DOCSLIB.ORG

American Motors Corporation Model Descriptions and General Information

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
American Motors Corporation Model Descriptions and General Information American Motors Corporation Model Descriptions and General Information Ambassador: 1958 - 1961 Dropping the "Nash" and "Hudson" names from the Ambassador line was a last minute decision made by George Romney, who felt that "Rambler should be the brand name. AMC would later live to regret this decision, but 1958-1961 would seem to vindicate this decision. A number of cars were made with Nash and Hudson emblems ahead of the Ambassador nameplates on the sides of the front fenders. Factory photos exist showing the "Nash Ambassador" nameplates on these cars. Early factory literature also has noticeable airbrushing of the Nash emblems out of the catalogs. 1958 Ambassador Custom 4-Door Hardtop. The decision accomplished one thing; "Hudson" died as a nameplate, never to be resurrected. 1958 Ambassador The 1958 Ambassador was built using the 108" Rambler chassis, but nine more inches were added to the front end past the cowl. Thus the wheelbase of the Ambassador was increased from 108" to 117. This was intended to give the Ambassador a more elegant look - but in a way, it was a scam, because the Ambassador had no more interior room than a Rambler! Ambassadors came in four- door sedan, four-door hardtop sedan, and station wagon body 1958 Ambassador Super 4-Door Sedan. styles. Model offerings were constant from 1958 through 1960. The 1958 car carried "Ambassador" model identification just above the grille, on the front fenders, and on the rear deck lid. The side of the car featured dual "jet-stream" side moldings, which were painted a contrasting color on Super Models, with paint used for the insert complementing the body colors. "Super" nameplates were on rear fenders of Super models. Silver aluminum side trim was used inside the moldings on Custom models. Custom series cars also had model nameplates on the rear deck lid or tailgate. Three bright metal windsplits were placed on the 1958 Ambassador Custom Hardtop rear window pillars of hardtops and sedans and on the wide pillars Station Wagon. of station wagons. 1958 Production bounced back to a healthy 14 thousand; almost 5 times the 1957 total. 1959 Ambassador The 1959 Ambassador retained the same basic styling from 1958, with the changes being similar to those that were made on the Rambler and Rambler Rebel V8. The gap above the upper grille bar now had "Ambassador" spelled out in stand-up block letters; and similar lettering appeared on the deck lid or tailgate. Custom models had silver aluminum trim inside dual side moldings, in a similar effect to 1958. However, these were "Scotch-Lite" 1959 Ambassador Custom 4-Door Hardtop. reflecting panels and were found on the rear of the back fenders (see picture). The four-door hardtop was now called "Custom Country Club"; and this name was written on the rear fender wingtips. The other models, depending on their trim line, read "Custom" or "Super" in the same area. The front of the side trim spear had "Ambassador" lettering at its tip. The side trim, although similar to the Rambler, had more of a lightning bolt shape than a missile look. The upper molding "zigged'" ala a lighting bolt, just below the rear side window, but the lower molding did not, running straight back to the wing-end. The 1959 Ambassador Custom 4-Door Sedan. Ambassador grille was distinctive in that it had a full-width horizontal central bar, instead of a cellular grid type insert. Like the 1958 model, the bar had a V-shaped dip at its center. Production for 1959 rose to almost 24 thousand – nearly twice 1958. 19 American Motors Corporation Model Descriptions and General Information 1960 Ambassador The continuing tweaking of the 1958 redesign actually came to maturity in the 1960 model, not in the last year, 1961. The 1960 car, like the Rambler, was clean and crisp, with all the elements working together, rather than looking like a bunch of add-ins to the 1957 car. The roof was lined up with the rest of the car, unlike the earlier versions, which were thinly disguised versions of the '57 Rambler's. The extra nine inches in wheelbase now worked to its advantage – making the car look much more elegant and flowing, where the Rambler might have looked "boxy". 