The U. S. government hadn't formally legalized quad headlights in 1957 (you no doubt know Dodge and Plymouth moved the parking lights into the headlight area to create fake quads) and Lincoln used running lights below their dual headlights, too. Chrysler, DeSoto and Mercury offered quads at extra cost, but Nash--and only Nash--built every one of their cars with quad headlights as standard equipment
Just one man killed it.....George Romney, Mitt Romney's father. It was such a mistake. He simply pulled the plug and placed the Rambler name on everything. A totally stupid thing to do. The 1958 Nash Ambassador became the 1958 Rambler Ambassador...totally stupid....by 1966, it was then called the AMC Ambassador......and it's Nash history destroyed. So stupid to kill a brand name.....it takes so many years to developed a brand and loyalty and Romney killed it in one quick stupid decision.
But, Rambler cashed in, starting in 1958, or so the historians say. I think AMC/Rambler was on a roll from the late 50s into the early 60s, before they stagnated in the mid-60s. Auto historians say that Nash and Hudson sales were tanking, and George Romney saw them as unprofitable to sustain.
Your editing really makes this video work! Thanks Osborn! I've got a great story about the 55 Nash Ambassor! It was so large, the car would not go down the ramps in the City of Memphis Parking Garage. My Dad and one of his high school buddies were Valeting cars. His buddy drew the card to bring down the Nash. He destroyed the right side of the car as he came down the circular ramp. The City bought the owner a new Nash!
I bought a 55 Nash Ambassador in 1977 with only 15,000 original miles. It was the Country Club and it even had leather interior, not vinyl but real leather!
My Dad had an old used faded red and black Nash when I was a kid for his get around car. I remember the real soft seats in the back. The thing was a tank and did very well in the Chicago snow during the winter. I don't think that car would have ever stopped running.
I usually don't care for the looks of cars equipped with optional continental kit spare tire assemblies, but I have to admit that it looks pretty darned attractive on this model Nash however.
Nash really incorporated that styling very well into all their cars. I think they probably sold more Continental Kits than any other brand out there at the time.....on The Fullsized cars, Mets and Ramblers.
They failed to point that the A/C unit called weather eye was the best in the business all the mechanism was under the hood, most cars of that time had the condenser and evaporator in the trunk in addition if you got a Chevy and optioned A/C you could not get a heater at all. This is OK if you lived in Miami or San Deiago but in Chicago or New York or Denver, not so much. And the V/8 was a Packard 352 CID, and 255 HP was a lot for 1957 only the Chrysler 300 had more power, and the Chevy FI 283 had 283 HP, but they made very few of them and were not available with A/C or much else for that matter. The Nash was a very complete car in its day, but buyers were not confident it would be around in a couple of years; however, the Ambassador became the first American car with standard A/C in 1969 and was sold to 1974.
I'd also like to add, consumer confidence was at a High for AMC, with in 3 model years, their sales were the 3rd best with the Rambler. You maybe confusing Studebaker Packard with Nash, the reference to the Packard engine isn't correct. Consumer confidence was very low for Studebaker Packard. AMC was in the consumers minds sponsoring TV shows like Disney and also the Kelvinator Product line. They were in a much better position than Studebaker Packard. The Transmission is a Packard Transmission in this car, but only the Transmission, they had three Transmissions, one was from Packard.
Chrysler Corporation did offer daul Headlights as an option on their cars in about 46 States. You had to pay extra for it, Most 57 Imperials have quad lights, it's very rare to find an Imperial with Single head lamps. But Nash was first offering it on their car in all 50 States.
Such a shame they killed Nash when they did. This was their first good looking car in years, and was so much handsomer than the Rambler Ambassador they replaced it with.
I don't know if I agree on that, I like both cars a lot.......they shouldn't have put the Rambler name on the Ambassador, it had always been a Nash....i totally get creating a separate brand for Rambler, but mixing Hudson and Nash into Rambler was all wrong.
no, not Standard AC. The AC was optional equipment. The V8 and dual exhaust was definitely Standard Equipment on all models of Ambassadors. AMC did off standard AC on Ambassadors, but I don't think that happened until about 1969 or 1970?
