This 1956 Nash Ambassador Custom sedan was in the same family until the seller bought it and got it running again after it had been sitting in storage for an unknown number of years. The original owner’s granddaughter let it go and I guess I can understand that, but there’s no way in H (heck) that I could let this unusual car go if I owned it. Is there a more Soviet-looking front end than this one? I love it.
I know that Pininfarina is an Italian design firm, not Russian, but that front end really looks like it’s from the USSR to me. The photos in this listing are bordering on being enshrined in the Barn Finds Hall of Shame (if we had one) as far as bad photos go. Hopefully, you can see enough of this unusual, and some would say beautiful (me) car to make a buying decision. Vertical photos in a car ad must still be a thing, despite cars being horizontal in orientation. The “Scena-Ramic” windshield was Nash’s name for the wraparound windshield.
The Ambassador was redesigned for 1952, the 50th anniversary of the founding company: the Thomas B. Jeffery Company out of Kenosha, Wisconsin. Formerly a bicycle maker, by the 1950s they were creating some of the most unusual cars on the road. Ok, if you thought the front end was unusual, the back isn’t exactly white bread. The ’56 Ambassadors were restyled again, mainly for the benefit of those following behind them, as in the unusual tail lights. And the Continental Kit isn’t a JC Whitney accessory, they came that way from the factory.
The interior looks nice, or what we can see of it in the vertical photos. This looks like one nice, solid car if you look at the detailed photos of the edges and corners. We don’t get to see much of the front seat but the back seat looks fantastic, and the trunk looks solid. The seller thinks the car may have had one repaint at some point in its life.
The engine should be, I believe, a Packard-sourced 352-cu.in. OHV V8 with 220 horsepower. It sends power through a GM-sourced Hydra-Matic Packard-sourced Ultramatic automatic transmission to the rear wheels and the seller says that although it starts and runs well, this car could use some fine-tuning. They have it listed here on eBay in Oskaloosa, Iowa and they’re asking $8,500 or best offer. Have any of you owned a Nash Ambassador from this era?
Fun write-up Scotty. What an unusual-looking car, I got a chuckle out of the USSR reference (it fits). If I have ever seen one, it was long ago. Doesn’t look bad at all, and it is quite unlikely you will see a row of them at Cars & Coffee. I don’t plan on holding my breath, waiting for this color to make a comeback on modern vehicles. I’m also curious of any Barn Finders have owned one.
My dad was a Nash man. 1949,50,53,and 55 Ambassadors. I loved that 55 which had a front end very similar to this 56. It was our first car with ww tires (which I had to scrub every week!). Sort of a turquoise blue and white. It was the best looking car I remember growing up with. I wishI had one today.
I could have sworn that the Packard engines came with Packard Ultramatic transmissions in these. A quick search found a 1956 Ambassador featured on Barnfinds in 2018 that is called out as having the Ultramatic:
https://barnfinds.com/stored-for-31-years-1956-nash-ambassador-custom/
The Ambassador prototype that Pininfarina submitted to Nash in 1955 can be seen in the Hemmings article linked below. It is not quite as Soviet in appearance:
https://www.hemmings.com/stories/article/1955-nash-ambassador-pinin-farina-speciale
That car is beautiful!
What happened?
I always thought that prototype was gorgeous. From what I’ve read in the past Nash thought it would be too expensive to tool up for and was “too European” for American tastes. To me the production model seems hideous in comparison.
Here’s another Hemmings article which includes interior and rear views of the prototype:
https://www.hemmings.com/stories/article/italian-airflyte-1955-nash-pinin-farina
They borrowed the front end for the Nash Healey is what looks like happened.
Thanks for that info, That AMC guy. I did see that transmission listed, but not knowing for sure what engine was in this car (the seller lists it as a 374?), I originally went with the 250 V8, which is listed as having a Hydra-Matic here:
https://www.automobile-catalog.com/car/1956/2053820/nash_ambassador_special_custom_four-door_sedan_hydra-matic.html#gsc.tab=0
After a bit of research, I decided it was the Packard 352 but neglected to change the transmission. My apologies, thanks for catching that!
Love this car. The tail lights look a little Oldsmobilish? Wouldn’t a 200R4 bolt up? A\C, Overdrive, and daily drive till I die!
Installing a different transmission would be a major project due to the torque tube drive that Nash/AMC used in its larger cars from about 1949-1966.
Not bad for what you’re getting. The
biggest problem I recall with these was getting parts from them after
Packard went out of business in ’58.
Used to be, you wrote down your VIN
number and took it your local AMC
dealer or your local auto parts store,
gave the number to the clerk, he looked it up in a book, and then you got your parts. Got even worse when
Nash called it quits in ’57. My Mom
had that problem with our ’53 Nash
Statesman. Great little cars, but what good were they if you had to pick through the wrecking yard just to get a decent set of spark plugs for it. That’s why Mom traded it for a ’54 Chevy 210. Also looks like the car Andy Griffith drove in the film Angel in
your pocket. Haven’t seen the film in
50 years but it sure looks like it. Great find though.
Hmm, Interesting. I now own a 1949 Nash 600 (Statesman from 1950 on)and I dont have any problems getting service/maintenance parts at all.
Funny you can still get part for those today. We have 4 Ramblers with the same engine and have no trouble get what we need.
I had a 56 Ambassador several years ago with the big OHV six and what a great car it was.
They kept making cars that looked like this, and progressively went out of business. I can’t figure it out.
Nash did not go out of business, They were part of American Motors and the Nash name was dropped to consentrate on the Rambler which was selling like hot cakes.
