Unwanted & forgotten? 1983 Austin Ambassador Vanden Plas! Can I give it a new life? Part One.

[@tastyclassics]

Edit for those asking - the next episode might take a couple of weeks to get out, but it is going to be well worth waiting for. - enjoying reading the comments aswell some absolutely brilliant ones so far! Some very funny too. I hope you enjoy watching as much as I enjoyed doing! The whooping cough I got from the interior has now started to subside aswell so that's good.

[@kylereese4822]

Ev conversion using a Prius g/box ??

[@leelee1973la]

I loved this...! Well, I would do having 2 of them on my fleet.... and a Princess. My fleet of wedges are featured on my friends Austin Allegro channel "Agatha And Anything" The car you have there is one I've known about for a couple of weeks when it turned up on ebay... but I passed on it as I already have one I need to restore this year.. (The Black One aka Gary) it's a 1982 Y reg, 2.0 HLS in Factory Black. Sat in a barn for over 20 years... My other one... (The Mighty White) a 1982 2.0 Vanden Plas auto, purchased from a scrap yard back in 2011 and now has just 42k on the clock and is in regular weekend use and still in original condition, but she does need a little work here and there. The Princess (Mrs Winn) a 1979 1700 HL in russet brown is a 1 previous owner car with all the paperwork, hoping to have her back on the road before the summer. You'll find tons of pictures of them all on my Facebook page "Wonky Righteye" Looking forward to the next episode on this car.... 👍

[@tastyclassics]

@@leelee1973la Cheers Lee Someone has mentioned your channel in the comments of the video, I'm going to get settled with a brew and check them out! 👍 I have a real soft spot for these things it's got so many quirks

[@leelee1973la]

@Tasty Classics Nice one... Once you get used to em... They're a great car... I tow the caravan with The Mighty White... not a bad pull from the old 3 speed auto... In fine fettle they're pretty nifty... They will cope okay with motorway speeds, once you get used to noise (Yours will have slightly taller gearing being a late 2.0) so will cruise much better than an auto.... but you'll still be looking for that 5th gear that isn't there... lol.

[@asdeaff]

That brown stuff is carplan red oxide

[@sethkerkmeester6343]

Its friday evening and TastyClassics just put up a new 2hr revival video, my day couldn't get any better than this

[@tastyclassics]

Haha made me smile reading that!

[@peterward3965]

Circa 1975 the Princess and Rover SD1 had only just been launched. As a postman I turned the corner to see a Princess sitting on one drive and a Rover SD1 sitting on the neighbours drive. They both looked so modern and futuristic, not unlike two alien craft sitting there. It was a kind of wow factor. When only four years before the Austin Cambridge/ Morris Oxford was discontinued. Hell of a difference in design. Strange how cars can bring memories flooding back.

[@Theoriginalbigbrillo]

And then they released the Metro Maestro and Montego

[@iantelford3930]

So great seeing these cars again they was never as bad as people would say they are so comfortable it does deserve a restoration not many left now

[@skylined5534]

We had one (TOV479Y) and asides a few stupid bodges by a previous keeper which my dad and brother sorted it was a great motor. Stupidly comfy, plush ride and a ton of leg room front and rear. Ours was only a 1.7L so it didn't get much in the way of toys but it did have remote adjustable mirrors you could change the seat height which I thought was pretty cool!

[@mickymarvin3241]

My mate use to pick me up every morning for work in the same colour princess in 1988 ,brings back memories

[@frazzleface753]

I know it's 100+ year technology, but it always brings a smile to my face to see and hear a combustion engine come back to life. It just seems magical to me.

[@johnburrows7938]

I would say, the best thing about that car was the starter motor, what a champ…bit like yourself. A testament to a well built British motor. Love em or hate em, this put a smile on my face😊. 👍

[@waynelittle5583]

So glad you're doing another episode on it something you don't see much of definitely deserves some love I'm shocked how rust free it is nice to see an old Austin being saved great work 👍

[@skylined5534]

Contrary to popular belief most Rover and BL stuff was pretty rot resistant compared to other manufacturers. Love seeing old motors like this brought back to life!

