Наш Метрополитен: Америкалық автомобильдің британдық тарихы

The Nash Metropolitan is an American automobile that was assembled in England and marketed from 1953 until 1961. It conforms to two classes of vehicle: economy car and subcompact car. In current U. S. terminology, the Metropolitan is a "subcompact", but this category was not yet in use when the car was made. At that time, it was variously categorized, for example, as a "small automobile" as well as an "economy car". The Metropolitan was also sold as a Hudson when Nash and Hudson merged in 1954 to form the American Motors Corporation (AMC), and later as a standalone marque during the Rambler years, as well as in the United Kingdom and other markets.

While most domestic automobile makers were following a "bigger is better" philosophy, Nash Motor Company executives were examining the market to offer American buyers an economical transportation alternative. The Metropolitan was designed in Kenosha, Wisconsin. It was patterned from a concept car, the NXI (Nash Experimental International), that was built by Detroit based independent designer William J. Flajole for Nash Kelvinator. the "commuter/shopping car" with resemblance to the big Nash, but the scale was tiny as the Met's wheelbase was shorter than the Volkswagen Beetle's. The NXI design study incorporated many innovative features and attempted to use interchangeable front and rear components (the symmetrical door skins were the only interchangeable items used in production). Although more complex, the new vehicle also incorporated Nash's advanced single unit (unit body) construction. It was displayed at several "surviews" (survey previews), commencing on 4 January 1950, at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, New York, to gauge the reaction of the American motoring public to a car of this size. The result of these "surviews" convinced Nash that there was a market for such a car if it could be built at a competitive price. A series of prototypes followed that incorporated many of the improvements from the "surviews" that included roll up glass side windows, a more powerful engine, and a column mounted transmission shifter with bench seat (rather than bucket type seats with floor shift fitted in the concept car). The model was named NKI (for Nash Kelvinator International), and it featured revised styling incorporating a hood blister and rear wheel cutouts. These specific use vehicles were as a second car for women or an economical commuter car. The Dodge La Femme was introduced one year later. The first spokesperson for the car was Miss America 1954, Evelyn Ay Sempier. The car was prominently advertised in Women's Wear Daily.

Production at Austin's Longbridge factory started in October 1953 (Commencing VIN1001). Nicknamed the "baby Nash", the cars were tiny. They had an wheelbase, overall length of and a gross weight of only for the convertible and for the hardtop, thus making the Metropolitan smaller than the Volkswagen Beetle. The two models, a convertible and a hardtop, were powered by the OHV straight 4 Austin 'A40' series engine (as used in the Austin A40 Devon/Dorset) driving the rear wheels through a three speed manual transmission. The initial order was for 10,000 units, with an option to increase the order if sales were sufficient. The new model was initially to be called the "NKI Custom", but the name was changed to "Metropolitan" just two months before its public release. New chrome nameplates with the "Metropolitan" name were made to fit into the same holes as the "NKI Custom" script on the passenger side front fender. Nash dealers had to rebadge the early cars that came with the "NKI Custom" name. Still, some factory manuals had already been prepared and distributed to service departments with the NKI name. In surveys, Americans had affirmed a desire for economy cars, but in practice, they bought the Metropolitan in relatively small numbers. Although Nash merged with Hudson in 1954, and marketed the car as a Hudson Metropolitan in 1955, "demand never took off from the original level", primarily because the Metropolitan was slow by North American standards. In May 1954, Nash Kelvinator Corporation announced that it had merged with the Hudson Motor Company to form American Motors Corporation (AMC). Thus, by August 1954, Metropolitans become available through Hudson dealers. These Hudson Metropolitans carried a Hudson grille badge, hubcaps incorporating an "M" logo, a "bulls eye" horn button design, and a plain spare wheel cover. Braking performance was 90 feet (27 m) from to a full stop. In Dec.1953, George Mason took two Metropolitans to Raleigh Speedway in North Carolina for some tests. The first Metropolitan did a 24 hour endurance run, going a total of 1469.7 mile (2365 km) without needing a tune up, while the second car was put to a 24 hour fuel economy run. Production ceased in April 1961 (final VIN — E95981, built 19 April 1961). Sales of the existing inventory continued until March 1962. A drawing attributed to Richard Arbib, dated 17 January 1956, shows a Metropolitan station wagon with additional fins and sharp edges. American Motors contemplated a station wagon version. Two prototypes were built and displayed at car shows, but the project was abandoned. One of the two prototypes has been restored and is on display at a Metropolitan restoration facility in North Hollywood, California. Approximately 95,000 Metropolitans were sold in the United States and Canada, making it one of the top selling cars to be imported into those countries at the time, and its sales in 1959 helped to spur the introduction of the Big Three's (General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler) new compact models.

