For Sale Austin Ambassador (Shuttleworth edition) - £250, Nottingham

[vulgalour]

Copied over from the Princess forum as you have to be a member to see the post.  I would have it myself and get it sorted but I'm not sure I'd be anyone's favourite person if I replaced one red wedge with another slightly newer red wedge...

 

"Austin Ambassador recently been dry storage where been for last 20 years before it was nearly scrapped and I saved it but really don't have the space prefer to go to someone that will love it and take car of it ,

requires a few odd repairs to bodywork
engine is untested but I will over next few days 
here a few pictures add more
open to offers but it didn't deserve scrapping so looking for £250 ono"

 

 

 

 

 

 

Date of registration: 1983

Location: Nottingham.

Engine: 2ltr O series

Tax: expired in 1991

Mileage: 108THOUSAND

 

Austin Ambassador Y reg, Y reg, Y reg, it's an Austin Ambassador Y reg...

[Jim Bergerac]

'It's a car that I revere'.

[fordperv]

I have huge want for this, mrs fordperv saw it and said buy it because I'm always rattling on about how I loved my dad's ambassador, the only reason I can think of not to have it is I have 2 cars to finish and a weldathon on mrs fp's sierra and this deserves to go to someone who can lavish their time and effort on bringing it back on road

[Negative Creep]

I'm oddly tempted by one of these. Not enough talent or enthusiam to fix one up though

[vulgalour]

I should add, I'm happy to pass people's details on to the vendor of this FINE automobile.  I imagine I could also be persuaded to go and have a look for anyone genuinely interested too.

[Guest Facelifted75]

Did they stop using the hypdro suspension by then?

[Inspector Morose]

Hydrogas, I think.

[oman5]

Is that an HLS? econometer AND dash light rheostat? sheer decadence!!

[vulgalour]

I believe it's an HL judging by the twin coach stripe, an HLS would have had a triple stripe down the side.  And yes, still on the marvellous Hydragas system but with beefed up front spheres to reduce the chance of failure and a tailgate out back for much wanted practicality.  Truly a forward looking motorised conveyance for our age.

[RedSparrow]

Oof!

[UmBongo]

''The Ambassador's receptions are noted in society for their host's exquisite taste that captivates his guests.''

[cms206]

I actually would. But Princess/Amabassador is one of the few motoring ideas strictly not allowed by domestic management, I'd be out. Grrr.

[robinmasters]

 

"Austin Ambassador recently been dry storage where been for last 20 years...

 

OMGBARNFINDRARE$$$ONEOFAKIND££COLLECTORZ etc etc

[TRW]

Thanks for advertising this. Just when I thought my finances couldn't get any worse with having just moved and owning several Firm motors here I am viewing an advert for a £250 Ambassador. I'm being told ' An Ambassador, over my dead body' but there's an empty Wedge shape space over a dead body that needs filing.

 

Hnnnggg.

[vulgalour]

You can fit several dead bodies in an Ambassador and still have room for the weekly shop without compromising handling or comfort.  You know it makes sense.

[D-Dubya]

i nearly got a hearing aid beige one as my first car, only my dad convinced me to buy a much newer seat ibiza that promptly shat its engine out and fell to bits on a regular basis.

 

now i dont live at home anymore, i can do what i want youd think. nope, i live with a woman who would have a shit fit if that, or one in general appeared on our drive. i also like my house, its where i sleep and its warm and sometimes keeps rain off me. i'd like to stay in it, so i too will be giving it a miss.

[HH-R]

I'd be forever trying to see what extremes I could get the econometer to show.

[Angrydicky]

Love this! Unfortunately I am no way in a position to purchase any more cars, let alone more broken BL tat. Hope it finds a good home, it certainly deserves one.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I had loads of these back in the day, loved em. Then I got another really smart 1.7 HL one in about 2003 to 'relive my motoring youth' of 8 or so years previous. Gotta be honest i just felt like a massive loser driving round in it. They look 'OK' from the outside and the suspension is extraordinary but the inside and the drive is just so flipping dismal its indescribable. I 'saved' my 2003 one out of a scrapyard, but in the end left it outside a different scrapyard one night and pushed the keys and paperwork under their gate. Just sitting looking at the rubbish clocks and wobbling the spindly gearlever through its rubbery, half-arsed gate is enough to make anyone get a bus instead. At least the princess looks cool as f**k and has an ace dashboard.

[vulgalour]

Have you any idea how tempted I still am to purchase this and Princessify it inside and out?  Princess with a tailgate, it's the stuff of dreams.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

You need a 'TORCARS' princess hatchback conversion

[vulgalour]

You are correct, I do, but since that is not really possible project Princessador remains my only realistic option.

[oman5]

I actually really like these. Before I had proper driving lessons it was my dad's 2.0 HL amby I learned to drive in. I seem to remember it was one of those cars that was like trying to bail out the titanic. every time you fixed one thing something else would break. It got to the point he was getting nice letters from the RAC suggesting that he really ought to think about changing his car.

for all that, it was hugely comfy, not bad on fuel and you could make its arse go up in the air by jamming the handbrake up a bit sharply when reversing. 

[Guest Breadvan72]

Those tight fuckers!  Still no rev counter even at that late stage.  

[dollywobbler]

Given how many Monstros exist, why are there no Princbassadors?

[Guest Breadvan72]

Cuz this

[eddyramrod]

VA, while you have the orange one stripped and lying about....... just how difficult would it be to swop over the front-end metalwork? That would achieve the object, nes'ce pas?

[Angrydicky]

Given how many Monstros exist, why are there no Princbassadors?

Princesses are older, BL didn't make as many and they weren't made for as long. The Ambassador is even rarer, they were only made relatively briefly and in small numbers as an attempt to keep the Princess going another couple of years before the Maestro was launched. 

[garycox]

Surely the Montego was the Ambassador replacement, with the Maestro replacing the Allegro...

[Vince70]

Those tight fuckers! Still no rev counter even at that late stage.

 

Even on the last of the Vanden plas models you still had the crappy econmeter rather than a rev counter but I found the seats a very comfortable place to sit when waiting for the RAC man to come along.

 

Ours was a very low mileage one with about 6000 on the clock but I think that was more to do with it breaking down rather than lack of use.

 

The biggest problem we found with our one was the twin carb (plus about another dozen faults lol) set up apparently.

 

A manual choke conversion was the answer or to find a scrap base model L/HL and take the single carb off one of those, or so we were told,

but my memory is a bit foggy as we owned ours between 1984/88

 

But the shame of it was the car itself when running was a lovely drive and the build quality itself wasn't bad and the bodyshell didn't rot as bad as contemporary cars of that time (no squeaks etc)

It was just silly little things really and it could of been a great car had the Austin rover group put a bit more effort into it.

 

I saw someone few years back who used a HL as daily transport and the car was running fine and been around the clock twice on the original engine without being stripped down and it had a hard life.

 

It's such a shame as the Ambassador was another Austin Rover car which could of been great like so many of their products if a bit more time had been spent ironing out silly little faults pre production.

 

My father swore by the brand (sometimes about it lol) and rarely bought anything else back in the day.