[@johnhyde8892]

I watched this video all the way through last night, we use to have a family. Lots memories .

[@andymarston360]

Remember my dad having one of these. Great to watch it brought back to life!!

[@simonbarnwell7787]

That 's incredible , what a find , we really need to bring such home designed and built British simplicity and repairability back again .

[@fill7t1]

It lives!!!!! What a pleasurable 2 hours! You are known as the resurrector! tidy her up and pass on to an enthusiast, ready for the next project! Looking forward the next one!

[@sayurikitamura7109]

Very impressed how you figured out the adjustment of the ignition timing💙 and how patient you are

[@williambarry70]

Two hours plus of pure enjoyment Thank you !

[@stevejones1972]

What a find there, these are really rare, I remember them on the roads in the 80s when I was young, but they were short lived, only made for 2 years like the Triumph Acclaim, and they dissappeared from the roads quite quickly. I suppose they were not really that popular being simply a re-skin of the Princess, and the Rover SD1 was a much sleeker looking car for those that wanted a large luxury car. This being the Vanden Plas ( by the way, VP on the sides stands for Very Posh, lol) I was quite surprised how basic and plain it looks inside, not even a rev counter on the dash, nor any walnut trims either on the doors or the dash. In the early 80s, when I was about 10 years old, my grandad bought a brand new X reg end of line Austin Allegro Vanden Plas, and that had leather seats, walnut trims, walnut picnic tables in the rear of the front seats, and felt "very posh" indeed, but the Ambassador there seems to have been very short changed in the luxury department. Nevertheless, it was a nice surprise to see it start up like it did, a bit of fettling and that old SU carb brought itself back to life, and as you say, the sweet little 2 litre engine sounded like a sewing machine even though it looked a bit dwarfed in that massive engine bay. It was odd they never offered a 6 cylinder engine for the Ambassador, as it would have been better with a larger engine, but I suppose they wanted people to buy a Rover SD1 if they wanted a big engine. It's odd that you should find one of these, a while after Seaside Garage found a Princess to restore, so now we have a Princess on his channel and its sucessor on your own. He had problems with his hydragas suspension as well, needed a lot of repairs to rusted lines. I'm sure we all look forward to seeing this very rare car being saved - there are not very many of these left and as you said, they are long forgotten now, with yours being 40 years old in August, so you will get free road tax and MOT exemption later this year.

[@duncanjack2335]

Hubnut has a great video on the Ambassador. In true Austin fashion, it was considerably more than a reskin of the Princess.

[@replevideo6096]

I think you will find it sold for about the same price as a Cortina so you wouldn't expect wood trim and picnic tables. The VDP luxury was confined to velour covered seats and twin carbs from the Jaguar parts bin. I don't know why this one is single carb, maybe because just like mine, the choke assembly was only available for an arm and a leg. I fitted it with a single carb and manifold from a scrapyard as a much cheaper solution. Repair kits for the choke had been discontinued. It was a complicated separate mechanism which fed both carbs and wasfixed to both float chambers.

[@matthewsemple]

Vanden Plas as a marque, of which the Allegro shaped 1500 and 1700 were the last, was different from the Vanden Plas as a model, used like Ghia. The original ones actually went to a different factory for finishing. Having said that, the Metro, Maestro and Montego VPs had wood and rev counters and other toys.

[@brimzs]

@Returning Diaspora indeed the original VPs were super swanky hand finished I believe. It became watered-down over the years.

[@lewis72]

@@matthewsemple "Vanden Plas as a marque" - Oddly and confusingly, so Princess was also a marque. For a while, after Austin, Morris & Wolseley names were dropped, Princes was the wedge, so within a few years, you could get: Vanden Plas Princess 1300 Princess 1800 Princess 1.5 The earlier Daimler Vanden Plas (S2 XJ - based) also went off to the Kingsbury works for trimming and fettling. All very confusing, especially when the top of the range Acclaim was CD. Ford just had Ford xxxx base/Popular/L/GL/Ghia

[@jamesparker1614]

My grandad had an ambassador like this in a lighter metallic blue if my memory serves me right, at the same time my mum (who we sadly lost last year) had a couple of princess’s both were beige with brown vinyl roofs, so many memories of family holidays in these cars so glad to see this car back running well done 👍🏻

[@hredwine1114]

You should give that starter a medal!

