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This 1949 Nash 600 is a time capsule – only 5,600 original miles! Carefully tended by the original owner from ’49 until his passing in 1984, then willed to his nephew, and sold in 2005 to the third owner, from whom we purchased it. It’s now offered by the Vault Classic Cars dealership in Fullerton, CA. 714-401-1047 by appointment only.
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Let’s start with the beginning – Here’s the binder with a photo of the original owner, Lawrence Henderson, of Grafton West Virginia. The young kid is his nephew, who inherited the Nash in 1984. And we have all of the registration slips from ’49 to ’83 !
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The original Nash Owner’s service policy issued by C.C. Cole Motor Sales, in Fairmont West Virginia!
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Let’s take a look – there it is with only 5,607 miles showing! And, if you read the Nash literature, this isn’t just a speedometer – It’s the major safety innovation called the “UNISCOPE” which incorporated all of the instruments in one spot! I love the Nash factory description: ” NO NEED TO EVER TAKE YOUR EYES OFF THE ROAD – ALL INSTRUMENT DIALS ARE GROUPED JUST BELOW EYE-LEVEL, ON YOUR STEERING POST – THAT’S THE UNISCOPE”
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There’s a more comprehensive view of the dash, uniscope, and spectacular original seat and original floormat. Those service stickers on the doorjamb are evidence of the low miles.
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Not a blemish on the original upholstery. As I survey the interior, it’s obvious that you couldn’t restore the car and have it be this good – everything fits wonderfully, and the materials to do it properly are just not available anymore. And, as only the Factory could say it: “NOW! SUPER-LOUNGE INTERIORS! AT LAST A CAR INTERIOR THAT’S BEEN DESIGNED WITH AS MUCH GOOD TASTE AS YOUR LIVING ROOM AT HOME!” “THERE’S ROOM HERE TO CROSS YOUR KNEES AND COMPLETELY RELAX IF YOU LIKE”.
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Here’s an example – the arm rest is upholstered in a heavy grain vinyl, with matching di-noc grain on the metal window surrounds. Also note how the window surrounds are brilliant and like new, with no evidence of anybody ever resting their arm on the window! That’s the kind of detail that made me love this car!
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Here’s the rear seat of the SUPER LOUNGE INTERIOR! As you can see, it’s in astonishingly excellent condition.
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There’s the NASH original upholstery material tag – another detail that shows the originality and excellence of this car
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Original and like new.
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And the dashboard! unblemished, and looks new. It has beautiful vertical lines . The finish is glossy and near-perfect. I could sit in the driver’s seat and just look at the dashboard all day, it’s amazingly, astonishingly nice. And the original floormat is awesome, the rubber is still nice and still “Live” and not cracked or broken. It shows the tremendous care and love the Hendersons put into this car.
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Another view of the spectacular dashboard
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And the beautiful doorpanel.
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Clean doorjambs too! And notice how nice the plastic is on the doorhandle escutcheon and window crank knob!
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Original paint! and super straight original sheetmetal! Look at the reflections here, it’s just amazing. I can’t believe how nice this car is! I’ll let the Nash Factory tell us : “NOW! GIRDER-BUILT UNTIZED FRAME AND BODY! THE HUSKY STEEL CHASSIS GIRDERS RUN UP AND ENCLOSE THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT. FRAME AND BODY BECOME ONE COMPLETELY WELDED UNIT, FAR STRONGER, AND LASTINGLY FREE OF RATTLES AND SQUEAKS. IT’S UNITIZED CONSTRUCTION, PIONEERED BY NASH AND PROVED BY 7 BILLION DRIVING MILES”.
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Look how nicely the doors and body panels fit – they did a great job at the Nash factory, and it’s amazing to be able to see the unchanged results of their work!
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Another view of the incredibly straight body and the original, lustrous black paint.
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It’s beautiful! and original!
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Just Amazing. While we’re here, let’s open the trunk.
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The trunk is like the rest of the car – amazingly nice and original. that’s the original trunk mat, and what I think is the original Goodyear spare tire. Note the original pinstriping on the spare wheel. Those are tire chains in the bags, and the red items are emergency reflectors. Of course the original jack and lugwrench are also there!
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Look at the finish on the inner trunk – beautifully preserved, looks like new!
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Let’s talk about the tires and why I think they’re the ORIGINAL TIRES! They are Goodyear super cushion 6.40X15 tires – and the factory specification says ” TIRES: ROAD-SMOOTHING LOW PRESSURE 6.40×15 SUPER-CUSHION TIRES” The 4 tires on the car show some wear, and the spare – same kind of tire – looks unused. And, of course they show some age cracks, but they don’t lose air and they roll down the road nicely!
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Original gas pedal and clutch / brake pedals, with hardly any wear – the type of pedals that make me believe the low mileage!
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These service stickers are another good indicator of true low mileage.
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Here are the WEATHEREYE Controls. Let’s hear what the factory had to say about the heater / defroster / ventilation system: “NOW! CONCEALED WEATHER EYE CONDITIONED AIR SYSTEM! FIRST CAR IN THE WORLD TO INTRODUCE AUTOMATIC HEATING AND VENTILATION CONTROL, NASH AGAIN STRIKES OUT YEARS AHEAD OF THE INDUSTRY WITH A NEW HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM THAT’S MORE EFFICIENT THAN EVER, EVEN AT LOW SPEEDS, AND THAT’S ENTIRELY CONCEALED WITHIN THE BULKHEAD OF THE CAR!”
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You can see the heater/defroster unit just below the dashboard. and while we’re here, let’s look at the radio, which actually works! And it’s not just a radio, it’s a “NEW CONCERTONE RADIO CHAMBER”!
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We move on to the engine, a smooth, quiet running 6 cylinder of 172.6 cubic inches. The factory advertised 25 Miles per gallon! and a whopping 82 real horsepower! Here, 66 years later, It runs beautifully, starts right up, and has that quiet purr that a practically unused engine should have! The car runs great, it drives nice and tight, every way you look at this car it backs up the low mileage.
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Here’s the 1969 West Virginia inspection sticker.
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Here’s the back of the West Virginia inspection sticker – from 1969 – showing 5,264 miles ! also note the VIN # matches the car!
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Note the original oil bath air cleaner. That engine runs great!
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AIRFLYTE IS RIGHT ! The literature included with the car is wonderful – a true window into the immediate post-war era, when America was riding high and ready to enjoy the new prosperity and growth!
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THIS IS NASH!
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Factory sales brochures in both color and black & white.
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Wonderful and original.
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A sure contender in preservation class!