1960 Ambassador Custom 4-Door Hardtop. On the Ambassador series, the letters above the grille spelled "Ambassador", and the name also appeared on the deck lid or wagon tailgate as well. This car featured the new compound wraparound windshield and a distinctive grille design. The lower grille insert was aluminum and ran fully across the front of the car with a pattern of medium sized square openings stamped out of the metal. The front fender ornaments were a "bomb-sight" design, then quite popular. The side trim was made up of dual moldings running in a tapering line from the middle of the extreme rear side of the body and 1960 Ambassador Super 4-Door Sedan. coming to a point on the front fender just in back of the dual headlamps. On Custom models, an aluminum beauty panel insert was placed within the moldings and, on all models, the word "Ambassador" was inset into the molding at the front tip. Scripts placed on the deck lid of passenger models or tailgate of station wagons identified Super or Custom models. Foam rear seat cushions; full wheel discs; electric clock; padded dashboard and padded sun visors were standard on Customs. An inexpensive DeLuxe series was built in limited numbers as a 4 and 2-Door model for fleet use only and was not shown in the brochures with regular car models. The car sold in almost exact numbers of 1960 Ambassador Custom the previous year with 23,798 units leaving the factory. 4-Door Hardtop Station Wagon. 1961 Ambassador The 1961 Ambassador was promoted as a high-performance Luxury "compact", though the wheel base of the car and its exterior dimensions did not change. This was likely in response to the fact that all other makes in the Ambassador's supposed market were longer, lower and wider as each year went on, and the Ambassador had not changed since 1958. In and attempt to distinguish the Ambassador from the Rambler, which it had looked exactly like since 1958, the 1961 the Ambassador received an unusual new front end design. The front body styling was highly revised. Although based on Rambler Classic sheetmetal, the front wheel openings were 1961 Ambassador Custom 4-Door Sedan. extended into a highly sculptured, bullet-shaped panel which blended into protruding, flat bullet-shaped front fenders where the headlights were located. The entire front panel of the car was set back several inches from the fender tips where they joined the new front bumper. There was a new one-piece aluminum grille, one- piece front bumper and bold dual headlights. The grille was "veed" toward the top and angled backwards so as to end up under the jutting hood. This gave the front of the car an odd "protruding chin" look. The grill contained seven fine horizontal bars and a trapezoidal outer surround. A gold "Ambassador" script was located in the lower left corner. An Ambassador shield also appeared at the center of the hood, just above the grille. 1961 Ambassador Super 4-Door Sedan. Side trim included identification for the Super or Custom series just ahead of the front wheel openings. A horizontal side spear was 20 American Motors Corporation Model Descriptions and General Information fitted that branched out into a dual molding on the rear doors and fenders. This had an anodized aluminum insert on Custom series. There were identification shields on the roof pillar and fin-shaped front fender top ornaments with bright metal extensions towards the rear. New for 1961 was a low powered version 327 V8, equipped with a 2-barrel carburetor and only 8.7:1 compression. Rated at 250 horsepower, it was designed to run on regular gas and deliver better economy. This was the standard engine, with the former 270 HP 4-barrel now the "power pack" option for a hefty $47.50. Classic models had a Handi-Pak carrier, padded dash and visors; rear foam cushion and hood insulation as standard equipment. At a time when the competition was getting more luxurious, AMC decided that the hardtop station wagon and hardtop sedan were to 1961 Ambassador Custom be discontinued and were not offered in 1961. 