(first posted 10/10/2012) I became really interested in AMC in the late ’90s, due in large part to my purchase of Pat Foster’s American Motors: The Last Independent. I was driving somewhere on a snowy January day a when a metallic lilac ’65 Ambassador sedan headed the other way went past me. Now even 13 years ago, around here it wasn’t exactly common to see a metallic lilac 1965 Ambassador, and the in the heavy snowstorm it seemed even more surreal. It was almost as if I’d slipped back into Rock Island County during the winter of 1965-66. Since I was most definitely behind the wheel of my 1991 Volvo, I’m pretty certain there was no time-travelling involved.
The ’65 Amby was all-new—or at least as much so as continually strapped American Motors could manage—and was distinguished from the Classic series primarily by four-inch-longer front fenders and vertically stacked headlights. The top trim level was the 990 model, which is shown above.
As you’d expect, the 990 provided quite a nice interior; I particularly like the aqua color of this one. And just in case you forgot what kind of car you were driving, AMC thoughtfully provided a gigantic “AMBASSADOR” script across the middle of the instrument panel.
AMC’s top-of-the-line Ambassador series also included a cheaper 880 model, which had less chrome and a plainer interior. Still, it didn’t sell as well as the 990. Production of 880 four-door sedans totaled 10,564, vs. 24,852 990 models, which makes sense: Why would anyone buy the allegedly fancier Ambassador 880 over a top-trim Classic with more chrome and a nicer interior? What doesn’t make sense is why AMC offered the cheaper Amby in the first place. They might well have been better off offering only the fancier and more-profitable Ambassador 990.
Naturally, there were station wagons. Buyers could choose either the reduced-chrome 880 version (pictured above) or a 990 model sporting a narrow strip of wood grain along its flanks. AMC still called their wagons “Cross Country”, one of the best station wagon names I’ve ever heard. Unfortunately, that classic name went away after 1968; starting in 1969, Ambassador and Rebel wagons were known simply as “Station Wagons.” That’s original.
For the first time since 1956, Ambassador offered a six-cylinder engine, in this case the 232 cu in, 155-hp Torque Command straight six. Available were two optional V8s: buyers could choose between a 287 cu in, 198-hp two-barrel version or top-drawer, 327 cu in, 270-hp four-barrel mill. In addition, front disc brakes were available for buyers who opted for extra-cost power brakes .
As for our featured car? Well, I’d been keeping an eye out for this Ambassador. I was determined to find it and eventually I did, parked in the Watch Hill neighborhood in Rock Island and looking very solid. As a less-expensive 880 model, this one has beaten the odds to survive, especially since AMC sold over twice as many 990s. I stopped my car, took the two photos you see here, and then went on my way. I never saw it again. Hopefully it’s still around, even though the survival rate for 1960s sedans is nowhere near that of comparable coupes and convertibles. Farewell, and fare well, lilac AMC—here’s hoping you’re still out there.
That Amby seems like an Oldsmobile for mid-westerners who were way too modest to actually own an Olds.
Just like Olds was for people too modest to own a Cadillac… 🙂
Thanks for this interesting car. I somehow missed out Laurence’s (excellent) earlier article. So AMC did make an update to the classic “Kenosha Duesenbergs”. While certainly not up to Duesy standards (no American car has since been), the “Kenosha Cadillac” moniker is very apt. Mass produced luxury. AMC and Kaiser always remind me of wasted potential, of what could have been. AMC cars are the most `European’ proportioned American cars produced.
Unfortunately, Mr. Mason did not live to complete his vision, and Mr. Romney Sr. had other ideas which did not involve running a car company for too long. The Romney-Nance spat also led to the failed merger of Packard and AMC. Such is history.
An interesting tidbit as regards AMC’s European-ness is that in the late 1950s, AMC discussed a partnership with Standard-Triumph to help American Motors get into the European market. This was I think around 1959-60.
Thanks. I didn’t know that.
Standard-Triumph weren’t exactly going gangbusters then.
I think Rambler Americans were sold in France via Renault, were often used as taxis, & thus initiated the AMC “French Connection.”
Very interesting Tom. I’ve never seen the stacked headlight frontal treatment on this body shell before, can’t decide if it works or not – but I’m leaning towards ‘not’. I do like really long front fenders though, and that aqua interior colour is divine!
Count me as another fan of the aqua interior. It was very popular in the U.S. in the mid 60s, and was one of my favorites. The interior of my 66 Fury III was that shade, and I enjoyed it every day.
There was a 66/7 Amby coup’e sold in NZ new only one though as far as I know it was in the Waikato for a while it now resides at Sandspit near Warkworth at a friends house, not a bad looking car from what Ive seen.
It’s funny that these seemed way more foreign to me than Studebakers in those days. While I spent time around several Studes, I never knew anybody with one of these and never rode in one. Then again, I grew up in northern Indiana, about 50 miles from South Bend.
