$18,500 for a Metropolitan?

I think the Government will buy this. They always know a good deal when they see it....

The Mets are almost always incorrectly identified as Nashes, regardless of when they were built. From 1954 to 1957, Metropolitan was a nameplate of both Hudson and Nash, as most of you probably know. After the 1957 model year, Metropolitan became a nameplate of the new American Motors, and was sold as its own nameplate, NOT as an AMC Met; and certainly not as a Nash Met, since the Nash name was history.



BTW, this is NOT a '59, even though, according to the serial number indicating so, it is a '58 or earlier...how do I know? In 1959, several styling cues were introduced. First was the one-piece rear window, which this has. Earlier cars have the three-piec window, and they DO interchange. Second is introduction of door vent windows - this car has none. Third was the addition of a trunk lid...this car does not have one! Fourth was the addition of a glove box door, early cars do not have that, and this, too, can be added on. Just by virtue of there being no decklid, makes this a '58 or earlier car, though the body number show a March '59 date (by sequential build number)...is this a VIN switch??? I'd be extremely careful about this car. And, NO coupe is worth $18K. A nearly perfect ragtop would bring that, however.



Curiously enough, though, on the '58 - '62 Mets, the underhood build tag DOES say "American Motors"...!



And, in case any of you were not aware, ALL Mets were built by Austin Motors in England, and the vast majority of them went to the US and Canada. They were not even available in England until 1957, and were RHD for that market and South Africa, too. Very few were sold in either country. The 1500cc engine in the Met is the very same engine as what is in an MGB and accepts the same mods! In fact, if you own a Met and find a wrecked MG Midget, get the rear axle assembly from it and install it in your Met. You'll have a superb highway gear ratio (3.62 vs the stock 4.10), and you'll have a great little car that will do 80+ quite easily!



Oh, and fewer than 4800 Mets were badged as Hudsons, out of nearly 100,000 Mets built. Just five percent.



http://www.hoosiermets.com/chronology.html