In those days, ABU often participated in a Stockholm exposition, which was very well attended by the general public. We presented a variety of colour models and decided to let the sport fishermen choose which color they preferred. Since the Ambassadeur was made of aluminum, it suddenly became possible to manufacture reels in different colors.

'Until this point, all reels had been either nickel- or chrome-plated. Here's how Len Borgström tells it in his book ABU and Garcia: What Happened? (p. The story of the black version begins with a trip to Stockholm to test consumer preferences with respect to color. The first units were produced in 1951 or 1952, marketing began in the Autumn of 1952 and the reel was first cataloged in 1953. As many will know, the Record Ambassadeur 5000 was designed by Åke Murvall, starting in the late 1940s. Some of these black record 5000 reels were among the very first Ambassadeurs ever produced, so I'll try to piece together some of the story. Notes the following in regard to the Black Record 5000 My friend Espen Olav Sjaastad from Norway,

Abu garcia ambassadeur 5000 saltwater