I think that 1965 was a unique year for these. It was the last year before the big 3 would come out with competitive intermediates of comparable size and features, and the first year without that pesky Studebaker stealing a few sales with its nicely trimmed Cruisers. These were perfectly styled for 1965-66, and I am a little surprised that they didn’t sell better. But I suppose that in an era of prosperity and cheap gas, bigger was usually seen as better and there were a lot of very attractive cars to choose from.
And we thank you for your automotive clairvoyance in snagging these shots for us to enjoy all these years later along with a very good morning read.
You could still drive off in a new Stude Cruiser sedan in ’65 and ’66, even though they didn’t come from South Bend anymore. I remain mystified as to why Studebaker was collapsing just as AMC was enjoying their best years, given how similar the ’64-66 Lark looks to the Rambler Classic of that era, and how fully competitive they seem performance- and feature-wise to either AMC’s offering or those from the big 3.
I remain mystified as to why Studebaker was collapsing just as AMC was enjoying their best years, given how similar the ’64-66 Lark looks to the Rambler Classic of that era, and how fully competitive they seem performance- and feature-wise to either AMC’s offering or those from the big 3.
Studebaker suffered from the perception that their cars would soon be orphans. They also suffered from what was essentially a 1953 frame. The old frame did not allow for footwells, so to accommodate the lower roofline that was fashionable by the early 60s, while maintaining headroom, the front seat had to be lowered, which ment the seat had to be moved back to maintain legroom. The changes to the front seat left less legroom for the back seat, so the back seat was mounted higher, which sharply restricted headroom.
Look at how the seats are arranged in this 63 Studie
Here’s a 63 Ambassador, with it’s unibody platform which allows footwells. Not only is the seat higher, but the seat cushion is more horizontal, so it doesn’t force the occupant to fold up like a jackknife.
When my mom was new car shopping in 64, she rejected the Olds F-85 because the seats were too close to the floor. The Rambler Classic she bought was much more comfortable.
I don’t recall how tall I was when I was 12, but I rode from Michigan to Florida and back in the back seat of that Rambler and was completely comfortable, not cramped at all.
As many Studes as I’ve seen, I’ve never actually sat in one, though I recall peering through the window at the rear-seat footwell in a ’55 Speedster and seeing a stepped floor that resulted in back seat passengers having room for only one of their feet, and thinking my eyes must be deceiving me because there’s no way they’d actually design it that way. I have a ’64 Studebaker brochure that actually brags about how flat the floor is.
I don’t know enough about automotive engineering to know how much it would have cost to reshape the frame to allow for full-width footwells front and rear, but I do know there’s been loads of other body-on-frame cars that somehow made room for recessed footwells between the frame members. If I were in charge, revamping the frame would take precedence over annual styling changes for one year. Studebaker had low-roof coupes and hardtops starting right from 1953, so they should have known enough to design the frame to allow room for feet.
Did that strange half-footwell design last all the way through the final ’64 Hawks or was it discontinued in favor of a flat (but higher) floor at some point? The sedans got a lower roof in ’58, wagons a year later, but I don’t think they ever had anything but a flat floor completely above the frame.
I do know there’s been loads of other body-on-frame cars that somehow made room for recessed footwells between the frame members.
Here is an illustration of an Avanti frame. You can see the outriggers from the side frame rails that support the body. Only the Avanti and Lark convert had the X member in the middle. This frame was cut down from the 53 frame.
If you saw correctly that the Speedster had a tiny footwell, you can see why the footwell was so narrow: it was restricted by the frame rail. I don’t know how long that tiny footwell may have persisted. It may have been for the extra low coupes only. I don’t recall such a footwell in either the 56 Commander or 60 Lark that I grew up with.
Most automakers used a perimeter frame, where the side rails bow out under the passenger compartment to allow footwells. GM for a while used an X frame, with no side rails at all, just the center spine formed by the X, to allow footwells.
However much a new frame would have cost for the Lark, it was more than the company was willing to spend
Geez, couldn’t they purchase a chassis from Gm, Ford, or Chrysler?
Throw the red two-door in the dryer too long, et voila: ’67 Valiant.
I must be old (54) because many of the readers say that they have never seen cars like this in the metal.As a kid in the 1960′ Brooklyn,ny they were common.The local dealer was Triad motors on 39th st My dad looked at a 1966 Classic 660 then waited to buy a 1967 Valiant Signent
Ditto. I’m now in my fifties, but in the 1960 and early 70’s AMCs/Ramblers in the S.F. Bay Area were EVERYWHERE. Maybe not as common as VWs or Datsun pickups/Toyota Coronas . . . but you’d see Ramblers everwhere. Mostly Americans. Two big dealers: Dexter in San Rafael and Melody Rambler in Daly City. Ironically, both would become very big (and profitable) Toyota dealers.