The idea of safety in those days was a bit weird. Seat belts are a rather simple device but were not standard equipment. Also I wonder who thought those sharp and protruding hood ornaments were a good idea. I used to work in traffic and when I see a classic car with those spears on the hood it makes me weak in the knees.
why don't you look for it on line, it's out there already. The photo are unfocused and it's grainy, but it's the original. It's uploaded by the guy named Lief Erricson......enjoy it that way. Maybe you should read the description before you view a video, I clearly stated it was updated with new photos, Your disappointment is your own fault by not understanding what you were going to watch. You may not like it, but there are hundreds of people that have thanked me and do like it. You seem to be the outlier.
The compression-ratio in 1957 was in the lower nines. Not TOO high. It went to 9.7 in 1958, and then back lower for '59, as the economy-movement took hold.
It was a fatal mistake in the long run to kill the old names Hudson and Nash. and discontinue big cars. Rambler had a good run, but the brand needed an anchor. Something other than just AMC.
Agreed 100%. James Mason's entire vision was to have a company the size of Chrysler Corp. Several brands. You can't build a car company with one brand. Nash and Hudson were central to the concept of a Car company addressing several market segments. The only issue was that in the late 50's, the Medium Price Class started to suffer and Hudson and Nash sales declined.......but that was short lived...they should have stuck it out. By the early 1960's, that segment took off, AMC would have had two Medium Priced Brands, both Nash and Hudson to take advantage of the demand that Pontiac, Dodge, Buick and Oldsmobile ended up filling. This is why I always say that Romney destroyed the company. He was handed a company that was poised to take off and he killed it.....Thank God, after Romney was gone, AMC brought Kaiser Jeep into the fold (which should have happened ten years sooner!)
Right. Who could have guessed in the 50's anyone would want to merge with Jeep? AMC got it just at the right time. I wish Studebaker had been so lucky. It's sad such an old ( the oldest ) and storied name could disappear. And, Americans then had little nostalgia or respect for the Studebaker heritage. Really the same today with Lincoln Cadillac. Americans have shown they don't care about domestic vehicles and will even buy Communist China cars if they become available, and give them what they demand in a car, or more likely SUV. Yes. Romney at AMC, and Nance at SPC were two bulls who set both their companies on the parh of distruction because neither would play second fiddle. A tragedy.
There had been plans for a 1958 Nash and a 1958 Hudson--again badge-engineered versions of each other--but sales of both '57 lines were so weak that George Romney decided to drop both makes just weeks before the '58s went into production. The cars planned as the Nash Ambassador and Hudson Rebel were merged into the Ambassador by Rambler as AMC chose to "sink or swim with the Rambler." (Indeed, Romney felt the old name plates were liabilities rather than assets, and history has shown AMC made the right choice)
@gcfifthgear Those two versions were as you say what became of the 58 Ambassador. I don't exactly know what you mean "History has shown Romney made the right choice". I don't think we know what 58 Hudson's and Nash's would have done. 58 was a bad year for everyone, but I feel the Ambassador was the wrong image for anything called a Rambler. Just as we will never know how an all new 57 Packard with a vertical grill would have affected the public's acceptance of the 58 Edsel. Or, visa versa, the Edsels failure would have affected how the public viewed Packard's are scenarios we can only now guess at.
Actually, it's not outdated at all. It had the New V8 engine. Coil front springs with Unit Body Constructions. Nobody had an advanced AC system as Nash did in 56. Maybe you can argue the styling was dated, but the four headlights were all new. Nash only went away because Romney killed the name, the Ambassador which is what this car is had stellar numbers for the late fifties and early 60's propelling AMC into the Number three position for 1960, only 3 years later
Great job on this one !
This is the first good look I've had at the Ambassador. It was a very impressive car.
The U. S. government hadn't formally legalized quad headlights in 1957 (you no doubt know Dodge and Plymouth moved the parking lights into the headlight area to create fake quads) and Lincoln used running lights below their dual headlights, too. Chrysler, DeSoto and Mercury offered quads at extra cost, but Nash--and only Nash--built every one of their cars with quad headlights as standard equipment
Gorgeous cars from a superior time.
Nash went out with a bang!
