The Nash Ambassadors became known for their "lavish equipment and beautiful construction" earning "the nickname 'Kenosha Duesenberg", with the former being a nod to the place of origin and the latter pointing to opulence".

[11] The Nash Ambassadors were "luxuriously trimmed, beautifully designed and built bodies, custom-built to individual order, finished off the model that historian David Brownell famously dubbed 'Kenosha's Duesenberg.

Sales of all automobiles were dismal during the Great Depression in the United States, yet Nash prospered and was the only company other than General Motors to make a profit in 1932.

"[18] For 1934, Nash introduced an entirely new styling theme called "Speedstream" that featured generous use of ornamental moldings in body panels and fenders in a very streamlined and Art Deco way.

Russian Count Alexis de Sakhnoffsky influenced the designs, and the new bodies featured streamline accents, bullet-shaped headlights, horizontal hood ribs, rear-wheel spats, and built-in luggage boots with a full beaver-tail rear end.

The Nash Ambassador 8 now saw new competition with such cars as the redesigned and lower-priced LaSalle, Auburn V-12, REO-Royale 8, Buick Series 34-90, and the Chrysler Imperial Airflow.

In 1937, Sinclair Oil Corporation teamed up with Babe Ruth in a baseball contest where a 1937 Nash Ambassador Eight sedan was awarded every week.

[28] Featuring high-quality ash framing, with mahogany paneling supplied by Mitchell-Bentley of Owosso, Michigan, the Suburban coachwork was based on the handsome "slipstream" sedan, a classic 1940s streamlined design.

[28] Intended as a halo car, the Suburban, like all other Nashes, featured options such as "Cruising Gear" overdrive, a trend-setting "Weather-Eye" heater, and a remote control Zenith radio, which enabled the driver to change stations at the touch of their toe.

[32] Nash-Kelvinator president George Mason believed in fiscal responsibility, but also wanted to be "a bit daring, bold, and out of the mainstream" by making "cars noticeably different from those of the mainline Big Three producers.

"[33] Nash's Vice President of Engineering, Nils Eric Wahlberg, had access to a wind tunnel during the war and believed that future cars should take advantage of aerodynamics to achieve many benefits.

[34] The company used revenue from its wartime contracts to develop a car that was "the most streamlined form on the road" and lower by 6 inches (152 mm) than the previous designs.

[33] Mason was also a convert to build a large aerodynamically clean family car for the postwar market and even championed the design's enclosed wheels as a bold innovative feature.

The separate frame chassis of the previous Ambassador was discontinued in favor of unibody construction for the new 1949 models, a design the company introduced to the mass market in 1941 with the 600 series cars.

[36] The Ambassador series continued to have a 121 in (3,073 mm) wheelbase and the automaker claimed the new chassis design included 8,000 welds making its "1 1/2 to 2 1/2 times as rigid as conventional cars.

"[36] After Nash rolled out its Airflyte body style, Ambassador sales enjoyed a significant gain by selling just four- and two-door sedans in the marketplace from 1949 until 1951.

[38] Mason also believed that once the seller's market following World War II ended, Nash's best hope for survival lay in a product range not addressed by other automakers in the United States at that time – the compact car.

The Nash Ambassador received a complete restyle for 1952 and celebrated the automaker's 50th anniversary as the predecessor firm, the Thomas B. Jeffery Company, marketed its first cars in 1902.

[44] Several European touches were incorporated into production such as the reverse-slanted C-pillars and an interior fishnet "parcel holder" mounted above the windshield for keeping maps and sunglasses.

The Super included Nash's basic features with the Custom adding two-tone upholstery with foam-topped seat cushions designed by Helene Rother, an electric clock, directional signals, chrome wheel discs, and automatic interior courtesy lights.

Standard was the "Super Jetfire" 252.6 cu in (4.1 L) 120 hp (89 kW; 122 PS) I6 engine and was available with optional dual-range Hydramatic automatic transmission or a Warner Gear overdrive unit.

[46] Ambassadors were available with dual carburetors and a high-compression aluminum head producing 140 hp (104 kW; 142 PS) as the "Le Mans" option as from the Nash-Healey.

To differentiate the model and its styling by Pinin Farina of Europe, as well as the luxury custom interiors and the record-setting Le Mans Dual Jet-Fire engine, Nash advertised the Ambassador Country Club hardtop with the headline "To the Boy Who Wanted a Stutz Bearcat", inviting men to recall their youthful dreams (arguably the first true American sportscar) by driving the 1953 Ambassador "to thrill to the wonder and romance of travel again".

The base trim was called "Super," while the higher "Custom" models featured a continental spare tire carrier, and many other upgrades were available in four-door sedan and two-door "Country Club" hardtop forms.

A price war with deep discounts to sell these cars meant declining sales for the independent carmakers (Hudson, Kaiser, Nash, Packard, and Studebaker).

Ambassador models fielded for 1956 were heavily re-styled in the rear with big "lollipop" taillights, and the cars were offered in a variety of two- and three-tone color schemes.

[62] The 1950 Ambassador, driven by Roy Pat Conner, was in sixth place after the eighth stage, 33 minutes behind the leader, when Connor became too ill to continue.

[62] On the final stage Piero Taruffi, arguably the most experienced road racer in the field, had moved his Alfa Romeo 6C up to the fourth position when Turner passed him in the mountains by bumping the Italian "Southern-style" until he yielded.

[62] Mexican driver S. Santoyo was classified 36th in his 1949 Nash, while another 1949 Ambassador driven by Manuel Luz Meneses and José O'Farrill Larranoga finished 39th.

[73] American Motors' flagship line was marketed as the AMC Ambassador starting from 1966, with continual facelifts and improvements, such as making air conditioning standard equipment, through their discontinuation after the 1974 model year.