CarBrandLogos archive · Nash · 1932
Nash's flagship for three decades, and an early believer in the wind tunnel.
Discover the storyPhoto: Joe Ross from Lansing, Michigan · CC BY-SA 2.0
The story
Explore the ideas, engineering and context that shaped the Nash Ambassador, then continue into its specifications and place in the marque's lineage.
01
Charles Nash sold his cars on engineering rather than glamour, and the Ambassador is where the money went. Established as the top Nash line in 1932, the name having been used on a trim level from 1927, it was a large, well-equipped, straight-eight-powered car aimed at buyers who might otherwise have bought a Buick.
1931 Nash Ambassador Sedan Rear · CZmarlin — Christopher Ziemnowicz · Public domain
02
Two things set it apart. First, aerodynamics: Nash committed to streamlined bodywork early and, from the 1949 Airflyte, to fully enclosed front wheels, which cut drag and made the cars unmistakable and, to many eyes, ugly. Second, comfort features nobody else offered, including a properly integrated heating and ventilation system called Weather Eye and seats that folded flat into a bed, which the company advertised with more enthusiasm than dignity.
1942 Nash Ambassador X-ray · The original uploader was CZmarlin at English Wikipedia. · Public domain
03
The Ambassador survived the 1954 merger with Hudson that created American Motors and continued as a Nash through 1957, when the marque was retired. The name did not go with it: AMC kept Ambassador on its full-size cars until 1974, making it one of the longest-running nameplates in American motoring.
1941 Nash Ambassador black sedan "A" ration sticker · 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! · Public domain
At a glance
Produced
1927–1957Technical specification
Lineage
Contemporaries from the 1930s
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