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Ambassador: 1965-1966

1965 Ambassador 990 4-Dr. Sedan

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Tech Data Sheet - 1965-66 Ambassador
AMC_Technical_Data_Sheet_Ambassador_1965-66.pdf

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1965 Ambassador

In 1965, AMC began a shift in focus away from compact "economy" cars, based on Abernethy's belief that AMC could take on the Big Three if their products were more mainstream. The Ambassador's wheelbase was again lengthened by 4", to 116".

A significant portion of Roy Abernathy's strategy was to phase out the Rambler name, because he believed the public associated it too strongly with economy cars, and that it was hindering the sale of AMC's other models at a time when mid and luxury car sales was very strong. As a result, he ordered that for 1966, the Ambassador was to be badged purely as a product of American Motors Corporation.

The car was physically bigger, with the wheelbase stretched to 116 inches, though it used much of the same unit-body pieces as the Rambler. Ambassadors were now tagged as "880" and "990.

The 1965 Ambassador had a totally new front end with a four-inch longer wheelbase than Classics. The front featured vertical, quad headlamps and a grille of small horizontal bars which projected slightly outwards along the horizontal plane from the center. A bright metal side trim piece ran from the rear, along the top edge of the main body and around the front of the car, even crossing the grille to continue down the other side. The tail lamps wrapped around the body and could be seen from both the rear and the side. 990 Series cars had a large bright metal rocker panel molding; 880s did not.

A convertible was available, along with four-door sedans, station wagons, two-door sedans and hardtops. The 990 Series hardtops could be had in "H" trim once again, which included bucket seats and a console. The Ambassadors were fitted with the same engines as the 1965 Classic models. As such, it was the first time since 1956 that a 6 cylinder engine had been offered in the Ambassador. 990 Series vehicles were fitted with a V8 standard, with the 327 4-barrel as optional.

The new changes seemed to be successful, as the Ambassador surged in production to over 64 thousand units, historically the best yeas for the big car since the founding of AMC ï¿½ by a better than two to one margin. Of course, offering a 6 cylinder and lowering the base price on the entry-level vehicles by over $200, probably helped, however, Rambler Classic sales did not decrease, so perhaps these sales were taken from competitors.

1966 Ambassador

The 1966 Ambassadors were changed little. They had a new, more formal, roof for hardtops, larger and more visible tail lamps, and new chrome on the side of the car. At the tip of the front fenders, the new trim took the form of small, ribbed rectangles above and below the full-length chrome strip, which moved from the top of the fender to the middle of the car's belt-line. The grille was virtually unchanged.

The series designations changed slightly, with the 880 merely called the "Ambassador" the "990" was now the mi-range level and a new series was introduced, the "DPL". DPL (for "diplomat") was the ultra-high level trim car. DPL series vehicles came standard with the 327 4-barrel V8.

Ambassador sales dropped significantly, from an all-time high in 1965 of 64 thousand to what seemed to be a strong (for Ambassador) 34 thousand plus units. It should be remembered, however, that Ambassador, with a 6 cylinder powerplant, was not just a high end vehicle - and at base price of $2,400 for a 4-door sedan, it should have been selling at a much higher rate.

As a sign of the times (and a signal even one Roy Abernathy got) AMC sold a total of 45,235 AMC models with 327 cubic inch V-8s, and the 287 cubic inch V-8 added 44,300 additional units which worked out to 27.6%. Bucket seats were installed in 11.5% of all 1966 AMC cars; 4.3% had disc brakes; and an amazing 10.9 % had limited slip differentials.

For Specifications, Production Figures, and Options - Go to Section J. (You may click here to go to that section).

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1965 Rambler Ambassador 990 Convertible.

1965 Ambassador 990 Station Wagon.

1965 Ambassador 880 2-Dr. Sedan.

1965 Ambassador 990 H 2-Dr. Hardtop.

1965 Ambassador 990 H 2-Dr. Hardtop Ad.
AMC started getting it right as far as the Ambassador went.

1965 Ambassador Convertible Advertisement.
Gee, cars can be fun and exciting, they don't have to be economical - "sensible" is a far better word.

1966 Rambler Ambassador 990 4-Dr. Sedan.

1966 Rambler Ambassador 990 Convertible.

1966 Ambassador DPL 2-Dr. Hardtop.

1966 Ambassador Wagon.
The Ad focused on the fact that other luxury car makers didn't have a wagon. The problem was that Ambassador wasn't seen as a luxury car, but as a moderate price car. At $2900, it was priced like a Mercury or Pontiac.

1966 Rambler Ambassador 990 Convertible Ad.
Despite all the hype, only 1,798 were sold.