Rambler Ambassador Sedan

 

Also called	Rambler Ambassador
Production	1960-1961
Body style	4-door sedan 4-door hardtop sedan 4-door station wagon 4-door hardtop station wagon
Engine	327 cu in (5.4 L) V8
Wheelbase	117 in (2,972 mm)

The 1961 Ambassador continued the previous year's 117-inch (2,972 mm) basic unitized platform, but received an unusual new front-end styling that was overseen by AMC's in-house design department headed by Edmund Anderson. The new face consisted of a trapezoidal grille and headlights that floated in a body-colored panel, while the front fenders arched downward and forward of the leading edge of the hood. Different from anything else on the market, AMC's marketing department promoted the look as "European." While the new look was meant to distinguish the Ambassador from the lower-priced Ramblers, it was neither a consumer success nor well received in the automotive press. Overall sales fell as the entire industry was experiencing a recession. The hardtop sedan and wagon models did not return for 1961.
Standard was the 250 horsepower 327 cu in V8 with a synchromesh manual transmission. Optional was the 270 horsepower "power pack" version with dual exhaust system featuring new ceramic-coated mufflers guaranteed for the life of the car.^[2]