Meeting An Old Friend – 1983 Austin Ambassador Vanden Plas

Sometimes, the world of Ebay is one of surprises – including finding the Austin Ambassador Vanden Plas I once owned. And now Bob Farrington hopes it goes to a good home: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/176301190736.

I took delivery of the sort of car John Shuttleworth would have revered back in September 2011, and it taught me a good deal about classic car ownership. For one, I had to become used to the phrase, "My dad/mum/head teacher/pet stick insect had one of those." I also soon realised my extreme limitations with mechanical matters. To quote Alexei Sayle:

The problem was that I am not the sort of person who should be buying an old car since I am mechanically incompetent, wildly impatient and worst of all prone to displays of violence towards inanimate objects I feel have let me down. I constantly find myself yelling obscenities at wonky shelving, punching recalcitrant computers and kicking uncooperative bicycles down the stairs.

Apart from the computers and the bicycles, that was me. A further challenge was that the Ambassador was one of several cars I owned at that time. Today, my fleet consists of one car, while I sold the Austin after only a few months, so it is a pleasure to make its acquaintance after such a long time.

Seeing the gold VDP also reminds us of the Ambassador's many virtues. Work commenced on a facelifted 'Wedge' in 1980, with a development budget of £29m. Although the new model looked similar to the Princess, every external panel except the front door's outer skins was altered. The brochure promised "an unmatched concept in motoring at their price" and "Good looks are matched by efficiency."

The Ambassador's trim levels were L, HL, HLS and Vanden Plas. As befitting a flagship model, the VDP featured alloy wheels, front fog lamps, a sliding roof, electric front windows, central locking, a radio-cassette player and seats "upholstered in a most attractive dapple and crushed velour".

Unlike the Princess, the Ambassador was unavailable with the 2.2-litre six-cylinder engine. Instead, the choice of power plant was the 1.7-litre or 2.0-litre ‘O’ series unit in single carburettor form, with the HLS and Vanden Plas boasting twin SU carburettors. One detail of the Ambassador I recall was how the dashboard sported an 'econometer' instead of a tachometer – BL never intended it to be a sports saloon. I also remember how one approach to television advertising consisted of Patrick Mower shouting rather a lot:

It is also often forgotten that the motoring press found the Ambassador had many strong points. Car magazine thought the 2.0 HLS was "one of the best-riding cars in the world." Autocar found the Ambassador to be exceptional value for money. The last of 43,427 examples left the factory in November 1983, although sales continued until 1984. Today, there are possibly only 21 remaining on the road in the UK: https://www.howmanyleft.co.uk/?q=austin+ambassador

As my Wolseley is more than enough to keep me occupied, I share Bob’s hopes that my old Ambassador goes to a good home, especially to a motorist who appreciates the distinction of owning a car with a Y-registration:

With thanks to: Bob Farrington