Congrats to the S.F. Giants who now advance onto the NLCS.
I lived in Wisconsin in the late 70’s. My boss at the time had a mid-70’s Ambassador (in gold). He fondly called it the Kenosha Cadillac. It was a nice car but met an unfortunate end with an interstate sign.
Another friend had a Matador…but that’s another story.
The reason for the weird 880 trim line is that AMC’s new head, Roy Abernathy, wanted to compete model for model with the Big Three. The Ambassador was intended to go up against full-sized Fords, Chevys and Plymouths.
The long-term goal appeared to be to shift sales from the Classic to the Ambassador. In a way that made sense because AMC could generate a larger profit. The problem was that the Ambassador wasn’t a very good deal. Even once its wheelbase was stretched to 122 inches in 1969 it still had the roominess of a mid-sized car. And there was nothing particularly innovative or luxurious about its design.
Not surprisingly, Ambassador sales never took off. But because AMC gave most of its attention during that period to the Ambassador rather than its mid-sized cars, sales of the latter fell drastically. Meanwhile, AMC, which had pioneered luxury mid-sized cars in the early 1960s, didn’t offer them just as that market came into it own in the early 1970s.
The failure of the Ambassador gambit goes a long way toward explaining AMC’s financial troubles in the late 60s. Abernathy has received the blame for this ill-fated strategy, but note that his successor, Roy Chapin, continued to field a “full-sized” Ambassador through 1974. At heart he was a big-car guy too.
In Chapin’s defense, I believe that the Ambassador’s tooling for 1969-70 was largely set by the time he assumed leadership at AMC in 1967. He may have continued the car to wring as much money out of the tooling as possible. The Ambassador didn’t change all that much from 1970 until its demise at the end of the 1974 model year.
Since the Rebel/Matador still shared a fair amount of parts with the Ambassador (I believe that both cars shared the same basic platform), continuing the Ambassador allowed AMC to spread the costs over a larger volume base.
What I always wondered is why AMC didn’t try to upgrade the interior trim on the Hornet in the early 1970s, as it was becoming apparent that interest in compacts was increasing, but buyers wanted all of the trimmings. Early 1970s Hornets (and Gremlins) have very cheap interiors. I know, because I learned to drive on a 1973 Gremlin, and I thought the interior was distressingly cheap even at that time.
Ford exploited the luxury compact trend first with the LDO option on the Maverick and Comet, and Chrysler followed with the Dart SE and Valiant Brougham. AMC was the last to join that trend with the 1978 Concord, when it should have been first.
Geeber, you make reasonable points, but I’d suggest that you are too kind to Chapin. He could have changed course with the Ambassador at any number of points over a seven-year period but didn’t. For example, by 1971 it should have been clear that AMC’s invasion of the full-sized field was a complete failure. So when the Rebel was given a facelift Chapin could have slapped on the Ambassador name and gone after the growing luxury mid-sized market.
(Note that basing two nameplates on the same platform can be counter-productive if your total volume falls too low, which is what had happened by the early-70s. AMC could no longer afford to adequately market both a mid-sized and full-sized car.)
You make a good — and somewhat similar — point about AMC’s failure to respond to the rise of the luxury compact market. Chapin was too fixated on sporty coupes to bother . . . until it was too late.
The conventional wisdom is that Roy Abernathy was AMC’s worst CEO; I’d instead argue that Roy D. Chapin, Jr. destroyed American Motors’ viability as an independent automaker. His prescience with the Jeep purchase was more than outweighed by sales disasters such as the second-generation Javelin, Matador coupe and Pacer. Abernathy was incompetent but Chapin was downright reckless.
Very, very nice indeed. Lots of AMCs in the neighborhood where I grew up. I especially like that lilac color, too, but prefer it on a 1965 Chevy sports coupe instead…
AMC also had an attractive light green to add to the lilac and aqua.
This feature car is another example of a car I would not have wanted until now. In 65, the car was a plain jane, in any trim level. Today, I’d be proud to own it.
Surprisingly elegant car. It makes me think of a grown-up ’67 Valiant. (Not that Valiants are bad-looking!)
I like that AMC copied their model numbers from the fabulous Convair jetliners.
Not a good sign though; the 880 & 990 were Convair’s equivalents of the Edsel, & were commercial failures (102 airframes all told). A major reason was 5-across seating; while the 707 was being designed from the Dash-80 prototype, Boeing widened the fuselage twice to appease potential customers, yet Convair, late to the party, didn’t heed this. And Boeing’s 720 was an effective riposte.
Man, to me that is one ugly car. It really looks like it was designed in the Soviet Union, not Wisconsin.
Actually, it was designed in Michigan, built in Wisconsin. AMC’s HQ was in the Detroit area.
