It is worth saying at this point that the latest DVLA register shows only 23 Austin Ambassadors still on our roads. The number of them that are Y registrations must be in single figures....
I've got 2 of them. 1 is currently on sorn though (currently being restored as I've just pulled it out of a barn, been there 20 years) The other, a white Vanden Plas is in current use.
Mr Shuttleworth, those halcion days when motorways were exactly as shown here! A fact you can confirm is the newly built M6 corridor opened just before we were taken off LSD and put on Decimal. Myself and two younger brothers, (oh, how we fought over whose turn it was to get locked in the boot), all got treated to a drive down its empty concrete slabs, as deserted as an apocalypse scene in a B film by Rank. But Grandad let us sit inside on the beige upholstery of his brand new H reg Morris 1100!
Very quick mention of the engineering leviathan the Morris Ital. My first company car. I graduated to my (wait for it?) Austin Ambassador Y reg! My dad had an Allegro. 0-60 in 2 weeks. We raced each other. He always won.
Reginald here! I loved John Shuttleworth, so you can imagine my delight when I heard he had made a song about my position as representing and advocating a major Texan city. Sadly, it turned out to be a song about a car.
My friend had a princess. He spent a long time doing it up with his dad. To be fair it wasn't a bad car especially getting lots of people in. The sad thing was that the prop shaft fell down whilst traversing a roundabout. The end result it catapulted him off the road and was written off!!!! Bless him he always was a bit backward!
The Austin Ambassador was the facelifted Princess, like the Morris Ital being the facelifted Marina. Around 43,000 were built from late 1981 to mid 1984, with X, Y and A reg, possibly a small number of B reg, (roughly the same period as the Honda based Triumph Acclaim). Of course the Montego replaced both the Ambassador and Ital in April 1984.
I really like Austin Ambassadors and John Shuttleworth, so I was over the moon to hear his song. I have the Vanden Plas model. No other car gives the same degree of comfort and practicality although the Maxi and Citroen GSA run it close.But the wedge always gets more looks than a ferrari at a hundredth the price.
Ooh Ahhh the Vanden Plas..... My dad salvaged and repaired a VP 1500 (Allegro shape) Leather seats, tinted windows, walnut dash AND Fold down tables in the back of the front seats...... The height of luxury, especially as we were pretty poor.
I have a Y Reg Vanden Plas which I drove to one of John`s shows (obviously). Very comfy and one of the roomiest hatchbacks still-mainly why I bought it. No rocket ( and the speed limit`s still 70 mph whether you drive this or an M3). Ultra-cheap and still gets more shocked stares than a De Tomaso.
I had one, too, and it was impossible to park; like a tank, but less stylish. I once heard a track 'Single mums welcome' by John - it was a desperado lonely hearts ad skit - was it ever released? It was very funny - the last line was something like, "She doesn't even having to be breathing, though that would be a plus"..
Never heard of a Austin Ambassador before,a Rambler Ambassador yes. Plenty of Renault 16s in Australia and a few A40's kicking around too. My dad had a 1937 Austin 10, which he said was faster than his mid 50's Hillman.
Yes, the Princess was a saloon, the Ambassador was a more refined, newer version with a hatchback. We had the Princess in diarhea yellow, my grandfather had an Ambassador Vanden Plas automatic (posh!) in red. You never see any of either now, dunno if it's because of rust or if no-one was interested in hanging onto them, not very sexy cars!!!
Nowt wrong wi' Morris Itals. I had an X-reg in silver with a vinyl roof. SE model. It had a handy clock, MW/LW radio and a single console-mounted speaker.
Unlicensed means that it's road tax has not been renewed - its a legal reqirement to drive a vehicle on UK roads. It migh be lurking in a shed somewere....
It just seems so tragic that these late era Austin and Morris vehicles are so scarce now due to owners of BL products with better PR pillaging them for parts that are interchangeable (Minors, Minis and MGBs suffered the same problems with rust and build quality, they weren't immune just because they became iconic). Allegros are now on the endangered species list due to Mini lovers looting them for their engines. The Mini was probably the very worst BL product because it caused the company's financial problems and ultimate collapse (they never made a single penny of profit out of it). I assume a lot of Ambassadors fell victim to SD1 owners coveting the O-series engine.
The vehicle details for GPP 649Y are: Date of Liability 01 09 1997 Date of First Registration 31 01 1983 Year of Manufacture 1983 Cylinder Capacity (cc) 1700CC CO2 Emissions Not Available Fuel Type Petrol Export Marker Not Applicable Vehicle Status Unlicensed Vehicle Colour CREAM Vehicle Type Approval null
Scrapped during the making of the rockumentary “500 Bus Stops” by Ken Worthington. Presumably John had paid for 12 months tax in September ‘96 - thus explaining his vexed attitude following Ken’s rash actions. The scrapyard only gave Ken £50 for the vehicle. He gave John £40 - keeping his commission, which he claimed he’d earned in his role as John’s sole agent.
