During a chance meeting crossing the Atlantic on the Queen Elizabeth, Englishman Donald Healey and Nash-Kelvinator Chief George Mason discussed the prospect of collaborating on a sports car. The duo came to an agreement, and batches of Nash Ambassador six-cylinder engines and three-speed gearboxes with overdrive were shipped to Warwickshire, England. There, they were mated with Healey Silverstone chassis and a Panelcraft body of Healey design. Production began for the 1951 model year in December 1950. Racing versions finished 9th in class in the Mille Miglia and 4th overall at Le Mans, but the steep $4,063 price for Nash’s halo car kept sales to just 104 units that first year.

Mason never cared for the original slab styling of the car, and as he had already contracted Italy’s Battista “Pinin” Farina to style the senior Nashes for 1952, he asked Farina to update the Nash-Healey as well. Steel bodywork replaced aluminum, and the price jumped to $5,858, with a total of just 150 produced. A companion Le Mans Coupe on a six-inch-longer wheelbase was introduced for 1953, yet production remained low, with 162 units built for the model year. Thanks to its high price and the emergence of the Jaguar XK120, production ended in 1954, after a total of 506 units had been built.

The example on offer is one of the final 90 Coupes built for the 1954 model year. Befitting its Italian coachwork, the Nash-Healey presents with a handsome color scheme that compliments the swooping lines of the hand-crafted coachwork. The silver body is festooned with chrome brightwork, while whitewall tires over wire spoked wheels help complete the attractive mid-century look. Although spartan, the interior is covered in dashing red leather and provides the driver with full instrumentation. The later 252-cubic-inch inline six-cylinder engine with twin Carter Carburetors can be found under the hood and is paired with a manual transmission featuring a floor-mounted shifter.

A fascinating mid-century sports car in a stylish color scheme, this Nash-Healey Le Mans Coupe possesses all the qualities of a true classic.