[@johnj3577]

Brilliant to see an old car like this come back to life. It wants to live! Looks really solid and well worth saving. One thing confused me though - coolant in the suspension? I'm sure they need special hydrogas fluid which is bright green and stinks but hey ho, it seemed to work. Great job so far and looking forward to episode 2!

[@mikefandango294]

Car from my time. what a great couple of hours 👍

[@TheGramophoneGirl]

"Let's put some power to it and see what happens" lol. Love it. The options being 1, Sets on fire, 2, Nothing, 3, More likely something between 1 & 2. 😀

[@moran68]

Wow ! That was like a feature film .. over two hours on the Ambassador !

[@marklittler784]

Amazing how time flys when your enjoying yourself 😄😄😄

[@Motorized-BikerUk]

I fell asleep.. woke up it was still playing 🤔 thought I'd woken up in my own nightmare. Hahaha

[@moran68]

@@Motorized-BikerUk The next ones three hours !

[@cwshtygriff13]

@@Motorized-BikerUk 😂😂

[@alvaropicasso6051]

Love these old euro cars!! keep m' coming dear sr.

[@Ryanb20496]

Yes!! time to sit down with a few brews and a few snacks. I enjoy watching these uploads 👍

[@lewisbenson4021]

"I can feel the head lining molesting me!" Brilliant! I'm loving your channel.

[@byronmills5952]

Fabulous! These cars get a lot of undeserved flack - and this example definitely wants to live again. Would love to see you get it cleaned up and Mot'd before you move it on. Vanden Plas spec was rare even when they were current. 41 years since the Ambassador was launched now and this car has the potential to be a really great survivor with some continued tlc. Love it!

[@Trilogymediafan]

When you said it would make a nice stew, I clicked subscribe.

[@mikebird2665]

Congratulations on a big win! Faced with all those issues, at some point, I would have given up and called in a professional - like you! That's the difference between a mechanic of necessity and a mechanic of conviction. And yes, I remember these on the road "first time around"!

[@edwardbyard6540]

Your comment, you aren't sure it left the factory with bits hanging off or not bolted on....I can assure you they did. Anything built in Cowley in the 80s was a disaster. I grew up near the factory and it was staffed by people who really didn't give a flip. Most left (or were fired) when BMW took over and they all joined Royal Mail in Cowley...and our post service turned into joke. I fondly remember the pressed steel works on the opposite side of the bypass, and car bodies going over the road on the conveyor. Seems like so long now..

[@tjxkeith]

Was the bodywork at Cowley called Fisher Bodywork’s seem to remember cars that era with a plate on the body saying that.

[@trevdean540]

@@tjxkeith Fisher Body was owned by GM Detroit Michigan. They built bodys in the USA.I have only seen Fisher Body stamped on american cars . My 1969 Pontiac Firebird had body by Fisher plate on bottom of doorsill.

[@TheFusedplug]

Didn't British Leyland build there? They made the Minis that rotted the most....also British Leyland mudflaps were falling off all over the country

[@TheFusedplug]

Montegos rotted terribly compared to that Ambassador so the Austin Rover group were worse still

[@TheFusedplug]

Well it's TAXED until April 2025 It's keeping someone happy

[@Retro_andy_1977]

Watched this to the end now and this has Been a great watch Just love this car

[@hunsolo9713]

Another blinding episode can’t wait for the next one😊

[@terrycrusader]

great to see an ambo getting some love,think you've struck lucky ere,looks bloody solid,my grandad had a 1700L back in the early 90's,beige with paprika interior,was so quiet n comfy. im doing a princess at the moment myself,all the running gear is off and just had the suspension displacers regased,good luck with it.