4-Door Station Wagon. Toward the end of the year (late April 1961), a "Custom 400" series was released. This model replaced the bench front seat with bucket seats. The new look was meant to distinguish the Ambassador from the lower-priced Ramblers, but it was not a consumer success and was not well received in the automotive press. The styling of the entire AMC line had also run its course by this time. The result was a sales decline over 1960 of over 21%; down to 18,842. That failure helped to bolster the idea that the Ambassador was a high-end extension of the Rambler line rather than a uniquely styled standalone offering. The factory agreed and next year would make that thought a reality. 21 .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Sept 18—Craig Harmon “The History of Rambler And
    Sept 18—Craig Harmon “The History of Rambler and September 25th, 2012 American Motors” LAST WEEK: Sept 25—Pat Crosby “The History of Jackson Rotary Last meeting: Our guests included: Natalie Krska (Court reporter for Calaveras county), a guest of and the Personal History of Pat Crosby” Irene Perbal-Boylson, and Shawna Molina introduced by Eddie Methered. Oct 2—Club Assembly – Membership John Swift gave us some of the new procedures for the Bowl-A-Thon this year. It will occur earlier in Oct 20—BOWLATHON the day – 2:00 PM for registration with bowling to start at 3:00PM. It should all be over before dark. Nov 13—Sergeant John Silva “Office of Emergency The Club will provide the BBQ’d food (I’m not sure the timing of that), and we really need sponsors to Services Project Lifesaver” make the event work fiscally. John provided information sheets on the levels of sponsorship and Nov 20—Beth Barnard on Volcano Theatre what’s offered for /$100, $200 & $300 sponsors. The Club will soon be painting Jackson’s fire hydrants white – I gather the participants know when. Irene Perbal-Boylson urges us all to bring visitors to the Club meeting. She suggests that former members may just be waiting for an invitation to re-join. In any case – bring a guest, and let her know when you’ve earned points. Tuesday 7:15am Plymouth: 49er RV Resort Frank Halvorson brought us up-to-date on happenings at the Hotel Leger in Moke Hill. A popular TV Wednesday 12:00 show undertakes to re-vamp decrepit hotels in a blitz fashion and then air the results.
    [Show full text]
  • Classic Lines
    Classic Lines Volume XXXVI February 2012 A PUBLICATION OF THE CLASSIC CAR CLUB OF AMERICA® SOUTHERN FLORIDA REGION DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE Somewhere in our home there is a giant globe of the world. I haven’t taken a real hard look at it in years. When the Classic Car Club of America® announced that its 2012 national annual meeting would be held at Grapevine, Texas, Southern Florida Region I searched high and low for the old orb. Debbie found it in a Classic Car Club of America® closet behind my golf clubs, a box of tools and old copies of Officers and Managers National Geographic. I pulled the bulbous sphere out and dusted it off. Soon I located Texas. That was easy. But find- Director.............................Dan Hanlon ing Grapevine was hard. 330-802-0201 Located in Assistant Director.............Mike Dodge the metropolitan 239-783-1864 area of Dallas- Secretary...........................Ed Miller Fort Worth, it is 239-597-8965 called home by Treasurer...........................Bob Rohrer over 45,000 resi- 239-774-1250 dents. The town is Committees n a m e d a f t e r Activities...........................Art Polacheck grapes that grow Membership/Directory......Lee Smallridge wild throughout Head Judge........................Dick Roach the area. After our Web Master.......................Mike Dodge hosting of the last Projects..............................Phil Rector national annual meeting, I assumed the worst. What could Historian/Archivist............Dave Salzman Grapevine, Texas offer that would be comparable to Palm Sunshine............................Caroline Haire Beach at the Breakers? The answer quickly became appar- Nominations......................Ed Miller ent. For a week, people who have an unusually heightened Regional Awards...............Denise Hatton appreciation for Full Classic® motor cars congregated in this CLASSIC LINES-Editor….Ed Miller land of grapes just as they did the year before in Palm Beach Editing Proofreader............Joe Malaney and had a great time.
