Rambler Six And V8
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Rambler Six and the Rambler V8 are intermediate sized automobiles that were built and marketed by
American Motors Corporation American Motors Corporation (AMC; commonly referred to as American Motors) was an American automobile manufacturing company formed by the merger of Nash-Kelvinator Corporation and Hudson Motor Car Company on May 1, 1954. At the time, it was the ...
(AMC) from 1956 to 1960. Launched on 15 December 1955, the 1956
model year The model year (sometimes abbreviated "MY") is a method of describing the version of a product which has been produced over multiple years. The model year may or may not be the same as the calendar year in which the product was manufactured. ...
Rambler Six ushered a "new era in motoring has begun" according to
George W. Romney George Wilcken Romney (July 8, 1907 – July 26, 1995) was an American businessman and politician. A member of the Republican Party, he served as chairman and president of American Motors Corporation from 1954 to 1962, the 43rd gover ...
, President of AMC. In 1956, the Rambler was sold through both Nash and
Hudson Hudson may refer to: People * Hudson (given name) * Hudson (surname) * Henry Hudson, English explorer * Hudson (footballer, born 1986), Hudson Fernando Tobias de Carvalho, Brazilian football right-back * Hudson (footballer, born 1988), Hudso ...
networks of
dealerships A car dealership, or car dealer, is a business that sells new or used cars, at the retail level, based on a dealership contract with an automaker or its sales subsidiary. Car dealerships also often sell spare parts and automotive mainten ...
. This resulted from the merger of the two companies to form AMC in 1954. The new Rambler line created and defined a new market segment, the "
compact car Compact car is a vehicle size class — predominantly used in North America — that sits between subcompact cars and mid-size cars. "Small family car" is a British term and a part of the C-segment in the European car classification. However, p ...
" as the automobile classification was called at that time. A
V8 engine A V8 engine is an eight-cylinder piston engine in which two banks of four cylinders share a common crankshaft and are arranged in a V configuration. The first V8 engine was produced by the French Antoinette company in 1904, developed and us ...
powered model, the Rambler V8, was added in 1957.


Background

The new for 1956 Rambler was arguably "the most important car American Motors ever built" in that it not only created and defined a new market segment, emphasized the virtues of compact design, but also enabled the automaker to prosper in the post-
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
marketplace that shifted from a seller's to a buyer's market. The sales war between Ford and Chevrolet conducted during 1953 and 1954 had left little business for the much smaller "independent" automakers trying to compete against the standard models offered by the domestic Big Three (
General Motors The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...
,
Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...
, and
Chrysler Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automoti ...
). Imported vehicles from Europe (
Volkswagen Volkswagen (),English: , . abbreviated as VW (), is a German Automotive industry, motor vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party and revived into a ...
in 1955,
Peugeot Peugeot (, , ) is a French brand of automobiles owned by Stellantis. The family business that preceded the current Peugeot companies was founded in 1810, with a steel foundry that soon started making hand tools and kitchen equipment, and the ...
in 1958) and Asia (
Toyota is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on . Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 ...
in 1957) were much smaller, but found buyers in North America. American Motors focused its resources to introduce a line of smaller cars compared to those then available from the domestic Big Three for the 1956 model year. The designs were developed by its Styling Director,
Edmund E. Anderson Edmund E. Anderson (April 29, 1906 – October 23, 1989) was an automotive designer in the North American automotive industry at General Motors and notably as the lead designer for American Motors Corporation (AMC) from 1950 to 1961. Early l ...
and they were aimed at a new market segment. Although conventional business thinking states that bigger profits were made from sales of bigger cars, American Motors lacked the resources to develop a full range of models targeting different market segments. As the chairman and president of AMC,
George W. Romney George Wilcken Romney (July 8, 1907 – July 26, 1995) was an American businessman and politician. A member of the Republican Party, he served as chairman and president of American Motors Corporation from 1954 to 1962, the 43rd gover ...
also avoided a head-to-head battle with the U.S. automakers by focusing the company on the compact car. He "felt that with the Rambler I had the car of the future" and Romney "bet the farm on the Rambler" by spending
US$ The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
5.4 million on a "crash program to bring the 1957 Rambler to market a year earlier."


