1924 Nash Model 690 5-Passenger Touring Car
• Nicely Restored and ready to enjoy
• OHV 6-cylinder engine
Looking sporty in its tritone Tan, Orange and Black color combination, this 1924 Nash has benefitted from a recent cosmetic restoration. It presents beautifully and you can expect plenty of attention as you enjoy it on club tours and events.
The Nash has an older top and the side curtains are unfortunately absent. Its 6 cylinder engine, runs great. Orange disc type, steel wheels and 33 x 4 Universal wide-whitewall tires add to this open car’s impressive presence.
It was in 1917 that Charles W. Nash (1864-1948) began building cars bearing his surname in the former Jeffery car factory at Kenosha, Wisconsin. Highly respected in the auto industry and often called a production genius, Nash had from 1912 to 1916 been president of Buick and General Motor Corp. (In July 2014, a statue honoring Nash and his contributions to GM’s history was unveiled in Flint, Michigan—the town where he lived and worked during while with that company.)
In 1924, Nash Motors was one of nearly 60 automobile manufacturers active in the American market. Many produced so-called “assembled cars,” with powertrains, bodies and other components made by supplier firms. Not so with Nash—the company boasted that, “93% of each car is completely manufactured within the walls of the Nash plants.”
Spanning a substantial 121-inch wheelbase, the Nash Model 690 five-passenger Touring Car listed for $1,275 when new. Competitors in its price class included Auburn, Buick, Chalmers, Flint, Jewett and Moon. The 1924 model year marked the last time Nash offered both 4-cylinder and 6-cylinder cars—from 1925 to 1955, the automaker would build only sixes.
The Nash 690 engine was a premium overhead valve design of the type famously used by Buick. Displacing 248.9 cubic inches, the inline six was rated at 55 hp. A three-speed manual transmission was standard.
Nash scored an industry first for 1924 by offering an optional Elgin electric clock (as seen in our offered car). The Touring’s dash-mounted fuel gauge, introduced on 1922 Nash models, was still advanced in 1924—most other cars at the time had either a sight gauge on the tank at the rear, or no gauge at all.
Charlie Nash retired in 1936, after successfully guiding his independent company through the economic morass of the Great Depression. In 1954, Nash Motor Co. merged with Hudson, forming American Motors Corp (AMC). By 1958, the new combine had dropped both the Nash and Hudson nameplates.
The 1924 Nash Touring was well suited to its time. By the mid-1920s, a nationwide “good roads” movement had made it possible for Americans to wander the countryside by private car. So-called tourist camps catering to recreational motorists sprang up everywhere. With a rugged and reliable automobile such as the Nash 691, families could enjoy weekend jaunts and experience long-distance touring.
The Nash is complete with tool kit and genuine Boyce Motometer atop the radiator. A period accessory spotlight, with rearview mirror attached, is mounted to the left windshield frame. The front bumper is also an authentic accessory.
The open road still beckons from behind the wheel of this handsomely turned out 1924 automobile. Nine decades after it left Charlie Nash’s factory in Kenosha, the sturdy 690 Touring stands ready to once again earn the admiration and respect of a new owner.
