MOCA Masterpiece on the Mississippi International 2021 Meet in Dubuque

They're odd.  They're small.  They're quirky, cute, collectible, and in Dubuque this weekend, they're abundant.  They're Nash Metropolitans.   Lots of Nash Metropolitans are arriving in Dubuque as Met Set of Wisconsin hosts the MOCA Masterpiece on the Mississippi International 2021 Meet June 9-12.  The Hotel Julien is the host hotel with cars and displays will be along Dubuque's Ice Harbor.

They were sold from 1953 to 1961, and from the beginning they were unusual.  In an era of big and bigger vehicles, the tiny Metropolitan was designed to be economical and small, with a fun, sporty side.  The Metropolitan was a sub-compact before "sub-compact" was even a term.  They aren't even all Nashes.  As Nash merged with Hudson to create American Motors, some were sold as Hudson Metropolitans.  Later some were sold as simply "Metropolitans."

Starting MSRP was $1445 for some of the earliest hardtop models.  An extra 25 bucks would get you the convertible.  Today, one in perfect condition is valued between $18,000 and $74,250 according to conceptcarz.com.

It's fun to see them on the road, and we salute the organizers who made this happen in Dubuque.  Thank you to everyone who came to town for the meet, especially those of you who rode in in a Met' with no air conditioning.

What advice would you offer a Metropolitan owner who's visiting Dubuque for the first time?  What are some must-see locations, or must-drive roads to experience while here?  A drive though Eagle Point Park seems like an obvious choice, what other recommendations do you have?

Metropolitans Dubuque June, 2021

LOOK: See how much gasoline cost the year you started driving

To find out more about how has the price of gas changed throughout the years, Stacker ran the numbers on the cost of a gallon of gasoline for each of the last 84 years. Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (released in April 2020), we analyzed the average price for a gallon of unleaded regular gasoline from 1976 to 2020 along with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for unleaded regular gasoline from 1937 to 1976, including the absolute and inflation-adjusted prices for each year.

Read on to explore the cost of gas over time and rediscover just how much a gallon was when you first started driving.

 

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