This big Rambler was made even bigger with a factory Continental Kit. I could personally do without that option but this is one interesting project car. It’s a 1959 Rambler Ambassador and it’s listed on eBay with a $3,750 buy it now price. It’s located in Petersburg, Texas.
Ahhh.. that’s a better view. Despite the surface rust and overall rugged appearance this car, at least this car body, is in fairly solid condition. There are a few small areas where rust has gotten the better of it but it looks straight and solid otherwise.
1959 was the last year of the first-generation Rambler Ambassador, or AMC Ambassador, and it came a handful of years after the Nash/Hudson merger which created AMC in 1954. The seller says that this car “was originally pink”, that’s the most iconic color for this car in my opinion.
Hey, a pink steering wheel, too! The interior looks mostly complete but is in pretty rough condition. This car must have been outside for a few years/decades to be in this condition. The floors are on the to-do list as is a full upholstery job including the headliner which is totally missing. This is a factory air-conditioned car and that’s a great feature, hopefully the next owner can restore this car and get all of the systems working like new again.
The big feature is the 327 cubic-inch V8 with around 270 hp. This was a pretty nice car in 1959 with power steering, power brakes, and factory AC. Is this car worth saving – please say yes!
I’m with Scotty on the Continental Kit. I could do without it myself otherwise, my answer on saving the car is a definite yes. However, I wouldn’t drive it if it was painted pink.
If I had the money, I would think about buying this car. It looks to be all there, just needs to be restored. Wish I could hurry up and hit the lottery
This car is on my dream list to buy along with a ’58, ’61 and ’65-’66 Ambassadors. Needs a full restoration to original, not changing the drive train like has been done on others. Due to the unique torque tube drive setup you cannot change one part of the the drive train without having to redesign and modify the entire drive train and rear suspension. By the time you do this you no longer have a Rambler IMO. Trivia fact: the rear shocks on Ramblers from ’57-’66 are the same as on Tri Five Chevrolet, I found this out when I was trying to find a pair of air shocks for my ’63 in 1969. I bought them and they fit perfectly.
I have one in much better condition if you are interested
Nice,, but I’m afraid it’s too far gone. With limited appeal to begin with, these have to be nicer than this. I like it, my buddy’s mom across the alley from my parents, had a car like this, only a 4 door Classic, I think, It had the V8, 4 barrel not the 327, the smaller one ( 287 ?) and it was the car of choice for stoplight drags. Positraction, smoked the skinny bias ply hides easily. I know many don’t care for the rear spare, but on Ramblers, it was the one car I thought, it actually looked good on. I suppose you could get it going safely, and drive it as is, but then, it would remind everyone what a Rambler generally looked like. Sadly, very few took care of a Rambler. Check those trunnions for rust,,
Auto, A/C, power assist and V8 on a Rambler in 1959. incredibly cool. However, “…most iconic color?” My brain tries to shut down whenever I read that “I” word. It’s so overused.
Ah, Rambler, the Rodney Dangerfield of the collector car set. :D
Seems like a lot for it’s present condition, but at least it is complete and is a fact a/c car.
Love the pink!
Leave the kit alone. With fold down seats and more trunk space, these bits of motoring history are motoring Americana-Route 66.
Why get a motel for $7/night, when you could camp for free? Sure, we used to laugh at them as kids. But the money saved by the owners left them satisfied. My mother’s friends had one on school teacher’s pay. They went through all 48 States back then. At least they weren’t stuck in a ’52 oil-burning Plymouth.
Pink? You bet. Susan G. Kommen foundation could use it for the foundation’s fund raising efforts. My wife – who’s been through it twice- would be proud to drive this during the events. That would truly be “jaw dropping.”
Lest we forget.
Frankenstein a Mercedes fintail hood, grill and headlights onto the Rambler and play pretend. Not quite the same cache but more reliable.
This is a pretty good survivor and it’s really well equipped. It seems that the only cars a lot of guys think are worth saving are muscle cars and tri five Chevies. This was a car for a comfortable middle class family to use on long road trips and vacations. Very Route 66 era. I think that this car is worth saving, but it just doesn’t make the emotional connection with most viewers. I would rather have that Cadillac hardtop sitting next to it.
Well said but you left out the “two doors or crush it” crowd.
Sadly, even with a full restoration – which the car deserves – it wouldn’t get a lot of love.
Regarding the fact that the middle and senior AMC products had too many doors (and a reputation as being rather boring and basic) for 1950s gearheads to be take them seriously: Imagine if the ’57 Rebel had been a coupe and badged and trimmed as a ‘Hudson Hornet’. The 327 V8 Rambler Rebel was the second quickest car, that year, behind the Fuelie ‘Vette..!
best look up how fast these were with the am c 327.
no slouch by any means for its time.
Although I’m not a fan of the Conti-kit, I would leave it in place. I’d love to own this Ambie, and restore it back to the original Pink [Cotillion Mauve?]
Lovely looking car. Assuming all the parts are there and the car can be rebuilt to originality, then I think it should. I would also upgrade a few things to make the car safer to drive in today’s traffic.
I am tempted, but the price is too high for the car’s current condition. It would make the perfect mate to my 1958 Ambassador 4-dr. hardtop station wagon, which is nearly done. And I’m not afraid to drive a pink car!
Rear view. This car gets more attention than any of the 12-15 old cars that I own.
