Ah! The Metropolitan! First sold from '54 to '57 under the Nash
and Hudson nameplates, then from '58 to '62 by AMC. (Actual
production stopped in '60.) In mid '56 they went from a 73.8
ci OHV 4 w/42bhp to a 90.9 ci OHV4 w/52bhp.
The design was a Nash in-house job based on the NXI show car.
Bodies were assembled in England by Fisher & Ludlow; engines
were installed at Austin. Despite the small size, they were pretty
hefty at ~1850 lbs, so the performance wasn't much. But then
at around ~$1600 you didn't expect much.
Available as a convertible and with a variety of garish `50's
era paint schemes, it was George Mason's idea of a "Commuter Car".
In '59 it got an opening trunklid.
I don't know of any PininFarina or Bertone connection, my book
gives design credit to Bill Frajole. The mechanicals are all Austin,
there is no MG connection other than coincidence.
(I go away for three days and there are 150 pieces of mail! After I
get through with the duplicates, triplicates and quadruplicates, that
still leaves close to 130. Is it time to get this into a Newsgroup
form moderated by name? (If you ain't on the list, you dinna get in.))
Aran (I dread going on vacation, our spooler can't possibly handle
much more of this!) Guy guy@bevsun.bev.lbl.gov
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