What I want to know, is how this car maintained the older license plate? We (Illinois) switched over to the “Lincoln’s head” plates starting in 2001, and finished for the most part by 2005 or so.
That’s because I took the pictures in February 1999.
The Ambassador had two years where it was reasonably good-looking. 1965 was not one of them.
I liked this generation Ambassador. The ’66, however, was a much more handsome car. AMC marketed this as a car for “those who wanted their luxury now.” The 327 four-pot and the power/weight ratio would make the Ambassador a lively performer. It’s antiquated torque-tube drive and mushy deep coils and wimpy (by 21st century standards) drum brakes, did not.
Dad bought a 65 Ambassador 990 wagon, red, which was my first drive; it was a very good car, for its time. Oddly, he traded shortly after for a gorgeous blue 1966 Ambassador 990 station wagon with the fake woodgrain. The new 66’s best feature were the split front seats which reclined – a boon to ‘making out’ for a 16 year old lothario wannabe in 1967 Fort Worth. It had everything except power windows. I had to unscrew the speedo cable then attach it back near the end of the night lest Dad discover how far I was Rambling in his work car. Then out of the blue he came home with a new car. He had traded ‘my’ beloved make-out Rambler for a butt ugly greenish plain no-frills Plymouth station wagon that did not even have power brakes – and worse yet had a bench front seat with no reclining. I struggled with those ‘standard’ brakes, and when he sold it the buyer went straight out and installed power brakes. I was disappointed that he traded off that beautiful Ambassador 990 – I would have bought it, being rather practical and hoping to eventually convince some fair maiden to not be a fair maiden with me, or at least let me get to Second Base before I died of 60’s teen lust frustration. I had plenty of money saved up to buy that Rambler, and a steady income from my various after school and summer jobs. In fact, in 1967 I calculated I could make the down and the monthly payments on a new Corvette, if I really wanted to make that commitment (but I did not factor in insurance, since Dad always paid for that until I left home). By the time I saw muscle cars I liked (’67 GTO or Buick GSX), I had other uses for my income, so I bought a $200 ’47 Ford and drove it through high school and shortly after. Oddly, that old Ford attracted the kind of chicks that weren’t steady girlfriend types but liked me for my skinny body, if you get my drift. But what a headache it was to keep that old flathead firing with its poorly-designed distributor. The plug wires were almost impossible to get all eight making contact into the distributor at the same time, and the clunky distributor was buried deep down and behind the radiator – it burned points like most cars burn gas. I can say I never again want vacuum-powered windshield wipers or goofy from-the-floor pedals or having to park three hundred yards from the school so I could have a hill to roll down to start it on the days the battery went dead – which was most days. I learned from that 47 Ford, our 58 Bel Air, and some 60s family vehicle that some of the drive trains of 40s-50s-60s cars were worn out well before the speedo turned 100k miles. We take 150k-200k and more for granted in our current cars, and 40k or more for tires; back then tires wore out around 20k miles. But I’m Rambling now…
IKA (later acquired by Renault) in Argentina, liked a lot the 1965-66 Ambassador body, they continued to make them until 1974 or 1975 http://www.productioncars.com/gallery.php?car=9078&make=IKA&model=Renault
Also, it servy briefly as a presidential limousine in the late 1960s-early 1970s. Here a picture on this Spanish site http://www.cocheargentino.com.ar/a/autos_presidenciales.htm
WOW, a 4 door drop top Falcon Presidencial! Every Dictator should have one 🙂
My uncle had an Ambassador of this vintage. Talked about how perfect it was, especiallly the two front reclining seats. Never mind the fact he never traveled anywhere except to work. After he bought it, I remember shaking my head at how luxurious it wasn’t. The upholstery looked like after market seat covers. He had it a year, traded it in on a Plymouth Fury, and never mentioned an AMC car again.
I think I can really say that I don’t recall seeing these as a kid. Before I was born, my parents moved to the burbs from the city in the early 60s, and their car, a 1955 (or so) Mercury, died right after. They bought (I think), a 1963 Rambler, but it was the smaller Classic (?). Very plain, blue-ish aqua with matching interior. I think it was the only one in the neighborhood of mostly GM and Ford cars. And to this day, I remember searching and searching, shoving my hand between the seat cushions, for my favorite toy car (a Cadillac, I think) and never finding it. By 1969, it seemed quite old when they got another car, a ’69 Olds Delta 88 Convertible, but maybe that’s because I was 5, and it was the only car I knew. The Rambler served them for another two years as a station car. Oh yeah, and my brother pushed me out of it while on the move one day.
Being close to Kenosha, Chicagoland had lots of AMC cars in the early 60’s on the streets. This ’65 Ambassador is easily recognizable to me. But after ’67, saw fewer “big” AMC cars. The Matador was seen mostly on TV ads and cop shows.