    [Show full text]
  • AM Spirit the Newsletter of the Northern Ramblers Car Club Canada’S National AMC Enthusiast Group Since 1979 in Our Forty-First Year
    AM Spirit The Newsletter of the Northern Ramblers Car Club Canada’s National AMC Enthusiast Group Since 1979 In Our Forty-First Year September / October 2020 AM Spirit is the official publication of the Northern Ramblers Car Club Inc., promoting the “spirit” of the American Motors Corporation family of cars from 1902 - 1988. It is published six times a year. Deadlines for submissions for the newsletter are the 28th January, March, May, July, September & November. Allow seven days delivery for submissions sent by Canada Post’s regular service. Non profit #: 1335833 ISSN #: 1481-8086 Dues: $35.00 per year, for Canadian residents, US$40.00 for US residents. US$50.00 Int’l. Advertising rates: $100.00 per year for 6 business card size ads and membership. Larger ads, please call for rates. PRESIDENT Our Club exchanges newsletters and/or infor- mation with the following: Alfred Holden 190 St. George St., Apt. 801, AMC Rambler Club of Australia Toronto, ON. M5R 2N4 www.australian.amcrc.com/ 416 925 8073; cell 647 636-9323 [email protected]. American Motors Club of Alberta SECRETARY www.amcalberta.ca Phillip Simms, 189 Lyndhurst Drive, AMC Rambler Club Thornhill, ON L3T 6T5 Amcrc.com 905-709-1156 [email protected] Manitoba AMC Club www.amcman.com TREASURER & MEMBERSHIP AMC RELATED WEB SITES Roman Bratasiuk 12 Tremont Road Javelin Home Page Etobicoke, ON M9B 3X5 [email protected] www.javelinamx.com 416-231-8362 AMO National EDITOR, ARCHIVIST www.amonational.com Ron Morrison 176 Sheardown Drive The Coupe Coop Nobleton, ON L0G 1N0 www.matadorcoupe.com
    [Show full text]
  • American Motors Corporation Model Descriptions and General Information
    American Motors Corporation Model Descriptions and General Information 1956 Statesman and Ambassador 1956 Statesman Gets a New Look The 1956 Nash Statesman received a major facelift. The front and rear fenders were restyled. There were larger front running lights and new taillights. A revised hood ornament was used and one- piece rear windows replaced the three piece '55 unit. The chrome side stripping now included a shallow 'Z' shape on the side and outline moldings on the hood and rear fenders. A 12-volt electrical system was used for the first time. Statesman was being phased out, - so the only Statesman model available for 1956 was the "Super" four-door sedan. Surprisingly, even though its days were numbered, the Statesman engine was redesigned to fit an overhead valve cylinder head and a 1956 Statesman 4-Door Sedan. two-barrel carb. This did increase the power to 130 hp, ten more than the two carb L-Head had produced, and more importantly 15 more foot-pounds of torque. It also allowed the compression ratio to be reduced to 7.47:1 letting the Statesman return to regular grade fuel. This motor was shared with the Rambler, albeit there with a one-barrel carb and ten less horsepower. 1956 Ambassador Ambassador for 1956 still offered the 6 and 8 cylinder variants, though the six mimicked the Statesman in that only one body style was offered; the 4-Door Super. It too shared all the styling changes of 1956 Statesman, but on the seven inch longer wheelbase of the 1956 Statesman 4-Door Sedan.
    [Show full text]
  • An Engineering Odyssey: from All-Steel to True Unit Bodies 1914-1960
    An Engineering Odyssey: From All-Steel to True Unit Bodies 1914-1960 Technical advances in body engineering was not necessarily a hallmark of the early Chrysler Corporation. In fact, Chalmers and Maxwell more or less served as a parts bin for the for the first Chrysler, although it is true that body engineer Oliver Clark — working under ZSB — added a number of touches to make the early Chryslers attractive and contemporary-looking. Fisher Body was one of the Company’s early suppliers, providing the Chrysler bodies and body parts until Fisher became part of GM and Walter Chrysler cut off the relationship. The Fisher bodies were composite wood and steel, quick to tool and easy to change although requiring large numbers of skilled labors and experienced woodworkers to build. At Dodge Brothers, however, which Chrysler soon acquired, all- steel bodies were the standard. The Dodge brothers had first hooked up with the E.G. Budd Manufacturing Company in 1914, and “all steel” had been a Dodge feature ever since. Budd had started to build all-steel touring-car bodies in late 1912. Among the company’s early body customers was Oakland, and it also supplied pressedsteel panels that year for Ford, Willys-Overland and Buick. In late 1914, Dodge Brothers contracted with Budd to make 5,000 all-steel bodies for the company’s new touring car. The 1915 Dodge became an immediate hit, and, by 1916, Budd was building 500 bodies a day for Dodge. Budd and the Dodge Brothers believed an all-steel body to be more uniform, lighter, stronger, more quickly made and painted and therefore less expensive than a composite body.
