57 Metropolitan - Hudson or Nash?
 

New 1957 Hudson Metropolitan owner. :D Title says Hudson, grill badges says Hudson, has the bullseye horn button. All the info I find is for "Nash" Metropolitans. Is it a Nash or a Hudson? How come there's no info on Hudson Metro out there? I love her but is she 'unique' or a 'freak'?

Annie

it's really a Nash,badge engineering at its finest.i think you could swap a MGB engine in there without too much trouble and double your horsepower.

My vote says it is a Hudson... That 'badge' was put on at the factory, and the cars were sold right alongside the Hornets of the era...

However, if I were you I would keep in mind that it's twin brother is a Nash. The parts are interchangeable, and there are a lot of clubs & events out there for these neat little pieces of automobile history.

These cars & parts can be found with relative ease, although the Hudson 'badge' may make yours a bit more rare. As "Yorgatron" indicated, there are a lot of ways to give it a bit more 'spunk'...

Here is some background & history on the Hudson/Nash Metropolitan -
http://www.nash-metropolitan.s5.com/Met_History.htm

Can't say that I have read much information within the HET Club or WTN Newsletter on the Metropolitan, however there is a lot of stuff out on the web, and clubs that focus this little compact.
I am sure "Metro" & you will be welcomed, wherever you two travel - to include this forum and our HET Club, which we encourage you to join. Here is the link to the club -
http://www.hudsonclub.org/

Good luck

Check the serial number plate. Nash cars have a Nash plate, Hudson's have an AMC-Hudson plate.

My recollections were there were no Hudsons or Nashes in 1957 except for the Hornet and Ambassador. I know that the Rambler was just "Rambler" not "Nash Rambler", etc. Isn't the grille badge insiginia an "M"? Weren't these originally titled just "Metropolitan", not "Hudson" or "Nash"? I could be wrong.

Here's a great web site that may answer a few of your questions:

http://www.nash-metropolitan.s5.com/Met_History.htm

The "Mets" are a unique little car - I've seen several in this area in recent years. There were 3 in somebody's back yard about 5 miles from my home 2, 3 years back. Don't know if they were Hudson, Nash or just plain Mets - probably later Metropolitans.

Have a ball with it.

Hudsonly,
Alex Burr

You're right... According to archives, the "Hudson" and "Nash" names were dropped on all Metropolitans manufactured from 1957 onward.
However, many existing 1956 Metropolitans sold after October 25, 1956 were registered as 1957 models, so in fact, there are 1957 Hudson (and Nash) Metropolitans...

The Nash Metropolitan is in reality a badge engineered Austin. The body was built by Fisher&Ludlow in UK, and the mechanicals are basically Austin A40. The early mets or 54-56 were often badged as Hudson. Your '57 is either an AMC Met with the Hudson badge put on, or it was a leftover '56 Hudson badged Met titled as a '57. Most parts for these cars can be had from Kip Motor Co in Dallas, Tx, where I am employed. They tend to rust in the floors , rockers, lower fenders and quarters. I fabricate all these parts for Kip Motor Co. We have a catalogue on-line at www.kipmotor.com .