, such as a scuttle vent, fog lamps, and revised wheel covers, were added.{{rp|4}}

Powering the car was a {{cvt|3.0|L|cuin|0|abbr=on}} inline six-cylinder engine from the Alvis TB 21 fed by two SU carburetors.{{rp|4}} Built on a G-Type chassis; it is commonly called the Alvis-Healey.

The Alvis-Healey also used the clutch and transmission from Alvis, and replaced the Nash-Healey's torque tube rear drive with a rigid Salisbury axle suspended on coil springs and located by trailing links, with the drive reaching the rear axle via an open Hardy-Spicer driveshaft.{{rp|2, 3}}{{rp|4}}

Approximately twenty-five examples were built.{{rp|10}}

{{reflist|colwidth=30em|refs=

{{cite web |url= https://oldcarbrochures.org/United%20States/Nash/1953%20Nash/1953%20Nash-Healy%20Brochure/slides/1953_Nash_Healey-06-07.html#google_vignette |pages=6–7 |title=1953 Nash album |website=oldcarbrochures.com |access-date=17 May 2024}}

{{cite magazine |title=Nash Builds a Sports Car |magazine=Popular Mechanics |volume=95 |issue=3 |pages=107–109 |date=March 1951 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=tdkDAAAAMBAJ&q=the+1951+Nash-Healey+design&pg=PA107 |via=Google Books |access-date=17 July 2022}}

{{cite web |url= http://carguychronicles.com/nash-healey-first-american-sports-car/ |title=Nash-Healey: First American Sports Car |last=Schorr |first=Martyn L. |date=2019-11-26 |work=Car Guy Chronicles |access-date=17 May 2024}}

{{cite web |url= https://www.oldcarsweekly.com/features/nash-healey-international-sports-car |title=Nash-Healey: International Sports Car |last=Foster |first=Patrick |date=26 May 2020 |work=Old Cars Weekly |access-date=17 May 2024}}

{{cite web |url=https://ateupwithmotor.com/model-histories/nash-healey/view-all/ |title=Born on a Boat: Donald Healey and the Story of the Nash-Healey (Donald Healey Meets George Mason)

|last=Severson |first=Aaron |date=1 March 2012 |work=Ate Up With Motor |access-date=17 May 2024}}

{{cite magazine |title=Donald Healey — The Man Behind the Cars |url= http://www.acmefluid.com.au/nash/14NHnewsjun12.pdf |magazine=Nash Healey Newsletter |pages=8, 9 |date=June 2012 |publisher=Nash Healey Registry |access-date=17 May 2024}}

{{cite report |date=November 2017 |title=Warwick Healey Motor Company Catalogue |url= https://api.warwickshire.gov.uk/documents/WCCC-863-738 |publisher=Heritage & Culture Warwickshire |access-date=17 May 2024}}

{{cite journal |last=Mays |first=James C. |date=Spring 2011 |title=Found! Nash-Healey X-7 |url= https://autohistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/AHR037.pdf |journal=Automotive History Review |volume= |issue=37 |pages=38–40 |doi= }}

{{cite magazine |last=Lotsengård |first=Anders |date=October 2014 |title=Healey History — sista delen |trans-title=Healey History — last part |url= |magazine=Austin Healey Enthusiast |number=134 |pages=4–7 |location= |publisher= }}

{{cite web |url=https://www.hagerty.ca/apps/valuationtools/1951-nash~healey-series_25 |title=1951 Nash-Healey Series 25 |author= |date= |website=Hagerty |publisher= }}

{{cite book |last=McClurg |first=Bob |date=18 June 2021 |title=The History of AMC Motorsports: Trans-Am, Quarter-Mile, NASCAR, Bonneville and More |url= |location= |publisher=Cartech Auto Books & Manuals |page= |isbn=978-1-61325-177-5 }}

{{cite web|url= http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2014/08/stereo-realists-donald-healey-george-mason-and-how-the-3d-craze-led-to-the-nash-healey/ |publisher=The Truth About Cars |title=Stereo Realists: Donald Healey, George Mason and How the 3D Craze Led to the Nash-Healey |first=Ronnie |last=Schreiber |date=2 August 2014 |access-date=2 November 2020}}

{{cite web |url= https://www.hagerty.com/media/automotive-history/nash-healey-was-a-car-ahead-of-its-time/ |title=The Nash-Healey was a car ahead of its time |last=Schreiber |first=Ronnie |date=17 December 2019 |website=Hagerty |publisher= }}

{{cite web |last=Wilson |first=Jeremy |title=History and Production Notes |url= http://www.popularrestorations.com/Restorations/Restoration008.htm |publisher=Popular Restorations |access-date=2 November 2020}}

{{cite web |url= http://nashhealeyregistry.com/information_links/information_links.htm |title=Nash-Healey Chassis Numbers |date= |work=Nash Healey Registry |access-date=17 May 2024}}

{{cite magazine |last=Neville |first=Rick |date=July–August 2016 |title=Nasty Boys |url=http://bighealey.org/NastyBoy/Issue_8_2016.pdf |magazine=Austin Healey Magazine |pages=8–11 |location= |publisher= }}

{{cite magazine |last=Foster |first=Pat |date=April 2022 |title=A Nash That Never Was |url=https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2022/03/14/a-nash-that-never-was |magazine=Hemmings Classic Car |location= |publisher= }}

