[AMC-list] Can anyone help this guy? - IKA Ambassador

["Larry R. Daum" <mramc@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi -
I am a former AMO member - I owned a 1966 Ambassador convertible from 
1975 to 1991. The car then became part of the Peter Hill collection, 
and I have remained a fan of this era of AMC cars. Recently I 
discovered a you tube video that included a 1973 clip of President 
Juan Domingo Per?n at his return to Argentina from Spain. I noticed 
that the Ambassador limousine that he was in is an exceptionally 
appealing vehicle. Is there any way that the provenance of this car 
can be traced? Does AMO have any information on who the coach 
fabricator is who produced the limo version of this car? Has a photo 
exhibit of this model ever been put together?


Any clue on the above questions would be greatly appreciated.


Alan Blanes
Kelowna BC
					

Alan , I don't have your email address but I recognize your name from 
some where . Northern Ramblers maybe? So, Rich you may have to 
forward this to him.

The car in question is an IKA - Ambassador - Industrial Kaiser 
Argentina . Very appropriate that Juan Peron' is riding  in the 
Ambassador limo type car.   Juan P. cut a deal with Kaiser in 1955 to 
make the Kaiser Frazer car in Argentina , as Kaiser got pretty much 
run out of the US car market . That became Kaiser Jeep . The new 
Argentine company was Industrial Kaiser Argentina or IKA . The Kaiser 
car, in Argentina,  was made from 1956 to 1962 and by then the 
tooling to make the car had completely worn out. They needed new 
tooling and cut a deal with AMC !

The 1966 American was a completely new car from the ground up , new 
tooling. The 1967 Classic or Rebel, etc./Ambassador was all new 
tooling from the ground up. The old tooling for the 1962 to 1965/66 
cars all went to Argentina. You might be aware that a car based on 
the 1964/65 Rambler American tooling was made in Argentina by IKA. 
But also the basic 1965 Classic 4 door and 4 door wagon was made in 
Argentina along the 4 door 1966 type Ambassador . They all used the 
230 OHC Kaiser six cylinder engine briefly used by Jeep in the US for 
a couple years.   The American based car was made up 1980 model year 
in 1979. The Ambassador was used as a STATE car and the government 
insisted that in stay in production until some time in the mid 1970's 
, 1975 or so I believe.  Oh and Renault also bought into IKA some 
where in the mid 60's I believe.

The other thing is these car were fairly low production. Only a 
little under a 100,000 of the American based car were made in about 
15 years. Less for the bigger cars, none of them was cheap and in 
that regard all the interiors were less Rambler and more up market 
Cadillac. That is why the Ambassador looks a bit on the odd side. The 
Argentines did there own thing to the cars especially to the 
interiors, usually high end  leather , etal. ,especially on the high 
end STATE cars like the Ambassador. Probably made especially for the 
government for the president of Argentina. I've got some factory 
literature on these cars. I don't think there are any of the IKA 
Ambassadors in the US. Nor do I think it likely to get one from 
Argentina unless one was at an Embassy for Argentina in the US , 
highly unlikely. There are about  less then 6 of the American version 
of IKA-Torino American based cars in the US. They were very difficult 
to get out of Argentina and you just about have to have to be from 
Argentina going to live in the US to get one here. That's pretty much 
the story on the two owners I've meet of the IKA - Torino cars here. 
There is one in Los Vegas,NV , 1976 I believe and another in Phoenix, 
AZ a 1979 I believe. there is suppose to be another Torino in Phoenix 
with a 302 Ford in it , that was for sale and a forth car on the East 
coast that Pat Foster wrote an article on. I also think that an older 
issue of American Motoring had a small article on at least the Torino 
version of the American some time ago. Hope this answers your questions. LRDaum


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