Can anyone help me here, does the Y reg have sports seats and genuine imitation metal wheel covers as Im looking for a stylish yet classic family sports car in pea green or british brogue brown. Im prepared to negotiate a cash deal on this. Thankyou in advance
The Ambassador had the opposite of sports seats - it had big comfy seats in a range of hard-wearing but stylish fabrics. Often the interiors were carefully colour coded to complement the exterior paintwork - such as John’s Ambassador which sported beige coachwork, and a brown interior with dark orange cloth. Autumn tones throughout, creating a restful ambience, befitting of the transport of a thoughtful and versatile singer-songwriter.
@Andyhinds just plain leyland publicity then ? thx 4 email p.s. i still own one here in italy, i think it's the only one left ! actually, it's a princess......
Vehicle Status Unlicensed = it ended up in the scrap yard and got crushed ? =/ ... I saw they did some brit cars on top gear.. jeez the build quality on em =/ ... although I own a bankrupt (rover) .. one day it might be a collectors item..
my step-dad went abroad with the grand idea of buying a car on the cheap and making a killing selling it in blighty,the year was 1982......guess what he came back with.....oof.....what a twat.
There was actually a Wedge Owners Club which catered for owners of Ambassadors and Princesses, these luxurious carriages for people of class and taste, who flew the flag for britain on the highways and byways. It was a sad day when BL released the Montego which replaced it...no it wasn,t, the Wedge was crap. Mine was anyway.
Former long-term Ambassador owner here
Kept it for three weeks
I love Shuttleworth! When I used to visit my nans house in Sheffield there were so many characters like him 😆 usually with Y reg Ambassadors
2020..... and I'm still loving my Austin Ambassador Y reg.
So much so.... I have two of them.
👍
That’s crazy! They are very rare!
Are they both Y reg 😳
@@craigsimister6008 Yes they are 🤣
I have a White Vanden Plas auto and a Black HLS.
They just happen to be that year !
Not two Austin Ys on the go!?
Another Shuttleworth classic that has changed many lives, especially the 5 billion non-Ambassador owners
That implies that 2-3 billion of us are privileged enough to own one
It is worth saying at this point that the latest DVLA register shows only 23 Austin Ambassadors still on our roads. The number of them that are Y registrations must be in single figures....
hahaha
I wonder if any of them are not sorn
@@lucasbarton1773 I doubt it.
Alan Borgars it’s a shame
I've got 2 of them.
1 is currently on sorn though (currently being restored as I've just pulled it out of a barn, been there 20 years)
The other, a white Vanden Plas is in current use.
Brilliant stuff, will never understand how this song has not won a Grammy award yet?
Absolutely! They don’t make cars that look like real cars anymore.
It's up there with a few other excellent novelty records.
Mr Shuttleworth, those halcion days when motorways were exactly as shown here! A fact you can confirm is the newly built M6 corridor opened just before we were taken off LSD and put on Decimal. Myself and two younger brothers, (oh, how we fought over whose turn it was to get locked in the boot), all got treated to a drive down its empty concrete slabs, as deserted as an apocalypse scene in a B film by Rank. But Grandad let us sit inside on the beige upholstery of his brand new H reg Morris 1100!
"taken off LSD"
Yeah, we know what you mean!
outstanding. That is classic British comedy.
Very quick mention of the engineering leviathan the Morris Ital. My first company car. I graduated to my (wait for it?) Austin Ambassador Y reg! My dad had an Allegro. 0-60 in 2 weeks. We raced each other. He always won.
Reginald here!
I loved John Shuttleworth, so you can imagine my delight when I heard he had made a song about my position as representing and advocating a major Texan city.
Sadly, it turned out to be a song about a car.
My friend had a princess. He spent a long time doing it up with his dad. To be fair it wasn't a bad car especially getting lots of people in. The sad thing was that the prop shaft fell down whilst traversing a roundabout. The end result it catapulted him off the road and was written off!!!! Bless him he always was a bit backward!
we put this in "the Road Show" on duggystone radio . we want to get this song popping again lol
Come on John , come on John take me shopping in the Ambassador Y reg , Ok Mary ..
