Car Spot: 69 Ambassador Limo

It was a valiant effort but never took off

I’ve seen lots of popular vehicles stretched into limos. Lots of Lincoln and Caddys, some Hummers, and Chrysler 300s. There’s also been a Viper and Corvette stretch limo. But the one you will never find is a 69 American Motors Ambassador and the subject of this week’s spot.

New for 69 was a restyled Ambassador that stressed luxury, with the marketing tagline “It will remind you of the days when money really bought something.” The top-of-the-line AMC came loaded with rich velour upholstery, individually adjustable reclining seats, and air conditioning. That and the longer wheelbase were highlighted in ads with Ambassador’s posh”limousine” ride at an economical price. To take that one step further, AMC dealers invited prospective customers to call and request a “demonstration ride”, where a uniformed chauffeur would arrive at the prospect’s home and drive them around in an Ambassador SST sedan. AMC’s clever marketing efforts worked and Ambassador sales increased again.

This gave Chicago auto leasing executive Robert Estes an idea to convert Ambassadors into real 24-foot limousines riding on a 158-inch wheelbase. It would not be easy because AMC manufactured all of its cars utilizing Unibody construction. A typical conversion kept the stock rear door but in this build, they were welded shut and the cars were lengthened by inserting a section just behind the original B-pillar and then making an entirely new door in this center.

Maybe the difficulty of working with a unibody meant keeping the doors where they were, making it awkward to enter the back seats, climb past foldable middle jump seats. The much larger opening made for a large opening for entry and egress. Four-inch steel “I-beams” bridge the expanse created by the stretch. They used AMC’s most powerful engine at the time from the AMX. The 390 cu in, 315 hp V8 engine mated to a BorgWarner automatic transmission and a “Twin-Grip” limited-slip differential.

The one in this spot is owned by avid AMC collector Mike Spangler who not only owns this Ambassador but several other unique cars such as the 71 two-seat AMX, yup, they didn’t make one, and the Gremlin XP. For sure I’ll be doing these in future car spots. His Ambassador, known as the Royale Stretch Limo, was once owned by the State of Wisconsin as the official vehicle for Governor Warren Knowles. Makes sense since Ambassadors rolled off the assembly line in Kenosha. It made its way to Hollywood, where it appeared in the only three-part episode of “Mission: Impossible.”

Thanks for stopping by and checking out this spot of mine. I have lots more on our site so go check them out. Come back next week Friday for another one of my spots along with some of its history. Have a super weekend.