They’re barely remembered today, but the 1949-50 Nash Airflytes were highly successful cars for the automaker. Here’s a neat little promotional film on the 1950 edition.
As we’ve seen here before at Mac’s Motor City Garage, Nash Motors made a special effort to reach out to hunters and fishermen in its marketing campaigns. Company president George Mason was a passionate outdoorsman himself, and one trademark Nash feature, the front seat that folded down to create a twin bed, was specifically designed with camping in mind. This clip promoting the 1950 Nash Airflyte series, as we will see, is actually an excerpt from a much longer company film exploring the natural wonders of Alaska. Nash produced these outdoor films at what must have been significant cost, but how many dealers screened them is unclear.
Originally launched in 1949, the dramatically styled Airflyte series for 1950 consisted of two basic car lines, the senior Ambassador and the smaller Statesman (previously badged as the Nash 600). While the Ambassador’s wheelbase was nine inches longer than the Statesman’s at 121 inches, the cabin volume of the two models was said to be identical, and both models employed Nash’s advanced unit body/frame construction. One key difference: While the Ambassador was powered by a 234.8 CID overhead-valve six with 115 hp, the Statesman made do with a 85 hp, 184 CID flathead.
Naturally, the top-of-the-line Ambassador is the star of this film. The fold-down seats are featured, of course, and for the more rugged outdoor folk, dealers offered form-fitting plastic window screens to provide fresh air and protection from insects. But for us, the standout feature of the Airflyte to this day is its radical body styling. Hudson, Packard, and Lincoln made their gestures, but Nash went all in on the quasi-futuristic, inverted-bathtub theme. The look was a winner for Nash as the company sold more than 191,000 cars, its best year ever, though like many red-hot trends it didn’t age well. But the sheet metal still looks distinctive, even startling, in this little dealer reel. Video below.
That is exactly how my grandfather and uncle used his Nash, but with a canoe rack on the roof. They would drive way up north into Ontario where there were no roads. I have a whole scrapbook of them with Nash cars.
Styling like a cartoon. Not bad lines, but those wheel wells hurt the looks, and the inboard tail lights do too, they should have wrapped around the fender edge. They do make some slick customs.