The Austin Ambassador was the facelifted Princess, like the Morris Ital being the facelifted Marina. Around 43,000 were built from late 1981 to mid 1984, with X, Y and A reg, possibly a small number of B reg, (roughly the same period as the Honda based Triumph Acclaim). Of course the Montego replaced both the Ambassador and Ital in April 1984.
Loved his series on bbc 2 some years ago
Production stopped Nov 1983none on B pre fix not that I've heard
I really like Austin Ambassadors and John Shuttleworth, so I was over the moon to hear his song. I have the Vanden Plas model. No other car gives the same degree of comfort and practicality although the Maxi and Citroen GSA run it close.But the wedge always gets more looks than a ferrari at a hundredth the price.
Ooh Ahhh the Vanden Plas..... My dad salvaged and repaired a VP 1500 (Allegro shape) Leather seats, tinted windows, walnut dash AND Fold down tables in the back of the front seats...... The height of luxury, especially as we were pretty poor.
I have a Y Reg Vanden Plas which I drove to one of John`s shows (obviously). Very comfy and one of the roomiest hatchbacks still-mainly why I bought it. No rocket ( and the speed limit`s still 70 mph whether you drive this or an M3). Ultra-cheap and still gets more shocked stares than a De Tomaso.
And do you still have it now in 2020 Stylophobia?
I love the fact that the posted pictures of Ambassadors are A-reg.
Best car I ever had. Drove like a sofa. Ever noticed if looks like a DeLorean?
American here. The level of UK-specific car culture contained here is frankly astounding.
Remember the song 'Gordon is a moron' by Jilted John from 1978? this is him, now, still as funny!
Give over.
Check out Graham Fellows who made some terrific tracks well worth a listen
Yes, we know. And the song was actually also called 'Jilted John'.
John is a legend! Long live the Y-reg-meister ;)
Awesome Y-reg percussion
Love it! Its a song you can sing along to.
I had one, too, and it was impossible to park; like a tank, but less stylish. I once heard a track 'Single mums welcome' by John - it was a desperado lonely hearts ad skit - was it ever released? It was very funny - the last line was something like, "She doesn't even having to be breathing, though that would be a plus"..
This song makes me wanna go out and buy an Austin Ambassador lol!!!
What a key change! 😊
My favourite tune to start off the day. Sounds brilliant on my new Blue Tooth Speacker.
My boss had an Austin Ambassador T reg. I looked up to him for his superior executive company car. It was a 2 litre !
2.0 back then was beefy indeed!
"hearing aid beige" excellent!! Must use that whenever i can.
Hilarious 🤣
I bet Gordon drives one.
Thanks for uploading this! I love it!
a nice classic now.
Brilliant! love it!
My father had one until I was aged 9, Never once remember him having any problems with it
not sure about that but i think it was actually a princess which was essentially the same car.
40 years later and the masses are driving a brand that has 4 conjoined rings; 4 rings, a 4-word phrase- I Follow The Crowd.
Love how there's no Y-reg Ambassadors in the song.. apart from John's of course...
Ooft, don't take it on the Snake Pass, John.
Another classic.
HELLYEAH THIS IS AWESOME
Never heard of a Austin Ambassador before,a Rambler Ambassador yes. Plenty of Renault 16s
in Australia and a few A40's kicking around too.
My dad had a 1937 Austin 10, which he said was faster than his mid 50's Hillman.
Most of the ones in the pics are 'A' reg?
My Father-in-law worked on the Longbridge Assembly Line making Austin Ambassador Engines. In Y-reg times. I drove one, nice car, in brown.
Yes, the Princess was a saloon, the Ambassador was a more refined, newer version with a hatchback. We had the Princess in diarhea yellow, my grandfather had an Ambassador Vanden Plas automatic (posh!) in red. You never see any of either now, dunno if it's because of rust or if no-one was interested in hanging onto them, not very sexy cars!!!
Exelente !! ;gracias ,desde argentina.
Everybody punch the air! haha!
I've got an Austin Maxi G reg, G reg, got an Austin Maxi G reg a very early one.
Genius!!
Danny
Nowt wrong wi' Morris Itals. I had an X-reg in silver with a vinyl roof. SE model. It had a handy clock, MW/LW radio and a single console-mounted speaker.
Unlicensed means that it's road tax has not been renewed - its a legal reqirement to drive a vehicle on UK roads. It migh be lurking in a shed somewere....
was that actually a hit song ?
There's an Austin Ambassador Y-reg on a certain auction site right now!! For real no fooling.
