Seventh generation AMC Ambassador

1 seventh generation

1.1 1969
1.2 1970
1.3 1971
1.4 1972
1.5 1973

seventh generation

1969

in 1969, ambassador received major restyling, 4-inch (102 mm) gain in overall length , wheelbase. 122-inch (3,099 mm) wheelbase accompanied increase in front , rear track 58.5 60 inches (1,486 1,524 mm). front end appearance revised new quad headlight clusters mounted horizontally in new molded plastic grille. grille blackout chrome horizontal bar connected headlight clusters. hood redesigned accommodate grille s raised center portion, , faintly recalled packard s classic grille/hood combination. richard a. teague, amc s vice president of styling, had worked @ luxury car manufacturer before joining amc. parking lights rectangular , mounted horizontally in recessed wells in front bumper, beneath each set of headlights. entire front fascia leaned forward lend air of forward motion car s appearance.

1969 ambassador hardtop in belgium



1969 ambassador sedan standard interior

at rear, ribbed rectangular taillights mounted inboard ambassadors rearward-thrusting rear fenders. square ribbed marker lights of similar height mounted @ trailing edge of each fender side. deck lid had higher lift over. base , dpl models had no decorative panel connecting taillights while top-line sst versions featured panel painted red match taillights. station wagons saw vertical wraparound taillights replacing previous hooded units, not visible side. 1969 amc ambassador smooth, powerful, well-proportioned sedan did not else on road.

the interiors upgraded , new hooded dashboard clustered instruments , controls in front of driver. there increased emphasis on luxury-type trim , features. base model two-door hardtop dropped 1969.

the 1969 ambassador stressed luxury, marketing tagline developed mary wells lawrence @ wells rich greene agency, tying car s value, remind of days when money bought something. combination of rich velour upholstery, individually adjustable reclining seats, standard air conditioning, , longer wheelbase highlighted in advertisements ambassador s posh limousine ride @ economical price. 1 aspect of new advertising theme included many amc dealers inviting prospective customers call , request demonstration ride , in uniformed chauffeur arrive @ prospect s home , drive them around in ambassador sst sedan. amc s efforts worked, , ambassador sales shot again.

1969 ambassador royale stretch limo armbruster/stageway

not did amc promote 1969 ambassador having limousine ride , deluxe appointments, chicago auto leasing executive, robert estes, had armbruster/stageway company convert ambassadors real 24-foot (7.3 m) limousines riding on 158-inch (4,013 mm) wheelbase. known royale stretch limo, 1 owned state of wisconsin official vehicle governor warren knowles. conversions unusual in did not keep stock rear doors—as typical in limos. doors welded shut , ambassadors lengthened inserting section behind original b-pillar had entirely new central door in center making large opening entry , egress. four-inch (100 mm) steel i-beams bridge expanse created stretch. power comes amx 315 hp (235 kw; 319 ps) 390 cu in (6.4 l) v8 engine backed borgwarner automatic transmission , twin-grip limited-slip differential 3.15 gears.

american motors exported ambassadors united states, assembled under license complete knock down (ckd) kits. adapted requirements of different markets, including right-hand drive (rhd) versions.

1970

1970 ambassador sst 2-door hardtop

for 1970 model year, rear half of ambassador hardtop coupes , sedans treated overhaul shared intermediate 1970 amc rebel. on hardtop coupes, restyling resulted in sloping roofline saw upswept reverse-angle quarter windows. belt line kicked @ point hardtop s rear windows swept upward, , tapered fender end, meeting new loop-type rear bumper.

on sedans, roof line showed slimmer c-pillar , squared-off rear door windows, , met belt line kicked beneath trailing edge of each rear door window. belt line tapered same rear fascia hardtop coupe s. rear fascia contained new ribbed taillight lens stretched wall-to-wall , included twin square white reverse light lenses in center.

station wagons received no change rooflines, doors, , rear fascias. however, ambassadors received new extruded aluminum grille @ front, featuring several spaced bright horizontal bars 1 wide, body colored horizontal grille bar extending each headlight cluster. 290 cu in (4.8 l) v8 replaced 1970 new 304 cu in (5.0 l) v8 engine. 210 hp (157 kw; 213 ps) @ 4400 rpm , 305 pound force-feet (414 n·m) of torque @ 2800 rpm standard engine on dpl , sst models. 343 cu in (5.6 l) v8 supplanted 360 cu in (5.9 l) engine available in either 2-barrel, regular gasoline, or high-output, 4-barrel, premium fuel versions. 4-barrel amx 390 cu in (6.4 l) v8 engine optional, producing 325 hp (242 kw; 330 ps) @ 3200 rpm , 420 pound force-feet (569 n·m) of torque @ 3200 rpm.

