1942 Nash Ambassador Trivia Questions of the Week: 1. Shortly after the war, the Nash automobile company would become associated with what famous name in kitchen appliances? (NO ‘baby boomers’, it’s NOT Panasonic... and NO Gen Xers,– it’s NOT Samsung!) 2. Who was president of the United States in 1942? Was it, A. Dwight D. Eisenhower; B. Franklin D. Roosevelt; C. Harry S. Truman or D. Theodore Roosevelt? 3. Born January 1, 1942, ‘Country Joe McDonald was the lead singer of what 1960s psychedelic rock group? 4. On June 7, 1942, Japanese forces invaded the Aleutian Islands in what was the first invasion of American soil in 128 years. Where are the Aleutian Islands located? 5. On February 24, 1942 the United States government began a worldwide broadcasting network on the shortwave frequency band for the purpose of promoting a positive view of the United States. What was this network called? 6. The number three top hit song for the year 1942 was a Glenn Miller tune titled “I’ve Got a Gal in ___________. (Fill in the blank.)

For the answers to this week’s trivia questions, visit the FIN MAN’s web site at . You can e-mail The FIN MAN at mailto://the_fin_man@msn.com.

The year 1942 was a difficult one, to say the least, for American automobile manufacturers and dealers. U.S. involvement in World War II was ramping up and along with it, the United States military’s need for planes, trains and automobiles, not to mention tanks, boats and just about any sort of transportation for man and materials that one could imagine. At first, manufacturers were advised to begin converting from building civilian automobiles to production of military equipment. Automobile executives, including Nash CEO George W. Mason, were understandably concerned, fearing a loss of retail automobile sales to competitors who may not be so willing to convert. As the war began to escalate in a serious way, it soon became obvious that there would be no other choice if the United States was to conquer its enemies in the global turmoil. Uncle Sam eventually made conversion a no brainer by mandating that all manufacturing facilities, with certain exceptions, be converted to production of military supplies.

Given the information in the preceding paragraph, is it any wonder that 1942 vintage automobiles are today, few and far between? In order to have the best chance of seeing a 1942 Nash, or for that matter any 1942 model, you’ll need to attend a fairly large car show, e.g. the Horseless Carriage Club’s annual Easter Sunday Concours de Elegance in Forest Park.

Nash brochures and magazine ads of the day proclaimed the new Nash as the “Million Dollar Beauty of the low-price fields for 1942”. Perhaps the most notable design feature of the ‘42 Nash that inspired that bold title was its distinctive front grill treatment. No gaping fish mouth grill... (not that those can’t be equally attractive)... no towering waterfall grill either– just a neat little square set of horizontal bars, topped with what, at first glance, looks like an early Cadillac badge on the ‘nose’. Beneath that tastefully designed upper front clip area was a low, horizontal grill consisting of a simple, horizontal bar design which stretched the entire width of the front end and then wrapped neatly around the front quarters. This motif was picked up and repeated at the back end of the front fenders, just behind the wheel opening. A set of four sharply edged ‘bumperettes’ protected the shiny, horizontal grill bars from parallel parking mishaps. All-in-all, it was a pretty well thought out design... I couldn’t have done better myself– even though I spent plenty of time practicing my automotive design skills during my math and history classes at McCluer Senior High! Once you got behind that interesting front clip, however, the rest of the car’s design was pretty basic, frumpy forties fare from the Humpback Whale School of Design. The greenhouse and fastback tail were pretty much run-of-the-mill, save the low cut wheel opening and one final follow up on the horizontal, chrome bar treatment borrowed from the front end.

Despite the rather attractive yellow/beige over maroon example above, most of the palette for the 1942 Nash automobiles was military drab to say the least. A wide selection of hues in many shades was available, as long as you wanted gray, blue, green or brown. Twenty in all, they included such names as Ghost Gray; Spar Beige; Silver Dust Gray (sounds like the color of my hair… what’s left of it!); Nocturne Blue; Platinum Blue; Haze Blue; Winchester Gunmetal; Steel Blue; Shadow Gray; Storm Gray; Marlin Blue; Aqua Green; Strato Blue; Shoal Green; Strato Blue; Whaler Green; Sunset Maroon; Bolero Red and of course, Black. Next to a ‘58 Edsel color chart, this one looks like a snapshot of an Army surplus store! Maybe they were gearing up their guns for the coming military assignment.

