Austin Ambassador
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| Manufacturer | British Leyland |
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| Production | 1982-1984 |
| Predecessor | Princess |
| Successor | Austin Montego Rover 600 |
| Class | full-size car |
| Body style | 4-door hatchback |
| Engine | 1.7 L O-Series Straight-4 2.0 L O-Series Straight-4 |
| Transmission | four speed manual three speed automatic |
| Wheelbase | 105 inches (2670 mm) |
| Length | 179 inches (4550 mm) |
| Width | 69.5 inches (1760 mm) |
| Height | 55 inches (1400 mm) |
| Kerb weight | 2784 pounds (1263 kg) unladen |
The Austin Ambassador was a medium-to-large hatchback car model introduced by British Leyland (BL) in 1982. The vehicle was a heavily updated version of the Princess, an ageing model that had lacked a hatchback. Only the doors and inner structure were carried over, but the wedge-shaped side profile betrayed the car's Princess origins, and it was not considered a truly new model.
To some extent a competitor to smaller-engined models of the Austin Rover Group's own Rover SD1, sales were low and the model was discontinued in 1984.
Unlike the Princess, there was no 6-cylinder 2.2 litre version; the Ambassador was initially offered in 4-cylinder 1.7 litre and 2.0 litre (single carburettor) variants, in "L", "HL" and "HLS" trims. Instead of the previous premium 2.2 litre models, there were the HLS and later Vanden Plas trim levels, both with a twin-carburettor version of the 2.0 litre engine. In 1983, the 2.0 litre HL was upgraded to also use the more powerful twin-carburettor engine. A four-speed manual gearbox (and automatic) were the only transmissions offered, with commentators citing the lack of a fifth gear for the manual tranmission as one of the car's drawbacks.
The Ambassador was only built in right hand drive and thus was not exported to continental Europe. Few remain on the road today in Britain, approximately 250 out of 43,500 built. The car only ever served as a stop-gap in the Austin range.
The Ambassador was discontinued in 1984, with no official replacement. The gap it left in the Austin-Rover range was effectively filled by the slightly smaller Montego, and by the new generation of smaller Rovers.
| UK engine and trim options | L | HL | HLS | Vanden Plas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.7 | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| 2.0 | ✓ | |||
| 2.0 twin carb | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
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[edit] Special versions
As with the Princess before it, Ambassadors were converted by specialist coachbuilders into hearse and limousine variants.
[edit] Parts bin components
The headlights were shared with the Morris Ital. Other minor components including much of the interior trim was also shared with other BL products. According to British Leyland, only the front and door skins were directly shared with the Princess.
[edit] Sales
The Ambassador achieved domestic sales of 43,427 in the two years which it was available. Of these 43,427, only around 250 are thought to be still on the road (although the exact number in existence is unknown).
[edit] Media appearances
- A fleet of red Austin Ambassadors was shown on a production line in a 1982 Not the Nine O'Clock News skit – all the actor employees on the line, including Rowan Atkinson, were known as Bob. The end of the skit proclaimed "The BL Ambassador – Hand Built by Roberts"
- The Austin Ambassador was the subject of the song "My Austin Ambassador Y Reg" by comedian Graham Fellows (as his alter ego John Shuttleworth), in which he speaks of how great the car is.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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