American Motors Corporation Model Descriptions and General Information

Ambassador: 1967-1968 1967 Ambassador In 1967, AMC completely restyled the Ambassador, and lengthened it to a 118" . The 1967 Ambassador was still the top American Motors' model, but it shared the basic body shell of the new Rebel. The major difference was that the front end was extended four inches from the firewall forward, in a similar tactic used successfully in the 1958-61 Ambassador. As in that previous period, though the was actually longer in length and wheel base, the interior room was actually the same. The advantage was that the most complex part of the unit-body was not re-engineered for either car, drastically reducing development and production 1967 Ambassador DPL costs. Even so, it had as much interior space as other full-size from Ford or GM. As such, Abernathy had the Ambassador positioned as a "luxury intermediate" Forward of the firewall the Ambassador was quite different from the Rebel, as could be done because this was not part of the unit body. It had vertically stacked dual headlights flanking a horizontal bar grille. "Ambassador", in script, was placed on the sides of the front fenders behind the wheel opening as well as on the left-hand edge of the hood. A new stand-up hood ornament was featured, At the rear segmented vertical tail lamps were installed. 1967 Ambassador DPL 2-Dr. The basic car was again the "880". It had a lower level of trim and appointments, and the body's sides were almost bare of any chrome or ornamentation. The 990 series models had full-length lower side molding and added some chrome trim around the doors and windows. The DPL was the top model, though it was more sporting than formal and as such it had a thicker horizontal center grille divider with integral Rally Lights on the outer ends. The Ambassador convertible was offered only as a DPL model; and it would be its final year with only 1,260 built. Sales nearly doubled for the Ambassador for 1967, from 34 thousand in 1966 to 62 thousand in 1967, but sales of the mid-sized 1967 Ambassador 990 models were disappointing – likely, Ambassador, instead of moving into territory where it could garner new customers, merely drew away mid-size Rebel ( Classic) customers. The steady decline in mid-sized car sales (AMC had dropped from over 450 thousand in 1963 to 235 thousand in 1967) brought on new financial problems for the Company. As a result, Abernathy was released from AMC by its Board of Directors later in the year. Like the US auto makers of the 80s, AMC was stuck in the idea that it had to keep on doing what it had always done to retain its customer base, instead of moving with the desires of the consumer. 1967 Ambassador 990 Wagon If you study the statistics without the "economy car" prejudice of the Company, one could see that Abernathy's strategy was likely right – customers were abandoning the American and Rebel and moving more toward larger vehicles like the Ambassador (which was really a smaller full-sized car, not a luxury offering – its wheel base was one inch less than the Chevy Impala, Ford Galaxie and Plymouth Fury III). The Rebel was really a mid-sized car, competing with the likes of Chevelle, Fairlane and Satellite, not the aforementioned vehicles. Ambassador needed to move up one more level, but instead of delivering more cars in this niche, for the 1968 year, the Company increased Rebel models and cut back on Ambassador models.

1967 Ambassador DPL Ad. Note how the ad emphasizes the car's length.

27 American Motors Corporation Model Descriptions and General Information

1968 Ambassador The 1968 Ambassador retained its vertically stacked headlights, however the grille had corner extensions that were square in shape rather than following the outline of the front fender extensions, and the grille insert was a grid style with black-out finish. The horizontal center divider was wider, and that gave the grille a two segment look. On the side, the molding treatments remained unchanged for the most part, consisting of a full-length chrome strip, mounted low on the body, which then arched up over the wheel openings. The standup hood ornament of 1967 was removed. At the rear, the taillights were now divided horizontally instead of vertically. Cars with “Typhoon V8” power had V-shaped rear fender ornaments. The new paddle type AMC door handles were used. 1968 Ambassador SST 4-Dr. Sedan This year, in a heavily promoted ad campaign, AMC (the pioneer in the field of auto air conditioning through its Kelvinator division) became the first auto manufacturer to make air conditioning standard equipment on an American-built car. All Ambassadors came with air conditioning as standard, but consumers could remove air conditioning as a "delete option" – with a credit to the base price. The only other make to offer air conditioning as standard equipment in 1968 was Rolls-Royce. The base model was no longer called “880” though the numbers still appeared as the last three symbols in the series designation. The base car was now merely referred to as the “Ambassador”. The base car still came with AMC’s All-Season air conditioning; all DOT 1968 Ambassador DPL 4-Dr. Sedan required safety features; a 60 ampere battery; heater; front and rear arm rests; cigarette lighter; front and rear ash trays; carpets; front foam cushions; dome or side lights; glove box lock; dual horns; and a Custom steering wheel. All Ambassador wagons had a roof rack and lockable stowage compartment, plus power tailgate window on the three-seat (8- passenger) versions. The Ambassador “DPL” series replaced the “990” as the mid-level offering and had the designation letters on a nameplate located below the side fender scripts. DPLs featured full wheel discs and upgraded appointments. Both the Ambassador and Ambassador DPL models were sold as six-cylinder cars, with V-8s as optional 1968 Ambassador SST 2-Dr. Hardtop Coupe power plants. The Ambassador SST replaced the DPL as the high-line series. It featured all the 880 and DPL items, plus custom interior and exterior trim; individually adjustable reclining ; dash wood- grain paneling; electric clock; headlights-on warning buzzer; front and rear foam seat cushions and a 290 cu. in. 200 horsepower V-8 engine. The Ambassador SST hardtop featured a special grille treatment, with integral Rally Lights, and interior courtesy lamps. Ambassador sales declined a bit, with a loss of only 1,743 units (dropping the convertible likely cost most of these sales). That said, the car sold just about in the same numbers by body type in the 1968 Ambassador Series 2-Dr. Hardtop Coupe offerings, though one less model was available. and 4-Dr. Sedan. The plain "Ambassador" Significant, however, was that the sales of 4-door sedans rose by replaced the 880 Series as the entry level about 8,000 units, and 2-door sales declined by about the same Ambassador. Note the absence of the lower amount. Was Abernathy's discarded strategy actually starting to wide bright trim and the plainer grille. bear fruit? Or did AMC need to go deeper into the "wheelbase war" Regardless, even the entry-level car had air and offer a larger car for this class? One thing is certain, the "air conditioning as standard equipment. This was, conditioning standard" campaign did not increase sales. however, a "deletion for credit" option that many took advantage of at this level.

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