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Car · Full restoration, from shed to road
Nash Statesman Airflyte
An early-1950s Nash Statesman Airflyte found after years in a shed: mechanics overhauled, two-tone ivory and burgundy paint, light leather interior and burgundy carpet.
- Model
- Nash Statesman Super Airflyte
- Era
- Early 1950s
- Engine
- Straight six
- Body
- Four-door saloon, ivory and burgundy
- Work
- Metalwork, paint, mechanics, trim and interior
- Restoration
- Full
The story
The Airflyte is the rounded Nash, with its front wheels hidden inside the wings and a unitary body, something the American maker was already using before the war. On the steering column sits the Uniscope, the little instrument pod that makes it instantly recognisable.
This one, a Statesman Super with its period plate from Ceylon, today's Sri Lanka, had been sitting in a shed for years under a layer of dust. At the workshop it was emptied and taken through every area: panels, paint in the original two-tone scheme, engine, then seats, headliner, panels and carpets, until it could be driven again.
The restoration step by step
From the shed to light leather
- Step 1 of 5
After years off the road
Dust all over the body, floor and engine bay attacked by rust. The cabin is stripped out to see what lies under the carpets and behind the panels.
years of dust on the body 
the stripped cabin with its rusty floor 
the empty engine bay and the suspension to be redone - Step 2 of 5
The straight six
The engine, dirty and rusty on the outside, is stripped and overhauled; then the car goes back on the lift for the mechanics to be refitted.
the straight six before the overhaul 
in the workshop, on the lift for the mechanics 
the engine bay after the overhaul - Step 3 of 5
Ivory and burgundy
Panels repaired and the body painted in the original two-tone scheme: ivory below, burgundy on the roof. The dashboard pieces are painted burgundy too, to match the body.
the burgundy roof above the windscreen 
the dashboard pieces freshly painted burgundy 
the Statesman Super script on the side - Step 4 of 5
Light leather seats
The seats are rebuilt from the springs up: new padding, then light leather covers for the front seat and the rear bench. On the floor, burgundy carpet.
the front seat in light leather and the burgundy carpet 
the new padding over the springs 
the re-covered rear bench 
the burgundy carpet in front of the rear bench - Step 5 of 5
Headliner, panels and finishing
A new headliner in light cloth, two-tone door panels and polished sill plates: the last details before handover.
the new headliner in light cloth 
the two-tone door panel 
the polished sill plate and the leather seat
As it is today
Do you have a classic American car that has been standing for years?
Metal, mechanics, paint and trim: Mimmo handles the whole restoration in the workshop, including for clients in Switzerland. Tell him about your car.
More restorations
This is only a small selection: over the years Mimmo has restored many more cars and trucks, and we'll keep adding them from the workshop's photo books.
