Drastic redesign: 1952 Nash

A while ago I wrote a post titled "Examples of Drastic American Redesigns."   I included two Nash redesigns that featured practically no carryover (1951 to 1952) or none at all (1948 to 1949).

Today's post goes into more detail regarding the 1951 to 1952 redesign.

The 1949 Nash, which I dealt with here, was styled in the 1940-vintage "car of the future" mode.   Wikipedia mentions that the stylist version's streamlined shape was refined by wind tunnel testing.  The result was ponderous; when I was young, I called the design "upside-down bathtub," and I haven't changed my opinion much since then.

That design was clearly unfashionable, so the 1952 redesign was much more in line with American car industry trends, though still somewhat different.  It seems that the basic design was created by Nash's styling staff.  Italian designer Battista "Pinin" Farina was hired to provide an alternative '52 design that wasn't used, aside from some details.  But for marketing reasons he was given credit for the  production design. 

Images below are of Nash Statesman entry-level 4-door sedans with shorter hoods than the line-leading Ambassador.  The wheelbase of the '51 Statesman was 112 inches (2845 mm), and 114.3 inches (2903 mm) for the 1952 Statesman.  Respective widths were 77.5 inches (1549 mm) and 78 inches (1981 mm); heights: 61 inches (1549 mm) and 61.75 inches (1568 mm). Therefore, the sizes of the cars differed little despite the appearance change.   Photos of the 1951 example are of a car listed for sale, the 1952 images are via Mecum Auctions.

Gallery

A 1951 Nash Statesman, frontal view.  The main carryover is the general shape of the grille frame and the vertical grille bars.

The new design's front features a much lower hood and higher fenders.  The passenger compartment top is less rounded.  I don't recall seeing newly-built Nashes with this color scheme.

For more context, here is a photo of a for-sale 1950 Nash Statesman.  Its styling is nearly identical to the redesigned 1949 Nash.  But for 1951, Nashes were given a noticeable facelift.

The fender abaft of the C-pillar door cutline is new, adding visual length.  Nashes for 1949-1956 had restricted front wheel openings.  For the 1949-1951 cars, this was for aerodynamic reasons.  For 1952-1956 models, it was more of a brand image continuity feature, because aerodynamics had been downplayed. 

The only continuity visible here besides the wheel openings is the character line running above them that links the fore and aft bumpers.

The new rear fenders required new tail light assemblies.

Those assemblies, slightly reshaped, can be seen here.  The bumper guards also seem to be near- or actual carryovers from 1951.