An American Ambassador

It was developed as a small car to compete against the more affordable Chevys and Fords and Dodges of the time. The Nash Rambler first entered the marketplace in 1950. Almost from the beginning it encountered problems that would hinder its progress.

First of all it was the product of the struggling Nash-Kelvinator Corporation, a smaller car maker that was struggling to keep its head above water following World War II. Then, in the early 1950s as the car was starting to be produced it faced steel shortages due to the Korean War.

Still the Rambler pushed ahead. What was first introduced as a two door convertible was expanded in 1954 to include a station wagon and a hard top and then a stretched wheelbase allowed for a four door sedan and wagon. These later models proved to be fairly successful.

Another thing happened in 1954. That was the year Nash-Kelvenator merged with the Hudson Motor Car Company to form the American Motors Corporation. In the two subsequent years the Rambler was badged as a model of both Nash and Hudson. There was no real difference between the cars.

In 1958 the Rambler Ambassador was introduced in a full line of trims for both sedan and station wagon. The car was powered by a 327 cubic inch V 8 which was a step up from the 250 cubic inch four barrel carb version that AMC began making for itself two years prior. This 327, which came out six years prior to Chevy's famed small block 327, featured hydraulic lifters and pumped out 288 horse power.

These Ambassadors, unlike those spartan Ramblers of a few years before, came equipped with a full array of standard features that included an electric clock and twin front and rear ashtrays. The problem was that the general public still perceived Rambler as being a small economy car and not a mid-sized family model.

In 1959 the car got some minor cosmetic changes, including the more dramatic sweeping fins and a new look grill. Owners could also get head rests for the first time and a new Air Coil Ride air suspension which utilized air bags within the rear coil springs.

A second generation Ambassador came out in 1960 with substantially new body work and various standard features that placed it comfortably in the mid-sized luxury car range. Subsequent generations came out ever year or two with new features and skins for each. The car generally sold well but at nowhere near the numbers of its Big Three competitors. Still, the styling and safety features made even the likes of Motor Trend turn its head when the Ambassador was named Car of the Year in 1963.

The Ambassador made it to its eighth generation in 1974 before AMC pulled the plug. By then it had grown to become the company's full sized luxury model and with the trend toward smaller cars beginning, sales had bottomed out. Technically AMC lasted until 1987 when Chrysler bought out Renault and then all of the outstanding shares of the company. While the name disappeared the company lived on as the Jeep-Eagle division of Chrysler.