The
Metropolitan was designed in the USA by William J.
Flajole, for Nash Motor Division of Nash-Kelvinator
Corporation. Fisher & Ludlow, Ltd., built the body
and the mechanical outfitting was done by Austin
Motor Company, Ltd. Both companies were in
Birmingham, England.
Production of the Metropolitan began in October
1953. The original cars were badged "NKI Custom". (NKI
- Nash Kelvinator International)
First cars arrived in North America in December '53.
On January 22, 1954, the name was officially changed
to "Metropolitan".
Official launch date was March 1954. All "NKI
Custom" nameplates were supposed to have been
removed and the "Metropolitan" nameplates installed,
but some did make it out to the public before the
changeover. These were to be changed when they came
in for service. (The only known example of the
original "NKI Custom" script still being on a car is
one in a museum in California, although this could
have been re-installed at a later date.)
There were two models, 541, Convertible, and 542,
Hardtop Convertible. They were equipped with a
1200cc Austin, A40, engine.
On May 1, 1954, Nash-Kelvinator and Hudson Motor Car
Company merged to form American Motors Corporation.
By mid 1954, the Metropolitan was being marketed as
a "Hudson Metropolitan" as well as a "Nash
Metropolitan". The models were identical, with the
only difference being the grill emblem and horn
button. The "Hudson Metropolitan" used the "bull's
eye" horn button that would later be used on all
Metropolitans. The "Nash Metropolitan" still used
the "Nash" hubcaps for a short while, but soon
changed to the "M" hubcap used by the "Hudson
Metropolitan", and all later Metropolitans.
As there were no model changes to differentiate the
year, all Metropolitans sold after November 26, 1954
were registered as 1955 models. All Metropolitans
sold after December 15, 1955 were registered as 1956
models.
In January 1956, the engine was changed to a 1500cc
Austin A50. The grill was changed, and so was the
front hood. Chrome molding was added to the side,
and the "two-tone" Metropolitan was born. The model
names were changed to the 561, Convertible, and the
562, Hardtop Convertible. The first of these were in
the showrooms by mid 1956. As there were still 541's
and 542's in the dealerships, dealers were told to
refer to the "new" Metropolitan as a 1500, but
apparently, this was not an official model name,
even though it did appear in advertisements. All
Metropolitans sold after October 25, 1956 were
registered as 1957 models.
As of the 1957 model year, the names of "Nash
Metropolitan" and "Hudson Metropolitan" were
dropped, and the name "Metropolitan" became the
marque. (The names Nash and Hudson were also dropped
from the Rambler line. The only car to bare the name
"Nash" in 1957 was the Ambassador, and the sole car
with the "Hudson" name was the Hornet. These names
were dropped in 1958.)
All Metropolitans sold after October 22, 1957 were
registered as 1958 models. The Metropolitan
continued with minor changes/improvements through
1959, 1960, with production ending on April 19,
1961. The last Metropolitan built for the North
American market was E-95981. As there were over a
year's supply of Metropolitans in stock, both in
England and North America, they continued to be sold
with a 1962 model year commencing on October 6,
1961. The announced end of the Metropolitan came on
March 23, 1962. There were less than 1,000 cars in
stock at that time. The 1959, 1960, and 1961 model
years started on October 8, 1958, October 14, 1959,
October 12, 1960.
In December 1956, The Austin Motor Company aquired
the right to sell the Metropolitan outside of North
America. Austin started marketing the car in April
1957. This car is often referred to as an "Austin
Metropolitan", but in fact it never bore the name
"Austin" except as the manufacturer. Like the North
American car, it was simply a "Metropolitan". There
were both left and right hand drive Metropolitans
sold in both markets.
There were approximately 95,000 Metropolitans built
for sale by Nash/Hudson/AMC. The first serial number
was 1001, and the highest one is E-95986. The
interesting thing is that the last 5 serial numbers
were in reverse order, and they were not the last
Metropolitans built. The highest number, E-95986,
was built in September 1960, while the last
Metropolitan for the North American market was
E-95981 and it was built on April 19, 1961. These
last 5 serial numbers were all right hand drives.
Approximately 9,400 Metropolitans were built for
sale by Austin. The serial numbers of the
Metropolitans sold by Austin were not in sequence,
but these cars were assigned Austin serial numbers
on an apparently random basis. The last Metropolitan
built for the domestic market in the UK was serial
number 150301HS8. It was also built in April 1961.
(The
above information was gathered from various sources,
including “The Metropolitan Story” by Patrick R.
Foster, and from information supplied by Chris
Custin and David Austin. Chris Custin is “Team
Leader – Metropolitan History” and David Austin is
“Past to Present History”, both with MOCNA.)