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Nailhead - Buick V8 engines produced between 1953 and 1966, so named because the narrow valves resembled nails.
National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) - The organization that sanctions American stock-car races, est. 1948. It held its first race in Daytona Beach, Fla., in 1948 and began its first and most important series of races (known as the Grand National Division from 1950, the Winston Cup Series from 1971, and the Nextel/Nextel-Sprint Cup Series since 2005) in Charlotte, N.C., in 1949. Other major NASCAR events include the Busch and Craftsman Truck series. Stock cars are standard production passenger vehicles modified in various ways to be faster–they often exceed 200 mph/320 kph–and more powerful than regulation assembly-line automobiles. Typical modifications include larger engines and specialized suspensions, chassis, brakes, and safety equipment. Today NASCAR sanctions more than 1,500 races throughout the country and several in Canada and Mexico. The majority are concentrated in the SE United States and held on paved oval tracks, and the most important are sponsored by major corporations.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) - An agency of the United States government that is authorized to order manufacturers to recall and repair vehicles, or vehicle equipment, when investigations indicate that they contain serious safety defects in their design, construction or performance.
National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) - The drag racing governing body, which sets rules in drag racing and host events all over the United States and Canada. With over 80,000 drivers in its rosters, the NHRA is considered one of the largest motorsports sanctioning bodies in the world. The association was founded by Wally Parks in 1951 in the State of California to provide a governing body to organize and promote the sport of drag racing. The first nationwide NHRA sponsored event was held in 1955, in Great Bend, Kansas. (Typical for the era, this race was held on a World War II-constructed training air field.) The "Nationals", which now comprise 22 events each year, are the premier events in drag racing that bring together the best cars and drivers from across North America.
National Low Emission Vehicle (NLEV) Program - A voluntary national low emission vehicle program for light-duty vehicles and light-duty trucks that is enforced by the EPA (outside of California) once automakers and states opt in and the program is in effect.
Natural Gas Engine - An internal combustion engine that burns natural gas.
Navigation Interface - The means by which a vehicles navigation system is controlled, including touch screen, jog dial, push button and/or voice activation.
Navigation System - A device that communicates with global positioning satellites to determine a vehicles physical location and plot a course using stored map information.
Nerf Bar - Tubular bumper
New Old Stock (NOS) - Refers to an old, original replacement auto part that has never been on a vehicle.
NHTSA Campaign ID Number - The identification number assigned to a recall by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
NHTSA Item Number - The identification number assigned to a technical service bulletin by the NHTSA.
Nightvision - An exterior camera that uses infrared technology to provide added visibility when driving in the dark.
Nitrous Oxide System (NOS) - A system that injects nitrous (also known as "laughing gas") to temporarily boost the power of an internal combustion engine, primarily in racing.
Nose - To remove chrome trim from a custom car's hood, such as the hood ornament. If the trim is also removed from the trunk lid, the car is said to be "nosed and decked".
NOx - An abbreviation for six chemical compounds produced during high temperature combustion, containing only nitrogen and oxygen atoms, that react with volatile organic compounds in the presence of sunlight to create photochemical smog.
Number of Speeds - The number of different drive ratios a vehicles transmission is capable of selecting.
NVH Dampening - A system of devices that lessens the noise, vibration and harshness in the passenger compartment of a vehicle.
Here is a list of various Automotive Definitions. These are not specific to just Classic Cars, but covers all Automotive Definitions in general. This is not an all inclusive list and as we come across more, we will add them here. Drop us a note if you see something we missed.
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