Now here is one of 5256 Ambassador Brougham Station Wagons produced and I now own it. Eleven cars. I must be out of my mind.
So let me explain. This car showed up on Facebook’s Marketplace near the end of December 2023 and it immediately caught my attention. First, I don’t think I had ever seen one, and second, I thought it was an attractive car. Third, it was up in Napa which was 37 miles north of me. Yikes, things were not looking good for me…
What I usually do is delay and by then the car has sold. Of course that didn’t work with the Parklane or the Polara and it didn’t work this time. Turns out, the car was still up at the end of January. I hemmed and hawed but finally caved and had user Mercury 6768 meet me at the car’s location. Of course, it was raining.
This is how I first saw the Ambassador when I drove up the long driveway past a couple of Model T’s on lifts. The owner was out and I introduced myself; at that time Mercury 6768 arrived from Santa Rosa. He was actually all over the car more than me and studied it up. He checked out lights, radio, seats and so forth (I also took a look in case you are wondering). No test drive because of the rain.
Turns out the owner has a large property with four warehouses for cars and parts. He professionally restores cars for a museum in Austria. If I had to guess there were 40-50 cars on the property awaiting restoration. All vintage such as Packard, Hudson, Cadillac, Mercury, Mopars, and on and on. There was some amazing stuff there along with auto memorabilia. He gave us a tour of the place which was nice of him. I didn’t take any pictures out of respect for his privacy (I know Mercury 6768 will chime in on all that he saw). It was like Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, except cars instead of chocolate. Yummy! Oh, and there were his restored personal cars like a 57 Bel Air, 1957 Cadillac, 1961 Rambler, and some others I forgot as I was overloaded.
I came up with the listed amount and then negotiated from there. Since I inherited a large sum of money I thought I could treat myself and spend just a little of it. The owner told me he turned down a few who he thought were the wrong fit for the car. Obviously, I was a car guy who was going to take care of it. He signed the title over to me, I gave him the cash and said I would pick it up one and a half weeks later. He did offer to drive it down in a trailer for me but that was OK. When the time came, Mercury 6768 met me again and he drove the car down for me, after which I drove him back to Napa.
Having shown all the Ambassador’s sides I’ll go into a few things. First, you can see a rust hole in the fuel door. I found a door on eBay for the car and when it arrived there was some rust on the back. I disassembled the door from the hinge. There was rust between the door and the hinge, which I had media blasted and primed at a local shop I once used in 2103 (This fellow also restores cars for a living. His shop had about nine cars but two were his: One a 1966 Chevelle 396 convertible with 70,000+ miles in a beautiful burgundy.)
The replacement door went in as soon as I painted it snow-white. Then, the license plates are history as I have a YOM pair in blue and yellow to put on. Last, the Di-noc has seen better days but I have five sample pieces now to match grain and color. Mercury 6768 has done a set on a friend’s 72 Country Squire.
Here are some closer details of the car. The paint is in amazing condition. Some rock nicks here and there but zero fading or chalking. It will compound and polish up nicely. Chrome is in fabulous condition and all there. What is truly amazing is no nicks in the trim around the wheel wells.
Today, February 21st, is actually the first day with the car since it was driven down almost three weeks ago. Rain at the most inopportune times. I was able to take it out to a car wash to use the power spray around the body trim to blow out all the hidden debris accumulated over the years. The car is originally from Port Townsend Washington and a little green can be seen in the caulking along the top of the window trim in the channel.
Oh, and that is one tiny side-view mirror when driving.
Fake wood trim behind the speedometer. Gotta love that. The AMC vertical AM radio is off to the right.
That floor mat is actually for a Lincoln Continental and the emblem is barely visible on the hump. Ironically, when I bought my 67 Parklane, it too had a green floor mat from a Lincoln Continental. So I have two Lincoln mats but no Lincoln.
