1958 - 1961 Rambler Ambassador

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General Information Body Styles And Trim Levels Engines Transmissions Production Numbers VIN Decoder Unit Body Identification Plate Bibliography

                            Development

AMC and its constituent companies, Nash and Hudson, had lost money in 1954 and 1955, and would continue to loose money during 1956 and 1957. When development of the 1958 models began in early 1956,  the outlook was bleak and would become more so throughout the year.  The challenge the company was facing was that, on the one hand, the success of the 1958 models would be imperative for the survival of the company, and on the other,  the resources available required creative reuse of existing body structures, powertrains and components rather than the development of something brand new.  As it turned out, the company, under the leadership of AMC President George Romney, succeeded brilliantly at creative reuse, aided by  increasing consumer interest in products somewhat smaller, more economical and less flamboyant than what AMC's competitors were offering. There were some compromises during development, but buyers were not deterred.  AMC earned a profit for the first time in 1958, and the 1958 cars, appropriately updated, continued to generate profits until they were replaced in 1963.

The Ambassador model would be a replacement for the Nash and Hudson makes which would not be built after 1957.  The Ambassador was intially intended to be sold with Nash and Hudson badges through existing Nash and Hudson dealers, but it became apparent  in mid 1957 that a consolidation of the two networks into a single AMC Rambler network was an economic necessity.  As a replacement for Nash and Hudson,  the Rambler Ambassador would have to offer more to justify its higher price. A larger body shell than that used for the 108" wheelbase Rambler would have been ideal, but AMC did not have the resources to produce two separate body shells.  They had to extend the Rambler body shell 9 inches forward of the cowl to accomodate the larger V8 that would be standard in the Ambassador, and thus they got their larger car. They did not get a larger interior.  This was an essential compromise given the financial constraints at the time.

The Ambassador received a 5.35 liter V8 as standard equipment, compared with the 4.1 liter V8 that was optional equpment in the 108" wheelbase models.  That, and a standard anti-sway stabilizer bar on the front suspension, were the only mechanical differences between the two cars. The increased power was just enough to offset the additional weight. both cars were good straight line performers, which was the only measure of performance for most U.S. car buyers in 1958, and, according to contemporary evaluations, consumed slightly less fuel than their counterparts because of their lower weight.

                   The Rambler Ambassador on the market

All three 1958 Rambler lines were promoted as "compacts", and that was a magic word in 1958. A better term would have been practical design :  comfortable 5/6 passenger interior, less exterior size and vehicle weight. Only the 100" wheelbase American was truly a compact. But "compact" worked.  It worked so well that it prompted AMC's four competitors to introduce their own compacts, starting in 1959.

The Ambassador was sold as a "luxury compact", but at 3500 pounds it was not  compact. However, it was more so than the 1958 Dodge, Pontiac Chieftain and wagon, Edsel Ranger/Pacer/wagon , which sold for the same price but weighed between 150 and 200 pounds more for comparable models.  So with the Ambassador, Rambler dealers could offer their customers a larger car with a more powerful V8 and a more luxurious interior than were offered in the smaller Rambler. All  Ramblers used unit body construction, not available in any other U.S. cars except for the expensive Lincoln and Ford Thunderbird,  a more thorough anti  rust immersion process than available elsewhere, and, because of the success of the 1958 Ramblers, excellent resale value.  What they could not offer was a larger interior than the 108"  Rambler. While some of their competitors could not do so either - the cost saving measure of stretching a body shell forward of the cowl to create a larger car without expanding the passenger compartment was common then and it is today. However, in public perception, a Pontiac was a step up from a Chevrolet, a Rambler Ambassador was a Rambler.  These two factors - lack of a separate nameplate and lack of a larger interior probably limited marketplace acceptance of the  Rambler Ambassador.

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              Body Styles and Trim Levels

The Ambassador was offered in Super and Custom trim, the difference being more luxurious interior trim and exterior chrome on the Custom.  A Deluxe was offered for fleet sales from 1959 on.  All body styles were 4 door. This was another compromise of the development process.  Four door models were more popular than two door, so to cut costs, the 108" body shell, and the 117" Ambassador body shell developed from it, were only available in 4 door body styles. However, hardtop body styles  were popular in 1956, so both the 108" Rambler and the Ambassador that followed were available as 4 door hardtops and 4 door hardtop wagons, which was an AMC innovation.  The pillarless designs were expensive to manufacture and proved to be less popular than expected, so they were dropped after 1960. Although AMC would offer convertibles in the future, they never again offered a 4 door pillarless body style.

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                                    Engines

The only engine offered on the 1958 - 1961 Rambler Ambassador was a 5.35 liter V8. For 1958 and 1959, only was version was available : 4 barrel Holley carburetor, 9.7 : 1 compression ratio, 270 hp.. For 1960 and 1961, that version became optional. The standard engine fo 1960 and 1961 was a  2 barrel Holley, 8.7 : 1 compression ratio, 250 hp.

                        Transmissions

A  three speed manual transmission was standard for all models, all years; an optional overdrive was available. However, it is likely that almost all of these cars came with "Flash o Matic", a three speed automatic manufactured by Borg Warner with a push button dash control.

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Production Numbers

VIN Decoder

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Unit Body Identification Plate

Body

Model

Trim

Paint

The following colors were available in ????-????. The original color can be determined by looking at the Paint code on the body tag. If there are two codes separated by a dash, the first code is the primary body color and the second code is the upper body (sometimes roof) or accent color. For example, a car that was black with a white top would have a paint code of 1-72. Paint codes may also be prefixed with a P or suffixed with an A. Note that some cars were painted non-standard colors. These cars will typically have a code such as " 00" or "SPEC". This was reserved for large orders in the special color, usually for fleet use.

Color samples can be viewed at http://autocolorlibrary.com/aclns.html

Sequential Assembly Number

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Bibliography

The following sources were used to verify the information contained on this page:

• Series 5800 summary of U.S. production - automobiles. AMC internal memo.
• Series 5900 summary of U.S. production - automobiles. AMC internal memo, dated 9/17/59.
• Rambler sales catalogs, 1958 - 1961.
• AMCRC Rambler Club. 1958 - 1969 Rambler production handbook.
• John Gunnell. Standard catalog of American cars, 1946 - 1975. Kraus Publications, 2002.
• Auto Editors of Consumer Guide. Encyclopedia of American cars. Publications International, 2006.
• Ward's automotive yearbook, 1959 - 1962.
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• Resource 2

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