This one was listed first as an auction and bidding only got up to about $1800. I was tempted at that price, but clearly there was a higher reserve and now we can see what it was. I own a 59 Classic with the 6 cyl auto (comfortable but underpowered, even with a 2BBL upgrade), and a 64 990 with the 327 that is a rumbling beast, even with an auto and power everything. I would be tempted to get this just to strip out the 327 and turn my classic into a Rebel, but not at this price. And unfortunately, Ramblers continue to be way undervalued – meaning that you could never fix this up and break even. Pity. These are very comfortable, stylish rides. I even spent my honeymoon night in one.
There more to it on a Rambler than just swapping out the engines. The 6 cyl cars use totally different parts including engine, trans, drive line, rear end, front and rear brakes, electricals and wiring harness than the V8’s. Nothing interchanges except the body. They built 2 different cars using only the same body.
6 V8
9 in Wagner Lockheed brakes F&R 10 in Delco Remey F&R
I forget which MC the 6 uses Delco Remy MC
Air cooled BW auto trans Water cooled BW auto trans
9 in Clutch 10 in Clutch
The constant velocity drive line joint is smaller in the 6 than the V8
Completely different front wiring harness from 6 to V8. Lot of the wires connection points are in different places and guage wire is different
Prestolite or Autolite gen Delco Remey gen or Motorola
Alternator
Springs and rates and shocks are different from a 6 to V8
Rear ends are different, I forget which ones they use
The cars are refered to by the factory as different series cars, the 6 being the 10 Series where the V8 is the 80 series withing the same body and model designation.
There are other thing that I have missed but going off memory of almost 50 teas ago.
I was forced to date in one of these. Dad wouldn’t let me buy my own car, even though I’d earned the money. Then, he went out and bought one of these. It was pink with that hideous stripe being a dark gray. The inside was black and red. I thought it was the Ugliest Car on the Road, at the time, and my opinion hasn’t changed. Sorry. I will say that when you finally talked a girl into going out in that thing, at least you know she wasn’t going out with you ‘cuz you had a cool car. Oh, and I never got close to needing the fold down bed feature.
Growing up in Brooklyn NY most of these were black with a red center section
The dealer was triad auto sales on 39 st
Anyone remember ?
Got to love the aftermarket blinkers on the front. Some people have no taste.
Pink cars were fairly common in the late 50’s. I was in need of a low priced car in early 68. My dad worked with a man who said he had a car that he hadn’t been able to sell. He offered it for $50.00 my dad took me t see it. Wow! It was pink/black and white. It was a 58 Olds fiesta station wagon. I put a new battery in it and it fired right up. Smoked for awhile then settled down and tan smooth. It had been the mans wife’s car. It had been an air ride car but they had coil springs installed with new ball joints and the trans rebuilt. In the mean time she bought a new car so the Olds was for sale. I bought it and drove it for 2 years before it broke down on a cold snowy night in Everett, Washington. I was on my way home in Seattle so from working the swing shift at Boeing 747plant. I couldn’t get back before the police had it impounded. No problem for me driving a pink car, I’m very secure in my manhood.
It does deserve to be restored, but is going to be a labor of love, as it’s never going to be a valuable car dollar wise, but historically it’s a slam dunk! Leave the continental spare alone, it’s part of the history. I think it’s worth about half the current asking price in this condition.
You can clearly see all the Ambassadors extra length is ahead of the windshield, otherwise it’s the same basic body as the Rambler Six.
yes…..
From about 1966 to 1970 I had a 1960 Rambler Ambassador, 327; power steering, power brakes, AC, limited slip differential and electric windows. It came with two matching pillows made with the same material as the cloth used for the seats. Like the 61 Rambler Ambassador, it was very similar to the 1959 model. Except no continental kit. I think that the change in body style happened in 1962. I have very fond memories and it is the car we drove away from our wedding ceremony in June 1969. My wife didn’t like the antenna in the middle of the trunk, so I did change that. It was a wonderful car and I drove that car way too fast over the Cascade passes in Washington state, especially considering the quality of tires available at the time.
My father had one just like this one. It was pink with white in set and roof, push button transmission shift. Reclining front seat, factory air, black and silver upholstery, full wheel hub caps, continental kit and something inside was battleship gray. We called it his pink elephant. I cannot believe they made more than one of them.
Johnmloghry–We already knew this, but you’re a far better man than I was a teenager. I was NOT very secure in my own skin, driving a pink and gray Rambler on a date.
Hemorrhoids on a Rambler?
Not sure I understand this: “1959 was the last year of the first-generation Rambler Ambassador, or AMC Ambassador, and it came a handful of years after the Nash/Hudson merger which created AMC in 1954″
Wouldn’t the first generation include 60, 61 and 62 ? Or through 61 on the 117” wheelbase ? Same body shell. Facelifts for 60, 61 and 62. I would think the first generation would have ended with the introduction of the 63s.
This is my 58 Rambler Ambassador Super. 327 4V continental kit.
1958 was the first year of the Rambler Ambassador which kept the same basic body, a Rambler with the extra length from the firewall forward. ’61 was the last year of this body which was in ’62, ’63 & ’64 was just a fancied up Rambler or Classic.
Remember Scott, as far as the Conti kit goes…’tis better to have, and not want, than to want, and not have. How many would pay well to get their hands on it? Name yer price, right? Personally…I love ’em, just like fender skirts on a ’57 Chevy…*NOT*! Sometimes less is more IMHO.
I have a 63 with the 327.
We were driving it today.
A cruiser, not a bruiser, but a very nice car.
My Uncle Vern Dostie had a 1960 in candy apple red and the front seats would go back and lay flat so yoiu could sleep in it What a car however in 1967 he went back to buying a plymouth sedan just as he had driven for years
I had a ’59 w 327/overdrive….that car would haul ass…ex-sheriff’s car but the ugliest lt green you ever saw. Most people only saw the fins n taillights anyway.
Adios