The 1954 model year saw the end of the Airflyte era at Nash Motors, as the company would soon take an entirely new direction. 

Major changes came to Nash Motors in 1954. On January 14, Nash-Kelvinator and the Hudson Motor Car Company announced the merger that created American Motors. Then on October 8, the merger’s architect, longtime Nash-Kelvinator CEO George W. Mason passed away, leaving his hand-picked successor, George Romney, to fully consumate the marriage. Ambitious plans were made for the Nash and Hudson car brands, and they didn’t include the Nash Airflyte—1954 would be its final year.

Developed under Nash engineering vice president Nils Wahlberg, the original 1949-51 Airflyte was an original and remarkable car. (See our feature here.) For 1952, the Airflyte received an styling makeover that was credited to Battista “Pinin” Farina (later known as Pininfarina). However, Nash decided to use only portions of his design, mainly the grille, reversed C-pillar, and tail lamps. Still, Nash aggressively promoted the Pinin Farina connection in its advertising, and the Italian designer was happy to take the commission. With few changes, the ’52 styling carried through into 1954.

Nash was an early adopter of unitized frame/body construction in 1941, and it was a key component of the Airflyte concept from its introduction. While the Chrysler Airflow and Lincoln-Zephyr came earlier, the Nash system was more like a unit body of today. Low aerodynamic drag was another element of the Airflyte theme, which inspired the enclosed front wheels. To achieve enough clearance for an acceptable turning radius with the skirted fenders, the body was widened and the front track was narrowed. The ’54 Airflytes were 78 inches wide, with a track width of 60.5 inches at the rear and just 55.6 inches at the front. The resulting turning circle was a respectable 44.75 feet, better than most big cars of the day.

The Airflyte model line for ’54 consisted of two models: Statesman (114.3-in wheelbase) and Ambassador (121.3-in wheelbase). Either could be had in two trim levels, Super or Custom. The Statesman was powered by a 195.6 CID flathead six, an engine that would somehow remain in production through 1965. The Ambassador featured a more deluxe inline six with overhead valves, seven main bearings, and 252 cubic inches. Both sixes were offered with twin one-barrel carburetor setups, a Nash signature feature at the time.

While the compact Nash Rambler introduced in 1950 was often marketed as part of the Airflyte line, it was in fact a different design, and it, not the Airflyte, would provide the platform for future American Motors products. However, there was one traditional Nash feature that would survive long into the AMC era: the reclining front seats that could adjusted to any angle, or laid back horizontally to combine witth the rear seat, forming a full-length bed (below). Although the Airflyte name was dropped for 1955, the big Nashes would remain in production until June 25, 1967. You can read about Nash’s final day here.