In 1925, Charles W. Nash expanded his Nash Motors lineup with the Ajax, a quality car in the $1,000 price bracket, but it wasn’t an Ajax for long.
An orphan and indentured farmhand who became president of General Motors, then founded the company that bore his own name, Charles W. Nash was one of the pioneers of the U.S. auto industry. (That’s Charlie Nash in the lead photo above with an Ajax sedan. See our feature here.) With his Nash Motors plant in Kenosha, Wisconsin humming at full capacity, in early 1924 he acquired the former Mitchell automobile factory in nearby Racine, 10 miles north. The plan, as it emerged in June of that year: to introduce a lower-priced companion brand to Nash, producing a high-quality car in the $1,000 class—around $400 less than the cheapest Nash. The name was Ajax, after the hero of the Trojan War in Greek mythology.
For a car in the lower-priced brackets, the Ajax offered a number of premium features, starting with the engine, boasting six cylinders rather than four. A recurring Nash slogan was “give the customer more than he paid for.” Seven main bearings, six camshaft bearings, and full-pressure lubrication were incorporated in the L-head, monobloc design. With a 3.00-in bore, 4.00-in stroke, and 169.65 cubic inches of displacement, the Ajax six was dynamometer-rated at “more than 40 horsepower” at 2,800 rpm, the Automobile Trade Journal reported. A Carter updraft carburetor and complete Auto-Lite electrical system were standard equipment.
While it was on the smaller end of its price class with a 109-in wheelbase and overall length of 153 inches, the Ajax chassis was a quality item, with frame rail stampings of 8-gauge steel. The layout was industry-standard, with semi-elliptic leaf springs front and rear, an open driveshaft, and Hotchkiss drive, all under the direction of chief engineer Earl G. Gunn. Budd 21-in steel disc wheels with balloon tires were standard, as were another notable feature: four-wheel brakes, an advanced feature for 1925, especially for the price. The factory illustration above shows the mechanical linkage and 12-in internal-expanding drums on all four corners.
While the senior Nashes were offered in a full range of body styles, in the Ajax they were limited to two: a five-passenger touring car at $925 and a five-passenger sedan at $995. For both, the standard color was Mallard Green in Duco enamel with black fenders. With its similar styling, the Ajax was marketed solely through the Nash dealer network, while Ajax advertising prominently included the Nash name and the slogan “Nash-Built.” One of the Ajax dealer gatherings was hosted at Horlick Field, the baseball park in Racine.
More than 10,000 cars were delivered in the 1925 model year and production continued into 1926 when reportedly, Charlie Nash himself determined that selling cars under two separate brands only added unnecessary cost and complexity. The Ajax was continued, but now it was renamed the Nash Light Six. So today, when the Ajax is remembered at all, it’s usually for this singular moment in automotive history: Since making an orphan of the Ajax would damage its resale value and possibly that of Nash as well, the company sent out kits, free of charge and including four hubcaps and a radiator badge, so owners could convert the Ajax into a Nash
Another interesting article, thanks Bill.
Thanks for the kind words.
Another great tid-bit about my home state, never heard of the Ajax, but have heard of the Light 6. Further research shows, the “Light 6” became the “Standard 6″ in 1929, and most certainly were among the largest Nash collection known,,,, in 450 feet of water. 268 Nash cars were lost on Lake Michigan that foggy Halloween night in 1929 when the SS Senator went down 10 miles east of Port Washington, Wis. 10 crew members died, but 43 survived, and ROVs have shown the cars are still in relatively good shape, and certainly the Standard 6 is among them.
My dad talked about as a kid, my grandfather having a Nash with those” big disc wheels”. Once, he told, my grandfather couldn’t stop the car, and ran over an elderly woman crossing the street. He was afraid to get out thinking he killed her, but she crawled out from under the car, brushed herself off, and went on her way. Not to boast, but Wisconsin was home to many industrial giants. Nash, Briggs and Stratton, AO Smith, Case tractors, FWD, and of course, Harley, and mostly thanks to the diverse culture we had. After the war( WW2), many immigrants came to Milwaukee, and were experts in tooling, many never learning English. I worked with a guy at a foundry, Helmet, I think, he never did say one word of English. I read, one of AMCs downfalls, was they were still using the same plant Nash used in the 30s, and was sorely out of date. You know the rest of the story. Thanks, MCG.
Thank you, Howard. I don’t think I ever mentioned this before, but I’ve always enjoyed that part of the country. I covered many races at Milwaukee and Road America, and I’ve spent some time in Kenosha and Racine.
I really enjoyed this article. Very informative & very interesting, as usual.
I enjoy everything here, but I do slightly prefer articles on the smaller manufacturers rather than the Big Three. I usually always learn something interesting in all the articles here, but I already know a great deal about Ford, GM & Mopar, so this way I’m increasing my automotive history knowledge in other ways.
A nice article about Charlie Nash but one thing I noticed. Near the end it said that at one time Nash was #4 behind GM, Ford, and Chrysler. It was during that time from 1935-1950 that Chrysler was ahead of Ford so it should have said GM, Chrysler and Ford.