The 1941-42 Ambassador 600 was the first popular American car built with single-welded "unibody" monocoque construction - what Nash branded "Unitized" - instead of a separate body-on-frame.
Lead trim: Ambassador Six 234.8 cu in in-line six (1936–1942)
Nash Ambassador1935–1942
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FactThe 1941-42 Ambassador 600 was the first popular American car built with single-welded "unibody" monocoque construction - what Nash branded "Unitized" - instead of a separate body-on-frame.
The 1935 model year featured complete "Aeroform" re-styling and further trimming of body styles; the 1935 Ambassador Eight was built on a shorter 125 in wheelbase with the smaller, former Advanced Eight engine and Nash discontinued its big 1930–1934 models. For 1936 the Ambassador Six added Nash's largest 234.8 cu in (3.8 L) in-line six on a 121 in wheelbase (formerly the Advanced Six); from 1936 the senior Nashes used identical bodies, with longer wheelbases, hoods and fenders distinguishing the Eights, a formula used through the final AMC Ambassador in 1974. In 1937 Nash acquired Kelvinator (George W. Mason becoming president of Nash-Kelvinator) and coupes and convertibles returned to the Ambassador lines; 1940 brought the custom-built Sakhnoffsky Special Cabriolet; for 1941 and 1942 all Nash vehicles became Ambassadors on long and short wheelbases, the Eight now sharing the Six's 121 in and the 112 in Ambassador 600 the first popular domestic car with single-welded "Unitized" unibody construction (the only Ambassador with an L-head engine). The 1942 Ambassadors lost the twin-ignition system to wartime conservation.
Collectors Spotted in the Nash Ambassador Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Nash Ambassador yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
2 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ambassador Eight 1935 (125 in wheelbase) | 1935–1935 | Inline-8 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Ambassador Six 234.8 cu in in-line six (1936–1942) | 1936–1942 | 3.8 L Inline-6 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Owning one
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Owners’ builds
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Photographs
In 1954 the Nash Ambassador became the first American car with a fully integrated front-end heat-and-air system — a compact, hood-mounted unit priced at $345 while Oldsmobile's trunk-mounted setup ran $550.
Nash's streamlined 1949 Ambassador folded its seats flat into something that could actually sleep three adults — a built-in bed, decades before anyone called it "van life."
This Ambassador’s wagon looked like a classic wood-bodied wagon, but the wood was just cladding over an all-steel roof and doors underneath.
The 1941-42 Ambassador 600 was the first popular American car built with single-welded "unibody" monocoque construction - what Nash branded "Unitized" - instead of a separate body-on-frame.
While the Great Depression wrecked the auto industry, Nash — maker of the Ambassador Eight — stayed in the black through 1932, the only American carmaker besides General Motors to manage it.
In 1927 a Swedish prince personally traveled to Nash's Kenosha, Wisconsin factory, where Scandinavian factory workers themselves delivered his custom Ambassador Six sedan.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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