Just one man killed it.....George Romney, Mitt Romney's father. It was such a mistake. He simply pulled the plug and placed the Rambler name on everything. A totally stupid thing to do. The 1958 Nash Ambassador became the 1958 Rambler Ambassador...totally stupid....by 1966, it was then called the AMC Ambassador......and it's Nash history destroyed. So stupid to kill a brand name.....it takes so many years to developed a brand and loyalty and Romney killed it in one quick stupid decision.
But, Rambler cashed in, starting in 1958, or so the historians say. I think AMC/Rambler was on a roll from the late 50s into the early 60s, before they stagnated in the mid-60s. Auto historians say that Nash and Hudson sales were tanking, and George Romney saw them as unprofitable to sustain.
Your editing really makes this video work! Thanks Osborn! I've got a great story about the 55 Nash Ambassor! It was so large, the car would not go down the ramps in the City of Memphis Parking Garage. My Dad and one of his high school buddies were Valeting cars. His buddy drew the card to bring down the Nash. He destroyed the right side of the car as he came down the circular ramp. The City bought the owner a new Nash!
I bought a 55 Nash Ambassador in 1977 with only 15,000 original miles. It was the Country Club and it even had leather interior, not vinyl but real leather!
Last year for the big Nash before they went all-in on Ramblers.
I actually own one and even my brother owns one too....they are indeed rare.
@@OsbornTramain I could find only one '57 on Hemmings..
George Romney took over AMC in 1954 with the intent of eliminating the Nash brand. 1957 was the last model.
My Dad had an old used faded red and black Nash when I was a kid for his get around car. I remember the real soft seats in the back. The thing was a tank and did very well in the Chicago snow during the winter. I don't think that car would have ever stopped running.
I usually don't care for the looks of cars equipped with optional continental kit spare tire assemblies, but I have to admit that it looks pretty darned attractive on this model Nash however.
Nash really incorporated that styling very well into all their cars. I think they probably sold more Continental Kits than any other brand out there at the time.....on The Fullsized cars, Mets and Ramblers.
They failed to point that the A/C unit called weather eye was the best in the business all the mechanism was under the hood, most cars of that time had the condenser and evaporator in the trunk in addition if you got a Chevy and optioned A/C you could not get a heater at all. This is OK if you lived in Miami or San Deiago but in Chicago or New York or Denver, not so much. And the V/8 was a Packard 352 CID, and 255 HP was a lot for 1957 only the Chrysler 300 had more power, and the Chevy FI 283 had 283 HP, but they made very few of them and were not available with A/C or much else for that matter. The Nash was a very complete car in its day, but buyers were not confident it would be around in a couple of years; however, the Ambassador became the first American car with standard A/C in 1969 and was sold to 1974.
The Packard V-8 was NOT used in the 57 Nash, or Hudson.
A newly enlarged AMC V-8, of 327 cubic inches was used. And
no, it's NOT the 327 Chevy V-8.
I'd also like to add, consumer confidence was at a High for AMC, with in 3 model years, their sales were the 3rd best with the Rambler. You maybe confusing Studebaker Packard with Nash, the reference to the Packard engine isn't correct. Consumer confidence was very low for Studebaker Packard. AMC was in the consumers minds sponsoring TV shows like Disney and also the Kelvinator Product line. They were in a much better position than Studebaker Packard. The Transmission is a Packard Transmission in this car, but only the Transmission, they had three Transmissions, one was from Packard.
Is this car the first to use quad front headlights? I know that Plymouth had dummy quad headlights or 57 due to the law in most states
Chrysler Corporation did offer daul Headlights as an option on their cars in about 46 States. You had to pay extra for it, Most 57 Imperials have quad lights, it's very rare to find an Imperial with Single head lamps. But Nash was first offering it on their car in all 50 States.
Cadillac Eldorado had them in 57.
Such a shame they killed Nash when they did. This was their first good looking car in years, and was so much handsomer than the Rambler Ambassador they replaced it with.
I don't know if I agree on that, I like both cars a lot.......they shouldn't have put the Rambler name on the Ambassador, it had always been a Nash....i totally get creating a separate brand for Rambler, but mixing Hudson and Nash into Rambler was all wrong.
A/C standard, plus V-8 w dual exhausts!🎯🔥
no, not Standard AC. The AC was optional equipment. The V8 and dual exhaust was definitely Standard Equipment on all models of Ambassadors. AMC did off standard AC on Ambassadors, but I don't think that happened until about 1969 or 1970?