It just seems so tragic that these late era Austin and Morris vehicles are so scarce now due to owners of BL products with better PR pillaging them for parts that are interchangeable (Minors, Minis and MGBs suffered the same problems with rust and build quality, they weren't immune just because they became iconic). Allegros are now on the endangered species list due to Mini lovers looting them for their engines. The Mini was probably the very worst BL product because it caused the company's financial problems and ultimate collapse (they never made a single penny of profit out of it). I assume a lot of Ambassadors fell victim to SD1 owners coveting the O-series engine.
love it
Had a couple of em , both y reg , but I’m a montego man ,,, countryman posse !
only about 25 left
I have a spanner that looks like the letter Y, I also noticed that tree have numerous branches that resemble the letter Y.
was this actually a hit song ?
Yes
Sadly the car in the video departed this life in about 1997 - would be very collectible now if still around!
Ken Worthington scrapped it, much to the disgust of Mr Shuttleworth.
I had a drive in an Ambassador once. It was like driving a large pudding, sadly it was not a pleasant experience.
And you cant go back to savoury now
Oof!
nice tune it gets your foot fumping just like like the pistons in a british leyland car
Lovely!
Cheers, I'll take a look!
The vehicle details for GPP 649Y are:
Date of Liability 01 09 1997
Date of First Registration 31 01 1983
Year of Manufacture 1983
Cylinder Capacity (cc) 1700CC
CO2 Emissions Not Available
Fuel Type Petrol
Export Marker Not Applicable
Vehicle Status Unlicensed
Vehicle Colour CREAM
Vehicle Type Approval null
Scrapped during the making of the rockumentary “500 Bus Stops” by Ken Worthington. Presumably John had paid for 12 months tax in September ‘96 - thus explaining his vexed attitude following Ken’s rash actions. The scrapyard only gave Ken £50 for the vehicle. He gave John £40 - keeping his commission, which he claimed he’d earned in his role as John’s sole agent.
You are brave to share this - I expect you can get some kind of counselling for this! ;p
It's called ironic wit.Irony isn't something you do to clothes.
It`s true, you need to expect some problems...but they`re all solvable. About 400 Ambies left in the world now...
I know right?!
Top car
Why reg? I covet a clio and a Mondeo :) :)
Can anyone help me here, does the Y reg have sports seats and genuine imitation metal wheel covers as Im looking for a stylish yet classic family sports car in pea green or british brogue brown. Im prepared to negotiate a cash deal on this. Thankyou in advance
The Ambassador had the opposite of sports seats - it had big comfy seats in a range of hard-wearing but stylish fabrics. Often the interiors were carefully colour coded to complement the exterior paintwork - such as John’s Ambassador which sported beige coachwork, and a brown interior with dark orange cloth. Autumn tones throughout, creating a restful ambience, befitting of the transport of a thoughtful and versatile singer-songwriter.
Musical God
Yes!
@Andyhinds just plain leyland publicity then ? thx 4 email p.s. i still own one here in italy, i think it's the only one left ! actually, it's a princess......
Genius
love it i will call down to see you in my cleo
Still making me laff 23 year on
my mum went to school with him
The Y reg is now ULEZ compliant being over 40 years old😅
Good vid lol - my fave is the Ambassador on the car trailer I imagine the place where the car feels most at home ...' ooooofff !
Oooooohhhhhh Quality
Why are going to war, why Reg?
Its smaller cousin, the Austin Allegro could be lifted by the rear wheel arch you know.....ooompf!
It's just a tarted up Princess - Ooer!
Vehicle Status Unlicensed = it ended up in the scrap yard and got crushed ? =/ ... I saw they did some brit cars on top gear.. jeez the build quality on em =/ ... although I own a bankrupt (rover) .. one day it might be a collectors item..
I thought this was Kraftwerk for a minute ....... OOF!
And Peter Cornelius!
yes
Please stop emailing Reg about this. It's a Y reg...it just is.
I had one, beige it was, the brakes were binding and it would not go up Frindsbury hill.
My dad had a beige Princess. Same colour as the one James May had on Top Gear.
😂😂😂
🤣🤣🤣🤣
Mark and Lard **sigh**
@HITHEREFOLKS No.
0 - 60 EVENTUALLY
my step-dad went abroad with the grand idea of buying a car on the cheap and making a killing selling it in blighty,the year was 1982......guess what he came back with.....oof.....what a twat.
There was actually a Wedge Owners Club which catered for owners of Ambassadors and Princesses, these luxurious carriages for people of class and taste, who flew the flag for britain on the highways and byways. It was a sad day when BL released the Montego which replaced it...no it wasn,t, the Wedge was crap. Mine was anyway.
33
I had a Austin Princess, nice car to ride in, but a load of crap.
I still have one!
Pile of rubbish those cars. Knew two people who had them - never got to work anywhere near on time.
oof it's too high!!!! XD