The seats and door panels are in excellent condition as is the plastic-like headliner. The carpet is also in decent condition and just needs a vacuum. Unfortunately, the vacuum at the car wash took my $2 coins and didn’t give me anything. There is a lot of flaky debris in the back from what was once a floor mat that I threw away. That is a 21 gallon fuel tank under there, and I learned there is a slow leak from the rubber fuel line under that rear end. Now I’ll have to drain a bunch of fuel in order to change that hose out.
The underside of the hood is in nice condition. One of the few I have seen where the car battery didn’t leave its mark on it. Some obvious parts there like the Autolite 2100, the Ford solenoid, the Delco distributor, and power steering have a Mopar look to them along with the 727 Torqueflite automatic. The battery is dated 03/20 so off my list. Tires dated 38/19 so off my list too for the time being.
The carburetor definitely needs a rebuild as the car at idle is iffy. Died at least six times on me. Idle speed was also low at 500 rpm which didn’t help. I added coolant flush in the radiator so I can later drain, refill, and put in a new thermostat and hoses all around. Oil and filter changes for both the engine and transmission to be done soon. More than likely put in a Pertronix II working off a relay along with new plugs and wires in the garage. After that a run through the brakes.
I did have time to take a short 20 mile drive before the afternoon commute (At least I thought I had the time, till the return leg when things clogged up in the blink of an eye.) The steering has no slop at all. Typically light feel, as per power steering in the day. Acceleration was a pleasant surprise. The 360-2V is quick off the line as compared to the 360-2V in the Polara. The car probably needs new shocks given how it went up and over a couple of speed bumps at slow speed. However, on the freeway, the car was really smooth at 65-70. I was surprised and it drove solidly with no wandering. Transmission shifted well.
So that is it for now. I put the car away, under a new cover, a block from me, where I can store it and walk 5 minutes to home. Oh, and at the car wash, two people came up and said their parents had a wagon just like this. Probably meant just a wagon and not an AMC wagon.
Related CC reading:
Curbside Classic: 1970 AMC Ambassador SST – The Patriarch Of Kenosha
Vintage Review: 1971 Ambassador SST – Road Test Magazine Evaluates AMC’s Biggest Sedan
Nice find dude! I have had a closet like for these.
That is a good looking wagon, and thanks for all the detailed pictures! Enjoy, and keep us updated as you do the work.
Great Ambassador! AMC could have freshened the details on the Matador wagon for the mid ’70s, and lessened the late 60’s looking elements, and helped capture the smaller domestic luxury wagon market. Ahead of the best-selling Volare and Aspen wagons. Even if the Matador wagon was larger. Rectangular headlights, an attractive nose, and promoting Matadors, as more rationally-scaled luxury cars. As the Granada managed. Dumping the very stale Matador name as well.
Equipped with the 258 CID Six, mileage would have been comparable to the Slant Six.
Rather, than spending on fanciful projects like the Pacer. Luxury-oriented Concord D/L wagon was far too late.
Seats with the recessed head restraints, appear well ahead of their time. Cool wagon!
I love this! Good on you for saving this one.
Fantastic Wagon, Thanks for sharing.
there are lots of shots of these from 1972-76 on the last few seasons of the old ADAM-12 TV show. Please excuse my AMC ignorance here, as I always get confused between the Rebel, Ambassador, and Matador but nevertheless, there is always a good showing of the field commander’s car (Mac) on ADAM-12 and it is a wagon similar to yours without the Brougham interior and the prominent and coveted red “401” Badge on the fender.
Enjoy your car!
Started my Weaver Auto Parts in Wisconsin in 1972 and the highest volume car dealer was an AMC dealer, (Leahy Motors) Sold them lots of parts. IT was an AMC town and the next year the state patrol switched to Ambasador station wagens what beautifu memories!
Beautiful car! I have a soft spot in my heart for old-school wagons and dead brands, so you hit the jackpot here. Keep us updated!
Well, I feel like I’m just about out of my mind with 8 vehicles, so yeah with 11 you are probably fully there.