Model years


1956

The four-door Ramblers for the 1956 model year were completely redesigned, with a characteristic swept-back
C-pillar The pillars on a car with permanent roof body style (such as four-door sedans) are the vertical or nearly vertical supports of its window area or greenhouse—designated respectively as the ''A, B, C'' and (in larger cars such as 4-door stat ...
s (the Fashion Safety Arch), unusual wing windows on the rear doors, inboard, grille-mounted headlamps, as well as "the widest windshield" of any car. The short-
wheelbase In both road and rail vehicles, the wheelbase is the horizontal distance between the centers of the front and rear wheels. For road vehicles with more than two axles (e.g. some trucks), the wheelbase is the distance between the steering (front ...
two-door (
Nash Rambler The Nash Rambler is a North American automobile that was produced by the Nash Motors division of Nash-Kelvinator Corporation from 1950 to 1954 in sedan, wagon, and fixed-profile convertible body styles. On 1 May 1954, Nash-Kelvinator merged w ...
) versions were no longer available. The new line retained the wheelbase that was used for the previous four-door versions of the Nash Rambler, but the overall length was increased by , to . The Rambler was substantially smaller outside compared to the other popular domestic cars of the era, but its interior room was equal to the top-selling "low-priced" field. Construction was also unusual, being
unit body A vehicle frame, also historically known as its ''chassis'', is the main supporting structure of a motor vehicle to which all other components are attached, comparable to the skeleton of an organism. Until the 1930s, virtually every car had a ...
(what Nash called Double Safe Single Unit). The 1956 Rambler models were marketed under both the Nash and Hudson brand names. The cars were almost identical except for minor
badge engineering In the automotive industry, rebadging is a form of market segmentation used by automobile manufacturers around the world. To allow for product differentiation without designing or engineering a new model or brand (at high cost or risk), a manu ...
that included different logos on the
hubcap A hubcap or hub cap is a decorative disk on an automobile wheel that covers at minimum the central portion of the wheel, called the hub. An automobile hubcap is used to cover the wheel hub and the wheel fasteners to reduce the accumulation o ...
s, grille insert, and hood emblem. The new Ramblers came only as four-door models. Along with the usual four-door sedan and
station wagon A station wagon ( US, also wagon) or estate car ( UK, also estate), is an automotive body-style variant of a sedan/saloon with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo volume with access at the back via a third or fifth door ( ...
was a new four-door
hardtop A hardtop is a rigid form of automobile roof, which for modern cars is typically constructed from metal. A hardtop roof can be either fixed (i.e. not removable), Convertible#Detachable hardtop, detachable for separate storing or retractable ha ...
sedan. Rambler also introduced the industry's first four-door hardtop station wagon in 1956. The station wagons used the same rear doors as the sedans with the back roof dipped lower over the cargo area and featured a standard
roof rack A roof rack is a set of bars secured to the roof of a motor car. It is used to carry bulky items such as luggage, bicycles, canoes, kayaks, skis, or various carriers and containers. They allow users of an automobile to transport objects on ...
. The wagon models were called Cross Country. An innovation for station wagons was Rambler's roll-down tailgate window; competitors' models continued to use upward-hinged rear windows. The new car was described as "distinct and different .... can be recognized at any angle from its wide-open competition- type grille to the pronounced arch over rear window." According to automobile journalist Floyd Clymer, "economy and high-performance do not go hand in hand, but in the Rambler, the owner will find a happy medium ... though smaller, is safer than many cars. The welded, unitized body-frame construction offers above-average protection in collisions." The single-unit construction that was used by AMC on all of its models provided a marketing advantage by offering buyers a $25,000 personal automobile injury insurance policy at no extra cost. The