{{cite web |url=https://www.supercars.net/blog/nash-rambler-palm-beach-coupe/ |title=Nash Rambler 'Palm Beach' Coupe |last=Dellis |first=Nick |date=20 May 2016 |website=Supercars.net |publisher= |quote=}}

{{cite web |url=https://www.coachbuild.com/index.php/encyclopedia/coachbuilders-models/item/pininfarina-nash-rambler-palm-beach-coupe-special |title=Pininfarina Nash Rambler Palm Beach Coupe Special 1956 |author= |date=29 July 2017 |website=Coachbuild.com |publisher= }}

{{cite magazine |author= |title=Pinin Farina's Rambler Palm Beach |url=https://www.hemmings.com/stories/article/pinin-farinas-rambler-palm-beach |magazine=Hemmings Classic Car |location= |publisher= |date= }}

{{cite magazine |author= |title=NEW 3-litre HEALEY |url=http://www.acmefluid.com.au/nash/nhccv34.pdf |magazine=Nash Healey News |issue=34 |page=4 |location= |publisher= |date=January–February 1986 }}

{{cite magazine |author= |title=The HEALEY 3-litre Sports Convertible |url=http://www.acmefluid.com.au/nash/nhccv23.pdf |magazine=Nash Healey News |pages=2,3 |issue=23 |location= |publisher= |date=July 1984 }}

{{cite magazine |author= |title=Alvis Healey |url=http://www.acmefluid.com.au/nash/nhccv6no1.pdf |magazine=Nash Healey News |volume=6 |number=1 |page=10 |location= |publisher= |date=January 1977 }}

{{cite web |url=http://www.marlessteeringbox.com/original-equipment-users/ |title=Original Equipment Users - MARLES Steering Box |author= |date= |website=Marles Steering Boxes |publisher= }}

}}

• {{cite magazine |author= |title=The Nash-Healey |url=http://www.acmefluid.com.au/nash/nhccv2no4.pdf |magazine=The Motor |location= |publisher= |date=4 October 1950 }}
• {{cite magazine |author= |title=100 percent for DOLLAR EXPORT |url=http://www.acmefluid.com.au/nash/nhccv34.pdf |magazine=The Motor |location= |publisher= |date=11 April 1951 }}
• {{cite magazine |last=Van Osten |first=Dick |title=Proving ground shakedown of the Nash-Healey |url=http://www.acmefluid.com.au/nash/nhccv39.pdf |magazine=Motor Trend |location= |publisher= |date=September 1951 }}
• {{cite magazine |last=Browning |first=Peter |title=From Perranporth to Abingdon — Part 3: The Nash-Healey |url=http://www.acmefluid.com.au/nash/nhccv31.pdf |magazine=Safety Fast |issue= |pages= |location= |publisher= |date= }}
• {{cite magazine |last=Halla |first=Chris |title=1953 Nash-Healey Roadster |url=http://www.acmefluid.com.au/nash/nhccv33.pdf |magazine=Car Exchange |issue= |pages=28–31 |location= |publisher= |date=December 1979 }}
• {{cite book |last=Conde |first=John A. |title=The American Motors Family Album |publisher=American Motors Corporation |year=1987 |oclc =3185581 }}
• {{cite book |editor-last=Gunnell |editor-first=John |title=The Standard Catalog of American Cars 1946-1975 |publisher=Krause Publications |year=1987 |isbn=978-0-87341-096-0 }}
• {{cite book |last=Clarke |first=R.M. |title=Nash & Nash-Healey: 1949-1957 |publisher=Brooklands Books |year=1997 |isbn=978-1-85520-366-2 }}

{{Commons category|Nash-Healey vehicles}}

• {{cite web |url=http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2013/01/30/sports-car-one-the-first-nash-healey-is-restored/ |first=David Traver |last=Adolphus |title=Sports Car One: The first Nash-Healey restored, heads to auction |date=30 January 2013 |publisher=Hemmings Daily|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160501161033/http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2013/01/30/sports-car-one-the-first-nash-healey-is-restored/ |archive-date=1 May 2016}}
• {{cite web |url=http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2007/03/11/sia-flashback-nash-healey-at-lemans |first=Daniel |last=Strohl |title=SIA Flashback — Nash-Healey at LeMans |date=2007-03-11 |publisher=Hemmings Daily|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160602215646/http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2007/03/11/sia-flashback-nash-healey-at-lemans/ |archive-date=2016-06-02}}
• {{cite web|url= http://www.supercars.net/cars/1377.html |title=1952 Nash-Healey Roadster |website=supercars.net|date=29 January 2016 }}
• {{cite web|url= http://www.acmefluid.com.au/nash/docs.html |title=The Nash Healey restoration and documentation website}}
• {{cite web|url= http://nashhealeyowners.com |title=Nash Healey Owners Group}}
• {{cite web|url= http://www.nashcarclub.org |title=Nash Car Club}}
• {{cite web |url=https://www.imcdb.org/vehicles.php?make=Nash-Healey&model= |title=Nash-Healey in movies and TV series |author= |date= |website=Internet Movie Cars Database |publisher= }}

{{Nash Motors}}

{{AMC Timeline Imports}}

Category:Nash vehicles

Category:Rear-wheel-drive vehicles

Category:Grand tourers

Category:Pininfarina

Category:Cars introduced in 1951

Category:Cars discontinued in 1954