Today’s Post by Joe Farace
I’ve always loved the Nash’s Metropolitan. Mary and I saw this particular car when we were driving back from Evergreen, Colorado where we had gone to friend’s house to look at an MG B that he was selling. (No, we didn’t buy it.) On the way home, I saw this Nash Metropolitan with a police bubble on top and knew I had to stop and photograph it.
The Nash Metropolitan was an American automobile that was sold from 1953 to 1961. It was produced in two body styles: Hardtop and a cute-as-the-dickens convertible. Both models came with standard features that were optional on most cars of the era, including a map light, electric windshield wipers, cigarette lighter and even a continental-style rear-mounted spare tire. In Mechanix Illustrated the legendary editor Tom McCahill said this about the Metropolitan, “It is not a sports car by the weirdest torturing of the imagination but it is a fleet, sporty little bucket which should prove just what the doctor ordered for a second car, to be used either for a trip to the movies or for a fast run to a penicillin festival.”
When Nash and Hudson merged in 1954 to form American Motors, the Metropolitan was also sold as a Hudson, although I’ve never seen one of those particular versions in person. During the Rambler years, the Metropolitan was a standalone marque. In the early 50’s many Nash Statesman Super Sedan’s were used as police cars but I don’t think this little Metro would make the cut.
How I made this shot: At the time I made this photograph, my favorite point-and-shoot was the Konica-Minolta X1, one of the coolest little cameras anybody ever built. You can read my take on its equally interesting sibling, the Konica-Minolta Xt, here. Exposure was 1/1250 sec at f/7.1 and ISO 50. Yes, that great little camera had that low of an ISO setting. The photograph was opening in Photoshop and then converted to monochrome using a beta version for Alien Skin Software‘s Exposure 5.
Because I like funky, offbeat and unloved cars, I’ve always loved these little automobiles but I have a feeling that Mary would hate it; that’s just a guess though.
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