AMC’s are weird in the sense that the company is better known for putting out some of the …uh…quirkiest little vehicles that the 1970s ever saw. While we know the AMX and the Javelin were stompers, the SC/Rambler was a violent little beast and that the Rebel Machine was meant to go play on the Road Runner’s game, in reality the first two cars that come to mind when AMC is mentioned are the Gremlin and the Pacer. Not exactly the top of the fun meter in most cases, unless you like banging your head to “Bohemian Rhapsody” late at night. So imagine my surprise as I’m dredging through eBay, and I find not one, but two late 1960s AMC Ambassadors on the ‘bag that are both calling my name, but for very different reasons. For this week’s Would You Rather?, your choices:
1. “The Show Car”, a 1969 Ambassador 290
Selling a car that was built up as a show car is a risk. Sure, you’ve put time, effort and a lot of scorched cash into the car that was your dream piece, but how many people in the world share your vision? And are you really comfortable with someone else taking what was your baby and having their way with it? On the plus side, the Ambassador does look great in the pictures, with great black paint and a very clean interior. Unfortunately I have to point out some of the more questionable items about the car…we will start with the Super Sport-esque stripes, which don’t look right if they aren’t on the proper Chevrolet, along with the “AMC by Rambler” graphics on the fenders. The wheels are just wrong by a long shot, and I’m not sold on the side exhaust. The interior is so clean that I could ignore the typical Grant “woodgrain” wheel. The 290 V8 is reported to be the original engine for the car, which seems to be small for the car, with this Ambassador you have a good body waiting for a stout motor.
2. “The Beater”, 1968 Ambassador SST
Does the show car not tick your fancy? Do you want something a bit more useful? Something that you won’t feel bad about when the urge to bury the loud pedal strikes you? Alright then, take a look at this 1968 Ambassador SST. Does it have rough spots? Oh hell yes, you bet it does, BUT it isn’t trashed. The body actually looks pretty straight minus forty years of decent use (with the exception of the replaced door) and the Cragars give it a period-correct look. Inside it’s not so welcoming, admittedly, with some spaghetti’d wiring attached to a newer radio deck and the B&M shifter taking up the transmission tunnel. Power won’t be an issue with a 440ci Mopar under the hood, much to the annoyance of AMC purists, but again, it’s not like the car has it’s original engine, so a 401ci swap won’t hurt any feelings.
To much ugly on the black one, if you’re gonna dress up an amc make it look like an AMC not a Chevelle. However I’d happily drive the green one.
I’ll take the green one any day of the week!
It’s got a nice Millennium Falcon vibe to it.
I’ll take the beater. The show car is just that. All show no go. And the beater can be built to my liking.
I would take the green one myself, and get a 401 from indy cylinder head for the motorvation.
Hmmmmm, tasty.
Aside from the side exit exhaust I dig the black one…
The green one makes me all warm and fuzzy inside…and I do like me a big green car….
Is “either” an acceptable answer?
I’ll take the green car, not just because it has a 440 in it either, I like that period look of what I’d see in the high school parking lot back in the day, but most likely if I’d had it I’d pull the 440 and put in a AMC 401 or 390.
I have to go with green on this one. The black one is just ugly. The wheels, the decals, the tiny engine. It would cost the same to make the green one nice just as it would to make the black one.
Green one is a blank canvas, the black is something someone wanted, that someone is not me though.
The beater is already sold,dammit. That would have been my first choice, simply because the black one is reasonably well done but not my style, so I’d have to redo a lot of that hard work. Redo the paint, re-chrome the bumpers, different wheels, get an engine with some actual power and torque…
Beater AMC. You’d pay too much for the black one and never get it out of it.
Buddy’s dad back in the 80s had a red/black 71 matador 2 door that he seized the 304, I’m still kicking myself for missing out on it
Man you don’t know what memories the Matador stimulates for me!
Back in 1969, my father was the NYSDOT Regional Director for District 2, out of Utica NY. In short, he was in charge of that district.
His state provided “ride” was a real sleeper! An all black 4-door Matador with a 440 & positraction (he once used it to pull a tree out of the ground, that is when we were surprised to discover it had posi!).
He and my Mother named it “the state mobile” in lue of the then popular Bat Man TV series w/ Adam West, which was a family “event” to watch in those days.
This is just one “story” of my father at his best:
“To the State-Mobile”!
Back in those days, there was a newly built section of State Route 12 (by passing dangerous Dearfield Hill) heading north from Utica that was completed but not opened to the public yet, the ribbon cutting was a a day or two out, so I think this “incident” occured on a prior Saturday.
My father, in his position/job thought he’d take his 12 year old son (me) out for a “test drive” of this new section of Route 12. As he drove (at 120 MPH) he explained to me that “these new super highways were designed for speeds of 80 to 90 MPH and for drunks”. He soon looked into his mirror and realized there was a NY State Trooper on his ass w/ his lights on, pulling my Pop over. The trooper approached my dad and with a certian degree of anger said: “what the hell are you doing going 120 mph ON MY HIGHWAY, which is closed to the public”!!!
What the trooper failed to see was the heavy steel placks on both bumpers of “the state-mobile” that had my fathers (job) title on them.
At any rate, my dads response was typical. His head “swaggered” slightly as he politely said to the Trooper with his standard, big “cheshire cat grin”: “with all due respect officer…………this isn’t your highway……. it’s MINE, I designed and built it” and he introduced himself!
I thought we were going to jail!
They both broke out into heavy lafter. Then the officer said that if my father wanted to continue, to be safe, he should “escort” us to the end of the new highway. Which he did do, at 120 mph TOO, AND with the lights/siren on!!
What a great memory! Thanks Bangshift for the memory “stimulation” and for giving me a venue to share this story! Hope it give others a chuckle or two! MY Father was one of a kind, well respected and loved by all those of the NYSDOT back then! So much so that they gave him the nick name “The Belove-ed”!
He and his “character” will always be missed! He was a great man who acheived a lot in his career.
Cool Story…
( police escort at 120 mph)
Thanks for sharing
definitely one to remember !!!!!!!
Great story!
I would definitely take the beater over the show car. At least with the beater, you can make the car into something you like.
Thanks for sharing that great story Timberbeast!
I love these. The beater is the one I would take of these two. My dad had a 69 Ambassador SST coupe in that same green. Although it has a lot of potential, I think I would be embarrassed to be seen in the black car, especially with those hideous wheels.
I thought I had died and gone to heaven when my dad brought his home. I lifted the hood, and saw the decal on the air cleaner: “AMX 390”.
Pretty quick car for the day, but damn near killed myself one time trying to stop it. Four wheel drum brakes, FTL.
Give me the beater. I will be faced with this decision about my 69 GTO.