All Roads Lead To This Woody.(Escape Roads)

Byline: GEORGE P. BLUMBERG

History varies with the teller. Historians chronicle that Charles Nash, who took control of General Motors in 1910 from William Durant, was fired by him when Durant regained control in 1916. The 1946 Nash Salesman's Book claims Nash resigned from General Motors to build his own car.

Either way, the road leads to this beautiful and rare 1946 Nash Ambassador Suburban, owned by Dave and Elaine Kraus of Franklin Lakes, New Jersey. Built on the 121-inch Ambassador chassis, the Suburban was a step up from the 112-inch 600 model. The Ambassador boasted a 3588-pound curb weight vs. the 600's 2940 pounds, and 112 claimed hp and 208 lb-ft of torque from its six-cylinder valve-in-head engine; the 600's L-head claimed 82 hp with 140 lb-ft.

Only 275 Suburbans were produced for the 1946 model year. (Production totaled only 1000 between 1946 and 1948.) Dave Kraus-a woody fan who has a 1947 Chrysler Town & Country convertible he bought in 1965 when he was in high school-found his Suburban in West Virginia in 1976.

Listing for $2,118 including options and delivery, this Suburban is no ordinary Ambassador. Its wooden doors and trunk were framed in ash and paneled in Honduras mahogany in Owosso, Michigan, by Mitchell-Bentley. "The wood was rotted, the body rusted,'' Kraus said, "but the engine ran, though it smoked.''

Kraus hauled the Suburban back to a New Jersey garage, where it sat for 24 years. "You know, marriage, kids, priorities change,'' he said, chanting the familiar mantra of projects delayed. During that time Kraus researched and tracked down spare parts, building a stockpile. In 2000 he brought the Nash to George Dragone in Bridgeport, Connecticut, for a full restoration that took three-and-a-half years.

The Nash Sunset Maroon car is flawless, its new woodwork perfect. The best view perhaps is from the rear quarter looking forward, where the speedboat-like joinery is apparent, sweeping aerodynamically from the bumper and over the ...