The Last Ambassador. It's Ours!

[Squire_Dawson]

SPLENDID.

[outlaw118]

Well slap my arse and call me Charlie.

 

That is BRILLIANT.

 

mate of mine had a Y plate 2.0HL in gold, possibly the most comfy seat (R20 excepted) of evar.

 

Handled like a pissed boat, mind.

[Dick Cheeseburger]

Great save. I hope the boot floor isn't too bad - it looks to have no tailgate window in the earlier photos, but has obviously been played with since. Don't know if it's of interest, but there's an identical colour Ambassador on eBay right now - can't see it selling for a pile, and could be good for parts? Has a brand new exhaust as well!

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/272227901563

[rovamota]

Seen that, but we don't know what we need as yet apart from the obvious. And we haven't got room for two cars.

[Alexg]

Good job. The guy wasn't willing to sell 5 years ago so I wonder what's happened?

[Dick Cheeseburger]

Seen that, but we don't know what we need as yet apart from the obvious. And we haven't got room for two cars.

Fairy scnuff. Just thought it could be worth making the effort with - the chance of a similar car in tidy condition with the correct colour panels becoming available must be rare enough, I'd have thought.

[Skizzer]

Brilliant! Just the sort of save we need. Looking forward to the epic resto thread - but hope it doesn't need too much, for your sake.

[rovamota]

Odd as it maye seem, Ambassador panels are easier to get than Princess ones.

[rovamota]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=261RbP4H4kM

[Asimo]

I have never understood the antipathy toward Ambassadors, mine was really good apart from awful seats.

Even made a profit when I sold it.

[Split_Pin]

Saw this on your Facebook page, I was admiring it, very glad it has been acquired and in safe hands, it deserves it.

[Austin-Rover]

Excellent news! I'm surprised this car still exists.

[Guest Lord Sward]

This is excellent news.  However, why did the bloke who bought it at Gaydon (I was there and hoping to buy said Amclassador) not look after it?

 

Regardless, I may have a new old stock water pump for it.

[Junkman]

Odd as it maye seem, Ambassador panels are easier to get than Princess ones.

 

You make it sound so easy.

[Vin]

Good work.

 

There was one of these laid up at a house on my paper round 25 years ago...TOP 276Y...Red and rusty as fuck...

[brownnova]

Wow 😲

 

That is all...

[skattrd]

Great news, but I'm a tad concerned of it's current state ... How soon before we get some up to date pics?

[purplebargeken]

Fuck yeah!

[ChinaTom]

{nerdiness} Leccy window switches from Peugeot? I suppose the SD1 switch design wouldn't have fitted. {/nerdiness}

[cros]

{nerdiness} Leccy window switches from Peugeot? I suppose the SD1 switch design wouldn't have fitted. {/nerdiness}

Superb, you can count on this site to give you the essential details. If anyone has more please don't hold back.

[Sudsprint]

Fantastic!!!

[RoadworkUK]

Excellent news. I remember the first time I read a 1982 Austin Rover range catalogue and was astonished to see a Vanden-Plas Ambassador when the HLS seemed pretty damn plush.

 

 

Badly Drawn Boy approves.

[HillmanImp]

Glad to see that this has been rescued. Top work.

[sierraman]

I remember going on holiday with my grandparents to the Pontins site at Heysham and there being a late beige Ambassador sat in the car park, rusty as fuck.

[Magnificent Rustbucket]

{nerdiness} Leccy window switches from Peugeot? I suppose the SD1 switch design wouldn't have fitted. {/nerdiness}

 

 

Ha! - I had never noticed that. A quick look on Google shows they're very like the ones used on the earlier 505 - probably other Peugeots too. Not the same as the 604 or 504 though.

 

Phil-lihp discovered the central locking solenoid is shared with the Jaguar XJ40 too! http://autoshite.com/topic/22938-delightfully-shambolic-jaguar-xj40/

[Isaac Hunt]

Well saved.

 

Hadn't dawned on me that the production run was only a couple of years. Sort of sums up the BL era really, they knocked out the Princess for about 5 years, then having re-tooled for the Ambasador and IIRC the Marina to Ital, ran them only for a couple of years.

 

The 18/22 resto you did was Epic to say the least. This is in good hands.

 

I had one of those 1700 O'Series in an Ital drop a valve in the outside lane of the M42 whilst at 'full chat', it buries the valve head sideways in the piston crown and mashed up the head a treat, I just kept my foot it and nearly got it the last two miles home but a roundabout forced a stop and it was an FTP, wouldn't restart.

[RRT22R]

Good work - Looking forward to restoration updates.

 

My Dad had an '83 SD1 3500SE in Oporto Red, and as previously mentioned, it's a great colour. 

[Felly Magic]

Good luck with it, and I hope it hasn't suffered too much

[ChinaTom]

Ha! - I had never noticed that. A quick look on Google shows they're very like the ones used on the earlier 505 - probably other Peugeots too. Not the same as the 604 or 504 though.

 

Phil-lihp discovered the central locking solenoid is shared with the Jaguar XJ40 too! http://autoshite.com/topic/22938-delightfully-shambolic-jaguar-xj40/

 

I believe they are identical to the ones fitted to the 505STI from 80-82. Also 305GTX. Reliant SS1 (and possibly the Sabre) as well. Maestro and Montego VdP had them in the early days - Montego with rears too with a middle button with only one white arrow for the rear cut-out. I once found one of these single arrowed buttons in an autojumble. £5 seemed a bit tight for it, but given its rarity, I suspect it may be worth it. Pretty sure the Metro VdP could be ordered with them too, and them being located on the doors in front of the bins

 

Christ, why do I remember things like this when I can't even remember where I just put my coffee??!!

 

Here's what I don't know though. The Ambassador VdP had blank switch plates either side of the front window lifts. Were rears an option? They must have been as why else bother with a blank?

[Rovorsche]

There's a blast from the past, I had the use of two of these as a spotty youth.

 

A 2.0 Vanden Plas DUD 69Y with its Economiser gauge, whilst experimenting at some length just to see how low it could go, the power steering pump exploded quite vigorously and at four years old the sills had rotted through where the VDP trim had been riveted on.

 

Also had a 1700 HLS NHT 879Y in champagne beige, in this one I discovered that a handbrake turn would snap the rebound straps on the rear suspension and turn the hydragas sphere into a repair bill.

 

It also had a habit under heavy braking of the drive shafts falling out of the gearbox and flailing around, something to do with a snapped engine mount.  The root cause may have been whilst learning how to do J turns in a snowy car park.

 

A local farmer welded some angle iron in and it got part exchanged for a brand new and only slighty rusty Maestro Mayfair.

 

I apologise to anybody with the misfortune to buy either of these cars after I had finished with them.

The DVLA said the VDP died first so the farmyard welding must have stood up quite well on the HLS