AC

Back when minicars were decidedly uncool, the Nash Metropolitan served as a tiny counterpoint to the road beasts of the 1950s, even though it looked more at home in a carnival than on a street. Given the Metropolitan's odd but lovable looks, it seems only natural that the American-badged, British-built two-seater would develop a cult following. And at least one entrepreneurial family has made a business of restoring and selling parts for a car that hasn't been made in 51 years. The Metropolitan Pit Stop, a storefront on a busy boulevard in Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley, is one of many specialty shops around the country that cater to owners of long-dead brands. There is the Fiero Store online for owners of Pontiac Fiero sport cars from the 1980s, based in Manchester, Conn. Or South Bend fanatics can visit Studebakers West, a Redwood City, Calif., repair shop that stocks more than 20,000 parts just for the brand that brought the world models such as the "bullet-nose" Champion in...