To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION WITHOUT RESERVE at RM Sothebys' Amelia Island event, 6 - 7 March 2020.
Estimate:
$70,000 - $90,000

• One of just 62 built for 1953
• Ingeniously converted to a Hydramatic transmission in-period
• Fully restored in 1994 and beautifully presented
• Featuring a one-year-only Pinin Farina design

After a successful series of appearances at Le Mans in the early 1950s, including a 3rd overall finish in 1952, Nash-Healey introduced a road-going Le Mans–styled coupe in 1953. Crafted by the legendary Pinin Farina, it was some ten inches longer than their more common roadster counterpart. With a staggering list price of $6,399, nearly $3,000 more than a 1953 Corvette, only 62 were produced that year.

The stunning example offered here was the fifth of the 62 Le Mans coupes produced in 1953, of which only around 30 are known to have survived. Incredibly, the ownership history is known and documented back to its first owner, Glen Sheppard, who was the head of a Cadillac agency in Northern California. Not long after taking delivery, Sheppard performed an ingenious conversion to enhance drivability, replacing the original three-speed manual transmission with a floor-shift Hydramatic, a conversion which it retains to this day. Powered by a 252-cubic-inch inline six-cylinder engine with a high-compression aluminum head and dual SU carbs, this Le Mans coupe is a unique and enjoyable automobile to drive on the open road.

Having spent most of its life on the West Coast, the car was fully restored in 1994 with great attention paid to detail, such as perfectly replicating the leather to original specification. The Nash-Healey still shows well today and is fully sorted, having traveled over 3,800 miles since the restoration, with the current owner proclaiming it a “fantastic driver.” Offered with a full complement of original service manuals and factory sales brochure, this rare and exciting offering will make an ideal addition to any serious collection of unique and unusual sports cars.To view this car and others currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM website at rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/am20.