What a great and well optioned wagon! So many of the details remind me of the 72 Matador I had so many years ago. I had the same rust on the fuel filler door, and the interior details like window winders, glove box door and little “fasten seat belts” light bring back the memories.
Enjoy the wagon, looks like a good road trip car once you get it fully sorted.
A wonderful, time capsule find. I can see why you wanted it. How many other domestic wagons had a reclining front passenger seat in 1973?
At the time, these must have depreciated like a rock, between the October 1973 oil embargo and just from being an AMC. It doesn’t matter now, of course.
My big sister boarded her horse at a farm next door to a Pontiac-AMC-Jeep dealer, so I spent a lot of time wandering among the new cars. Pontiacs you saw everywhere, but a lot of the AMC’s were rare beasts in the wild, even then. I don’t remember seeing any Amby wagons at all!
Both front seats recline! Standard!
Nice ride! Enjoy it! If I am correct, air conditioning was standard on this car. Thanks for the essay.
Yes, A/C was standard although I haven’t tried it yet.
Nice car!
With 11 cars, how do you find time to drive any of them? And this wagon looks like it really wants to be driven.
I really like the front seat design on this. I’ve never sat in one of these, so I couldn’t comment on whether or not they’re comfortable, but I do like the contrast of the upholstery and how the head rests are embedded in the seat backs. Neat.
“With 11 cars, how do you find time to drive any of them? And this wagon looks like it really wants to be driven.”
Good question. I drive the 04 Focus on M,Tu,Th, and Fri. I drive the 91 Mazda 626 on Saturday to the Hornet. My wife drives her 2018 Mazda 3 daily. The 04 LeSabre is the long distance car and will be used next weekend for a drive down to Las Vegas. The 67 Parklane has it’s 410 block at the machine shop right now getting cleaned and bored. The 98 Sable wagon is awaiting the installation of a new NOS short block sitting in the garage. Only have one engine stand so 410 gets it first. Son gets driver’s permit this fall. The Cougar, Mustang, F100, and Polara are left for me to drive. Tough as weather has not been good on the weekends
I’ll echo what some others have said about those front seats; the recessed headrests are very nicely done. And I’m often not a fan of brown upholstery shades, let alone two-tone, but it really works with those seats. I know they say to never look at a car to purchase after dark, but this past month in California it’s been pretty hard to avoid the rain too. At least it was in Napa not Tahoe.
Very attractive wagon. Have always liked these AMC wagons from 1967 through 1972. After that, the federal bumper standards started messing up the look of all American cars. I hope you will keep us posted on the restoration progress you make with the woodgrain di-noc panels. Once finished, that will be one show stopper wagon!
Thanks for sharing the details and numerous pictures of this fantastic car.
I really like it. I’ve not been a huge AMC fan, but I’ve been appreciating them more in recent years and I especially like Ambassadors. And of course, I am a wagon lover. This design has a neat, tidy look to it. The color, the wheels, the woodgrain all enhance it. I think this would have been a very tempting choice to buy in 1972. The Ambassador would be perfect if one wanted a mildly upscale car without the heft of the Big 3’s more upscale offerings. I looked it up, the Ambassador wagon weighed almost 1000 pounds less than a Buick Estate Wagon, and even 100 pounds less than a Century wagon despite having a 6 inch longer wheelbase. On the other hand, the base price is very close to a Buick Estate Wagon, though I haven’t tried to compare standard equipment.
A well preserved car it seems, other than oddities like the rusted fuel filler door. I suppose the design of that door was just very prone to rusting. If you get the new woodgrain and other minor refurbishments, this car will be amazing!
Here is the replacement door that has been sandblasted and partially painted. The rust is between the the door and the arm. You can see where the arm slides into the back of the door and then metal flaps (if you will) are folded over to hold in place. Great location for rust to form between two bare surfaces.
