throughout the period of peak station wagon, the ford country squire reigned supreme, while competitors such as the amc ambassador wagon played second (or third) fiddle. which means that, today, cars like this 1971 ambassador brougham wagon are an even rarer sighting. for sale right now on bring a trailer, this suburban schooner is nonetheless a superb time machine.
chiefly, that's because we haven't seen one in this condition since the nixon administration. according to the listing, the car has had some paintwork and benefits from some re-chroming. the work appears to be to a high standard, and the condition overall is remarkable. from the woodgrain, to the interior, to the wheels and (yes!) whitewall tires, there's nothing here that betrays the fact that it was 50 years ago when this bad boy rolled off the line as the pride of kenosha, wisconsin.
then there's the spec. granted, golden lime metallic is dangerously close to the wagon queen family truckster's metallic pea, but it is also perfectly period-correct. so, too, is the green vinyl interior, even if the contrast between the two greens seems awkward to our modern, all-grayscale sensibilities. the sweeping woodgrain is another essential, and we're digging the rally wheels, too. this deluxe wagon also comes with factory air conditioning—note the desert only max setting. the lazy v-8 under the hood is amc's 360-cubic-inch unit, hooked to a three-speed automatic, just as god intended.
this amc provides the same wonder years flashback as the fords and chevys of the era. and, at long last, ambassador finally got its due; it sold on october 18, after 27 bids on the bring a trailer site, for $27,000.