1489cc Inline 4 Cylinder
3 Speed Column Shift Manual Gearbox
Front Engined Rear Wheel Drive
Hydraulic Drum Brakes
63.5 bhp 82 Lb-Ft
Exterior Caribbean Blue Interior Carribbean Blue/White
The Metropolitan fills a unique place in American car history. When it was introduced, the cars were entirely built in the United Kingdom but only sold in the North American market, though an agreement between Nash-Kelvinator and Austin Motors in the UK. The car was specifically designed to serve as a second car in a two car family and the decision to build the car in the UK was to cut development costs by utilizing existing British drivetrain and suspension components, requiring Nash to only pay for the tool-up costs for the bodywork and unique parts. The drivetrain and suspension was derived from the Austin A40, and was based on the BMC B Series engine and gearbox design, which are shared with several other British Motor Corporation products, such as the MGA. Available as both a hardtop and a convertible, the cars were originally fitted with a 1.2 liter engine and later upgraded to 1.5 liters to create the Metropolitan 1500, with a styling redesign, that often
included two tone paint and the advantage of an openable trunk lid where previously access was from behind the rear seat.
This example was restored for the previous owner by Gary Haslip, an expert in these cars. It was upgraded from the original 1.2 liter engine to a 1.5 engine from an MGA, along with the 4.22 final drive, making the car much more comfortable at a higher cruising speeds. I continued those upgrades by upgrading the front brakes to discs, after a near accident when the car ahead of me stopped very suddenly while we were going at 55 miles per hour. The Metropolitan drives a lot like an American car of the era, with soft very compliant suspension and somewhat vague steering but comfortable to drive and with the power upgrades, it is significantly more useable as a car for driving around town.