    [Show full text]
  • The Brass Lamp the Brass Lamp
    J u l y 2 0 1 6 The Brass Lamp Those Big Back Seats We are reminded of the famous story about how the notoriously prudish Henry Ford tried to design the backseat of the Model T so that it would be too small for any—let’s just say—amorous indiscre- tions. We’re pretty sure young love prevailed on that one, though definitely not as easily as it did in the cavernous interiors and Photo courtesy of Wikimedia cargo areas of other favor- Photo courtesy of Rick Ridley ite classics. work every day but could Pretty much any full-size car Americans got bit by a se- also serve double-duty on from around 1956 through rious travel bug after vet- long weekend road trips the 1977 model year had erans returned home from and overnight camping more than space for getting World War II. Now consid- excursions. For many, the comfortable and cozy under ered by some to be the Frazer Vagabond of the the light of the silvery moon. “Golden Age of American late-1940s and early 1950s But the Nash Ambassador Road Travel,” it was still an (along with its brother the was arguably the first to ad- era largely dominated by Kaiser Traveler) fit their vertise the fact that their au- the one-car household. lifestyle perfectly. The tomobiles could be convert- Back then, many car buy- Vagabond never got the ed from a daily grocery- ers were content with au- “ultimate date car” reputa- getter into a venerable hotel tomobiles that looked styl- tion with Baby Boomers on wheels.
    [Show full text]
  • 1930 Nash Ambassador Series 490 Owned By: John & Donna Koziol Pacific Northwest Region - CCCA
    Spring 2016 1930 Nash Ambassador Series 490 Owned by: John & Donna Koziol Pacific Northwest Region - CCCA PNR CCCA & Regional Events 2016 CCCA National Events Details can be obtained by contacting the Event 2017 Annual Meeting Manager. If no event manager is listed, contact the sponsoring organization. TBD ................................ TBD Grand Classics® April 9th -- Coming-Out Party June 3 - 5 ...........CCCA Museum Experience PNR Contacts: Gary Johnson, Bill Deibel, Stan Dickison July 9 ............................Ohio Region September 10 ...................Indiana Region May 1st -- HCCA Tour CARavans May 7th -- South Prairie Fly-In July 6-10 .........................Ohio Region PNR Contact: Bill Allard September 9-17 ........... New England Region May 14th -- Picnic at Somerville's PNR Contact: Dennis Somerville June 19th -- Father's Day Classics at the Locks Director's Message PNR Contact: Roy Dunbar Here we go! The beginning of a two-year stint as your Director. July 4th -- Yarrow Point 4th of July Parade It will be a tough act to follow after Brian Rohrback’s five-year PNR Contact: Al McEwan reign. With the experience of August 8th -- Motoring Classic Kick-Off the current Board of Managers, Officers, appointed posts and at Peter Hageman's Firehouse our members, I expect our region PNR Contact: Ashley Shoemaker will continue to shine. Our outstanding performance was evidenced at the Annual National Meeting of the September 3rd -- Crescent Beach Concours CCCA in Detroit. The PNR-CCCA received three 1st place PNR Contacts: Laurel & Colin Gurnsey awards and two 2nd place awards with 6 awards total in the top-ten. I had the privilege of accepting those awards September TBD -- Tour du Jour with Val Dickison at the awards banquet, held at the GM Contact: America's Car Museum Heritage Center.
