As an auto enthusiast, my interest in older cars is growing by the day. A few years ago, when I shot this Ambassador, I knew virtually nothing about it, save for it was old and likely pretty rare-- and to be perfectly honest, I still am not "up" on Nash stats to be honest. All I know, is I find the Austin-designed Metropolitan to be a pretty funky little car. After reading up on the brand, I think it's interesting how many little features Nash added that we take for granted today. One of the main features of these Nash Ambassadors that we take for granted today is air-conditioning. Unlike most makers, Nash offered it for a relatively modest price of $350; in comparable cars from Ford, it wasn't even an option.
While styling is certainly up for debate, I happen to,er, like these. No, I don't think they're particularly pretty, nor do I think they deserve praise for being well-designed in an artful sense. To me, this would be something Citroen would've done if they were American. I do quite like quirky, oddly styled cars, and this fits that bill perfectly. It's not supposed to be attractive, but for some reason I like it.
With all cars, this Ambassador is showing its age; the paint is shot, and the chrome could definitely use replating. Thankfully, it appears that this example is largely intact with no major pieces of trim absent. That's good, because you'd have a cold chance in hell of finding replacement parts should it get in an accident. Sadly, like the Rambler I posted, this car has, too, disappeared from its location since these pictures were taken. I can only hope this car either found a good home, or is the garage getting the restoration it so much deserves.
1 comment:
Much respect for people who keep oddball classics like this. Looks like a '56. I haven't seen one of these pretty much ever that I recall, not even at shows.
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