34K-Mile 1974 AMC Ambassador Brougham

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If you think this 1974 AMC Ambassador Brougham looks long, you’re right. At over 18 feet in length, this last-year Ambassador was lengthened for safety reasons, or at least because of U.S. bumper regulations, and the classic coffin nose design also played a part. With 34,799 miles, this last year Ambassador is barely broken in and it looks almost like new. Let’s check it out.

Looking like it’s right out of a 1974 AMC Ambassador brochure, this car appears to be in amazing condition, cosmetically. The seller mentions a few things that aren’t perfect, such as the clock isn’t working, the gas gauge isn’t accurate, and the AC only blows cool air. Those are very minor things in my world when a car looks this nice inside and out. They say the paint looks to be original and I don’t see any flaws but they mention “small scattered chipping.”

The eighth-generation AMC Ambassador was it for this model, the one and only year this generation was made and there would be no 1975 Ambassador, although the similar-looking AMC Matador would be made until the end of 1978. The Ambassador was the top dog at AMC and this car had it all, or almost all. Standard features were a V8 engine, air-conditioning, power steering, power brakes with front discs, automatic transmission, extra sound insulation, tinted glass, and more.

The interior continues to look like a brochure, what a time capsule. There’s a lot of woodgrain on the dash and steering wheel, even inside the gauge clusters you’ll see woodgrain. The seats look perfect both front and back and the seller has included a lot of detailed photos showing this car inside and out. I did notice some flaking paint on the underside of the trunk lid, and it would be nice to see a couple of underside photos.

The engine is AMC’s 360-cu.in. OHV V8 with a two-barrel carburetor, which had 175 horsepower and 285 lb-ft of torque when new.  Backed up by a “Torque-Command” automatic transmission, it sends power to the rear wheels and the seller says everything works other than the things mentioned earlier. They have it listed here on eBay in Potterville, Michigan and they have a $9,900 buy-it-now price listed. How much would you pay for this big Ambassador?

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Comments

  1. RICK W

    First family car I remember was a 1950 Nash AMBASSADOR. Have been fascinated by AMBASSADOR through its successive generations. I must admit that the final 57 NASH AMBASSADOR was IMO the last living up to the Nash quality and full size dependable luxury. Charlie Nash and George Mason knew how to build quality, attractive cars. This 74 as the not so grand finale for AMBASSADOR still carries on a luxurious vehicle. Seems well worth the price, as the last AMBASSADOR.

    Like 2
  2. Howard A HoAMember

    Here’s a sweetheart for ya’. Potterville is in lower Mich. not far from Lansing, and pretty much bolsters what I say about AMC being a regional make. They generally didn’t venture far from Wisconsin, Adam-12 being the exception. Cars like this are bound to keep popping up as the elderly owners pass, and this, everyone will agree, was an elderly persons car. That was not a deterrent, by the way, there were a lot of older folks, AMC loyal, that wanted these cars. AMC had a banner year in ’74, with almost 500,000 cars sold. The Ambassador was on the low end at about 17,000, but everyone, I bet, was a classy car, but not particularly cheap. I read, this car sold new for around $4600, for a base model, or $200 bucks more than a LTD. Still, for AMC loyals, this was as good as it got. 187 viewed, but no offers tells me, plenty of interest for a classic car in this condition, the only possible thing holding back a sale has got to be the price. AMC sales covered a big area, 4 to 5 state radius, and there’s still a lot of these out there, I bet. They were great cars.

    Like 3
    • StanMember

      Solid offering again from the AMC factory 🏭 Howard. Honest, solid transportation, and that 360 will sound nice too 👍

      Like 2
  3. Driveinstile DriveinstileMember

    I remember these as a kid when they were new. We had an AMC dealer where I grew up in NJ and I remember seeing these and Gremlins, and Pacers on a regulat basis, and of course along with a good number of CJ 5s and CJ 7s too. I didnt think much of it when I was a kid, but seeing this Ambassador, in this remarkably preserved condidtion. It was so well cared for its while life. If I bought it, you better believe it will absolutely stay garage kept and never driven in inclement weather. I’d love to have something like this to take to a Cars and Coffee, it would probably be the only one. I believe these were solid cars back in their day, unfortunately so many were just used up and junked when there useful life was over.

    Like 4
    • Michael Tischler

      Same here,grew up in a town in South Jersey of 50 thousand and there was one dealer for each American make and plenty of Rambler products on the road.

      Like 0
  4. Big C

    Back in 1980, the local Ford dealer had a ’73 Ambassador on the lot. $800, low miles, zero rust, loaded. But, it was an AMC. I looked at it, my buddy looked at it, and he needed a car more than me. He bought it. Two days later, we’re riding through town, we’re coming up to a light, it’s turning red, he guns the Ambassador through the left turn, that car rolled over like a dog and just about scraped the rocker panel as it drifted off the road, hit a raised sewer grate and launched into a small tree. The front end collapsed like a piece of Styrofoam! The grille was pointing at the sky, I couldn’t believe it. We walked away, the car went straight to the boneyard.

