A two owner example: ’53 Nash Healey Roadster
Donald Healey and Nash-Kelvinator CEO George Mason met on the Queen Elisabeth, going from the United States to Great Britain. Healey was returning to England after his attempt to purchase engines from Cadillac, but GM declined his idea. Mason and Healey met over dinner and a production plan ensued during the remainder of the voyage.
A prototype was built shortly after an agreement was reached, and the resulting Nash-Healey hit the track. Almost out of the box, the Nash-Healey finished fourth at Le Mans. The string of racing success didn’t help sales mostly because of the complicated production sequence that had the unfinished car traveling almost 8,000 miles between various assembly plants. The best finish the Nash-Healey had been in ’53 when the newly designed Coupe finished 3rd overall behind 2 Gullwings. Today’s beautiful Nash-Healey is represented by Fantasy Junction. 
The car appears to be in excellent cosmetic condition, with straight bodywork and good gaps and panel fit. The paintwork looks great in the photos. The chrome is said to be in excellent overall condition with only very light scratches and marks. The trim and badges are in similarly nice condition, as are the lights and glass. The interior is a very cool green upholstery that is wearing in nicely and we like things green. The instruments are ornately designed and in very good shape. The switches and controls appear to be in unrestored condition and are in very good condition considering this. The car comes with restored weather equipment including top and side curtains. The trunk is largely unrestored and is in good original condition. The engine has a restored but not over-restored appearance, with no modernizations or incorrect finishes. The valve cover screams the powerplant to be a Le Mans Dual Jetfire unit, and the dual Carter carburetors are still in place. Overall, the level of detail and tidiness in the engine compartment is high. These aren’t inexpensive cars so don’t be mislead by the Nash nameplate. Look for this to sell for close to $150,000. Click here for the eBay listing.
