The compelling story behind America’s first postwar sports car.
The first book to examine the landmark effort that created one of the most successful racing sports cars of the 1950s and the incredible transatlantic partnership between Nash Motors and automobile designers Donald Healey and Battista Pinin Farina that spurred its construction. This entertaining read examines the men and machines behind the marque before, during, and after their time in the spotlight. A long-awaited exploration of one of the most influential vehicles built in the postwar era, this fascinating story will educate and enthrall from the first page to the last.
Born from a chance encounter on the high seas, the union between Healey and Nash Motors produced the first true American sports car in the postwar era. Farina’s later involvement brought some Italian flair to the Anglo-American hybrid, making it one of the first domestic models to boast European styling themes. Notwithstanding their small production volume, Nash-Healeys inspired other manufacturers to follow suit with sporting models that appeared in starring roles on film and television screens throughout the 1950s. The glamorous new generation of sports cars that followed appealed to enthusiasts worldwide and continues to thrill today. With extensive endnotes and appendices and featuring more than one thousand images—most never-before-published—Nash-Healey allows an unprecedented understanding of the historical importance of these special vehicles.
The first book to examine the landmark effort that created one of the most successful racing sports cars of the 1950s and the incredible transatlantic partnership between Nash Motors and automobile designers Donald Healey and Battista Pinin Farina that spurred its construction. This entertaining read examines the men and machines behind the marque before, during, and after their time in the spotlight. A long-awaited exploration of one of the most influential vehicles built in the postwar era, this fascinating story will educate and enthrall from the first page to the last.
Born from a chance encounter on the high seas, the union between Healey and Nash Motors produced the first true American sports car in the postwar era. Farina’s later involvement brought some Italian flair to the Anglo-American hybrid, making it one of the first domestic models to boast European styling themes. Notwithstanding their small production volume, Nash-Healeys inspired other manufacturers to follow suit with sporting models that appeared in starring roles on film and television screens throughout the 1950s. The glamorous new generation of sports cars that followed appealed to enthusiasts worldwide and continues to thrill today. With extensive endnotes and appendices and featuring more than one thousand images—most never-before-published—Nash-Healey allows an unprecedented understanding of the historical importance of these special vehicles.
800 pages | 397 color plates, 795 halftones | 11.42 x 10 | © 2024
History: European History, History of Technology
Reviews
Table of Contents
VOLUME 1
Foreword: Donald Osborne
Author’s Note: John Nikas
Impressions in Time
Chapter 1: Rise of the Machines
Chapter 2: Taking the Wheel
Chapter 3: Triumph and Travail
Chapter 4: Interregnum
Chapter 5: Dreams and Disappointment
Chapter 6: A Brave New World
In Focus: Build Up to a Standard, Not Down to a Price
Chapter 7: The Italian Job
VOLUME 2
Chapter 8: Into the Breach
Chapter 9: Their Finest Hour
Chapter 10: The End of an Era
Epilogue: Requiem for a Dream
Appendix A: Production Figures
Appendix B: Competition Results
Appendix C: Vehicle Specifications
Appendix D: Concours Results
Appendix E: Technical Reports
Appendix F: 1951 Owner’s Guide
Appendix G: Healey 3-Litre Sports Convertible
Appendix H: 1951 Production and Survival Registry
Appendix I: Menadue’s Miracle
Bibliography
Author Bios
Index
Foreword: Donald Osborne
Author’s Note: John Nikas
Impressions in Time
Chapter 1: Rise of the Machines
Chapter 2: Taking the Wheel
Chapter 3: Triumph and Travail
Chapter 4: Interregnum
Chapter 5: Dreams and Disappointment
Chapter 6: A Brave New World
In Focus: Build Up to a Standard, Not Down to a Price
Chapter 7: The Italian Job
VOLUME 2
Chapter 8: Into the Breach
Chapter 9: Their Finest Hour
Chapter 10: The End of an Era
Epilogue: Requiem for a Dream
Appendix A: Production Figures
Appendix B: Competition Results
Appendix C: Vehicle Specifications
Appendix D: Concours Results
Appendix E: Technical Reports
Appendix F: 1951 Owner’s Guide
Appendix G: Healey 3-Litre Sports Convertible
Appendix H: 1951 Production and Survival Registry
Appendix I: Menadue’s Miracle
Bibliography
Author Bios
Index