In the 70’s Hornets and Gremlins were popular small cars, until Japan Inc grew sales #’s from Boomer Buyers.
My Dad once rented a ’71 Matador coupe. From Avis. Black vinyl top, yellow in color, stainless steel full wheel covers, black vinyl highback sem-buckets and the fender badge proudly announcing it was a “304”. My sister and I thought it was pretty cool and tried to get my Dad to buy one. AMC was the last thing on his mind in those days (or forever more). Me? I like (most) AMC products and in the 9th grade seeing a red Matador X coupe (with the rallye wheels and RSW Good Years – white stripe down the side) as looking pretty cool.
I was born in 1972 and as a small child, I recall seeing some Rambler Americans still on the road, but I have no recollection of ever seeing any of the larger AMC models of this era.
The “Kenosha Cadillac” description probably applies more to the model that succeeded this car, as it had a number of standard features that were optional on other makes. I don’t know if it’s true, but I’ve read that the Ambassador was the first car with standard air conditioning.
I’m quite partial to AMCs of this era, but those vertically-stacked quads just don’t look right coupled with those arrowhead-shaped fender tips, and the grill just has a crude look to it. I’d much rather have a ’65 or a ’66 Classic over an Ambassador.
By this time, Ambassadors weren’t, by and large, selling on their styling.
Their customer base was Aunt Ethyl…blue hair, bridge club, church suppers. She bought an Ambassador because her father had a Nash Ambassador; and HIS father was a Nash man…and so on.
Dying car companies tend to draw their customer base from family tradition; and AMC was dying an awfully long time. The stimulant shot that was the Jeep acquisition only slowed decomposition; and made for crass suitors who were actually grave-robbers vying for a good seat.
The more I looks at this car, the more I’m reminded of the classic Mercedes-Benz lines that I love, but this is definitely a different car. Especially the black version, and more especially the IKA Rambler Presidencial. This design has the mojo, for lack of a better word. If build quality could’ve been maintained, this could have swamped the market for a compact V8 luxury sedan before MB put its V8 into the S class. It’s all in the proportions. While the GT Hawk can be put down as Mercedes-inspired (its not), RamAm is a completely different car, but with the same understated, imposing presence. Yes. *Understated* is the secret. Which is why I couldn’t care less about modern MBs and BMWs kitted out with Chinese gew-gaws. Sorry for rambling. 🙂
I think it might have been a couple of years later, but I recall that the Ambassador became the first car to offer air conditioning as standard equipment.
Another AMC quirk is seen in the catalog photo of a Cross Country with a swinging door at the rear. AMC was unable to engineer a two-way gate like Ford and GM, or maybe they just couldn’t afford to, so they offered the Cross Country with either a conventional tailgate or a door — forcing you to make a choice at purchase and live with it.
The 1965-66 Ambo front end was very closely copied by the 1967 Nissan Gloria.
The two-way gate was a patented development; and AMC apparently didn’t believe it a big enough selling point to get a license and retool to use it.
Rambler wagons had the swing-out rear gate as an option long before Ford had the two-way gate. It included even a bright-metal window frame for the rear glass attached to the gate.
The brochures my old man had on the 1962 pictured and described it; and a friend’s family’s 1964 wagon was set up that way. Thinking back, I don’t remember ever seeing a swing-out gate option on any other make….
Willys Jeep Wagon.
JustPassinThru had it right-AMC built cars for blue-haired old ladies. No self-respecting swinging dick would be caught dead in one of these excrescences.
Back in 1965 I was in high school, I didn’t see many American Motors products, I don’t think anybody in my school would have been caught dead in one-their image was hopelessly square. I do remember one guy who I believe drove an Ambassador. He had mounted two large red lights on the rear package shelf that when illuminated displayed in large letters “Stop!” I also believe he had reflective red tape on the rear bumper.
I should disagree with guys who consider AMC cars resembling Europeans, even compact Americans or Pacers have definitely American car feel ,handeling, cornering and gas cosumption,
The Ambassador could have evolved to be the American BMW of 1970s, unfortunately Chapin lacked the vision to handel the turn.
It’s always fun for me to pull up to a stop signal in my ’63 Ambassador Cross Country next to a new Volvo Cross Country and let drivers behind us view the two designs and badges.
@ Tom Klockau: Love these pictures. And North Park Mall was where every 70s kid wanted to hang out in Davenport. Was this Ambassador from Schwind Boeker Buick/AMC there?
My parents bought two AMCs from them, a 72 Ambassador and a 71 Gremlin. Dad drove them to work at Rock Island Arsenal so your post brings back a lot of memories.
One more reason AMC failed: by the 70s all their models used the same cheap materials that Geeber mentioned were in his 73 Gremlin. By 1970 their reputation for quality on the decline. From what i have read starting with the new for 67 Ambassador.
