Page 24 - Nash-Healey A Grand Alliance by John Nikas

and represented a mere sideline for the Donald Healey Motor Company and Pinin Farina, who both had bigger fish to fry than was the case a few years earlier.
The day after Mason’s funeral, Romney was named chairman of the board and president of American Motors, making official what everyone had known since his hiring at Nash-Kelvinator back in 1948. Initially intending to continue in Mason’s footsteps, he soon changed course, faced with an anticipated annual loss of almost $11 million.56 After seeking advice from others in the organization, Romney abandoned Mason’s ‘full-line’ program and bet the farm on an increased emphasis on smaller cars like the Rambler and the new Metropolitan, which had been derived from Bill Flajole’s N.X.I. conceptual design.
Following George Mason’s death on October 8, 1954, George Romney assumed the roles of chairman of the board, general manager and president for American Motors. Soon afterwards, the new chief executive abandoned his predecessor’s vision for a ‘full-line’ of models and focused the firm’s attention to smaller, more affordable vehicles like the Metropolitan and Rambler. (Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum)
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Donald Healey boarding a flight bound for New York in 1954. Although flush with the Austin-Healey 100’s success, he maintained a close relationship with George Mason until his unexpected death in the fall. (The Donald Healey Collection at the Audrain Automobile Museum)
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