page_title: AMC Ambassador
section_title: 1971
hierarchical_section_title: AMC Ambassador / Seventh generation / 1971
caption_attribution_description: English: American Motors Corporation - 1971 AMC Ambassador Brougham station wagon finished in "Matador Red" paint with the standard woodgrain side panels. This car has AMC's optional simulated wire wheel covers. It is also equipped with AMC's 401 CID (6.6 L) V8 engine. Picture taken a classic car show.
context_page_description: The Ambassador is a full-size automobile manufactured and marketed by American Motors Corporation from 1957-1974 over eight generations, in two-and four-door sedan, two-door hardtop, station wagon and convertible body styles.
  When discontinued, the Ambassador nameplate had been used from 1927-1974, the longest continuously-used car nameplate until then. The Ambassador nameplate was used variously as the Ambassador V-8 by Rambler, Rambler Ambassador, and finally AMC Ambassador. Previously, the nameplate Ambassador applied to Nash's full-size cars. The nameplate referred to a trim level between 1927 and 1931.
  Ambassadors were manufactured in Kenosha, Wisconsin as well as at AMC's Brampton Assembly in Brampton, Ontario from 1963 to 1966. Australian Motor Industries assembled Ambassadors from knock-down kits with right-hand drive from 1961 to 1963. The U.S. fifth generation Ambassadors were manufactured by Industrias Kaiser Argentina in Córdoba, Argentina from 1965 to 1972, as well as assembled by ECASA in Costa Rica from 1965 to 1970. Planta REO assembled first-generation Ambassadors in Mexico at its Monterrey, Nuevo León plant.
context_section_description: Following the previous year's redesign, the 1971 Ambassadors received only minor changes and improvements. The marketing tag line for the year was the underdog asking, "If you had to compete with GM, Ford and Chrysler, what would you do?"—that was answered by AMC including more features, advantages, and benefits for buyers of its cars compared to the models from its much larger competitors. This was reflected by shuffling the Ambassador models for 1971 and by including more equipment in the standard feature list. The previously nameless base models were dropped, as the sedan-only DPL trim line was relegated to base model status, and a new top-line Brougham trim line was added above mid-line SST models. Both SST and Brougham models came as hardtop coupes, sedans, and wagons.
  The DPL came with AMC's new 258 cu in (4.2 L) 150 hp (112 kW; 152 PS) Inline-6 with seven main bearings. All the SSTs and Broughams featured the 304 cu in (5.0 L) V8 engine with 210 hp (157 kW) as standard. BorgWarner's "Shift-Command" automatic transmissions were standard equipment across the line. Two of AMC's 360 cu in (5.9 L) were optional; an 8.5:1 compression version with a two-barrel carburetor or a high-compression four-barrel V8 that required premium-fuel. The previous "AMX 390" V8 gave way to a new 401 cu in (6.6 L) 335 hp (250 kW) V8 as the top engine option.
  Styling changes consisted of a new fascia up front. It featured headlights contained in their own chrome pods separate from, but flanking the new grille with a bright rectangular surround, with rounded edges. The "natural" cast pot metal grille insert was recessed and featured a bright vertical bar pattern. A second set of parking lights was added outboard of the headlight clusters, and they were integrated into the fender extension to eliminate the need for separate front marker lights.
  Taillights on hardtop coupes and sedans still ran wall-to-wall, but the twin backup lights were moved from the center to further outboard—approximately eight inches in from either fender side. Once again, the wagon received few changes at the rear, but added a new design for its optional woodgrain side trim, which filled in its upper bodysides. Its lower edge flowed downward aft of its peak at the leading edge above each front wheelhouse, in similar fashion to the Buick Skylark's side "sweepspear" styling cue.
  Ambassador base models were offered to fleet buyers with various police, taxicab, and other heavy-duty packages. Governments and police departments in the U.S. historically used standard-size, low-price line four-door sedans. Equipped with the 360 or 401 engines, the base Ambassadors saw use as police cruisers and support vehicles.
caption: 1971 Ambassador station wagon
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