standard I6 was now rated at at 3,700 rpm with its 7.6:1 compression ratio and a one-barrel Carter carburetor. A sales war developed between Ford and General Motors during 1953 and 1954 with the result leaving little business for the other domestic automakers. Ford and Chevrolet were shipping their standard size models to their respective dealers no matter if there were any orders for them. A price war with deep discounts to sell these cars meant a sales decline for the independent carmakers (Hudson, Kaiser, Nash, Packard, and Studebaker). Nash-Kelvinator merged with ailing Hudson Motor Car Company as of January 14, 1954, to form American Motors Corporation (AMC), and both Nash and Hudson dealers sold the compact-sized Ramblers that were identical save for the "Nash" or "Hudson" badging. Although the "senior" Nash and Hudson models continued to be marketed, it was sales of the Rambler that were powering the company's bottom line. As the compact Rambler's fortunes increased, sales of the senior Nash cars, including the Ambassador, decreased. A total of 21,428 Ambassadors were built in 1954. 1955 Airflyte styling entered its final season with the heavily facelifted 1955 versions, created under the direction of Edmund E. Anderson. "Scenaramic" wrap-around windshields accompanied an entirely new front-end treatment with a new oval grille incorporating the headlights. The front fenders featured raised front wheel arches that showed more of the front wheel and tire than Nash had revealed since the 1949 models debuted. Ambassadors were now available with a V8 engine for the first time. The engine was supplied by Packard as part of George W. Mason's vision to have Packard join AMC to help achieve the economies of scale of the domestic Big Three automakers. The V8 produced and mated to Packard's Ultramatic automatic transmission. 1956 Ambassador models fielded for 1956 were heavily re-styled in the rear with big "lollipop" taillights and the cars were offered in a variety of two-and three-tone color schemes. The Ambassador line up was reduced to Super sedans with I6 engines as well as V8 powered Super and Custom sedans and the hardtop Custom Country Club. The Packard V8 was available through April 1956 after which AMC installed its own V8 engine producing and the cars were now called "Ambassador Special". 1957 The 1957 models were the first cars to come equipped with "quad" headlights as standard equipment. They were vertically stacked in the front fender