The idea of safety in those days was a bit weird. Seat belts are a rather simple device but were not standard equipment. Also I wonder who thought those sharp and protruding hood ornaments were a good idea. I used to work in traffic and when I see a classic car with those spears on the hood it makes me weak in the knees.
Would have been nice to see it unedited. The stock Google photos ruined the experience.
why don't you look for it on line, it's out there already. The photo are unfocused and it's grainy, but it's the original. It's uploaded by the guy named Lief Erricson......enjoy it that way. Maybe you should read the description before you view a video, I clearly stated it was updated with new photos, Your disappointment is your own fault by not understanding what you were going to watch. You may not like it, but there are hundreds of people that have thanked me and do like it. You seem to be the outlier.
...not a bad looking car....
The Last Full Sized Nash was the best looking full sized Nash ever!
No doubt the 327 cubic inch V8 with 4 barrel Carter carburetor requires premium LEADED FUEL.
The compression-ratio in 1957
was in the lower nines. Not TOO
high. It went to 9.7 in 1958, and
then back lower for '59, as the
economy-movement took hold.
It was a fatal mistake in the long run to kill the old names Hudson and Nash. and discontinue big cars. Rambler had a good run, but the brand needed an anchor. Something other than just AMC.
Agreed 100%. James Mason's entire vision was to have a company the size of Chrysler Corp. Several brands. You can't build a car company with one brand. Nash and Hudson were central to the concept of a Car company addressing several market segments. The only issue was that in the late 50's, the Medium Price Class started to suffer and Hudson and Nash sales declined.......but that was short lived...they should have stuck it out. By the early 1960's, that segment took off, AMC would have had two Medium Priced Brands, both Nash and Hudson to take advantage of the demand that Pontiac, Dodge, Buick and Oldsmobile ended up filling. This is why I always say that Romney destroyed the company. He was handed a company that was poised to take off and he killed it.....Thank God, after Romney was gone, AMC brought Kaiser Jeep into the fold (which should have happened ten years sooner!)
Right. Who could have guessed in the 50's anyone would want to merge with Jeep? AMC got it just at the right time. I wish Studebaker had been so lucky. It's sad such an old ( the oldest ) and storied name could disappear. And, Americans then had little nostalgia or respect for the Studebaker heritage. Really the same today with Lincoln Cadillac. Americans have shown they don't care about domestic vehicles and will even buy Communist China cars if they become available, and give them what they demand in a car, or more likely SUV. Yes. Romney at AMC, and Nance at SPC were two bulls who set both their companies on the parh of distruction because neither would play second fiddle. A tragedy.
If they could have gotten Packard on board, that may have saved both companies.
There had been plans for a 1958 Nash and a 1958 Hudson--again badge-engineered versions of each other--but sales of both '57 lines were so weak that George Romney decided to drop both makes just weeks before the '58s went into production. The cars planned as the Nash Ambassador and Hudson Rebel were merged into the Ambassador by Rambler as AMC chose to "sink or swim with the Rambler." (Indeed, Romney felt the old name plates were liabilities rather than assets, and history has shown AMC made the right choice)
@gcfifthgear Those two versions were as you say what became of the 58 Ambassador. I don't exactly know what you mean "History has shown Romney made the right choice". I don't think we know what 58 Hudson's and Nash's would have done. 58 was a bad year for everyone, but I feel the Ambassador was the wrong image for anything called a Rambler. Just as we will never know how an all new 57 Packard with a vertical grill would have affected the public's acceptance of the 58 Edsel. Or, visa versa, the Edsels failure would have affected how the public viewed Packard's are scenarios we can only now guess at.
It was severly outdated in 1957. No wonder Nash went away and the vehicle was repackaged
Actually, it's not outdated at all. It had the New V8 engine. Coil front springs with Unit Body Constructions. Nobody had an advanced AC system as Nash did in 56. Maybe you can argue the styling was dated, but the four headlights were all new. Nash only went away because Romney killed the name, the Ambassador which is what this car is had stellar numbers for the late fifties and early 60's propelling AMC into the Number three position for 1960, only 3 years later