To establish the production date for a Metropolitan (U. S. and Canadian models only), check the VIN or Serial number on a data plate affixed to the firewall. Chassis numbers after 4781 are prefixed by the letter "E". The number on the list below can provide an approximate production date. NB. Since the cars took at least six weeks to be shipped from the Longbridge factory to the U. S. distribution network, the actual titled date will not be the same as the production date. + Starting VIN by Year and Month Month 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 Jan. 1771 E14997 E21127 E30260 E45541 E58631 E80930 E94599 Feb. 2797 E15628 E21606 E31481 E47003 E59384 E82828 E94852 Mar. 3884 E16406 E22175 E32766 E48370 E60743 E84429 E95306 Apr. E5060 E17312 E22826 E34157 E49418 E62310 E86458 E95870 May E6264 E18095 E23557 E35760 E50057 E64459 E88307 June E7678 E18972 E24435 E37654 E51255 E65904 E90274 July E9096 E19502 E25368 E39060 E52201 E68322 E91579 Aug. E10430 E19945 E26022 E40282 E53258 E70426 E92291 Sept E11331 E20189 E26652 E40766 E54060 E72235 E92983 Oct. 1001 E12426 E20474 E27526 E42139 E55306 E74795 E93571 Nov. 1066 E13597 E20717 E28431 E43399 E56556 E76745 E93947 Dec. 1271 E14259 E20940 E29463 E44464 E57685 E78833 E94354

In October 1956, Austin Motor Company obtained permission from American Motors to sell the Metropolitans in overseas countries where AMC did not have a presence. The early brochures for the Austin Metropolitans used a reversed photograph to show an right hand drive (RHD) car parked in an English country town (Chipping Campden), because only left hand drive vehicles were available at the time the photos were taken. From December 1956, production of Austin Metropolitans began, and from 2 April 1957, approximately 9,400 additional units were sold in overseas markets that included the United Kingdom and New Zealand. List prices for the UK Series III models were £713 17s 0d for the hardtop and £725 2s 0d for the convertible. An estimated 1,200 Metropolitans were sold there in four years, according to several published sources. However, one British journalist estimated the figure to be around 5,000. Series III models carried the prefix HD6 (convertible) or HE6 (hardtop). Some early Series III models carried the prefix HNK3H or HNK3HL (L=Left Hand Drive). The prefix is thought to indicate "Home Nash Kelvinator Series 3 H=1400 1999cc (Metropolitan=1500cc)". UK Series III sales ran from April 1957 to February 1959. Series IV models, which carried the prefix A HJ7 (convertible) or A HP7 (hardtop), were sold from September 1960 to February 1961. The Metropolitan was unavailable for UK sales between February 1959 and September 1960, since all production was detined for U. S. and Canadian dealers. When sales in the UK resumed, they were sold through Austin dealers at listed prices of £707 6s 8d for the hardtop and £732 2s 6d for the convertible. Austin was dropped from the name, which now became simply "Metropolitan," and the cars carried no Austin badges, although they had Austin Company chassis plates. Despite this, the car remained known, by trade and public alike, as the Austin Metropolitan, often shortened to Austin Metro in common parlance. British Motor Company (BMC and later, British Leyland) adopted the' Metro' tag as a house name, re emerging in 1980 on the Austin (mini) Metro. In May 1960, Car Mart Ltd. (a large Austin dealership in London, UK) presented Princess Margaret as a wedding present with a specially prepared Metropolitan finished in black with gold trim and gold leather interior. It was stolen in London in February 1961. As a result of low sales, production of the Austin Metropolitan ended in February 1961. Two additional "one offs" were built in March and April after serial Metropolitan production ended. The final car had a VIN of A HP7 150301. Total Austin Metropolitan production has been estimated at between 9,384 and 9,391 vehicles. Metropolitans were sold new in right hand drive in New Zealand as a "Nash." The models were not available in Australia.

The Metropolitan lost market appeal due to increasing competition from AMC's own Rambler American models and newly introduced compact cars from the Big Three. The last Metropolitan body was made by Fisher & Ludlow on 10 April 1961. US bound Metropolitan production ended in April 1961, as a result of its "marginal sales plus the fact that a four or five passenger Rambler American could be purchased for only about $100 more".