Nash made but one model series for 1942, the Ambassador. Within this series, however, there were three ‘sub series’, the 4200, or Ambassador 600, the 4260 Ambassador “Six” and the top-of-the-line 4280 or Ambassador “Eight”, so named because it was the only one of the three powered by an eight cylinder engine. The base six cylinder engine had a displacement of 173 cubic inches and produced just 75 brake horsepower at 3,400 r.p.m. The larger six had a displacement of 235 cubic inches and produced 105 horsepower. The straight eight cylinder engine had nine main bearings, solid valve lifters, displaced 260 cubic inches and produced 115 horsepower. All Nash engines were fitted with Carter carburetors.

Practical in every way, the 1942 Nash had a lot going for it. Known for its interior amenities and creature comfort on long hauls (the options list included ‘Bed equipment’ at $21.00), this early Nash would have been ‘just the ticket’ for my aunt Dorothy. Other options of the day included a radio (AM only of course) for $65.00; clock ($10.50); cigar lighter ($2.10); spotlight ($17.75); fog lights ($12.00); outside mirrors ($2.45 ea.) and a heater for just $35.00. And, speaking of heaters, Nash was the first auto maker to combine hot water and fresh, outside air to heat the passenger compartment. Nash also introduced the concept of seat belts and modern style automobile air conditioning, thanks to its connection to that major appliance manufacturer queried in this week’s trivia question.

Factory suggested base prices for 1942 Nash automobiles began at just $918.00 for a 4200 series coupe and topped at $1,200.00 for a Series 4280 4-door touring sedan. If one were to stumble across one of these fine automobiles in today’s collector market, the asking price would likely be just under $20,000.00 according to the Old Cars Price Guide. The trick would be finding an owner who would be willing to part with such a rare automobile. Due to military involvement, Nash produced a total of only 5,428 vehicles for calendar year 1942. If you remain undaunted by this statement, and have a burning desire to scout out a ‘42 Nash Ambassador for summer cruising, or, if you just want to learn more about this fascinating, early American marque, a good place to start might be the Nash Car Club of America. You can find them on the web at . These national clubs are excellent sources to find collectible automobiles for sale.

In typical American automobile marketing fashion, the 1942 Nash models were introduced in the fall– October 1, 1941 to be specific. Production ceased on February 1, 1942 in order that Nash’s efforts, like all other manufacturers of the day, could be directed exclusively to military needs.

For answers to this week’s trivia questions and more on the Nash Ambassador for ‘42, visit the Fin Man’s web site at http://thefinman.com. To e-mail The FIN MAN, click or copy this link: mailto://the_fin_man@msn.com.


UPCOMING, ‘DON’T MISS’ EVENTS: The end of this month brings with it one of the most exciting old car events you’re likely to attend all year long– the ‘Muscle Car Reunion and Nostalgia Drags.’ The dates this year are Friday, Saturday and Sunday, May 29, 30 and 31. I was there last year and among the highlights of my weekend was getting the chance to sit down with ‘Big Daddy’ Don Garlits for a one-on-one interview. Big Daddy will be here again this year along with a number of other features and special events. For all the details, go to http://www.musclecarreunion.com/news.htm for more information and details. Trust me... you won’t want to miss this one!

‘The FIN MAN’ is available for your group’s special occasions. In addition to his seminar schedule, he has been a guest speaker at group meetings including car clubs, engineering clubs and other professional associations. He has also acted as host or emcee at a number of special events including trivia parties, holiday parties, social and professional club events, benefits and fund raisers. During his appearances, he presents an overview of the collector car hobby plus a detailed look at American cars from the fifties and sixties. His program includes a fascinating Power Point presentation with images of collectible automobiles and various associated nostalgia and Americana. Guests also have the opportunity to play “FINS for FUN,” the video game he produced in 1987 which inspired his nickname, in which players compete to identify the year, make and model of cars from tightly cropped photos of fins and taillights. Those who score the highest win auto-related prizes donated by supporting Fin Man sponsors. For more information, go to http://www.thefinman.com. We are currently accepting bookings for the remainder of calendar year 2009 and 2010.

The FIN MAN is a member of the Society of Automotive Historians and the St. Louis Chapter of the Buick Club of America. At one time or another, he has held membership in the Cadillac-LaSalle Club, the DeSoto Club, the Imperial Owners Club and the Edsel Club of America. He welcomes your questions, comments and suggestions regarding the column or old cars in general. We’ll see you at the next Chuck-A-Burger cruise at the original location in St. John or the new Chuck-A-Burger in St. Charles.