Typhoon A typhoon is a mature tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere. This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, and is the most active tropical cyclone basin on Earth, accounting for a ...
straight-six The straight-six engine (also referred to as an inline-six engine; abbreviated I6 or L6) is a piston engine with six cylinders arranged in a straight line along the crankshaft. A straight-six engine has perfect primary and secondary engine balan ...
for the new Rambler was based on the previous block, but was improved and featured
overhead valve An overhead valve (OHV) engine, sometimes called a ''pushrod engine'', is a piston engine whose valves are located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier flathead engines, where the valves were located be ...
s and produced . It was the only engine available in the 1956 Rambler because the automaker was still developing its own V8. This engine was said to deliver 33% more power than the 1955 version, and - at up to - provided better fuel economy than the competition. The new Rambler also changed to a 12-volt electrical system. The automatic transmission was the GM-produced
Hydramatic Hydramatic (also known as Hydra-Matic) is an automatic transmission developed by both General Motors' Cadillac and Oldsmobile divisions. Introduced in 1939 for the 1940 model year vehicles, the ''Hydramatic'' was the first mass-produced fully-a ...
(called Flashaway by AMC). A
torque tube A torque tube system is a power transmission and braking technology that involves a stationary housing around the drive shaft, often used in automobiles with a front engine and rear drive. The torque tube consists of a large diameter stationary h ...
drive system was used with a four-wheel
coil spring A selection of conical coil springs The most common type of spring is the coil spring, which is made out of a long piece of metal that is wound around itself. Coil springs were in use in Roman times, evidence of this can be found in bronze Fib ...
suspension instead of the previous
Hotchkiss drive The Hotchkiss drive is a shaft drive form of power transmission. It was the dominant means for front-engine, rear-wheel drive layout cars in the 20th century. The name comes from the French automobile manufacturer Hotchkiss, although other makers, ...
setup. The interiors were offered in fifteen colors, and offered "genuine leather" (in six colors) as an option. The station wagons were popular with buyers, and in addition to power brakes (standard on Custom models), frequently ordered options included power steering, two- and three-tone exterior color schemes, a
continental tire Continental AG, commonly known as Continental or colloquially as Conti, is a German multinational automotive parts manufacturing company specializing in tires, brake systems, interior electronics, automotive safety, powertrain and chassis compo ...
,
Weather Eye The Weather Eye was a trade name for a Nash Motors-designed fresh-air system for automobile passenger compartment heating, cooling, and ventilating. The Nash "All-Weather Eye" was the first automobile air conditioning system for the mass marke ...
heating and air conditioning system, as well as dealer accessory window insect screens to use with the individually adjustable and reclining front seats that could be used as a bed. The new Rambler model became the replacement for the large-sized Nash and Hudson "legacy" models that were now suffering from dwindling sales. On the other hand, the Rambler was the only completely new "popular-priced" car in 1956. Consumer reaction to the 1956 Rambler was very positive. Advertising for the new car urged potential buyers to "Drive the Rambler - You'll Make the Smart Switch for 1956." Almost 74 percent of surveyed Rambler owners by ''Popular Mechanics'' described their cars as small and roomy, as well as easy to park and operate. Sales for the inaugural year totaled 66,573. Of these, 20,496 were badged as Hudsons. Soon, the all-new "compact-sized" (as vehicles were defined at that time) models experienced a "sales explosion".


