It’s always good fun to attend a car show in a longtime manufacturing town. In Flint, there will be more Buicks than you’ve ever seen in one place in your life. It’s the same with Dearborn and Fords; Lansing and Oldsmobiles; South Bend and Studebakers; and Kenosha and AMCs. Kenosha is where we find this tip of the day, brought to us by Hans H. and listed on Marketplace. The listing could certainly be a little more thorough in describing this big Ambassador, but we’ll piece together what we can about the pride of Wisconsin.
The Ambassador was American Motors’ top-of-the-line offering for 1967. Similar to the new midline Rebel, the Ambassador had an extra four inches of length and a neat stacked-headlamp motif, a trend that started with the 1963 Pontiac, but who wasn’t copying Pontiac in the 1960s? There were three Ambassadors to choose from in 1967 (in addition to the Marlin, which was in its final year of production): the 880, 990, and DPL. Based on the bodyside trim and bodystyle, this is the middle-of-the-road 990; the swanky DPL had more trim, fancier hubcaps, and a brocade interior that would have looked more at home in 1977 than 1967.
This Ambassador has the biggest engine option available in 1967, the new 343 V8. Available in two-barrel or four-barrel tune (with 235 and 280 horsepower, respectively), it would grow to 390 cubic inches in 1968 and 401 cubic inches in 1971. The seller doesn’t say which version is under the hood of this ’67, but based on the aluminum intake manifold, my guess is that it currently has a four barrel. American Motors was an early adopter of dual-circuit braking systems, but all cars had them for 1967, so they lost one of their safety selling points over the competition. Four-wheel drums were still standard in 1967, but power front discs were a $91 option (no idea if this one has them). It does have power steering but no air conditioning, even though that would become standard on Ambassadors two model years later.
The interior of this 990 is sportier than you might expect; it has the optional bucket seats, floor shifter for the automatic, and a console, in addition to the 990’s standard woodgrain trim. The seller simply says that this Ambassador has “no rust” and is a “solid car.” It certainly has a handsome color combination (Marina Aqua, perhaps?), and the ’67 model seems to be a favorite of AMC boosters. The asking price is $18,000, so if you’re in the Kenosha area for the holidays and have an itch for an Ambassador, it may be worth a look.
This appears to be a very sharp and nice car, but it would have been better to use a different camera lens and show the car from a distance, and a nice profile shot or two. GLWTS!! :-)
You’d be hard pressed to find a car like this outside the Midwest. While not much is said about the car itself, judging by the other cars behind it, a Rambler/AMC collector from their hometown. I doubt this person bought the car new, but clearly knew about it for a long time.
Stacked headlights aside, that I never cared for, the car was no Pontiac, BUT, for someone that probably worked at AMC, for all we know, they built their own car, and cherished it, this was as good as it got.. Coming from Milwaukee, there were workers stories that were told, “hey Frank, Louies blue Ambassador is coming down the line, throw an extra couple lockwashers on”. The author left out the most popular AMC V8, the 360, that appeared in 1970. AMC had 10 V8s, all great motors. I read, the ’67 DPL ragtop was top of the line at $3143, the coupe a bit less, but still less than most other classy cars.
As AMC fans wane, I think the price is a bit much for an unknown car, but as rare as it is, and as nice as it is, sure beats a rusty Bronco.
This is one of the sharpest Ambassadors I think I’ve ever seen either in person or on Barnfinds. Beautiful interior and love the exterior color too. I, myself, personally, some of my favorite Pontiacs are mid 60s models both intermediate and full sized with stacked headlights. And I think the stacked headlights on these look great. Very crisp lines. This is one of my favorite AMCs. Not only did AMC have great V8s, but a biddy of mine years ago had a few over the years he rebuilt with different high performance parts that were downright quick. ( Although Im sure stock theyre no slouch either.). This is really nice and hope it goes to a good new home.
Agree with the above comments.
Howard im sure prefers this version w the Flash-O-Matic autoloader. Beautiful presentation by AMC on the floor shift, and console. For the hotrod crowd, AMC delivered an available 4sp. with optional 3.54 gears.
Combine that, with a curb weight of just over 3500lbs. 280hp/365lb-ft, this was a swift sedan.
I know a guy in Eureka,CA,who has one of these.
It’s Charcoal Gray,has American mags on it,and just
plains looks cool!
Love this car! AMC designed and made some very nice vehicles. The lines on this Ambassador are crisp and appealing but not overwhelming. The interior is nice and inviting. AMC had some great engines which could compete with the top 3. From the 290 all the way to the 401, just a great stable to choice from. AMC doesn’t get the respect it deserves considering the financial environment this company was always working under. Would love to have this Ambassador in my garage.
