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AMC History:   Nash and Hudson · Rambler · Kenosha Muscle · AMC Marque · Renault and Jeep · Foreign · Prototypes

The Rambler Years
Dropping the venerable Nash and Hudson lines to concentrate on the Rambler was a big gamble for AMC, but it paid off. In the late 1950s and early 60s, Ramblers had an excellent reputation matched by strong resale value. Sales quadrupled, and Rambler passed Plymouth to become the third biggest seller in the U.S. market. AMC embarked on a consolidation program that enabled it to build three lines of cars -- American, Classic, and Ambassador -- on variations of the same solid, reliable platform. In 1963, the full Rambler line was named "Car of the Year" by Motor Trend.

But things soon fell apart. After AMC's visionary leader, George Romney, resigned to become governor of Michigan, his successor reversed course and tried to turn the company into a full-line imitation of the Big 3. AMC cars grew larger and the company's image grew less distinct, a problem exacerbated by the competition's move into the compact and intermediate market segments that Rambler had pioneered. 
   
Rambler and Rebel

1956 Rambler Rebel		 For 1956, the four-door Rambler models were completely restyled and the short-wheelbase two-doors were dropped. This Rambler model, which evolved into AMC's midsize line (Classic/Rebel/Matador), was the company's bread-and-butter, and the foundation for its most successful years. Park Hunter's "Beater Du Jour" page features some fond recollections and historical detail about the Ramblers of this period, including his 1960 Cross Country wagon.
In 1957 the Rebel badge was first used on a special high-performance Rambler which was faster than any other American car -- except the Corvette. Optional electronic fuel injection (a real rarity in those days) was advertised for the Rebel, but there were major problems and few, if any, Rebels equipped with the "Electrojector" system were actually sold. Click here for some excerpts from the 1957 Rebel owner's manual. The V-8 Rebel series continued through 1960, and the name was revived again for 1967-70 models. 
1959 Rambler (photo credit: Eric King; rear view also available)
American
1960 American
1960 Rambler American Custom, photo by Douglas Englin		 In January 1958 American Motors resurrected the 2-door, short-wheelbase Rambler, which had been discontinued after the 1955 model year, and called it the "new" Rambler American. The American featured mechanicals dating to 1950 and styling barely changed since then, but its low price and good mileage made it a modest hit in a recession year.
A clever restyling in 1961 kept the aging design reasonably fresh, despite keeping the ancient underpinnings from the original Rambler. Interior room was unchanged, but the car was smaller on the outside. Aliens apparently prefer Ramblers, like the 1962-ish American convertible shown here, featured on NBC's "Third Rock from the Sun". (The theme song for this show was written by a hardcore Rambler fan, Ben Vaughn.)
Cast of Third Rock from the Sun in an early-60's American convertible

1965 American		 An all-new American, nicely styled by the legendary Richard Teague, emerged for 1964 on a 106-inch wheelbase. A clean, contemporary design with much more modern underpinnings than the previous model, The American platform spawned many later AMC cars, including the Javelin, AMX, Hornet, and Gremlin.
The American got slightly squarer lines for 1966, losing its tunneled headlight treatment and adding a few inches in overall length. Also new, in mid-year, was the Rogue model and, for the first time in an American, a V-8 engine. The convertible model was dropped after 1967. For 1969, its last year of production, the Rambler American was rebadged as simply the "Rambler," AMC having dropped the Rambler designation from its other lines. 1967 American Convertible
1967 American Convertible
Photo contributed by Terry Oshea (karaoke@ctv.es)
Classic

1961 Classic (photo credit: David S. Broudy)		 For 1961 the Rambler series was renamed the Classic (possibly to avoid confusion and create stronger model identity, since the company's whole line of cars was by then known as Ramblers). Click here to see the tail fins, which were toned down for the 1962 model year.
The Classic was beautifully restyled for 1963, and it moved to a longer, 112-inch wheelbase (shared with the Ambassador). The new Rambler line earned Motor Trend's "Car of the Year" award for 1963.
1963 Classic (photo credit: Jim Nelson)

1964 Classic Cross Country		 The Cross Country wagon was always a strong seller for Rambler. Marke Lytle's homepage has a bunch of photos of his 1964 Classic 770 Cross Country. I'll forgive the Chevy engine because I think the color is so cool.
(photo credit: Mark Lytle)

1966 Classic (photo credit: Nate Glass)		 A partial restyle in 1965 made the Classic's lines even more rectangular. The Rebel name was revived in 1966 for the top-of-the-line Classic hardtop.
    Ambassador
The Ambassador remained the flagship of the Rambler line, as it had been for Nash. At first it was called the "Ambassador by Rambler," rather than simply the Rambler Ambassador, but it was always based closely on the intermediate Rambler/Classic/Rebel/Matador platform, usually with a wheelbase stretch (the extra inches were always ahead of the firewall, which provided few practical benefits but usually made the Ambassadors look and ride better). For 1965 the Ambassador received a longer, 116-inch wheelbase and stacked quad headlights. Convertibles, like the one pictured at top (from Holland), were made in very low numbers and are now prized collectibles. 1966 models, like the pictured 990 sedan (located in Peru!), were similar to the '65s.
1965 Ambassador Convertible (photo credit: ekyde@tref.nl)

1966 Ambassador (photo credit: Javier Castro).
Marlin
1965 Marlin adorns the cover of Band of Susans' album, "Here Comes Success." Band leader Robert Poss is a Rambler fan with a particular interest in Marlins. The Marlin debuted in February 1965 as AMC's response to the Ford Mustang. Basically a Classic with an extreme fastback roof (here's an amazing bird's-eye view), the Marlin was too big and underpowered to compete as a pony car, and somewhat impractical as a family car; production reached 10,327 for 1965 but dropped to 4,547 the next year.
For 1967 AMC built the Marlin on the longer Ambassador chassis, aiming at the luxury market, but sales were even lower. Most collectors favor the 1965-66 models, but the 1967 has sleeker styling, sumptuous interiors, and superior performance and is certainly among the rarest American cars of the 1960s (only 2,545 produced).
1967 Marlin
(photo credit: Norbert Vance)
Rogue
AMC began to court the performance market in the middle of the 1966 model year, when the all-new thinwall cast 290 V-8 came online. The 290 wasn't a serious high-performance motor, but it served as the basis for a new line of medium-block V-8s that reached a respectable 401 cid by 1971. AMC introduced the 290 in the 1966-1/2 Rogue, a 2-door hardtop version of the American.
Rebel Reincarnated

1967 Rebel Hardtop
(photo credit: Ken Bartz)		 For 1967 the Classic name was dropped and the Rebel badge was applied to AMC's full intermediate line. The Rebel featured a longer, 114-inch wheelbase and all-new styling. The '67 Ambassador and Marlin rode on the same basic platform, stretched to a 118-inch wheelbase. Many Ramblerphiles think the late 60s Rebel looks too much like the Big Three and not enough like a Rambler. Maybe so, but to my eyes this is one of AMC's best designs.
The last AMC convertible (unless you count the Renault Alliance) was the 1968 Rebel, of which only 1200 were made. (Note that the Rebel Convertible shown in the photo has been modified with the addition of a 1970 Rebel Machine hood scoop.)
1968 Rebel Convertible
(photo credit: Eddie Stakes)

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Back: Part 1: In the Beginning...
Next: Part 3: Kenosha Muscle