Both the AMCs my folks owned were horribly built, cheap plastics abounded. I used to see them on the lot with dash pieces laying in the floor, windlacing as on our Ambassador you could stick a finger through at the corners. Cheap little braided wire held the glove box door up in our Ambo “Brougham” … the same type as the one used in the Gremlin.
As my Dad said: “If this is AMC’s best car, I’ll never buy another one”. And he never did.
Thanks for the trip back in time Tom. Would love to have any of these in the driveway right now.
Also: AMC could have blown away the luxury compact segment if it had followed it’s “Little Rich Car” advertising of the 1970 Hornet with the hardware and trim to back it up.
Worth reading again. Still a good looking car.
A note to one of the comments though: the Ambassador [and Rebel/Matador] had as much room as full size cars of the period. The Ambassador was hardly a full size with intermediate size room as claimed. Just a check of period dimensions of competitive makes easily dispels that. This is just something that people claim is true because it’s been said so many times.
Is the Earth Shoe Store still at North Park Mall ?
It’s always good to see a Klockau classic at Curbside Classics! He’s missed.
+1000
Tom, you are missed, but I do see you checking in on us in the comments from time to time. It’s always good to hear from you!
Well guys, you just have to join the party at The Brougham Society. Please consider this an official invitation from Johnny La Rue and the whole gang!
The fun never ends at TBS!
my aunt and uncle bought their 66 classic wagon from Charles Johnson in Ferguson Mo
as it was a three seat wagon you got goodyear captive air tires no spare! I remember
when they wore out they had regular tires and a spare on the roof rack!
Roy Abernethy comes in for a lot of criticism for trying to take on the big three head to head. In fairness to him, there was no place left for AMC to hide.
The 56 Rambler debuted with a typical Nash senior platform: coils and torque tube rear, rather than the leaf sprung rear used by the junior platform, and a 108″ wheelbase.
By 60, the big three all had compacts, with the Falcon and Valiant taking a page directly from the Rambler’s book: give or take 1.5″ from the Rambler’s wheelbase and OHV six.
So AMC planned the move of the “big” Rambler to a 112″ wheelbase, making it an intermediate, where there was no Ford/Chevy/Plymouth competition, but by the time the 63 made it out the plant gate, it was also bracketed by the Chevy II and Fairlane, and the Chevelle joined the crowd in 64.
So, by 64 there was no alternative to trying to meet the big three head on, because they all had invaded Rambler’s compact/intermediate turf.
I did a breakdown of AMC’s sales by platform through the 60s, and the seniors were the largest sellers until the Javelin came out in 68.
Chapin was still looking for a place to hide. They sawed off the Hornet to make the Gremlin, but within months the Pinto and Vega came out. They tried Dick Teague’s urban bubble car concept, which cannibalized Gremlin and Hornet sales for a couple years, then fizzled out.
In the Steve alternate reality, AMC had the makings for a high volume product that none of the big three could have copied for 3-4 years because they all would have had to start with a clean sheet, but that is 20/20 hindsight on my part. And when the big three did catch up, AMC would be right back where it was in 1970.
> Roy Abernethy comes in for a lot of criticism for trying to take on the big three head to head. In fairness to him, there was no place left for AMC to hide.
There was one place: Jeeps. And of course AMC took full advantage of that, buying Jeep from Kaiser in 1970 and claiming a sizable swath of the growing SUV market for itself. As well as pioneering the AWD sedan/wagon a decade later with the Eagle – only a modest success, but something that had no Big 3 competition whatsoever.
There was one place: Jeeps. And of course AMC took full advantage of that, buying Jeep from Kaiser in 1970 and claiming a sizable swath of the growing SUV market for itself. As well as pioneering the AWD sedan/wagon a decade later with the Eagle – only a modest success, but something that had no Big 3 competition whatsoever.
All true, but Jeep was going to hit the wall soon. The CJ5 had been in production since 1954 with only minor changes. the Wagoneer since 63, and the Gladiator pickup since 62. Safety and CAFE regs were going to force a complete redesign of the entire line. As it turned out, Renault paid for that redesign, resulting in the 84 Cherokee XJ, 85 Comanche pickup and the Wrangler in 86.
When Chrysler bought AMC in 87, they not only got the Jeep name, they got a full line of state of the art Jeep platforms.
….not to mention some talented engineers, and the Eagle Premier platform which provided the basis for Chrysler’s LH cars.
The Eagle Premier platform and the brand new Brampton plant were the Eagle was built. All built on Renault’s dime.
The Wagoneer was built until 1991 basically unchanged though, wasn’t it ?
The Wagoneer was built until 1991 basically unchanged though, wasn’t it ?