[@occoldcomputersconsoles6590]

love these cars along with the princess all credit to you, it deserves some love

[@chrisn5882]

Another great video, Ben Cannot wait for the next episode.

[@justinbickerton6941]

Fantastic video. Wrote one of these off 34 years ago, built like a tank.

[@SeasideGarage]

Nice!.... I get a strange Deja vu feeling watching this.... Im hooked!

[@Narendra--Modi]

Love your channel too.

[@kevinclarkson5565]

Wow, of all the cars I didn't expect an old Amby! Not many of these left. Excellent video as always! :)

[@dafdaffer1]

Brilliant stuff well done. great to see one again. looking forward to the next episode

[@gazzblackwell5221]

That was a great vid entertainment and very informative all in one brilliant

[@tonyr1963]

Great video and I’m looking forward to the next instalment. Brought back some good memories of working on these and owning an Austin Princess for a few years. The car was given to me by an uncle of my Mam’s. A maroon coloured 1.7 HL. One memorable trip to Flamingo Land in North Yorkshire from our home in Gateshead, North East England when just as we approached the entrance the O/S suspension dropped. The rear displacer unit diaphragm had burst. We left the kids with my brother in law and his family who had travelled down in their car and turned round and headed back home up the A19. Got home mid afternoon, took a wander round to the local ‘scrapyard’ and returned with a replacement part. I had it fitted before the kids got back. Took it to a local garage with a Hydrolastic pump the next morning and was back on the road. Despite that event I loved that car: spacious, comfortable and mostly reliable. Cars were so much easier to work on back then: oh happy days. Thanks for the memories 😊

[@tylermaguire616]

Man oh man what a survivor! And what a damn funny and superb machinist to fix her up! Always love your videos man you rock

[@lespaul886]

Cant wait till the next one get her cleaned up and maybe through the MOT .Fantastic video

[@paulwilliams7070]

A very rare car the Austin ambassador great content once again ❤

[@stephensharrock]

Well done that man, I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of that video, keep um coming Ben, and the ones in the record Shop as well.

[@GBOAF216]

What a fantastic video! My second ever car was a 1800 Austin Princess, in that colour! From 1978. Px’ed it for my first ever Porsche 924. Was a great old barge, and sold it for more than I paid for it back in the day.

[@69Dobby]

Best channel on KZbin at this moment,great keep em up.

[@Clodhopping]

Wonderful stuff! Loved this one. A great Sunday morning watch/listen. These great old barges need saving 💪👍

[@manaudia8]

Well done. It's got a good chance of being saved.

[@simonashdown6976]

I saw the car advertised on ebay and was so tempted to bid!! couldn't believe my luck when I saw that you were the proud owner and i get to see the refurb!!well done mate really enjoying the content!! keep it up!!

[@michaelgargaro]

haha thought you were going to say you couldnt beleive your luck when you lost

[@matthewsemple]

I am with you there - get to see the rebuild from the comfort of an armchair.

[@leelee1973la]

I got tagged on it a couple of weeks ago... I only passed on ot as I dont have the space at the moment... I already have 2 Ambassadors on the go and a Princess.... I'm glad this one got saved. 👍

[@gazshearing5020]

My grandad had the princess so this brought back big happy memories and I love the channel can’t wait for the next upload

[@SuperMisterInvisible]

I have just come across your channel, and what a great way to start! I love it.

[@coogeeman]

Yes mate, loving it. Strobe the timing. Same as an ital 2.0. It's worth the effort, most of them scrapped. Good luck to you. Maurice, expat in Namibia.

[@MrNeilypops]

Awesome video...very entertaining! Thanks so much.

[@Speedscholars]

Well done!!!! Cannot believe how solid it is. 🎉

[@jamesknowles6472]

Love it, local undertaker had one, i used to love driving it, a very underrated car, but very comfortable... would love to see it at Boston classic car show in August..

