Calgary is home to a really great museum if you’re in the area and looking for something to do…. And in that museum, lies the Nash 450 Sedan “Overland Edition”.
The History
Not too glamorously, sits this 1930’s era Nash 450 sedan. I’ll call it an “overland” vehicle, but in all honestly this car is from the depression era where people were travelling across country looking for whatever work they could find and a man’s (or even entire family’s) possessions came with him (or them).
Rumor has it that this car quit working sometime in the 1930’s when a farmer and his family were embarking on an “overland expedition” from Saskatchewan further West in search of lodging and better work. The car ended up abandoned on an Alberta farmland. Eventually it was found and “restored” to working conditions, but allowed to stay in it’s pictured “preserved” state.
Back in 2004, the car was on an overlanding road trip from Illinois to California and up to BC before finally coming to the Calgary museum in 2009. At just around 50km/h, the car and occupants traveled “old school” style without using motels, hotels or fast food restaurants. They would pitch a tent off the side of the road and cook on a 1927 era kerosene camping stove.
The Gear and Modifications
It certainly is an interesting vehicle for overlanding with and I think the real beauty lies in the “preserved” state of the car along with the gear shown. What we see as modern gear like “Rotopax” containers, tailgate tables, and other “stuff” isn’t really anything new. Here we can see it all in use about 80 years ago.
Front and center is the “Desert Brand” water bag. I have a hunch this is where it stays mounted for ease of access and to keep some water warm for washing.
Mounted to the front bumper you’ll find some old type “Rotopax style” containers. No doubt, some extra water, along with gasoline and kerosene for the cook stove.
Damage a wheel while on the trails? No worry, just pull out your pocket knife and whittle away a new wheel!
You can’t have an Overland Rig without storage bags of some sort!
Roof top tent not needed – we’ll just overland with the the entire bed – the frame, the mattress, everything. And light bars? No, there are no fifty inch light bars here – but it is nice to see that even old school overland rigs owners wanted “ditch lights” on their rigs for those dark night excursions to find a safe spot to bed down.
Finally, I’m glad to see that I’m not the only one that sees incredible value in a tailgate table.
Be sure to stop by the Heritage Park Museum if you’re ever in Calgary region. This beauty is tucked away in “Gasoline Alley”, so don’t hesitate to stop in and have a close look at it yourself! It’s being left as-is to preserve the view and times of the Depression Era in our history.