I believe you are correct, sold as the “Grand Wagoneer” or “Grand Cherokee” or some such. I don’t believe I have sales numbers broken down by model and year close at hand, but I would be surprised if they sold in significant numbers, compared to the downsized model, which the current Jeep Patriot pays tribute to.
Seen this rather crusty example around here
It seems that AMC loved to recycle style cues(ether by design or due to finances) and (re)used a variation of the Ambassador 880 grill and stacked lights on the 1980’s Jeep XJ Wagoneer.
AMC was chased into the niches by the Big Three each time they fielded that next-identified splinter segment. AMC missed the pony car initiation, responded ham-handedly with the Marlin, finally got it right with the Javelin about when then that segment faded.
The Ambassador had been the darling of the blue-hair crowd, but was sized to what was to become called “International-Sized”. It would have taken vision on their part, but benchmarking Ambassador in trim, finish and equipment on the SEL Mercedes and comparable BMW but at an attractive price could have developed into a solid market. The concept of higher levels of build quality for an Ambassador may seem an oxymoron but it was something generally unavailable elsewhere in the market then. Wonder if it would have worked?
It would have taken vision on their part,
AMC had plenty of vision. The big three didn’t build the Pacer. We laff at it now, but it was a valid proposal. We had been seeing bubble cars like that in SciFi movies for years. And the Pacer sold very well in it’s first couple years. The downside is, when comparing the yearly numbers, it’s apparent the Pacer cannibalized Hornet and Gremlin sales. so the company really didn’t gain anything for the millions they spent developing the Pacer.
benchmarking Ambassador in trim, finish and equipment on the SEL Mercedes and comparable BMW
The Steve alternate reality has a cabal of people form an ad hoc group from members of both the small and large platform groups that are fascinated by the BMW Bavaria, and particularly the Audi 100LS and Saab 99. They start thinking of a premium level trim small car, with maximized interior space, something the Pacer was also aiming for. For the packaging advantages, they start looking at front wheel drive, which was considered for the Pacer. They reject the early 70s fuselage styling for a boxier look, with thinner doors, along the lines of the Audi and Saab.
Rummaging around in the parts bin, they start looking at the ex-Buick V6, the tooling for which still sits in the Toledo Jeep plant. A new crank with offset rod journals tames the uneven timing shake. Can’t install it longitudinally, like Audi, because no available automatic transmission for that layout can take the torque of that V6. Put it in backwards, like the Saab 99, with all the accessory drives and the water pump up against the firewall?…ummm…no. Sideways? The engine is plenty short. Where to get a tranny? Turns out that Borg Warner has, in production, for the Austin Landcrab, a transverse adaptation of their Type 35 automatic. Can the 35 internals take the power of the V6? Rover is using the rear drive version behind their 3.5 V8, which puts out more HP and torque than the V6, so that would be affirmative.
What sort of suspension? Saab is using upper and lower A arms with high mounted coils in front and a beam axle, with trailing arms and coils in the rear. Simple and well understood by AMC engineers, so they run with that layout.
Ford introduces the LDO Maverick in 72, and it finds good acceptance. Chapin is encouraged that the concept of a luxury compact may work in the US. The Mustang II debuts with it’s high level Ghia trim for 74, and sells. Spy info on the upcoming Ford Granada shows a move away from fuselage styling to a boxy profile. The price of gas doubles, forcing full size car owners into smaller cars. Chapin authorizes 24/7 work to get the new Ambassador ready for fall 74 to replace the 1967 senior platform.
Presenting, for your approval: the 1975 Ambassador.
Not surprisingly, forward thinking and amazing luck combined to make the 75 Ambassador a hit beyond AMC’s wildest dreams.
As the group that had created it was formed of people from both the small and large platform groups, they had created a “plan B”. “Plan B” was in case they could not get the luxury Ambassador approved. “B” was a replacement for the Hornet and Gremlin, based on the same platform and powertrain as the Ambassador, so all that work would not be wasted, but with a lower trim level, clipped front and rear overhangs and a hatchback body.
For your consideration, “Plan B”, 1978.
With profits rolling in from the Ambassador and Plan B, eventually named Concord, Jerry Meyers, having become CEO on Roy Chapin’s retirement in 77, authorizes the long overdue replacement of the 1960s vintage CJ5, Gladiator and Wagoneer with new, downsized models, powered by the AMC V8, and the rear drive version of the V6. The excessively long and heavy in line 6s are retired.
The new Cherokee and Wagoneer go down in history as the beginning of the swing in American tastes to SUVs.
The ’74 Matador coupe was meant to please the Buff Books, and NASCAR. Was aimed at Charger, Gran Torino fastback and Colonnade Chevelle. But it missed the market for personal lux coupes. The fastbacks were fading fast, and NASCAR didnt drive car sales in the 70’s anymore.
