#1967 AMC Ambassador DPL

[chadscapture]

1967 AMC Ambassador DPL

#1967 AMC Ambassador DPL #sterling

[oldmotors]

Over the course of about 20 years, the LTD name filtered through dozens of family Fords. It started as an unexpected Luxury version of the regular Ford, but beginning in 1968 it began to gradually take over the whole big Ford universe. The LTD, being a family car, is less well remembered than the Mustang or Bronco today, but the idea kick-started the “Brougham” concept, a regular car that was gilded like a luxury machine and priced within reach of mass-market buyers. The first LTD debuted in 1965, and by the time this ‘68 was built, had inspired imitators from GM, Chrysler, and even AMC. The original #FordLTD of 1965 had come as a surprise to both buyers and critics. A new top trim on the Galaxie, it was not substantively different from the other big Fords in any mechanical respect. Nor was it the most expensive big Ford, that honor fell to the mighty Galaxie 7-Litre. But it was about $400-500 more than the regular Galaxie, enough to buy a good used car in those days. Tor that money buyers got lots of differences they could see and feel - namely special cloth, deep carpets, vinyl tops, special badges, and lots of gear. There had always been loaded big Fords, but the LTD, sprung from the market-reading mind of Lee Iacocca, was specifically sold on “luxury,” with Lincoln-like extras. Costing little more to build than the humble Ford Custom it was a low-overhead, high-profit recipe, like GMC’s Yukon Denali today. More than 100K were sold in ‘65, and it became its own nameplate in 1967. By then it had inspired Chevy’s Caprice, Plymouth’s VIP, and AMC’s Ambassador DPL. The LTD would evolve quickly in the late 1960s as Ford moved to expand the concept. In 1968, the car was heavily restyled even though a complete redesign would be introduced for 1969, and the LTD started to branch out, with some formerly standard bits being reworked into the “LTD Brougham” package. The ‘68 look previewed some of the changes for 1969, but as a result of that new design, the 1968 models are rather unique, with some of the older elements and some of the newer ones, like hidden headlamps. Future LTDs would splinter into many more variations, and by 1976 all big Fords were LTDs. (at Juanita Beach Park) https://www.instagram.com/p/CLhqq3vli_S/?igshid=11w13ci3jfczz

#fordltd

[chadscapture]

1967 AMC Ambassador DPL

#1967 AMC Ambassador DPL #milledgeville jamboree

[chadscapture]

1967 AMC Ambassador DPL

#1967 AMC Ambassador DPL #petuniafest22

[oldmotors]

The 1967-74 AMC Ambassador continued a name and tradition from AMC’s predecessor, Nash. It was AMC’s largest ever car, though in hindsight, probably a misstep to build. Traditionally, AMC’s strength was economy cars. Focusing on cheap wheels had gotten Rambler to third place in U.S. sales in 1964. But then things changed. Ex-Packard man Roy Abernathy, who became CEO in 1962 after building AMC’s dealer network from the ashes of Nash/Hudson, and he was convinced that with better marketing, AMC could take on the Big 3 directly - including in large cars. - A sales-driven guy, Abernathy AMC wanted to shake off Rambler’s penny-pinching image, and immediately set about having the company design larger cars, and quick. Abernathy’s bigger AMC’s arrived in 1967 as the mid-size Rebel and (not-quite) full-sized Ambassador. Both replaced smaller designs and shared architecture. The Rebel was now the size of the ’65-’66 Ambassador. The new Ambassador rode a 118” (3m) wheelbase and was 203” long (5.2m) - Plymouth Belvedere sized. AMC hired the best marketers around. Mary Wells Lawrence made AMC’s image exciting, but Ambassadors weren’t an easy sell and the cars had cost $60M to bring to market. Worse, in rushing them real quality ills appeared. - Abernathy’s pricey ideas and so-so results led to his exit in January, 1967, but the Rebel and #Ambassador were long-lived. AMC set about improving both cars and in 1969 the Ambassador was stretched further and heavily restyled, with another update (shared with the related Rebel/Matador) coming in ’71. AMC’s array of sixes and V8s (up to the 401) were offered. From ’67 AMC had offered the “DPL” (Diplomat) trim to rival Ford’s LTD. Neither the Ambassador nor DPL ever really took off, but AMC kept trying new things. In 1971, #Brougham joined the trim list,  displacing DPL for ’72. - By this time AMC was profitable again, mostly thanks to the Hornet and Gremlin, but the Ambassador continued to sell reliably into 1973, only really falling behind in the full-size apocalypse of 1974, despite getting a big restyle for that year. The last of these big cars, by then on a 122” wheelbase and 217” long, rolled off the line in June of 1974. (at Tacoma, Washington) https://www.instagram.com/p/B1ZJqi4gED_/?igshid=c1tuesgsys5p

#ambassador #brougham