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.
Lead trim: Ambassador Eight 322 cu in straight-eight (125 hp)
Nash Ambassador Eight1932–1934
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Nash Ambassador Eight 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.
FactWhile 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 mid-1932 Nash established the "Ambassador Eight" as a stand-alone model range, offered in several body styles including coupes and victorias on 133 in or 142 in wheelbases, with a 125 hp, 322 cubic inch (5.3 L) straight-eight with twin ignition and overhead valves; the cars were sumptuously appointed, "Kenosha Duesenbergs" for their quality, durability, styling and speed. This was part of Nash's second 1932 series with completely new bodies and engineering updates, and Nash was the only company other than General Motors to make a profit in 1932. The 1933 models stayed largely unchanged; for 1934 the "Speedstream" styling theme (Count Alexis de Sakhnoffsky's streamline accents, bullet headlights, horizontal hood ribs, rear-wheel spats and a full beaver-tail rear) limited the Eight to four-door sedans, against the new LaSalle, Auburn V-12, REO-Royale 8, Buick Series 34-90 and Chrysler Imperial Airflow. The CCCA recognises the 1932 Series Advanced 8 and Ambassador 8 and the 1933 and 1934 Ambassador 8 as Approved Classics.
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
One published trim in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ambassador Eight 322 cu in straight-eight (125 hp) | 1932–1934 | 5.3 L Inline-8 | 125 hp | — | — | — | — | — |
Owning one
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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.
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