Very nice condition! Typical AMC product, parts from all over. Chrysler transmission, Ford carburetor, stater solenoid and starter, GM power steering pump, steering column, and distributor. Using common and proven components not only saved AMC money but made their cars reliable as well.
So how much did U pay 4 it?
I grew up in Kenosha, Wisconsin where AMC was headquartered. So seeing one of these brings back memories. I’d love to have one of these. I always thought they were sharp looking cars.
Very nice! This could be my favorite AMC car from all of the 1970’s.
I always have a soft spot in my heart for wagons, and this one is a beauty! It’s in such amazing survivor shape. It’s great to find a car that you can clean and detail into even better condition. Eleven cars? DougD said that had eight, that makes me feel almost normal with six! When I was still working, I used to drive one for a week at a time. I cleaned out my garage a few years back so that I could keep two cars inside, another couple in the driveway, two at the curb. The “dailys” aren’t usually covered, but my ’96 Mustang and Nav are both under covers and that helps.
I’m fifty miles down the highway from you, and we’ve also been getting dumped with rain. I keep the clean cars in the garage and won’t take them out, and I’ll keep the covers on the other two, until the weather breaks.
Enjoy the newest addition to your fleet!
As I don’t have the space or money, it’s hard for me to think of what my collection would be like if I had those things.
But I think I’d limit myself to about 5 or 6 cars, perhaps one more if I had a spouse. That seems like a sweet spot where I could exercise my vehicles often enough, or set one off to the side for maintenance or repair or renovation. I’d also sell something and replace it every couple years to keep my collection interesting to me.
What Bob says above has always made me wonder about these AMC cars. My best friend growing up had several Javelins, basically to build one really nice one.
One of the beaters while he worked on the nice one was blue ’73 non-AMX with the 360 under the hood. It was very fast, and incredibly scary with its optional Fred Flintstone flooring.
My question is this: Was AMC’s 360 the same engine as Chrysler’s 360? Since AMC liked to use parts from other American manufacturers, was this engine the same?
Ultimately, his nice one when completed was a ’74 with the 304 and a 3 speed, with a Pierre Cardin interior swapped out from a ’72 basket case.
I would assume that restoring an AMC car would not be for the faint of heart, considering availability (or lack thereof) of parts. But if what Bob says it true… anyway…
Love this wagon!!! That is a very attractive car. Enjoy it TBM3FAN!
No, the AMC 360 was very much its own engine. In the same family as the 290, 304, 343, 390 and 401, although starting in 1970, the deck height was raised a bit so the blocks are not quite the same.
Thanks Paul! Wow, I had no idea that all these AMC engines were in the same engine family.
You could say that this 360-2V is far more authoritative off the line than the 360-2V in my Polara.
Pretty solid survivor there. Waay rare, even in it’s day.
Nice looking Ambassador Wagon! :)! The wagons still kept the same rear doors as the 67-69 Rebel cars and didn’t receive the rear upkick doors the 1970 on Rebel and Ambassador 4 doors received. It was a very clean design for its time. The later Matador “Jimmy Durante” nose on the Matadors ruined the look of these car. The 1973 and 1974 Ambassdor did a much better job at this than the Matador did. The 1972 and earlier cars are much nicer and classier. A great find! Hard to believe they are 52 years old now! Enjoy! :)!
You may want to know that my Grandpa P. had a ’71 Matador wagon in green which I remember well. He bought it because in 1957 my father (“Johnny”) told him that “AMC makes the best cars.” And whatever Johnny says is taken as gospel. So Grandpa had ’57, ’65, and ’71 wagons.
The interior of your Ambassador is a lot more lush and fancy than the Matador’s. Instead of fake wood, the dash of the Matador had thin brushed aluminum panels which were peeling off–looked like they were attached with rubber cement! I always laughed at the words SHIFT COMMAND at the transmission quadrant–such over-dramatic words for what was just an ordinary shift lever like every other car had! The speedometer numerals on your Ambassador look fancier than the ones on the Matador. “304” emblems were on the Matador’s front fenders. The tail light lenses were replaced several times because they were so easily damaged.