AMC marketed right hand drive models to U. S. police departments for use in parking enforcement and other urban duties. Comparing the car to police motorcycles, an AMC brochure advertised superior all weather protection, cost effectiveness and storage space, and also the safety of single unit construction. The Franklin Mint produced a die cast toy model of a 1956 Metropolitan in a police car version. Among its features are a police hat and handcuffs on the passenger's seat, as well as a fire extinguisher on the floor.

Industrial designer Richard Arbib designed the Astra Gnome "Time and Space Car," a design concept influenced by space travel forms. The vehicle was featured on the 3 September 1956 cover of Newsweek magazine and exhibited at the 1956 New York International Auto Show. Arbib modified a 1955 Nash Metropolitan and it was his vision of what an automobile would look like in the year 2000. Among the features were a "celestial time zone clock permitting actual flight type navigation". The car is restored and kept at a museum in California.

Almost from the beginning of sales of the Metropolitan, American Motors received many letters and photographs from Metropolitan owners with stories of their good experiences with their cars. Some of these comments were used in later brochures for the Metropolitan. In January 1957, James W. Watson (AMC's Sales Manager for the Metropolitan) initiated a "Metropolitan Club" to channel this enthusiasm and hopefully increase Metropolitan sales. He reasoned that personal recommendation was a powerful marketing tool. All owners of Metropolitans could apply to join the club, and members received a membership card, membership certificate, and a metal badge to attach to their vehicle. Beginning in May 1957, a magazine called "The Met Letter" was sent out to members. Sixteen issues were produced from May 1957 (Volume 1, Number 1) to January 1962 (Volume 4, Number 3). The magazine consisted of articles and photographs submitted by members, as well as maintenance and editorial comments from American Motors. Members who recruited additional Metropolitan buyers were rewarded with a special gold anodized "Metropolitan Club" badge. The club was disbanded around May 1962, when the supply of new Metropolitans was exhausted. Floyd Clymer, the motoring journalist and passionate supporter of the Metropolitan concept, attempted to keep the original Metropolitan Club active after this time.

The "Metropolitan's staying power and its never ending cuteness" have earned it "a place among the Greatest Cars of All Time" in the opinion of automotive writer Jack Nerad, a former editor of Motor Trend magazine: "No, the Metropolitan didn't come from a top of the line manufacturer. No, it doesn't have a proud racing history. And, no, it wasn't built in huge numbers. But [it] possesses an ageless, cuddly quality that has made it a perennial favorite of car lovers and car agnostics alike." Nerad added: "If you wanted to  wring the Met through its paces, you would be rewarded with a 0–60 miles per hour acceleration time of nearly 30 seconds. The Met was reasonably light at approximately 1800 pounds, but that weight was squared off against 42 horsepower." In the opinion of syndicated auto journalist and author Bill Vance, the Metropolitan "was quite a stylish little car" that was "ahead of its time" and performed well against its competition. Metropolitans have the very soft ride preferred by Americans at the time, instead of the firmer suspension preferred in Europe. Markedly American, the styling was considered outlandish compared with the more sober British styled models in the British Motor Corporation lineup. Brian Sewell commented in 2007 that the car was "damned" in England "as a preposterous aberration incorporating the worst of everything American". One marque enthusiast says that Nash's subcompact was "the Smart car of the '50s". Although his Metropolitan is unsuitable for long journeys owing to "a lot of wind noise and really poor suspension," it can cruise at and has a top speed of Parts are "relatively easy" to obtain, and the car is "easy to work on". and he has warned against "rust, especially in the floor pan and lower fenders," and "electrical gremlins". British made mechanical parts were available on the unspecified date of his article's publication, but he said that sheet metal was "a challenge". Some owners modify their Metropolitans. More extreme modifications have included conversion into a pickup truck, station wagon and stretch limousine, installation of a V8 engine, and conversion into a "Metro Sled" with a rear mounted snowmobile engine driving twin tracks. Some cars that were initially hardtops have been converted to convertibles. There are active clubs for Metropolitan owners and enthusiasts. New, used, and reproduction examples of various parts and accessories are available. The name was reserved as a House Name by BMC (later British Leyland) and re emerged years later, in abbreviated form, on the Austin Mini Metro. Amongst UK enthusiasts, the original Metropolitan had, generally speaking, been unofficially dubbed the Austin Metro.