All the cash blown on the Buff book “Ohh-ahhh coupe” should have went to improved Hornet, Gremlin, and a more formal Matador lines.
The ’74 Matador coupe was meant to please the Buff Books, and NASCAR. Was aimed at Charger, Gran Torino fastback and Colonnade Chevelle.
Yup. Makes you wonder. At least the two door Torino and the Chevelle used a lot of the sedan tooling, especially the front clip. The two door Torinos also rode on a shorter wheelbase than the sedan, like the Matador.
The Matador, besides the shorter platform, which I would not be surprised to learn was a recycled Rebel floorpan, had unique sheetmetal all over. Haven’t seen a two door so radically different from it’s sedan stablemate since the 53 Studebaker, and we know how that worked out for Studebaker.
Planning for the 74-75 models was one of those pivot points where management can make or break a company. They missed with both the Matador and Pacer, and had to go hat in hand to Renault, just like Hudson missed with the Jet, and went hat in hand to Nash.
We now know that had AMC put their limited resources into compact sized models and added four wheel drive, they would have found an awesome lifeline through the 1970s and 1980s. The Pacer was a disaster and the Matador coupe was the wrong car. There was a need to have a great compact car that could be downsized into a subcompact. Or, even better – AMC could have made the Pacer into the first minivan, as was considered during the brain storms during that car’s design.
What AMC did with the Ambassador is what an Ambassador always was – a fancy Classic with a higher profit line. After the phenomenal successes between ’58-’64, sizing the Ambassador up market was logical. As had been mentioned earlier, AMC had extensive competition in the compact market by 1964 and it seems that AMC management was frightened into not doubling down and reinvesting into their successful compact cars.
Had AMC spent 1964, modernizing their compact line, they would have had a good Mustang competitor ready as well.
I can’t fault Abernathy or Chapin. They weren’t dictators and had plenty of input from other AMC staffers, consultants and engineers. They might have signed off, but there were a lot of other brains that had worked out all the options and costs by the time either president had the final word.
No one could have predicted the Energy Crisis, the Muscle Car Era, or the Brougham Epoch. Ford got lucky, GM had enough money to throw at every problem, and Chrysler did as badly as AMC in surviving these times. AMC wasn’t the only bankrupted American auto maker by 1980. It was just the one with the fewest Federal government contacts and lobbyists to get the guaranteed loans needed to make it.
AMC could have become a Subaru in my dream. They could be making a Gremlin that looks like the Kia Soul. They just couldn’t make it.
Not the Ambassador but the modest cheapy 1965 AMC Rambler Classic was shortly time assembled in Belgium ’til 1966.
I drove a ’66 Ambassador for some years in the ’80s. They had some shortcomings that were evident even on short (e.g. test) drives. Transmission that didn’t like to downshift. Torque tube drive with unsprung weight that made the whole car shudder way too long after hitting bumps or potholes, giving it a flimsy feel. Slow, disconnected steering & audible distress from the front tires over gentle curves. A few things I remember about it.
The 232 six was super smooth and quiet and had plenty of getaway torque. Too bad the rest of the car wasn’t as pleasant.
I did have cheap bias-ply tires on it at the time. No doubt, good radials would’ve improved the handling.
The 232 cu in, 155-hp Torque Command Six is listed on the PERFORMANCE SELECTOR chart as having a 2-barrel carburetor. Typo, or did AMC really put two barrel carbs on the Ambassador six? My buddy had a ’67 Ambassador 232 and it had a single barrel carb.
My ’66 Ambassador had a 232 2 barrel.
Interesting. Was it a standard 2bbl or progressive? I don’t recall any other US straight six of that era having a 2bbl. Pontiac’s OHC 6 was available with a 4bbl, but my memory must have failed me on the 2bbl AMC. Maybe others too.
All 232’s in Ambassadors (starting with ’65) used Carter WCD 2 barrels, not progressive. The 232 was a great engine and adequate in an Ambassador, but not very exciting.
Thank you. My dad’s ’64 American had a 232 and it was bulletproof.
The sticker on the air cleaner or valve cover said “Tri-Poised Power.”
The 232 came with 1bbl (145 hp) or 2 bbl (155 hp). Our 66 Ambassador had the 155 hp.
Good to see this article again!
Interesting comments. Didn’t realize the enthusiasm for AMC products. You all might be interested in this bit of AMC history. The last AMC Matador coupe was a semi custom 1978 Barcelona model. The main difference was this one was all white. It was made for the AMC design head Richard Teague. It was sold to a collector named Green who later sold it to an unknown collector for @ $37,000. He recently sold it to another unknown for $41,000.
I love my 57 Kenosha Kadillac. Tri-tone pink/mauve/white its equipped with Power Steering, Power Brakes and Air Conditioning. The smoothest riding car, I have ever owned. It floats down the highway and I can sleep in the bed at night!