The Rambler Ambassador was the flagship of American Motors from 1957 until 1974. The name had belonged to Nash since 1927; after the merger that created AMC it passed to the Rambler range, and over eight generations the car changed class twice, from full-size to mid-size and back.
Rambler Ambassador at a glance
| Maker | American Motors Corporation, Kenosha, Wisconsin |
|---|---|
| Production | 1957–1974, eight generations |
| Class | full-size 1957–1961, mid-size 1962–1966, full-size 1967–1974 |
| Body styles | two- and four-door sedans, two- and four-door hardtops, four-door station wagons, two-door convertibles |
| Position | flagship line, with more standard equipment and higher trim |
| Nameplate | Nash Ambassador from 1927, Rambler Ambassador from 1957, AMC Ambassador to 1974 |
| Assembly | Kenosha, Wisconsin; Brampton, Ontario 1963–1966 |
| Overseas assembly | AMI in Australia 1961–1963, IKA in Argentina 1965–1972, ECASA in Costa Rica 1965–1970 |
| Construction | unit body, which Nash called Unitized Body |
| Headlamps | the first American car with standard stacked quad headlamps |
The English Wikipedia article covers the whole Ambassador line, from Nash to AMC; this page is about the Rambler-badged years.
History of the Rambler Ambassador
From Nash to Rambler
The Ambassador name first appeared at Nash in the 1927 model year, not as a separate model but as a high trim designation for a specially appointed four-door, five-passenger sedan. By 1932 it had become a distinct model range and the top of the Nash line. In the pre-war years the Nash Ambassador was known for its lavish equipment and robust construction, earning the nickname “the Kenosha Duesenberg”, and it competed with Packard, Lincoln and Duesenberg. It was also a platform for Nash’s advanced engineering: the car used unit body construction, which Nash marketed as Unitized Body, and after the war it carried the aerodynamic Airflyte styling and was the first car with standard stacked quad headlamps.
Under American Motors
Nash and Hudson merged in 1954 to form American Motors. The death of George W. Mason that October brought George Romney to the presidency, and Romney turned the company towards the compact Rambler models rather than direct competition with General Motors, Ford and Chrysler. The Nash Ambassador continued under the Nash brand through a transition from 1954 to 1957, while the Rambler line grew. From 1957 the Ambassador name was used by Rambler, at first as the Ambassador V-8 and then as the Rambler Ambassador, and the car settled at the top of the range with more standard equipment, higher trim and, in some years, a larger body than the other Ramblers.
Eight generations
Over its life the Ambassador was classified as a full-size car from 1957 through 1961, as a mid-size car from 1962 until 1966, and again as a full-size car from 1967 through 1974. It was offered as two- and four-door sedans, two- and four-door hardtops, four-door station wagons and two-door convertibles. Production was centred on AMC’s Lake Front plant in Kenosha, Wisconsin, with additional assembly at Brampton in Ontario between 1963 and 1966. Knock-down kits were assembled with right-hand drive by Australian Motor Industries from 1961 to 1963, and the fifth-generation car was built by Industrias Kaiser Argentina in Córdoba from 1965 to 1972 and assembled by ECASA in Costa Rica from 1965 to 1970. The first generation was also assembled in Mexico by Planta REO in Monterrey. When the line ended in 1974 the Ambassador had been in continuous use since 1927, the longest run of any American car nameplate at the time.
Design and features
- Flagship equipment: the Ambassador was positioned above the other Ramblers, with more standard equipment and a higher level of trim.
- Unitized body: Nash’s single-unit construction was among the first widely sold applications of the idea in American cars.
- Quad headlamps: the Nash Ambassador was the first American car to have stacked quad headlamps as standard, a layout that later spread across the industry.
- Long nameplate history: in use from 1927 to 1974, it was the longest continuously used car nameplate in the United States until then.
Rambler Ambassador versions
- Ambassador V-8 (1957): the first Rambler-badged use of the name.
- Rambler Ambassador (late 1950s–1960s): the flagship of the Rambler range, in sedan, hardtop, wagon and convertible bodies.
- AMC Ambassador (to 1974): the final form of the line, after the Rambler marque was phased out.
- Stretch limousines: fifth- and seventh-generation cars were converted into custom limousines in Argentina and the United States.
The Ambassador sat above the Rambler Classic and shared its market with the Rambler Rebel. More cars are in the Rambler collection.
Video: Rambler Ambassador 1971
Video on YouTube.
Sources
- AMC Ambassador, English Wikipedia: generations, body styles, assembly, nameplate history
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