This 1957 Nash Ambassador Super Country Club Hardtop is posted here on craigslist in Clear Lake, Iowa, and they were asking $22,000 but have dropped the asking price to $18,000. If Clear Lake sounds familiar, it was the site of the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and The Big Bopper in early 1959. Here is the original listing, and thanks to T.J. for the tip!
Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and J.P. Richardson, better known as the Big Bopper, were going strong when this ’57 Nash rolled out the door. 1957 would be the last year for Nash, and if you wanted to be the first person on your block to have a car with quad headlights, you bought a ’57 Nash Ambassador. Styling was by the famous Italian firm of Pininfarina, just to add an extra touch of flair. The Custom would have been a step above the Super with more chrome, usually a two-tone paint scheme, and more.
That’s some serious candy on the rear of this Ambassador, those tail lights and surrounding chrome housings aren’t lightweight, but it still looks lighter than the cars with a Continental Kit spare tire on the back. I’ll take this look every time. The front wheel wells were almost round again after going through Nash’s bathtub phase with flat-topped wheel wells. This car looks great in the photos, but as always, it’s hard to really tell. Nash advertising said the Club Coupe Hardtop had, “the fresh-air fun of a convertible . . . the snugness of a sedan.”
Derek Bieri from Vice Grip Garage would be proud of whatever is going on with the vice grip under the left side of the dash. I wonder what that’s for? The seller doesn’t mention that in their listing, but they do say it’s absolutely rust-free, and those are the best words in my world as far as old vehicles are concerned. This is it for interior photos other than one showing a close-up of the back of the rear seat.
The seller says this is an all original car, other than one recent repaint, but then they also say that the drivetrain has been gone through. Maybe they mean original spec, it sure isn’t original anymore, and that isn’t a bad thing if all of the work has been done well. The engine, with a huge generator on the bottom, is AMC’s 327-cu.in. OHV V8 with 245 horsepower and 345 lb-ft of torque when new. It’s backed by an automatic transmission and the seller says this one runs and drives very well, and it has power steering and power brakes. Those are nice features for a heavy car from the 50s, or from any era. Any thoughts on the asking price of this one?
