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.
Lead trim: Ambassador Super Jetfire 252.6 cu in I6 (120 hp, 1952) · up to 255 hp
Nash Ambassador1952–1957
- 0spots by members
- Unclaimednobody has spotted one yet
- 0sets it belongs to
Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Nash Ambassador yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactIn 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.
The 1952 Nash Ambassador got a complete restyle for the automaker's 50th anniversary (Golden Anniversary Airflyte, styling publicly credited to Pininfarina) as a 2- or 4-door sedan and Country Club 2-door hardtop with the standard "Super Jetfire" 252.6 cu in (4.1 L) I6 of 120 hp; for 1953 a dual-carburetor, high-compression aluminium-head "Le Mans" option (from the Nash-Healey) gave 140 hp, and in 1954 the standard six was rated at 130 hp at 3,700 rpm with 7.6:1 compression (21,428 built) as the merger formed AMC. For 1955 the Ambassador first offered a V8 supplied by Packard (320 CID, upped to 352 CID for 1956) with Ultramatic transmission; the 1956 line was Super sedans with I6 and V8 Super and Custom sedans and the Custom Country Club hardtop; the standard engine of the 1957 Ambassador was AMC's 327 cu in (5.4 L) overhead-valve V8 (an enlarged 1956 250 with the same 3.25 in stroke), after which the name continued on AMC (Ambassador) to 1974. Wheelbase 121.25 in, length 204.25 in (219.25 in with continental spare), width 78 in, height 62.25 in.
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
5 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 252.6 cu in I6 (130 hp at 3,700 rpm, 1954) | 1954–1954 | 4.1 L Inline-6 | 130 hp | — | — | RWD | — | — |
| Ambassador 327 cu in AMC V8 (1957) | 1957–1957 | 5.4 L V8 | 255 hp | 345 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
| Ambassador Le Mans option 252.6 cu in I6 (140 hp, 1953) | 1953–1953 | 4.1 L Inline-6 | 140 hp | 230 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
| Ambassador Packard V8 (320 CID in 1955, 352 CID in 1956) | 1955–1956 | V8 | — | — | — | RWD | — | — |
| Ambassador Super Jetfire 252.6 cu in I6 (120 hp, 1952) | 1952–1952 | 4.1 L Inline-6 | 120 hp | — | — | RWD | — | — |
Owning one
We don’t estimate running costs for a car like this. What it costs depends on its condition, its specialist and how it is driven, and an average would mislead.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
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.
It briefly served as senior sibling to Marquette, a GM companion brand cancelled after just one year.
Nissan hired former BMW engineers to help develop the 510's suspension, which is why period reviewers frequently compared its handling to the BMW 1600/2002.
A Trabant 601 won its class at the 1970 Monte Carlo Rally, with a second 601 right behind it in second.
The 600 was a stopgap: the P50's body over the 601's mechanicals, and for a while its estate was built alongside the new 601 saloon.
The G80 Sport brought a 370 PS twin-turbo 3.3 V6, a mesh grille and copper-tinted chrome with copper stitching to match.
The Vigor was sold only with a five-cylinder engine, an unusual configuration Honda used to fit a longer engine transversely under a short hood.
The GS/E coupe earned the nickname "German Charger" for its long hood, short deck stance borrowed from Detroit muscle cars.
This DeVille/Fleetwood was the first production car anywhere to mount its V8 sideways, Cadillac's front-drive gamble on the new C-body.