1957

In 1957, the Rambler was established as a separate
marque A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...
and these models became the foundation for the new company's best sales performance through the late 1950s. Sales increased to 82,000. The four-door sedans and station wagons were offered as well as a four-door hardtop body style with no "B" pillar. The most basic trim level, Deluxe, was essentially for fleet customers and only available with the I6 engine. The Super and Custom trimmed models came with the I6 or AMC's new V8 engine. The Deluxe had no exterior side trim or series name, the Super came with a single full-length body side molding and a "Super" script emblem, and the Custom featured dual full body side moldings with a "Custom" script emblem and a round "R" medallion on the top of the front fenders. The new Rambler Cross Country was "typical of the stylish, yet highly practical wagons built by AMC in the 1950s" and was offered in solid colors or two- or three-tone paint schemes. Only a few station wagons "were available in 1957 with the very vogue hardtop configuration", and Rambler's Cross Country station wagon in Custom trim carried a relatively low price of $2,715. Options included seat belts, padded dash, and child proof door locks. This was the first year the Rambler offered a new V8 engine, producing . A companion model in four-door hardtop style and featuring AMC's new high-performance V8 was also introduced in 1957. This was the
Rambler Rebel The Rambler Rebel is an automobile that was produced by the American Motors Corporation (AMC) of Kenosha, Wisconsin for the 1957–1960 model years, as well as again for 1966 and 1967. Introduced as a stand-alone model in one body style, the 19 ...
and it was an early "
muscle car Muscle car is a description according to ''Merriam-Webster Dictionary'' that came to use in 1966 for "a group of American-made two-door sports coupes with powerful engines designed for high-performance driving." The '' Britannica Dictionary'' ...
." With overdrive, the 1957 model was capable of up to . The first American journalist to drive a U.S. automobile uncensored through the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
was Harry Walton in a brand new 1957 Rambler station wagon assembled in
Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
. The engine was detuned at the
Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
assembly plant to run on 74
octane Octane is a hydrocarbon and an alkane with the chemical formula , and the condensed structural formula . Octane has many structural isomers that differ by the amount and location of branching in the carbon chain. One of these isomers, 2,2,4-Tri ...
gasoline available only in certain gas stations, and on one occasion, "to the Rambler's eternal credit it swallowed the rdinary Sovietstuff, protesting mildly." The heavily loaded wagon cruised at and travelled . The journalist drove from the
Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...
border near
Brest Brest may refer to: Places *Brest, Belarus **Brest Region **Brest Airport **Brest Fortress * Brest, Kyustendil Province, Bulgaria * Břest, Czech Republic *Brest, France ** Arrondissement of Brest **Brest Bretagne Airport ** Château de Brest *Br ...
to the port city of
Yalta Yalta (: Я́лта) is a resort city on the south coast of the Crimean Peninsula surrounded by the Black Sea. It serves as the administrative center of Yalta Municipality, one of the regions within Crimea. Yalta, along with the rest of Crimea ...
, and reported the Rambler station wagon "galvanized Russians into attention everywhere."