    [Show full text]
  • Torrance Press
    \ Thursday, November 26, 1959 B-IO TORRANCE PRESS ..., . r., ..„.,...... _ i _. - . Area ,. .. ,, r q^j ay , . ., B The_ . T-v Largest Audite d Circulation in Torrance-So. , . Automobiles for Sale 200 Automobilts fer Sale 200 Automobiles for Sale 200 Automobiles fer Sale 700 Apartments for R«nt Boat Salts A Service 160 Boat Sales «V Service 160 3o*t«, Sales A % ervices (Furnished) 120 APTS. FOR RENT *' BOB KEEPER $45 and up. FURNISHED end UNFURNISHED. Sin­ PLYMOUTH FIAT VALIANT -.-* #* * LOOK gles, I, 2 and 3-bdrm. apts. Carports, newly redecorat­ .<***' Inventory Reduction Sale ed inside and out. Near ichool playground. On New 1959 Plymouths and NEW 1960 WELCOME CHILDREN i I. COST PLUS $ Executive Cars'at Below Dealer's Cost Sheridan Gardens 462 East 231 st TE 4-7278 HURRY! 'FOR RENT - furnished one bedroom apartment, 150. '58Chev. ............ $1999 '58 Ford ............ $1699 FA 8-0143. VELS BOATS MILLION DOLLAR BA HT, Auto, RS.H, p.*. w w. i 2 Dr. Sedan PI. Auto, R«.H r p *. SIMCA APTS. Children OK. Sleeping rooms and up. 1343 w. 254th it., Her- '57 Ford $ 1 899 '58 Plymouth $ 1599 or City. DA 6-9759. MARINE MARK-DOWN Cty. Sedan. Auto, RfcH, p s. w w. Sedan. Auto, RfcH, w w. ACHELOR Apt. large 1 room with cooking facilities It refrlg. Prlvafe '57 Ford $1499,'5_7MGA $1499 w w. 42.6 Miles Per Gallon entrance, utilities paid S3t mo. 103 BOATS MUST BE SOLD NOW! Fl. 500 Vict. Auto. RStH, w w. Roadster. Radio, FA -4U5. Check These Sample Savings '56 Ford $H99l'55Ford $1199 LARGE turn.
    [Show full text]
  • Muscle Car (Mus’El Kar) – Intermediate (116In
    Muscle car (mus’el kar) – Intermediate (116in. wheelbase) or smaller car powered by a powerful V8 engine, most typically displacing 300 cubic inches or more.’ By that definition, did American Motors build America’s first true muscle car? Richard Truesdell investigates… FIRST MUSCLE? - TALE OF THE TAPE 1957 Rambler Rebel 1964 Pontiac GTO Length 191.1 inches 203.0 inches Wheelbase 108.0 inches 115.0 inches Weight 3353lbs 3122lbs Displacement 327cu.in. 389cu.in. Horsepower 255bhp 325bhp Power-to-weight ratio 13:1 9.6:1 0-60mph (secs) 7.2 (Motor Trend) 6.6 (Car Life) Price $2786 $2776 Units produced 1500 32,450 48 Y the most common definition, similar to that written above, most automotive B enthusiasts credit the 1964 Pontiac MAIN PIC: IF EVER A CAR Tempest GTO (GTO being an option package SHOULD HAVE UPSET NASH RAMBLER’S that could be ordered with a Tempest) as ‘GRANNY-WAGON’ IMAGE, having been the first mass-produced muscle IT WOULD HAVE BEEN THE car. But in reality, using this same definition as REBEL. INSTEAD, IT WENT ALMOST UNNOTICED. the primary criteria, one can argue that the WASN’T THERE A SONG first true muscle car was not a Pontiac WRITTEN ABOUT THIS CAR? Tempest GTO, but was instead, the 1957 LEFT: THERE’S NOT MUCH Nash Rambler Rebel. The Rambler Rebel, you HERE TO GIVE AWAY THE say? You must be joking! CAR’S SPORTING PRETEN- TIONS, NOT EVEN A The story behind the anomaly that is the TACHOMETER! Rambler Rebel goes back to 1954 when BELOW: ..
