During a chance meeting, 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 were shipped to Warwickshire, England. 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 aluminium, and the price jumped to $5,858, with a total of just 150 produced.

Offered here is one such rare model, in excellent condition. Though the original owner is not known, by 1976 chassis 2416 was in the care of Warren Dixon III, in Michigan, USA. Passing through another owner in New York before ending up with an enthusiast in Utah, chassis 2416 was in good mechanical condition but needed a cosmetic refresh. The owner, Mr Williams, had the faded silver paint re-sprayed to red, and commissioned an interior restoration. Sold to the current owner in 2013, the vehicle left the United States for Switzerland – export documents accompany the vehicle.

Upon coming into current ownership, the Nash-Healey underwent a complete top-engine rebuild, including new cylinder head and intake. The engine was disassembled and cleaned, in a nearly 200-hour-long process that saw rusty and broken parts replaced. Finally, a full electrical and mechanical check-over was completed to ensure that the vehicle is in perfect working order.

Called ‘America’s first post-war sports car’, this Nash-Healey offers an exciting opportunity to own a car that is not only rarer than a Gullwing, but also eligible for a multitude of concours and touring events.