Nash Ambassador

The Nash Ambassador is a full-size automobile produced by Nash Motors from 1927 until 1957. It was a top trim level for the first five years, then became a standalone luxury model from 1932 onwards. These Ambassadors included high levels of design, equipment, and construction, earning them the nickname "the Kenosha Duesenberg".
Between 1929 and 1934, Nash also produced a line of seven-passenger sedans and limousines. The Ambassador series was the Nash's "flagship" car. This positioning remained following the merger of Nash with Hudson Motor Car Company in 1954 that formed the American Motors Corporation.
The ongoing use of the Ambassador model name by Nash, and then its successor AMC versions built through the 1974 model year, made it "one of the longest-lived automobile nameplates in automotive history" as of the late 1970s.

1927-early 1932

Nash Motors' first use of the name Ambassador was for the 1927 model year, when a specially trimmed four-door, five-passenger club sedan version of the "Nash Advanced Six" was introduced. The car was unveiled in January at the National Automobile Show in New York. As the most expensive car in the line, the Ambassador received upgrades in upholstery and other trim items for a base price of US$2,090 .
The Nash Ambassadors became known for their "lavish equipment and beautiful construction", earning "the nickname 'Kenosha Duesenberg", with the former being a nod to the place of origin and the latter pointing to opulence".
Nash domestic sales for the 1927 model year totaled 109,979. Exports accounted for almost eleven percent of Nash's production in 1927, and several royal families purchased the cars. For example, Prince Wilhelm, Duke of Södermanland of Sweden and Norway, personally visited the Nash factory in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in 1927, and Scandinavian factory workers delivered his Nash Ambassador Six four-door Brougham sedan.
The Ambassador model lost its position as Nash's most expensive car in 1929 with the introduction of a larger seven-passenger sedan and limousine models, which continued to be available through the 1934 model year.
The Ambassador remained in the Advanced Six range until 1930, when the model was moved to the "Nash Twin Ignition Eight" series. In 1931, the more straightforward "Eight-90" designation replaced the cumbersome model name.
Large luxury cars during the 1930s included Packard, Lincoln, Duesenberg, and the Ambassadors made by Nash. The Ambassadors were "luxuriously trimmed, beautifully designed and built bodies, custom-built to individual order, finished off the model that historian David Brownell famously dubbed 'Kenosha's Duesenberg.'"
The Classic Car Club of America recognizes all Nash 1930 Series 480, 490; 1931 Series 880, 890; 1932 Series 980, 990 and Series 1080, 1090. These are "Approved Classics" by nature of them being limited production, high-priced, top end vehicles when new.

Year	Engine	HP	Springs	Brakes	Transmission	Wheelbase	Wheel size
1929	OHV I6		semi-elliptic	four-wheel mechanical	3-speed manual

Mid-1932-1934

In mid-1932, Nash established the "Ambassador Eight" as a stand-alone model range, offered in several body styles, including coupes and victorias. Riding on or wheelbases, the Ambassadors featured a, straight-eight engine with twin-ignition and overhead valves. All the cars continued to be sumptuously appointed, justifying the title of the "Kenosha Duesenbergs" for their quality, durability, styling, and speed.
This was part of Nash's second 1932 series, which included completely new bodies and engineering updates to all models produced by the company. Sales of all automobiles were dismal during the Great Depression in the United States, yet Nash prospered and was the only company other than General Motors to make a profit in 1932.
The 1933 Nash models remained largely unchanged after the major styling and engineering transformations of early 1932 and were still described as "really a thing of beauty."
For 1934, Nash introduced a new styling theme called "Speedstream" that featured use of ornamental moldings in body panels and fenders in a streamlined and Art Deco way. Russian Count Alexis de Sakhnoffsky influenced the designs, and the new bodies featured streamline accents, bullet-shaped headlights, horizontal hood ribs, rear-wheel spats, and built-in luggage boots with a full beaver-tail rear end. The Ambassador Eight series for this year was limited to various four-door sedan body styles.
The Nash Ambassador 8 now saw new competition with the redesigned and lower-priced LaSalle, Auburn V-12, REO-Royale 8, Buick Series 34-90, and the Chrysler Imperial Airflow.
The CCCA has recognized all 1932 Series Advanced 8 and Ambassador 8, as well as the 1933 and 1934 Nash Ambassador 8, as "Approved Classics."

