1959 AMC Metropolitan

1500cc 4 cylinder

Clear

1959 Metropolitan coupe, 1,500 cc 4 cylinder Austin engine, 3 speed manual transmission, nice interior, trim and paint, starts right up and runs great. While most U.S. automobile makers were following a "bigger-is-better" philosophy, Nash Motor Company executives were examining the market to offer American buyers an economical transportation alternative. The Metropolitan was designed as the second car in a two car family, for Mom taking the kids to school or shopping or for Dad to drive to the railroad station to ride to work. The "commuter/shopping car" with resemblance to the big Nash, but the scale was tiny as the Met's wheelbase was shorter than the Volkswagen Beetle’s. It was designed in the U.S. and built by the Austin Motor Company and Fisher & Ludlow both English companies based around Birmingham, England. Fisher & Ludlow would produce the bodywork, while the mechanicals would be provided, as well as final assembly undertaken, by the Austin Motor Company. This was the first time an American-designed car, to be exclusively marketed in North America, had been entirely built in Europe. January 1959 saw the start of Metropolitan Series IV production (Commencing with VIN E59048 on 12 January 1959). This major re-design saw the addition of an external deck lid (previous models only allowed access to the trunk through the rear seat back) and vent windows. By this time, the engine had been up-graded by increasing the compression ratio from 7.2:1 to 8.3:1 giving an output of 55 bhp. The additional features added 15 lb (6.8 kg) to the weight. Exterior color options were "Sunburst Yellow", "Berkshire Green", and "Mardi-Gras Red" with "Frost White" as a contrast. The interior now used a diamond pattern for the seats, with white vinyl trim. Please check out www.riggsboysracing.com/1959Metro.htm for more pictures and information. - The car is for sale locally and I reserve the right to end the auction early. Video click here: www.riggsboysracing.com/59Metro-001.wmv