[@DavidJohnson-gh3si]

The Mbassador was the Eddie the Eagle of the BL range. We all wanted him to succeed but… Thanks for a great video. Lovin’ the way you turned a seemingly uninteresting job into a riveting watch!

[@barryamos4920]

Enjoyed the video looking forward to the next one

[@dianewilson4144]

Love your videos Ben, Glad the whooping cough has subsided ,very much looking forward to part two 👍

[@malcevans5762]

My first day of work back in 1976 was at an Austin Morris Dealer Showroom, They had a Brand new one of these on Display . I thought it was the most beautiful Futuristic Car I had ever seen. Wanted it so much

[@RetroRatz]

So glad you got it running! When we owned it, I only ever got the pleasure of pushing it about and oh boy its very heavy to push haha. Excellent to see it drive!! Woohoo

[@Speedscholars]

That note is awesome and sad (felt the same as you did!). Sad as it was someone’s dream car to restore and that was being ruined by some scrote! Great video, looking forward to seeing more!

[@dragon4r4]

What a treat! Thoroughly enjoyed the extended video. Loved your diagnostic process and taking us along with the discoverings. This is going to be a very useable classic. Looking forward to next one.

[@davidking9707]

I quite like those quirky cars. Well done getting it running.

[@rayanderson921]

Just finished. Love these long videos, wanted you to finish the whole rebuild in one go 🤣..... that note made me sad, plus all the parts. Poor bloke (i know its a man, a woman wouldnt be stupid enough to even try) obviously spent a lot of money TRYING to diagnose the problem, but just didn't think to check for a blockage. I really hope you get this back on the road and mot'd. It deserves it. He deserves it.

[@eddiemcmahon1166]

Love it, my preference is old fords but i love seeing anything old school being saved 👌🏼

[@countludwigvonnippeltassel]

What a fantastic car! And a thoroughly enjoyable video too. I'd love to see you get her back on the road properly. Thanks as always for the great content 😁

[@matthewwiddows6319]

just got to the end, great episode, hopefully this will be saved, to me horrible cars, but part of automotive history and cant be left to rot away!!

[@stevenmiller1486]

Thanks

[@tastyclassics]

Thankyou Steven very kind of you that mate!

[@jasonhinsley8804]

Great watch mate would love to see you do a full restoration on it

[@chriswarren2599]

People will slag these cars off. BL managed to do a pretty decent job of extending the life of the Princess. The re tooling to make this a hatchback was quite an undertaking. As you have discovered, they were well built and solid cars with simple mechanics. I had a 2.0 HLS and converted it to a manual with a Princess as a donor car. Just a comfortable, reliable car which was a bit different. The VDP version is now very rare and well worth saving. You will have also realised how easy they are to work on. Access is brilliant in and around the engine. Nice one Ben.

[@davidcooke6803]

I’m pretty sure the trouble had starting it is perfectly normal, I remember my neighbour’s language on cold mornings when I was 10 years old! Great video, can’t wait for the next one, these were very maligned but actually very good! Thanks, just found you and am a subscriber now!!😊

[@TheGramophoneGirl]

Can't believe I spent over two hours watching that lol. Be nice to see her polished up as best you can and give her a service. I remember these cars when I was a kid. My stepfather had one as a company car and he hated every minute of it apparently. It tried to kill him once when he was crossing the A1 (before they built the flyovers) when he set off and the auto stuck in 3rd gear. He crawled across the two lanes with some truck bearing down on him blasting it's horn and smoking it's tyres. lol.

[@jeffto23ify]

Can remember working on these back in the early 80s

[@gleng6812]

Great video! Runs like a Champ! Can't wait for the next video on this

[@monkeyroo8740]

Great video buddy. My uncle ted had one brand new The same colour. I can’t remember the reg, but brought back some happy memories cheers

[@nathanhobson1142]

Can't wait for part 2 tidying it up. I was a child in the '80s and thought they looked ugly but I've since grown to quite like them. I think I feel a bit of sympathy for them.

