Austin Ambassador Vanden Plas - a rare 1980s British car!

The Austin Ambadassor The world of 80s British Leyland looks very different to the 1970s landscape, the mood was fairly good at the turn of the decade with the Metro now on sale and the company had decided it was high time to give the Princess a serious overhaul for the decade ahead. Sadly, neither time nor money were abundant and work began in 1980 to overhaul a design which many didn’t have fond memories of - sadly! The biggest goal was to build a hatchback into the design - something the company knew had cosy them valuable sales to the competitors! On the money front, BL had spent just shy of 30 million pounds, which many thought would give a bit of an update but nothing spectular. In fact, barring the skins on the front doors, there were changes to every body panel, changes elsewhere to accomodate that new much-requested tailgate and a more modern front-end appearance. That’s before we discuss the departure of the E series engine, which also meant the bonnet line got to change with that front end revision. However, they did hang onto the 1.7 and 2 litre O series you saw in the Princess 2. However, not every change is positive and I bemoan the materials used in the Van Den Plas later on, but buyers of the time were put out by the fact that 70s offerings from BL had mutli-adjustable seats but this new car just had bog standard seats. Compared to the competition, this was a miss that could’ve been avoided. Another miss was on the speed front. Whilst the example we’re testing today is the top of the range, Van Den Plas, has the 2 litre O series engine, the 1.7 which was meant to be the staple of the range was taking nearly 15 seconds to crack that 0-60. If this doesn’t sound too bad, just remember it was coming up against cars like the Cavalier which in the 1600 variant, could do over 100 miles per hour top speed and could hit 60 miles per hour in just under 11 seconds. Controversially perhaps, I prefer the look of the Ambassador, but for many, it was all about the performance and power of their car. Also, I mentioned this example is top of the range - described in sales literature as the ultimate Ambassador. However, the range was L at entry, then HL, then HLS and then VDP. This wasn’t new and you might recognise these trim levels from other cars in the BL range. The VDP as I’ll refer to it as we go through this video, offered a few amount as standard such as alloy wheels, a trim specific grille and door handles and an attractive VP logo on the side of the car. There’s also other bits worth mentioning such as the sun roof as standard, rear interia belts, rear head rests, the slide and fold rear seats and a luxury fabric on the seats. Although to be truthful, it doesn’t feel decadent in the way you’d expect from the brochure waxing lyrical about it. The suspension is what I love about these and I think you will too - it’s the Hydragas system which really does give a smooth and elegant ride. Designed to last 10 years before being changed, it’s now something which can be a considered cost to have sorted out, but is worth doing, because otherwise the ride is harsh and miserable. For those not in the know, the suspension works as a fluid and gas system which is used instead of traditional springs and shocks. The displacer units - which is what you’re supposed to have changed according to BL every 10 years - work as interconnected units to transfer pressure when a wheel hits a pot hole for example, compressing the nitrogen gas which then absorbs the shock. Sadly, despite all the improvements, positives and some alright reviews here and there, the car just didn’t spark interest with the public. The car was on sale for around 2 years, coming off sale in 1984, and sold just under 43,500 units. Replaced by the Montego, the car is now a distant memory for many and a unicorn to others, so in today’s test, let’s discover if it is best left forgotten or a hidden gem we need to fight tooth and nail to save.