1935–1942

The 1935 model year featured complete re-styling, described as "Aeroform", with a further trimming of body styles. A new two-door sedan was added to the Ambassador Eight series. However, the 1935 Ambassador Eight was now built on a shorter wheelbase and used the smaller, former Advanced Eight engine. Nash discontinued manufacturing and marketing the big models of the 1930 through 1934 era.
While the Ambassador had been offered only with Nash's in-line eight from mid-1932 through 1935, the 1936 Ambassador Six added Nash's largest, in-line six as well, in a wheelbase model, formerly known as the Advanced Six. In 1937, Nash acquired the Kelvinator Corporation as part of a deal that allowed Charlie Nash's handpicked successor, George W. Mason, to become President of the new Nash-Kelvinator Corporation.
The 1937 models saw the return of coupes and convertibles to the Ambassador lines. From 1936 onward, the senior Nash models used identical bodies, relying on a longer wheelbase as well as the hood and front fenders to provide visual cues to differentiate the more expensive Eights from the less expensive Six models.
Beginning in 1937, even the low-priced LaFayette series came under this plan. This basic formula was used through the final AMC Ambassador in 1974, except between 1962 and 1964, when the Rambler Ambassador and the Rambler Classic shared the same wheelbase and front sheet metal.
As a marketing innovation, the Sinclair Oil Corporation teamed up with Babe Ruth for a baseball contest where a 1937 Nash Ambassador Eight sedan was awarded every week.
A custom-designed and -built convertible model was marketed for 1940, the Sakhnoffsky Special Cabriolet. The CCA recognizes this Special Cabriolet as an "Approved Classic".
For the 1941 and 1942 model years, all Nash vehicles became Ambassadors and were built in long and short wheelbases. The Ambassador Eight now shared the Ambassador Six's. The Nash Ambassador 600, built on a wheelbase, became the first popular domestic automobile to be built using the single-welded "unibody" type of monocoque construction that Nash called "Unitized", rather than body-on-frame. From 1941 through 1948, Nash Ambassador models placed this unibody structure on top of a conventional frame, thus creating a solid and sturdy automobile. It was also one of the first cars in the "low-priced" market segment with coil spring suspension in front and back, giving it "the Arrow-Flight ride" along with other benefits.
With wartime conservation, the 1942 Ambassador Six and Eight were not available with the twin ignition system. All reverted to a single spark plug per cylinder. The 1941 and 1942 Ambassador 600 was also the only Ambassador powered by an L-head engine. Nash would remain with this model arrangement through the post-war 1946 through 1948 model years, although the 600 would no longer be known as an Ambassador.
Civilian car and truck production was curtailed during World War II, and companies turned to production that became part of the "arsenal of democracy."

1946–1948

1946

Following World War II, Nash-Kelvinator restarted car production on 27 October 1945. Consumer demand for new cars was high, as the existing vehicles on the road were old and poorly maintained due to wartime restrictions on parts and a shortage of skilled mechanics.
Like automakers at the time, Nash revived its pre-war vehicle models. Minimal changes to new cars reflected the automotive industry's broader challenges that included ongoing material shortages, difficulties with retooling factories, and significant labor issues. The focus was on getting cars to market quickly to meet consumer needs, rather than introducing brand new models and designs which finally arrived in 1949.
The 1946 Nash Ambassador models were slightly facelifted versions of the pre-war 1941 version. They featured a new grille and minor trim changes but retained the same body, chassis, and drivetrain as their predecessors. The Ambassador Eights were no longer part of the lineup. For the 1946 model year, the Ambassador Six became the top-tier offering in the Nash line. It carried over the full-size design with traditional body-on-frame on a wheelbase, powered by a, overhead-valve I6 engine. This engine featured advanced elements, including aluminum alloy pistons, automatic spark control, and a balanced crankshaft with a vibration dampener. The standard transmission was a three-speed manual with an optional overdrive, branded by Nash as "Cruising Gear".

Ambassador Suburban

A special model for 1946 was the Ambassador "Suburban", a distinctive, partial wood-bodied variant designed as a halo car to draw customers into showrooms. The Suburban's coachwork was based on the "Slipstream" sedan characterized by its 1940s streamlined design.
The Nash Ambassador "Suburban" was a sedan/wagon hybrid, and distinct from a traditional station wagon design with an elongated roof and tailgate. The Suburban's construction was also a hybrid, primarily utilizing steel. It featured a one-piece metal roof stamping and steel inner doors, which were concealed behind the exterior panels crafted from hardwood. The ash framing and window surrounds were complemented by Honduras mahogany paneling, the woodwork supplied by Mitchell-Bentley of Owosso, Michigan. The company also supplied the components for the distinctive Chrysler Town & Country models as well as the wood-paneled 1946 Ford and Mercury Sportsman convertibles. Like other Nash models, the Suburban offered pioneering options that enhanced comfort and convenience. These included the "Cruising Gear" overdrive, the trend-setting "Weather Eye" heating and ventilation system that drew fresh air from outside the car, and a remote-control Zenith radio, which allowed the driver to change stations with their toe via a button on the floor. Production of the Ambassador Suburban was limited, with Nash building 1,000 examples between 1946 and 1948. Of these, 275 were produced in 1946.

1946 Ambassador	Production
4-door Trunk Sedan	3,875
4-door Slipstream	26,925
2-door Brougham	4,825
4-door Suburban	275
Total	35,900