Bollocks, I suppose because it was assembled by Austin you assume it was designed here as since the days it all went pear shaped in the late 60's it has become fashionable to knock anything done by BMC and the firms that were part of it.
The Nash Metropolitan was designed in the US by Americans with some influences from some larger Nash cars that had an input from Pininfarina. Fisher& Ludlow who made the body pressings and Austin who provided mechanicals and assembly did so purely as contractors , Fisher were still independent when negotiations started but became part of BMC by the time of production in1953. Austin only sold a version for non competing markets from 1956.
You suppose wrong. BMC lost the plot in several different directions - and before the late '60s. The Farina series being a prime example of an ugly vehicle badge engineered to produce 5 nearly identical cars.
And Farina refused to have that 'influence' made public. Not surprising given the hideous result.
If you look at the original Nash concept drawings and what it ended up looking like in production, you'll see what I mean. I assumed that was by the design being modified to make it possible to actually make it. US designers had little experience of monocoque construction so had to leave it to one who had - ie Austin and Pressed Steel. Just how and where it went so badly wrong looks wise I dunno.
Whatever , Still doesn't make your statement A UK designer's attempt a scaled down US car correct. It was US designed.
Not going to dispute that but it doesn't make your statement. A UK designer's attempt a scaled down US car correct. It was US designed.
I wonder if it looked so bad from American eyes for whom its US designer styled it , tastes across the Atlantic can be quite different. Pressed steel had an interesting genesis, they had started as a joint venture between Morris and the Budd corporation of the US but due to differences became an independent company before WW2 with Morris having to relinquish its shareholding after a court ruling. Budd later sold their controlling interest in 1935 and it became a British company rather than a joint UK US one. Budd had developed monocoque construction in the 30's and one of the first mass produced vehicles to use it over there was the Nash 600 in
1941,by the time of the Metropolitan a couple of other models had followed so I don't think they had as little experience as your post is trying to make out. Talking about design tastes varying much of Budds business was building Railroad cars and for a brief period after WW2 the Railroads of the US and Canada purchased many Budd railroad Cars in their trade mark stainless steel and corrugate finish and incorporating a lot of their welding techniques that made the body far more of a load bearing unit those previously, some are still in use now in Canada. Budd wanted to break into the post WW2 British market and had this built as a demonstrater which toured the UK and Ireland.
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Like the Nash Met it just looks strange and not quite right but it is interesting to see who they wanted to build it . Pressed Steel , the companies may have had a divorce but it looks like they kept close relations .
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