AMC marketing slogan: “We never get no respect, ya know what we mean?”
Being nit picky, but the 1957 Nash had stacked headlights – Maybe Pontiac was copying Nash ? lol
…and the 57 Lincolns
Both may be true, but no stylists were looking back at ’57 models when designing cars in the ’60s, and it’s arguable that neither started the trend that other stylists picked up on.
Insider information from someone at Pontiac?
Very nice, even has the optional electric windshield wipers! I have a 1967 Rebel which is basically the same car. Looking at the master cylinder in the engine photo it looks like the car has drum brakes all around if that master is the original type.
Odd that the car has AC outlets in the dash but no air conditioning. (These cars did not have flow-through ventilation.) I wonder if the AC parts under the hood were removed or maybe the dash was replaced with one from an AC-equipped car at some point. (A lot can happen to a car in 58 years.)
There are some things for a prospective buyer to look out for. Although the antiquated and difficult to service torque tube rear suspension is finally gone for 1967 you still have the old Rambler trunnions in the upper front suspension. (No upper ball joints for you until 1970.) Although parts are available almost no one knows how to work on them any more. A quick check is the front springs should be straight, if they’re bowed out the trunnions are worn. Another issue is that strut rod bushings for the trunnion-equipped AMC cars are not available.
Be very careful about rust. Although the body looks good in the photos check the unibody structure underneath, and pay particular attention to the metal troughs under the front fenders. In these cars the fenders cover those troughs but debris still gets in there and water accumulates if the drains clog. (Later models opened up the troughs so the drains could easily be cleaned out.)
The automatic is the old 3-speed Borg-Warner unit, model M11 as I recall. (AMC would not switch to the far superior Chrysler Torqueflite until 1972.) An issue with these is new vacuum modulators are 100% unobtainium and lotsa luck finding a good used one.
I also noticed the air cleaner on this particular car seems to be from a newer than 1967 model. Over the years I owned two ’67 Ambassadors, both with the 343 V8. One was a 2 barrel, the other a 4 barrel, but neither had that vacuum operated flap in the snorkel.
Styling wise, Chevy and Ford’s full size cars were the best looking of 66. But in 67, I think AMC and Plymouth get the nod. This is one really sharp Ambassador.
My parents had a 1968 same color as this with a white vinyl top and it had the auto on floor and 343.Really nice car.
As mentioned above, the dash has all the outlets for AC so likely the car came with AC and the compressor and possibly other AC parts have been removed. I think the front seats are not original. My 1967 Marlin has an almost identical interior (with electric windows, no factory AC) and the bucket seats are completely different and include the recliner mechanism. The air cleaner appears to be one for a California emission controlled engine. The car is exceptional. Fortunately I am out of garage space.
Lovin’ 1967 American Motors Ambassadors!
Beautiful 67 Ambassador. I have a very similarly equipped 67 myself. The buckets in this one are from a 70s car though, they are not true 67 seats. I also have a 67 Rebel SST 2 Dr hardtop.
My grandfather had a 67. Gold with a black vinyl top. Traded in for a 68 Javelin. Also had a 65 Marlin prior to the Ambassador. Yeah, he was a hardcore AMC guy. This is a very nice example I wouldn’t mind having at all. However, the front buckets don’t match the rear seat. I’m wondering if they’ve been recovered or replaced with something else. They look a few years newer style wise.
I came across one of these, except it was a DPL, in a boneyard years ago and was immediately impressed with the styling. Those stacked headlights are fantastic. So much so that I snagged the grill and have it hanging in the rafters of my carport for “garage art”, except my grill doesn’t have the fog lights. (Maybe it was a ’66?)
I also snagged the center console that was too nice to see go to the crusher. That has to be the stoutest center console I have ever come across. It’s made of thick heavy fiberglass and it’s hanging on the wall in my Man Cave. I’m not too sure what to do with it but I figured it was worth the $40 to save it from the crusher while awaiting inspiration.
Probably the most unique thing I snagged out of the car was a factory Houndstooth pillow. I had never seen that before but I instinctively knew there can’t be too many original red houndstooth pillows left floating around. The guy at the boneyard threw that in as a freebie.
Nice Ambassador. When I was a teenager, my parents bought a used 67 Ambassador, but it was a base model 4 door sedan with the 232. The only options were PS, PB, and AC. It never gave any trouble, but was a real dog. The 232 was simply not enough engine for the car. Years later, I paid $50 for a 68 Ambassador beater. It was a 2 door SST, and had the 343. What a difference! It was a fun car and I drove it for several years without putting any money into it. Finally, the engine jumped time, bent some push rods, and no telling what else it did. I junked it as a cheap worn out car that needed everything. Now, I wish I’d kept it and fixed it up.