1922 Nash 4 Utility

Description

In a real ?rags to riches? story, Charles W Nash went from being an orphan working on a farm in Michigan to President of General Motors by 1912. Following his resignation due to a dispute with GM boss William C Durant, Nash formed his own company in 1916 and began producing cars under his own name in Kenosha, Wisconsin just two years later. The first Nashs were powered by overhead-valve sixes in a chassis featuring semi-elliptic suspension all round and Hotchkiss drive and they proved highly successful, not to mention profitable. Various improvements were carried out into the early Twenties, with a lower priced four-cylinder model introduced for 1921. Billed as the ?Nash Perfected Valve-In-Head Motor?, the in-line four displaced 166-cid, was rated at 35 horsepower and used a single Shebler carburettor. Fitted to a 122-inch wheelbase, the Model 40 fours featured shorter bonnets but were otherwise essentially similar to their six-cylinder siblings. Nash became the first American auto maker to introduce rubber engine mounts in 1922, while the range of body styles included touring, roadster, coupe, sedan, cabriolet and stylish two-door 'Carriole' models. The four-cylinder Nash was equipped with two-wheel mechanical brakes and wooden-spoke artillery wheels. Production doubled in 1922, with Nash taking eighth spot in the overall list of American auto manufacturers that year.