1971

1971 ambassador hardtop turbocast ii wheels 1979–83



1971 ambassador station wagon

following previous year s redesign, 1971 ambassadors received minor changes , improvements. marketing tag line year underdog asking, if had compete gm, ford , chrysler, do? —that answered amc including more features, advantages, , benefits buyers of cars compared models larger competitors. reflected shuffling ambassador models 1971 , including more equipment in standard feature list. nameless base models dropped, sedan-only dpl trim line relegated base model status, , new top-line brougham trim line added above mid-line sst models. both sst , brougham models came hardtop coupes, sedans, , wagons.

the dpl came amc s new 258 cu in (4.2 l) 150 hp (112 kw; 152 ps) inline-6 7 main bearings. ssts , broughams featured 304 cu in (5.0 l) v8 engine 210 hp (157 kw) standard. borgwarner s shift-command automatic transmissions standard equipment across line. 2 of amc s 360 cu in (5.9 l) optional; 8.5:1 compression version two-barrel carburetor or high-compression four-barrel v8 required premium-fuel. previous amx 390 v8 gave way new 401 cu in (6.6 l) 335 hp (250 kw) v8 top engine option.

styling changes consisted of new fascia front. featured headlights contained in own chrome pods separate from, flanking new grille bright rectangular surround, rounded edges. natural cast pot metal grille insert recessed , featured bright vertical bar pattern. second set of parking lights added outboard of headlight clusters, , integrated fender extension eliminate need separate front marker lights.

taillights on hardtop coupes , sedans still ran wall-to-wall, twin backup lights moved center further outboard—approximately 8 inches in either fender side. once again, wagon received few changes @ rear, added new design optional woodgrain side trim, filled in upper bodysides. lower edge flowed downward aft of peak @ leading edge above each front wheelhouse, in similar fashion buick skylark s side sweepspear styling cue.

ambassador base models offered fleet buyers various police, taxicab, , other heavy-duty packages. governments , police departments in u.s. historically used standard-size, low-price line four-door sedans. equipped 360 or 401 engines, base ambassadors saw use police cruisers , support vehicles.

1972

1972 ambassador brougham sedan

minor changes greeted 1972 ambassadors, amc s biggest news year addition of innovative amc buyer protection plan, included industry s first 12-month or 12,000-mile (19,000 km) bumper-to-bumper warranty. first time automaker promised repair wrong car (except tires) , owners provided toll-free telephone number company, free loaner car if warranty repair took overnight. backing included mechanical upgrades increase durability , quality, such standardization of electric windshield wipers on model lines, replacing amc s vacuum-powered units, better interior trims. focusing on quality, smallest domestic automaker solidly profitable 1972, earning us$30.2 million (the highest net profit achieved amc since 1964) on $4 billion in sales.

the base ambassador dpl model canceled, 3 body styles available in sst , brougham trim. fleet purchasers order plain ambassadors in police pursuit vehicle (ppv) or special service package (ssp) versions. six-cylinder engine no longer available; thus, ambassador became v8-only car first time since 1964. made ambassador volume-produced american car included air conditioning, power brakes, automatic transmission, , v8 engine standard equipment; while being priced less big 3 s full-sized cars. base engine 304 cu in (5.0 l) 2 360 cu in (5.9 l) or 401 cu in (6.6 l) versions optional. engines designed operate on regular grade, low-lead, or unleaded gasolines. based on engine designs responsible amc winning 1971–1972 trans-am series. borg-warner transmission replaced torque-command (torqueflite) three-speed automatic sourced chrysler.

styling changes on 1972 ambassador limited new crosshatch cast metal grille bright trim , new integrated fender extension mounted side marker lamps on front. brougham station wagons included roof rack, rear air deflector, 3m dinoc woodgrain trim on body sides , tailgate.

a popular mechanics magazine survey after driving total of 1,000,000 miles (1,609,344 km) found ambassador owners pleased cars, describing them comfortable drive , ride in handling listed top specific half of drivers. high percentage (92%) buy 1 again. although buyer protection plan listed 8.5% reason buy ambassador, owners valued smaller amc dealers had more time courteous , pay personal attention customers.

1973

1973 ambassador brougham sedan 401 cu in (6.6 l) v8

the sst models dropped line, 1973 ambassadors came in 1 high-level brougham trim. ten popular items including radio, power disk brakes, tinted glass, , whitewall tires added extensive standard equipment list included air conditioning, v8 engine, , automatic transmission. ambassador line maintains reputation 1 of industry s equipped cars. multiple improvements in quality designed reinforce new extended buyer protection plan exclusive amc cars provided complete maintenance coverage 2 years or 24,000 miles (38,624 km). automaker s marketing campaign shifted stress quality in them better because build them better advertising particular emphasis hornet, matador , gremlin promotion, while ambassador received got individual support tagline standard equipment, luxuries d have pay for. model year production amc increased 25 percent, outperforming industry average production increase 75 percent, changed product in showrooms.

in range rationalization single trim available in two-door hardtop, four-door sedan, , station wagon body versions, styling changes 1973 ambassadors minimal. heftier front , rear bumpers included comply new u.s. national highway traffic safety administration (nhtsa) regulations required passenger cars withstand 5-mile-per-hour (8 km/h) front , 2.5-mile-per-hour (4 km/h) rear impacts without damage engine, lights, , safety equipment. ambassadors complied regulation incorporating stronger front bumper equipped self-restoring telescoping shock-absorbers. designed give as 3.5 in (89 mm), jutted forward front fascia , incorporated flexible trim matching body paint. bumper featured more prominent horizontal rubber guard @ upper portion near grille, eliminating need pair of vertical chrome bumper guards optional before. rear bumper gained vertical black rubber bumper guards replaced pair of similar , optional chrome bumper guards. grille gained heavier horizontal bars , headlight bezels took on blackout trim in recessed portions.