    [Show full text]
  • American Motoring Volume 41, Issue 5 Sept./Oct., 2017
    American Motoring Volume 41, Issue 5 http://www.amonational.com Sept./Oct., 2017 See page 12 Contents Features Columns AMO President’s COluM _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _PAge 3 events CAlendAr _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ PAge 23 editOr’s nOtes _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ PAge 4 teCh QuestiOns with Jeff reeves _ _ _ _ _ PAge 8 histOry PiCk_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ PAge 14 MeMOrAbiliA COrner _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ PAge 16 MOther’s little red wAgOn _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ PAge 18 grAduAtiOn CAr shOw _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ PAge 20 the ClAssified AMeriCAn _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ PAge 36 Moving? Derek Dorroh Name:_______________________________ Send Your information to: 12229 Freemont Ln. Raleigh, NC 27613 AMO#_________ [email protected] Old Address: New Address _______________________________________ _______________________________________ Street or P.O. Box Street or P.O. Box City:___________________________________ City:___________________________________ State:_____________ZIP__________________ State:_______________ZIP_________________ Page 2 American Motoring Sept/JOct., 2017 AMO President’s Column Ian Webb AMO President [email protected] As I write this column, the first big snow of the season is hitting I think this is on my mind now particularly because AMO has Indiana, and it’s always a favorite time of the year for me.
    [Show full text]
  • (Lie Society# Automotive Historians PRINTING and PUBLICATIONS OFFICE: ·P, 0
    OCTOBER, 1970 NEWSLETTER ISSUE NO. 13 (lie Society# Automotive Historians PRINTING AND PUBLICATIONS OFFICE: ·p, 0. Box 6465, Marietta, Georgia 30060 C. MARSHALL HAUL, President RICHARD I . BJIUGH.Ut, Viee•Pre•ident GtiY P . S!r:IZY , JR .• Secretary/Treasurer 5 Queen Ann Driw, Chris tine Manor U6 Park Lane, N. & • 271 st.,.,,.. Roa!l New.uk , Del-"•r• 19711 M.arietu, GeoZ'9ia 10060 lalti.on, Matyl.n<l 21212 PRESIDENT'S PARAGRAPHS THE MEETING AT HERSHEY Our annual meeting on October 10 was attended by a crowd of modest proportions, compared with those in attendance at other ventures in Hershey on that day. It was a pleasure to meet in person so many of you with whom previous contact had been by letter only. The discussions which took place on several subjects indicated considerable enthusiasm, but a clear lack of consensus on most of the issues. This is necessarily as it must be with such widely varying interests in this general field. Therefore our aims must be sufficiently flexible to encompass this entire range, or, on the other hand, we should limit our scope. Your opinions on what should be the aims and purposes of the S.A.H. will be welcomed. A generous incentive was offered to the S.A.H. by L. Scott Bailey (publisher of Automobile Quarterly) who suggested an annual monetary award of "up to $100" for the S.A.H. to present as an award for a worthwhile project. Suggestions for the basis of such an award will be considered. FROM THE NOTES OF GUY P.
    [Show full text]
  • 1.01 Cars of the 50'S –
    American Motors Corporation Model Descriptions and General Information 1.01 Cars of the 50's – Hudson and Nash Combine to Become American Motors Once the plan fell through to acquire Packard, Nash moved ahead with its own grand scheme - which began in 1955 with the real start of American Motors. For the 1955 year, American Motors combined the Nash and the Hudson product lines under a common manufacturing strategy, while retaining both the Nash and Hudson established dealer networks. The fast-selling Rambler model was sold under both the Nash and Hudson labels in 1955 and 1956, eventually becoming a marque in its own right, and the mainstay of the company. Regardless of what they were called, these were badge-only engineered Ramblers (along with similar Metropolitans) were identical, aside from hubcaps, nameplates, and a few other minor trim details. The pre-existing full-size Nash product line was continued and the Nash Statesman and Ambassador were handed over to Hudson where they were heavily restyled to become the "new" Hudson Wasp and Hudson Hornet. The two makes, while sharing a common body shell, were quite distinct, perhaps even more than they should have been. They were at least as different from one another as Chevrolet and Pontiac, and in some ways more so. The 1956 Ambassador V8. Hudsons and Nashes each used their own engines as they had Placed in the lighter Rambler body to ensure previously: the Hudson Hornet continued to offer the famous 308 good performance, the engine displaced only cubic inch I6 that had been America's stock car racing (NASCAR) 250 cubic inches, but it was a champion during the early 1950s, while the Wasp now used the very modern design.
    [Show full text]