Nash · 1927–1957

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 (AMC). 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.

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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" (designated model 267) 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 (FOB) (US$38,737 in 2025 dollars ). 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 (Model 267) 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

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 133-inch (3,378 mm) or 142-inch (3,607 mm) wheelbases, the Ambassadors featured a 125 hp (93 kW; 127 PS), 322 cubic inches (5.3 L) 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 "Ap

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 125-inch (3,175 mm) 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, 234.8 cu in (3.8 L) in-line six as well, in a 121-inch (3,073 mm) 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 (plus subtle trim augmentations) 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 S

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 121-inch (3,073 mm) wheelbase, powered by a 234.8 cu in (3.8 L), 112 hp (84 kW; 114 PS) 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 de

1949–1951

Nash-Kelvinator president George Mason believed in fiscal responsibility, but also wanted to be "a bit daring, bold, and out of the mainstream" by making "cars noticeably different from those of the mainline Big Three producers." Nash's Vice President of Engineering, Nils Eric Wahlberg, had access to a wind tunnel during the war and believed that future cars should take advantage of aerodynamics to achieve many benefits. The company used revenue from its wartime contracts to develop a car that was "the most streamlined form on the road" and lower by 6 inches (152 mm) than the previous designs. Mason was also a convert to build a large aerodynamically clean family car for the postwar market and even championed the design's enclosed wheels as a bold innovative feature. The resulting car reflected aerodynamic notions of its era, with a rear half resembling the 1935 Stout Scarab. Nash continued to use the Ambassador name on its top models in 1949. The separate frame chassis of the previous Ambassador was discontinued in favor of unibody construction for the new 1949 models, a design the company introduced to the mass market in 1941 with the 600 series cars. The Ambassador series continued to have a 121 in (3,073 mm) wheelbase and the automaker claimed the new chassis design included 8,000 welds making its "1 1/2 to 2 1/2 times as rigid as conventional cars." After Nash rolled out its Airflyte body style, Ambassador sales enjoyed a significant gain by selling just four- and two-door sedans in the marketplace from 1949 until 1951. They were manufactured at the Nash Factory (Kenosha, WI) and the Nash Factory (El Segundo, CA). The Airflytes also featured fully reclining seats that could turn the car into a vehicle capable of sleeping three adults. The 1950 Ambassador became the

1952–1957

=== 1952 === The Nash Ambassador received a complete restyle for 1952 and celebrated the automaker's 50th anniversary as the predecessor firm, the Thomas B. Jeffery Company, marketed its first cars in 1902. The Golden Anniversary Nash Airflyte featured styling publicly credited to Pininfarina. Yet, the design was a combination of the Italian coachbuilder with ideas from Edmund E. Anderson, the lead designer at Nash. The new cars had more conventional lines than the previous 1949 through 1951 Ambassadors and they received several design awards. The large "envelope-bodied" sedans followed the pattern of Nash's enclosed wheels along with now larger die cast "toothy" grille bars. Several European touches were incorporated into production such as the reverse-slanted C-pillars and an interior fishnet "parcel holder" mounted above the windshield for keeping maps and sunglasses. Nash claimed that the Ambassador's comfort and luxury features were so advanced "that other new cars seem outdated in comparison" and advertised the Ambassador as having the broadest and most comfortable seating. The 1952 unit-body design "were good-looking notchbacks" that "looked like nothing on the road," and the cars continued into 1954, almost unchanged. The 1955 models received a revised front grille with integral headlamps. The rear end was redesigned with more pronounced tailfins for 1956, while the final year saw a new front end with "quad" headlamps or two stacked headlamps per side. 1952. The 1952 Ambassador was available in the "Super" and "Custom" series as a two- or four-door sedan and a two-door "Country Club" hardtop. The Super included Nash's basic features with the Custom adding two-tone upholstery with foam-topped seat cushions designed by Helene Rother, an electric clock, directional

Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.

Specifications

name

Nash Ambassador

Production

1927–1957

Manufacturer

Nash Motors (1932–1954) , American Motors Corporation (1954–1974)

Successor

AMC Ambassador

Assembly

United States: Kenosha, Wisconsin, Australia

Specification summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Check the linked sources for citations.

More photos

Sources

• Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1965693CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
• Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nash_AmbassadorCC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1373709041 · retrieved 2026-10-01
• Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1932_Nash_1082R_Ambassador_Rumble_Seat_Coupe_S.JPGPublic domain · Photo: CZmarlin — Christopher Ziemnowicz, releases all rights but a photo credit would be appreciated if this image is used anywhere other than Wikipedia. Please leave a note at Wikipedia here. Thank you! · retrieved 2026-10-01
• Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.

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