Grandpa’s Matador was stolen while parked in front of the Casa Columbo Italian social club. It was found in destroyed condition in South Mountain Reservation a few miles away. He never bought another car after that. I haven’t seen one of these ’70s AMC wagons in the longest time.
I’ve probably just seen too many movies and tv shows, but I’ve got to say that it doesn’t seem like the smartest move to steal cars that are parked in front of the Italian social club. Even green AMC station wagons.
Here in Boston, punks are taught to leave that kind of thing alone. These guys know some guys, if you know what I mean. 😉
Sadly Jeff ;
mooks are everywhere and they’re not much on thinking……
-Nate
Beautiful car and from the rear three-quarter view, perhaps the most attractive domestic wagon offered in 1972: taut, purposeful and clean-lined. Quite a contrast to so many of the rotund, porky, and/or dated competitors.
I think wagons tended to be AMC’s best-looking models, stretching all the way back to the late ‘50s, with much less of the weirdness of some of the sedans and coupes. The contemporary Hornet Sportabout wagon is a looker, too.
Though it’s been decades since I’ve seen an Ambassador in the metal, lately they seem to be popping up on the screen, most recently as the Bernstein family car driven by Bradley Cooper in “Maestro”, the Leonard Bernstein biopic.
These were great wagons! Not oversized like the clamshell GM’s of that era, and had every bit as much interior room and cargo room, and handled so much better! Great buy! I saw this for sale back then too, and salivated over it. Good thing it was in CA, and about 1700 miles from me!
The interior looks quite luxurious. I’m impressed by the quality of the carpeting, and the low transmission hump (front and back). I am surprised at what appear to be hard plastic seat backs? This interior is more luxurious than the Volare Premier wagon, and obviously more spacious. These should have sold better!
Wow, that is one Lassie Bassie!
Very similar to a company car that a friend’s dad had in the ’70s.
And let’s hear it for Port Townsend, Washington! Back around 1990 I was staying with my sister’s family at Fort Worden State Park and spotted a 1963 Volkswagen Westfalia for sale. It was in great shape, we made the deal, and I drove it home. Must be something in the water there.
When tbm3fan reached out to me and asked me to help him take a look at this car and drive it home, I was happy to do so. We’re both Cougar guys and have know each other through our local Mercury Stray Cats Cougar club for about 25 years. Like him, I have a few other cars, the old ones being a Rangoon Red/red ’65 Mustang hardtop, an Augusta Green ’68 Cougar, and an all-black ’73 Marquis Brougham. Anyway, like he said, the weather was not really cooperating, but we had a good look at the Ambassador wagon. What first impressed me about it was how clean it was. The interior is just about perfect, incely finished, and the split bench is comfortable. After giving the exterior and interior a close examination, we looked under the hood. Quite a bit of room there, so this car will be easy to work on. And tbm3fan is a great mechanic, so I’m sure he’ll address a few minor things quickly enough. When we looked around the owner’s place after we were finished with the Ambassador, there was plenty to see: a fully fitted ’68 Miller-Meteor Cadillac ambulance, two Trabants, beautiful ‘Rambler convertible and a ’57 Chevy Bel-Aire Sport sedan with AC and PW, among many rare options. There were plenty of nice older cars there too.
When we arrived a week and a half later, the weather was hardly any better. I had the honor of driving the Ambassador home, and what a treat. I had never driven an AMC product, but know a fair amount about them. I will say he 360 (2V) provides plenty of power for this wagon, which I would guess weighs about 4400 lbs as equipped. It was very quiet for a wagon of its age, not suffering from a rattling tailgate or any other rattles, for that matter. With the 122-inch wheelbase (1-inch longer than a concurrent LTD), it is a wonderful car to drive on the highway. Quiet, secure, a smooth ride but not floaty. I thought it also had positive steering and good brakes (disc brakes were an option this car has, power drums were standard). I would say the handling is likely a lot better than a Country Squire of the ear, which is a much larger, heavier cal overall. One thing that really stuck out to me as I drove it was the quality of the interior upholstery and trim, even after all these years. And the speedometer face is covered in the same faux wood as the dash, which I find unusual and fun! Given how rare this car is, I’m glad tbm3fan now owns it, as he will get it up to snuff in no time. I look forward to seeing it again once he’s had some time (and good weather!) to work on it. Tbm3fan, thanks for chance to drive such a rare and interesting car!
