Nash Ambassador Sedan: Drastic Facelifts 1935-1940

Nash was the most financially successful of the lesser American automobile companies during the 1930s Great Depression (Wikipedia entry here).  This allowed it to facelift its car fairly drastically towards the end of the decade and then launch innovative new body designs for 1941.

This post is limited where possible to Nash's top-of-the-line Ambassador series.  Lesser Nash models received similar treatments.  But I need to focus on certain key similarities to support my arguments, so feature car bodies as uniform as possible across model years.

Unless noted, images below are via the factory or are of cars publicized for sale.

Gallery

1935 Nash, photo source unknown
To set the scene, this appears to be a 1935 Nash Advanced Six four-door sedan.  This body was new for that model year.  Ambassadors had longer wheelbases and their hoods were longer, but otherwise the models looked similar from this viewpoint.  Key items to keep in mind are the shapes of the side windows and the positions of the door hinges.

1936 Nash Ambassador
Two images of 1936 models.  Grilles and hood side vents were restyled.  Note the one-piece windshield.

1936 Nash Ambassador, unknown image source
This body was heavily facelifted for the 1937 model year.  Compare to the side view two images below.

1937 Nash Ambassador, owner's photo on nashcarclub.org web site
The grille was redesigned and the windshield is now V'd, which required some minor reshaping of the car's top in that area.

1937 Nash Ambassador, owner's photo on nashcarclub.org web site
The after part of the top and the aft side window were also reshaped.  The other side windows and the hinges are unchanged.

1938 Nash Ambassador

1938 Nash Ambassador
1938 models received only a minor facelift.

1939 Nash Ambassador
Another major facelift occurred for the 1939 model year.  The front end, including the hood and fenders, was restyled.  The trunk was widened to the full width of the body.  There might have been some slight reshaping of the front door because the upper hinge is now enclosed.  Otherwise, side windows and doors are as they were for 1938.

1939 Nash Ambassador, Barrett-Jackson photo
An even more drastic 1939 facelift was the addition of a fastback sedan.  Doors and their windows are the same as in the previous image, along with the rear fender.  Otherwise, the rest of the rear end was redesigned.

1939 Nash Ambassador two-door sedan An example of a two-door Nash.  The web site called this an Ambassador, but the stubby hood suggests it's probably a Nash Ambassador Six and not an Ambassador Eight with its longer wheelbase.

1939 Nash Ambassador, Barrett-Jackson photo
Rear view of the car pictured earlier.  Note the stylish crease down the center and the two-piece backlight.

1940 Nash Ambassador
The alternative four-door Ambassador with its "trunkback" design held over from 1939.  It too has a two-piece backlight along with a faint crease down the trunk lid center.  Fastback Ambassadors were also little changed for '40.

1941 Nash Ambassador
The 1941 model year saw a redesign across the Nash line.  The basic body seen here is different from 1935-1940 Ambassadors, though the fenders and hood seem similar.