Collector Car Corner / Cars We Remember; More and more AMC:  Ambassador, Pacer and some Rambler history

Q: Greg, I once owned a 1973 AMC Ambassador Custom Brougham 4-door sedan. Could you let me know how many were produced that year? How about your feelings of the AMC Pacer and a bit of Rambler history? I’m still a big AMC fan and hope to buy a collector car soon of the Rambler variety. Roger F., Lancaster, Pa.

A: Roger, it seems whenever someone writes to me about AMC, Javelins and Ramblers, I get a bunch more letters about this now defunct manufacturer. This is again the case as I wrote recently about why AMC is a good choice to enter the collector car hobby and did a feature on a 1968 AMX.

Let’s start with your Ambassador question.

AMC did not release production numbers for the Ambassador in 1973. However, I can tell you that in 1972, AMC produced an estimated total of just 15,000 Custom Brougham hardtops and sedans, both of the four-door variety. In 1974, AMC produced 17,901 Ambassador Brougham models, again this number estimated by AMC. By way of averaging, my best educated guess might be about 16,000 or so of 1973 4-door Brougham models. Why AMC did not release sales numbers on this specific model for ’73 is beyond me.

Now on to the AMC Pacer. The Pacer was to be AMC’s breakout all-new compact car, but it never happened. Produced from 1975 through 1980, the Pacer was built around a spacious, four-passenger cabin and actually looked a bit like a bubble when finished, with lots of glass everywhere. It was as wide as a full size luxury car of the era, and “Car and Driver” and “Road & Track” magazines gave it some praise, even calling it one of the 10 best forward looking designed vehicles.

With the actual mock-up design beginning in 1971, the Pacer was to originally house a Rotary Wankel engine, but the extra costs involved and the fact that there was a gas crisis in 1973-1975 didn’t help matters. Thus, the poor fuel mileage Rotary was scrapped.

Instead of the Rotary, AMC decided to use GM built 4-cylinder engines, but that deal also dried up, leaving AMC with no other choice but to adapt its own inline-6 cylinders in 232 and 258-inch versions. Later in the run a 304 V8 joined the option list.

The first year of Pacer sales was good as over 145,000 were sold. But by 1980, the total of all six years amounted to only 280,000 sold, and the Pacer disappeared. In its place came the AMC Spirit, a car that I personally owned and came with a Volkswagen built 4-cylinder engine. It was a nice car. 

The Pacer received its best publicity thanks to Mike Myers and Dana Carvey, who tooled around in a 1976 AMC Pacer in the blockbuster Hollywood hit “Wayne’s World” in 1992.

Additionally, I also owned a 1974 AMC Matador Sedan with the 304-V8, a 1974 Hornet X 258-6, a 1976 Gremlin X 258-6, and the aforementioned ’79 Spirit, all of which I used while selling advertising for the newspaper company I worked for. I always felt AMC offered cheap, dependable transportation.

As for your question on the history of Rambler and AMC, it was Kelvinator and Nash that merged in 1937 that led to Nash and Hudson forming AMC in 1954.

Notable is 1936 when Charles Nash, then president and CEO of Nash Motors, realized he needed a successor. Nash went after George W. Mason, who was president of the successful Kelvinator Corporation since 1926.

Nash offered Mason the presidency of the Nash Corporation, but Mason turned him down as Kelvinator was really taking off and becoming the leader in the refrigerator business. Undaunted, Nash kept pursuing Mason and Mason finally gave in when Nash put together a merger with Kelvinator, luring Mason into an agreement and thus forming the new Nash-Kelvinator Corporation.

Mason, it turns out, was a great car entrepreneur and marketing master, becoming the first to build American made compact cars, namely the Nash Rambler and Nash Metropolitan. When the Indy 500 invited Mason to utilize the Nash as the official pace car in 1947 he drove the car himself on the pace laps, much to the delight of the crowd. His riding partner that year was none other than Indy 500 winner Wilbur Shaw, and he also had actor and race fan Clarke Gable come over and pose for some publicity photos.

Mason also provided 18 Nash cars for Indy officials, and a fleet of new Nash vehicles for the fans to see. Mason also had a large tent erected for entertainment and information on Nash automobiles. Thus it is clear that Mason knew how to promote, and did it very well. 

Sadly, Mason died suddenly on Oct. 8, 1954 following his successful negotiation of the merger of Nash and Hudson. Mentor George W. Romney, who would also go on to a successful career in politics, and as the Governor of Michigan for three terms, from 1962-1969, succeeded him.

As for all those great Nash cars, my personal favorites in addition to the Nash-Healy were the “bathtub” Nash Airflyte models from 1949-1950, when a total of over 300,000 of these cars were sold. These large cars offered seats that turned into full size beds with a flip of a few levers. Additionally, the 1951 and 1952 Statesman, Airflyte, and Ambassadors are similarly nice.

The last Nash to appear on an AMC build schedule came in 1957 ala the Nash Ambassador. AMC, with Romney at the helm, made the decision to drop the Hudson and Nash names after that year. 

Thanks for your question.

(Greg Zyla is a syndicated auto columnist who welcomes reader questions and input on collector cars, auto nostalgia and motorsports at greg@gregzyla.com.)