We’ve known each other since the beginning of the Stray Cats in the 90’s. Back to when you had the Bobcat in San Francisco. So what was the name of that rare electric car and that Borgward that caught your attention?
Oh, the car weight is just under 4,000 lbs. now that I am home from the office. I’ll send Rich an update on the car after I have worked on the fuel system, ignition system, cooling system and brakes.
That electric car was an early Fisker Karma. And yes, there was a Borgward, and a WIllys Aero, and a ’66 Mustang GT, and a ’48 Fleetwood 60 Special….he had so many nice cars, in addition to the ones awaiting restoration. And…the Bobcat! I didn’t think we’d known each other that long. Had that car from ’94 to ’97.
11 cars?
I’d bet you aren’t married.
I was eyeballing that car myself. I have a 64 rambler 660 wagon and a 66 caprice wagon. If I didn’t have 2 I’d have snagged that one. Glad you got it.
Very nice I remember seeing that vehicle for sale. Sadly 30 years ago there was one that was in the wrecking yard of 72 with a 401 and I was able to purchase the 401 out of it. It went into my CJ7 for 20 years. I still have the Jeep but the 401 found a new home when a fuel injected 350 went into it for smog California reasons. I always wished I’d kept that station wagon.
With the Di-Noc planned for replacement, I’m wondering if you might consider something…….DIFFERENT. I’m remembering the 3 ‘Special Editions of the Rebel wagon in 1967:
– The Briarcliff – red body with simulated black leather sides
– The Westerner – white body with simulated weathered brown leather sides
– The Mariner – blue body with simulated planked, bleached teakwood paneling on the sides. (tailgate too on all 3).
I’m glad you are preserving this. I should remember the vertical radio from my grandfather’s Ambassador but 5 year old me only remembered the column shift and the rubber band collection. Our cars had push button or floor shift automatics. Oddly I have owned more column shifts than my parents. Then again despite my grandfather owning a lifetime of AMC/Nash cars my father never owned an AMC and drove imports after 1970.
Joe :
Is the rubber bands hanging some old man thing ? .
I have this too…….
-Nate
Wow, 11 cars! You now have me beaten by one, so I’ll have to go out and find another. 🙂
Great looking wagon – I look forward to your updates.
You love a challenge. Am I not right?
Got my rebuilt 2100 so now the mechanical journey begins tomorrow to bring the car up to my standards.
Did you buy a rebuilt carb or go through the one on your car? The 2100 is such a good, simple carburetor.
When I do an update you can see in pictures. There is a 1.08 ventri 2100 on the car and I thought about rebuilding it but it was a mess. So I got a rebuilt 2100 exact match carb. I also found stored in my office a 1.08 2100 needing a rebuild only it is missing the stud for the Torqueflite transmission as all Ford 2100s are. Of course I found it late today after the rebuilt one arrived earlier at home as one could swap the stud. Well, spares are always nice and I have a bunch of 2100s, 4100s, and a spare 4300 in the garage.
DiNoc ! =8-) .
This thing is huge yet the trim makes it look svelte and sporty, a rare thing for AMC products .
Good on you for becoming it’s new caretaker .
-Nate
Wow! I’m looking for a wagon now. In particular a Nash, Rambler, AMC product. I have a 1949 Nash 600 2dr now, but it’s toooo big, lol. It also has really low miles and I hate to put more on it.