Nash Statesman
Encyclopedia
Nash Motors
Also see: Kelvinator and American Motors CorporationNash Motors was an automobile manufacturer based in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in the United States from 1916 to 1938. From 1938 to 1954, Nash was the automotive division of the Nash-Kelvinator Corporation...
' automobile series, and was priced below the top-line Nash Ambassador
Nash Ambassador
Ambassador was the model name applied to the senior line of Nash automobiles from 1932 until 1957. From 1958 until the end of the 1974 model year, the Ambassador was the product of American Motors Corporation , which continued to use the Ambassador model name on its top-of-the-line models...
.
Although the Statesman's interior cabin was nearly identical to that of the Ambassador, upholstery and trim materials were plainer in design and less expensive.
Mechanically, the Statesman's wheelbase
Wheelbase
In both road and rail vehicles, the wheelbase is the distance between the centers of the front and rear wheels.- Road :In automobiles, the wheelbase is the horizontal distance between the center of the front wheel and the center of the rear wheel...
was substantially shorter than the Ambassador's, which was achieved by using a shorter front "clip" (the portion of a car from the cowl
Cowl
This article is about the garment used by monks and nuns. For other uses, see Cowl or Cowling .The cowl is an item of clothing consisting of a long, hooded garment with wide sleeves. Originally it may have referred simply to the hooded portion of a cloak...
forward) than was installed on the Ambassador; therefore, Statesman and Ambassador hoods and front fenders were not interchangeable. From the cowl rearward, however, the two series' dimensions were identical.
Statesman engine designs were based on the sturdy and reliable decades-old L-head Nash Light Six engine designed in the 1920s and continuing into the 1940s in the Nash LaFayette
LaFayette Motors
The LaFayette Motors Corporation was a United States-based automobile manufacturer. Founded in 1919, LaFayette Motors was named in honor of the Marquis de la Fayette, and LaFayette autos had a cameo of the Marquis as their logo.-History:...
and Nash 600, remarkable in itself for the lack of intake and exhaust manifolds. Because of the Statesman's lighter weight, remarkable fuel economies were reported by owners and testers.
Nash Statesman models were offered in three sub-series - the top-line Statesman Custom and the entry-level Statesman Super and also a plain fleet-only model built for commercial and institutional use.
The Statesman models, along with the Ambassador line, were the volume and profit leaders for Nash.
A new design was introduced for the 1952 model year to replace the inverted "bathtub"-style Nash models. The result was a large "envelope-bodied" sedan with enclosed wheels that were characteristic for Nash.
The final Nash Statesman models were built in August, 1956. Starting in 1957 all full-size Nash models were Ambassadors.