[@chucky2316]

Lol you are not alone but considering what we had in the 80s this was a uncool car. Renault 5 turbos, pug 205s ford cosworths, golf gtis and astra gtes and my all time favourite series 1rs turbos

[@Retro_andy_1977]

My dad had two one new and one second hand They are lovely cars!

[@chrisedwards3238]

What an awesome little car. Well done on getting the cheese and biscuits out of the engine 🤣 🤣 . Looking forward to the next instalment on this one.

[@garethparkin9498]

New subscriber I have to say this was really good I really enjoyed it and the witty commentary. I like the Ambassador what Austin did to update it from the princess was a vast improvement including conversion from saloon to hatchback.. The car wants to live lol.

[@rydermike33]

Most enjoyable. Your patience is remarkable. Another 'wedge' saved for posterity.

[@raymondpearce5245]

Brilliant Video well done

[@markportwood4045]

A great find, a great colour, and its set of Vanden Plas alloys must be incredibly rare. And the dead sheep comment made me smile. 😁

[@d.dolphinstriker5737]

My dad bought a Princess fase 2 new at the dealer, I think it had a 1700 or 1800 engine. The outside had the sand color and the inside was dark brown. I remember the long days we spend in the car to the south of France for holidays. It was a nice car to travel with. Only good memories for me 🤗

[@ianfeather5415]

Great to see this Ambassador getting some love.

[@simonbrader8408]

That was wonderful. I absolutely love these cars (as I do the Princess.) I wish I had the skill, time, patience, space and money to take on a project like that, I'd love to be swanning around in a pristine Ambassador. Subscribed.

[@mattclayton9165]

Brilliant! Another splendid video. Great car. Happy memories of my uncles brand new 83 ambassador in a lighter metallic blue. Liking your style bud. Bring on th e next one.

[@fletcherbravo]

When I originally guessed a Princess I didn't realise how close I was, my late step father gave me his Princess when I passed my test....the same colour as that as well. All my wheel arches were similar to that rear one. The memories are flooding back...I popped my cherry in the back of mine.

[@sarahm4909]

Was your Princess a good ride? 🤣

[@fletcherbravo]

@@sarahm4909 😂😂😂

[@PROFESSIONAL.C-W]

Your hard work is worth watching

[@gavinmoore2682]

Great video, lovely to see it looking so good underneath also. Hope you prep it to the best you can so it can be passed on to someone who can treasure it.

[@tricialyn4645]

I didn't skip Amy adverts! I enjoyed all of it. You're very knowledgeable

[@cloudninephoto]

Mr Ambassador you’re really spoiling us ! 😂😂

[@benblakey5607]

I look forward to seeing more progress on this

[@leemcarthy4550]

Every single time I have the pleasure of watching you there’s no doubt I know you’ll always bring a smile to my face. Never mind a KZbin channel you should be prime time on television. You’ve got this perfectly executed yet again and what a car to bring to your channel. Exceptional my friend you are perfect. Thank you

[@bombadilian]

You're doing God's work here saving an Ambastador, I doff my cap to thee sir.

[@JonathanTRoyNI]

This video came up as a suggestion and I am glad it did. Very enjoyable. Subscribed.

[@johnhyde8892]

I past my test in my dad's ambassador, we towed a caravan with it. It was a good car.

[@foodsecretsvlogs1]

Great video, enjoying the content and loving the humour! I look forward to many more

[@yorkshire6458]

I enjoyed this Video very much,I used to have back in the 80s the Austin Princess inline 6 and yes living in Germany was a Problem to get serviced but other wise a great car. Now ive I have a Rover 75 V6 she is my best friend in a way of saying.

[@essexdavenorton]

Another couple hours of complete madness I so do enjoy this channel and the cars really good old ambassador such a swanky fine Automotive for an Austin product And it runs in the body is still attached unbelievable

[@JohnWhite-tg9wf]

well done on rescuing it i remember these shinny and new lol

[@TheHorsebox2]

Was always of the opinion Leyland cars were no better or worse than anything else on the road. Love seeing this saved, hopefully a good home awaits. Can't be many left.