    Like 1
  5. Rick

    Oh jeez. Did you have to show me this car? I live not far from Potterville. I previously owned three Ambassadors and loved them all. And, I’ve always said I’d love to own another.

    Umm, dear, you’re going to have to start parking your Rolls in the driveway…

    Like 1
    • RICK W

      As an AMBASSADOR of a certain age, I salute your exquisite taste 👌. Now, a Vintage Rolls Canardly (Roll down one hill and Can ardly get up the next), wishing you and all Barn Finders a Happy 4th of July! 🇺🇸 LAND of the FREE, because of the BRAVE!

      Like 3
  6. Michael Tischler

    2 other AMC’s in the picture.

    Like 1
    • Rick

      Those folks have great taste when it comes to cars.

      Like 2
  7. Car Nut Tacoma

    Beautiful car. Although I was way too young at the time to drive a car, (I was born in 1973), I remember cars like the AMC Matador and the Ambassador. My favourite at the time was the 1974 Matador, but I also loved the Amby. It’s a damn shame that American Motors (AMC) discontinued the Ambassador. Who knows why they did that.

    Like 1
    • RICK W

      IMO, AMC sacrificed Ambassador and then Matador to pursue other mistakes like the Pacer, compacts and sports? Cars. Merger with Renault was a failure. Only JEEP survived to be gobbled up by Chrysler which is now frankly Gone With the Wind. Please don’t say Selantis!

      Like 4
      • Car Nut Tacoma

        Are you sure the Pacer was a “mistake”? Except for the 1978 and later models, I thought they had a good thing going. My favourite years for the Pacer was the 1975-77. My favourite body for the Pacer was the wagon.

        Like 3
      • RICK W

        One ride in a bloated cramped Pacer was for me an even bigger mistake than the actual car. 🤮

        Like 0
      • Howard A HoAMember

        It’s true, but remember, automotive times were changing fast, and while they did make some foolish decisions, it was a crap shoot, and nobody knew which way the car world was headed. With cars like this, AMC was behind the times, and didn’t have the resources or a new facility( Kenosha was from the teens) for an all new car and had to rely on other outside makes. Kiss of death for any car maker. Historically, the Pacer was a flop, but I knew folks that had them, and loved them. They would have bought another if they could. I’m pretty confident, it is Jeep that is the only thing keeping Stellantis( chuckle, what Snowflake thought that up?) going and we will surely see the end of a great name like Chrysler in our lifetime.

        Like 0
      • nlpnt

        Biggest mistake with the Pacer was designing it around a GM rotary without a backup plan other than what they ended up doing which was shoehorn in their straight-6 leading to a huge transmission tunnel eating much of the class-leading front seat space that was to be the car’s USP.

        Like 1
  8. Mike FullertonMember

    I took drivers ed in a 1969 Ambassador. I have good memories of that car. Dad had a 1960 Rambler wagon and a 1975 Pacer. Wasn’t old enough (9 years old in 1962), when he bought the car to drive the Rambler. I personally loved the looks and how the Pacer handled.

    Like 2
  9. Mike F

    My dad handed down a 1969 Ambassador SST/343 to me in 1975. Had over 200k miles on it at that time. I went with him to the dealer when he ordered it. I convinced him to get the 343 and the Twin-Grip differential but couldn’t sway him to go another couple of bucks for the disc brakes (big mistake). I took the Ambassador cross country in 1976. About a 30k mile trip in total. Zig zagged from NY to Alaska to Mexico and everywhere in between. A lifter had collapsed by the end of the trip but it still ran. I fixed it in the driveway and drove it for another year before selling it with over 265k miles. I continued to see it on the road from time to time until I left the area in 1993. Fantastic car. Too bad it took half a mile to stop from 70mph because of those fading drum brakes.

    Like 0
  10. Mike Owrutsky

    My dad had an Ambassador 990 in the late 60’s. Great road car.

    Like 1
  11. Frank Drackman

    AMC was before my time, except for the Javelin/AMX always struck me as the frumpy church lady with sensible shoes,
    was thinking different about this one until
    Woodgrain inside the Instrument Panel,
    there’s a word for it, and it rhymes with Dork

    Frank

    Like 0
  12. Bakes

    I never understood why they discontinued this and kept the Matador 4 door sedan. Even if they decontented the Ambassador, it was a much better looking car than the Matador sedan, which with its single headlight on each side was just butt ugly. Nice time capsule here, the right buyer will love it.

    Like 0
    • Car Nut Tacoma

      I agree. I don’t get it. I would’ve kept both cars. They already had compact cars like the Hornet and later the Concord. People had a variety to choose from.

      Like 0
  13. Bob W.

    One of the last…if not last American car with front vent windows. Beautiful car for its age.

    Like 0
  14. Car Nut Tacoma

    Throughout most of my life, I found the 1974 Ambassador more attractive than earlier (1970-73) Ambassadors.

    Like 0

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