And then AMC went under, after gracing us with the Pacer. See the trend?
AMC did not “go under”, though the company was kept afloat by Renault in the 1980s. They were finally bought out by Chrysler in 1987 but at that time AMC was still a going concern with new products in the pipeline.
And arguably it was AMC that took over Chrysler from within, as AMC’s François Castaing became the new head of Chrysler operations and engineering, soon named VP of Vehicle Engineering.
Aside from acquiring the successful Jeep marque/models, another main appeal of the buyout was in replicating AMC’s scrappy corporate culture and Renault-influenced product development methods integrated into single-platform teams, as Chrysler development had become moribund and stuck in a rut of spinning off K-car derivatives.
Of course, the Eagle Premier (based on the Renault 25), for all its short-lived infamy, was actually a fairly advanced platform for its time, which became the basis for the “cab forward” LH cars that kicked off a new renaissance for Chrysler.
First family car I remember was a 50 Nash AMBASSADOR! Great car. For me the 56 and 57 AMBASSADORS were the best looking. Guess Nash saved the best for last. Too bad Nash and so many others are now Gone With the Wind!
I don’t see the Russian influence, I see Nash-Healey, if anything, however the author always did march to a different beat, and yes, by todays standards, it’s hideous. Not so in ’56. All the automakers pulled out all the stops in the name of possible sales. Nash merely threw this at the wall hoping it would stick. It didn’t, that was that. All was not lost, however, as many of Nashes features showed up later in Ramblers, all mechanicals, the speedometer, the “Weather-Eye” heater, even the reclining seats, a Nash feature from the 40s. It’s a great find, in that, it has an automatic. Since it’s not a car someone would drive daily or on a long trip, the V8 will be fine. If I remember, you pulled the gearshift towards you to start the motor, and it will get attention no matter where you go. Not because of what a great car it was, and a long history to boot, it just looks so freakin’ weird. It was the 50s.
Yes I see the simulatortiee of Russian cars. They were known for copying and imitating the American auto models. Remember Studebaker supplied most of their vehicles during ww2, especially trucks to transport equipment, supplies and to tow artillery pieces
Have to wonder when the approved this design if they actually thought it was a good looking car that would sell? Maybe they just thought we’re desperate so why not see if this ugly duckling gets a cult following or something.
I believe it must have been George Mason, who died shortly after and George Romney took over in ’54. Imagine what didn’t make the cut?
Striking appearance. Looks good. Love that it has a Packard V8 !
Our next door neighbors in the 50’s had one just like this, same color even. Mr. Miller traded cars quite often so they didn’t have it long. I think theirs was a 6 cylinder though but I’m not sure. Ugly then, ugly now.
God Bless America
I lived in Kenosha Wisconsin home of Nash and saw plenty of the tri-color cars in 56 &57. My Dad had a red over black 55 Ambassador with the famous 7 main bearing 6 dual carbs (called LeMans) and overdrive. In my opinion the 55 was much better looking than the 56 and the straight was a better fit for the car the Packard engine was only used a couple of years as Nash didn’t have a V-8 yet and they thought they needed it to compete. Looks like a good solid car wish it was a 6.
I like both years.
The front-end is neat looking, but the taillights look so sad, and droopy.
I love it- the styling, and the colors!! If only I were younger, with spare cash…
Yes I see the simulatortiee of Russian cars. They were known for copying and imitating the American auto models. Remember Studebaker supplied most of their vehicles during ww2, especially trucks to transport equipment, supplies and to tow artillery pieces
Is that a Cadillac emblem on the steering wheel.
I definitely see the Soviet in this car’s mug. Broad toothy chrome grin, and not one, but TWO rockets! I really like the style of the Weather Eye sign over the ventilation controls – it caught my attention immediately. These ads are defined by the quality of the photos of the cars, and these are poor – despite the inclusion of engine pictures. The green car in the article link posted by That AMC Guy looks much longer and more elegant than the Nash in this article. The vertical shots from across the parking lot make this car seem stubby small, and diminishes it sense of presence compared to the green car, and definitely less so the the Pininfarina prototype which looks quite stately and elegant. Please join my campaign to encourage HORIZONTAL photos and videos – it’s costs no extra, just rotate your phone camera 90°. Thanks
I don’t know if it’s something I’d buy, but if given the opportunity, I’d love to take it for a drive around the neighbourhood, maybe around town.
If I were buying instead of selling, I would buy this just because it is so different and the color is outrageous.
Another orphan that speaks to me. The older I get the more I enjoy the “horse of a different color” car. It’s been a long while since I have seen one of these in the wild. The three tone paint job is the ultimate mid fifties styling statement. And the hood ornament is definitely one of a kind. In my fantasy world I would add this to my collection in a New York minute. GLWTS.
“It sends power through a GM-sourced Hydra-Matic automatic transmission to the rear wheels….”
Nash in fact advertised that the automatic offered with the Packard V8 was Packard’s own Twin Ultramatic Drive, not Hydra-Matic. Late in the 1956 model year, Nash dropped the Packard V8 in favor of the new 250cid AMC unit, at which time they apparently also switched to Hydra-Matic for the V8 cars (it was already being used for the 6-cylinder Statesman models).
You are correct, Tiger66, thanks!
The Russian limousine’s for dignitaries in the late 50’s, and beyond all looked like black ’55, and ’56 Packards…especially the front-end. I can see how easily they came to fruition.
Beautiful looking car. This has always been my favourite year for the Nash Ambassador (Amby). I love the front end appearance of the car. Given its condition, I’d be willing to pay between $5k and $10k for the car. Assuming it runs and drives safely, I might pay $8k or more.