American Motors Corporation Model Descriptions and General Information Ambassador: 1963 - 1964 1963 Ambassador Much like 1962, the Ambassador was on the same platform as the Rambler Classic and merely varied in terms of trim and interior appointments. However, the Ambassador and Classic's wheelbase was increased to 112" from 108", to recover interior space lost when the cars share the same chassis shell (since 1958). Form a styling point of view - the Ambassador was transformed from a stodgy 1950's look to an up-to-date 1960's car. The car was 1963 Ambassador 990 2-Dr. Sedan crisp, lithe, clean and actually looked longer, lower and wider than the statistics would say. Very little of the exterior sheet metal carried over from 1962. The grille had a horizontal center blade which returned to carrying a centered "Ambassador" nameplate. A band of horizontal trim decorated the body sides, low down, between the two wheel housings. This helped to strengthen the appearance of length over the Classic, which was exactly the same size. "Ambassador" in script was placed on the side of the rear fenders; and the rear end featured a vertically ribbed, horizontal beauty panel. The Rambler Classic tail lamps were used, but chrome division bars were added, again to give the illusion of greater width over the Classic. A center mounted "Ambassador" nameplates and 1963 Ambassador 990 4-Dr. Station Wagon logo badge was set on the top center edge of the trunk. AMC had moved away from the "Deluxe", "Super" and "Custom" series designations, and now three new trim levels were offered, replacing these "old" nomenclatures: 800; 880; and 990. Standard equipment on the Ambassador 800 models was: air cleaner; front arm rests; front ash tray; cigar lighter; dual headlamps; dual horns: oil filter; front foam seat cushions, and on station wagons: a travel rack. Ambassador 880s had these features plus: front and rear arm rests; ash trays; carpets; hood insulation; automatic dome light switch and chrome horn ring. The top of the line Ambassador 990 added electric clock; padded dash board; padded sun visors; station wagon rub rail; rear and front seat foam 1963 Ambassador 990 4-Dr. Sedan cushions; full wheel discs and on eight-passenger station wagons: Captive-Air tires. Engine and transmission options were widened, with the Ambassador sharing the Classic's new and smaller 287 cu. in. V8 as the "economy" engine. The 327, in two and four-barrel trim was still available as an option, however. New, for 1963 was AMC's "Twin Stick" floor shifter for overdrive cars. This let one shift in and out of overdrive separately from the regular shifter, basically giving one a six-speed transmission. The clean bold design, when coupled with several engineering firsts, and good quality control lead to Motor Trend Magazine 1963 Ambassador 990 4-Dr. Sedan. designating the entire AMC line as Car of the Year for 1963. But Note that the 880 does not have full wheel discs and the rear fender lacks the 990's rear bright even as the new car was released, Roy Abernethy, the new AMC metal splash guard. CEO who succeeded Romney, had different ideas for where AMC should go in the market place. He began planning for a larger, more elegant Ambassador, to be introduced in the 1965 model year - and one he believed could go head to head with the Big Three offerings in the luxury segment. The clean bold design, when coupled with several engineering firsts, and good quality control lead to Motor Trend Magazine designating the entire AMC line as Car of the Year for 1963. The new design resulted in an almost doubling of the previous year's sales to 37,811 units. Even as the new car was released, Roy Abernethy, the new AMC CEO who succeeded Romney, had different ideas. He began 1963 Ambassador 990 4-Dr. Sedan. It looks dang good in black on black. 23 American Motors Corporation Model Descriptions and General Information planning for a larger, more elegant Ambassador, to be introduced in the 1965 model year and one he believed could go head to head with the Big Three offerings in the luxury segment. 1964 Ambassador In an attempt to "modernize" the newly redesigned car, someone flattened the front grille rather than leave the subtle "jaws" look of the 1963. And to give the Ambassador a distinct look over the Classic, the designers removed some of the chrome slots at the center of each stack of chrome grille dashes. The result was that the Ambassador looked like a Rambler Classic with some of its teeth removed (or just growing in, depending on how one chose to 1964 Ambassador 990 4-Dr. Sedan look at it). The designers used the gap by filling it with "Ambassador" in lettering. A winged medallion was placed on the hood, above the center of the grille. The front end effect was clumsy and somewhat tacky. Side trim was changed and it now consisted of rocker sill moldings in lieu of lower belt-line trim and a full-length horizontal lower beltline strip. The horizontal chrome slashes on the rear roof pillar remained. The deck lid or tailgate was decorated with a horizontal beauty panel that matched the general texture of the front grille. A chrome extension panel appeared between the rear bumper and wheel housing and between the front fender and the front wheel well. 1964 Ambassador 990 2-Dr. Hardtop There were no longer different trim levels available. "Ambassador" in script was positioned at the lower back side of the rear fenders. There was a special Ambassador 990-H two-door hardtop that came standard with many luxury features and appointments. Additionally standard 990 Ambassadors could receive bucket front seats in combination with a cushion that folded down to permit a third person to ride in front. The big news was a new two-door hardtop with a new roofline and semi-wraparound rear window that replaced the 2-door sedan (though it was still available in the Classic). This roof line was carried across the whole Rambler line and was borrowed from the 1964 Ambassador 990 Station Wagon new American, which had moved up to a longer wheelbase. This two-door hardtop body style was available for the first time since 1957. Other than that, the 1964 Ambassador merely added some minor trim changes and some options. A two-door hardtop body style was added for the first time since 1957. 1964 sales were disappointing, dropping by 49% over the previous year. Abernethy may have been right, as it seemed that the consumer was looking for "longer, lower, wider" in its luxury selections; or perhaps it was the new nose on the car that put people off. Frankly, there just wasn't enough difference between the Ambassador and the Rambler Classic V8, other than the 327 V8 engine, to inspire one to ante up an additional $400 in purchase price ($6,500 in today's money) for the Ambassador. 1964 Brochure. Only one picture of the Ambassador – the new hardtop. 24 .