1958

George W. Romney George Wilcken Romney (July 8, 1907 – July 26, 1995) was an American businessman and politician. A member of the Republican Party, he served as chairman and president of American Motors Corporation from 1954 to 1962, the 43rd gover ...
stated "the Hudson and Nash would remain distinctive in size from the Rambler in 1958." Designs were developed for the big-car Hudson and Nash models to share the Rambler
automobile platform A car platform is a shared set of common design, engineering, and production efforts, as well as major components, over a number of outwardly distinct models and even types of cars, often from different, but somewhat related, marques. It is pract ...
by stretching the body about nine inches ahead of the cowl. However, the Rambler became the new AMC division following the discontinuation of both the Nash and Hudson lines after the 1957 model year. The larger-sized 1958 Ramblers incorporated "more than 100 changes and were outwardly quite different from their predecessors." The cars received "a complete reskin that made the 1956 bodies look a bit bulkier". This major redesign featured new front and rear fenders. A new front end moved the
headlamp A headlamp is a lamp attached to the front of a vehicle to illuminate the road ahead. Headlamps are also often called headlights, but in the most precise usage, ''headlamp'' is the term for the device itself and ''headlight'' is the term for ...
s from inside the
grille Grill or grille may refer to: Food * Barbecue grill, a device or surface used for cooking food, usually fuelled by gas or charcoal, or the part of a cooker that performs this function * Flattop grill, a cooking device often used in restaurants, ...
to the top of the front fenders and featured twin headlamps on each side on the "Super" and "Custom" models, as well as full-length bodyside moldings. The basic "Deluxe" trim models had no side trim and came standard with single headlights, but the new "quad" headlights were optional. The 1958 Ramblers now had the industry's requisite flared tailfins. The Rambler line was one of the last among the domestic automobiles to incorporate tailfins to its body design (and also one of the first to eliminate them). When asked why the 1958 Ramblers featured this styling feature, AMC's Chairman and CEO
George W. Romney George Wilcken Romney (July 8, 1907 – July 26, 1995) was an American businessman and politician. A member of the Republican Party, he served as chairman and president of American Motors Corporation from 1954 to 1962, the 43rd gover ...
responded, "If we have to use tail fins to get people to try compact cars, we'll use tail fins. Later on we will certainly be able to do away with them, and to build clean, simple, uncluttered cars." By 1958, Rambler was selling half of its production as station wagons, proportionately more of that body style than any other automaker. All Rambler station wagons carried the Cross Country name. The innovative
hardtop A hardtop is a rigid form of automobile roof, which for modern cars is typically constructed from metal. A hardtop roof can be either fixed (i.e. not removable), Convertible#Detachable hardtop, detachable for separate storing or retractable ha ...
(no "B-pillar") station wagon body style was no longer available in the Rambler line, as it was reserved for the 1958 Ambassador models. The Rambler station wagons featured a step down roof over their rear cargo area and a standard
roof rack A roof rack is a set of bars secured to the roof of a motor car. It is used to carry bulky items such as luggage, bicycles, canoes, kayaks, skis, or various carriers and containers. They allow users of an automobile to transport objects on ...
. The new design also featured wider rear openings with a frame-less roll-down rear window and a "one-finger" latch on the spring-assisted tailgate. Rambler's new one-piece, fold-down station wagon tailgate was adopted by all the U.S. automakers by 1961. A horizontal roller-type "
window blind A window blind is a type of window covering. There are many different kinds of window blinds which use a variety of control systems. A typical window blind is made up of several long horizontal or vertical slats of various types of hard mater ...
" was available to hide the lower half of the wagon's cargo area. ''Motor Trend'' magazine conducted a comparison test of four 1958 station wagons (Rambler, Ford, DeSoto, and Oldsmobile) and found the compact Rambler could hold as much at the others. The Rambler models continued to be the shortest cars in the U.S. – at in total length – with room for six-passengers. Rambler's marketing focused on having "the best of both: 1. American big car room and comfort. 2. European small car economy and handling ease." Powering the Rambler Six was AMC's new
overhead valve An overhead valve (OHV) engine, sometimes called a ''pushrod engine'', is a piston engine whose valves are located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier flathead engines, where the valves were located be ...
(OHV)
straight-six The straight-six engine (also referred to as an inline-six engine; abbreviated I6 or L6) is a piston engine with six cylinders arranged in a straight line along the crankshaft. A straight-six engine has perfect primary and secondary engine balan ...
. NASCAR tests showed the Rambler Six had a $0.01 per mile gasoline cost when equipped with overdrive transmission. A V8 engine was available in the
Rambler Rebel The Rambler Rebel is an automobile that was produced by the American Motors Corporation (AMC) of Kenosha, Wisconsin for the 1957–1960 model years, as well as again for 1966 and 1967. Introduced as a stand-alone model in one body style, the 19 ...
models. A
Borg-Warner BorgWarner Inc. is an American automotive supplier headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The company maintains production facilities and technical systems at 93 sites (as of June 6, 2022) in 22 countries worldwide and has around 49,000 employ ...
torque converter "Flash-O-Matic" automatic transmission, with the "then-trendy pushbutton" gear selection on the far left side of the instrument panel, was optional. Also new on the left side for the driver was a step-on
parking brake In road vehicles, the parking brake, also known as a handbrake or emergency brake (e-brake), is a mechanism used to keep the vehicle securely motionless when parked. Parking brakes often consist of a cable connected to two wheel brakes, which is ...
pedal. American Motors instituted a new paint system for the 1958 model year. All Ramblers received rust-inhibiting by submerging assembled bodies up to their roof into a large vat of
primer Primer may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Primer'' (film), a 2004 feature film written and directed by Shane Carruth * ''Primer'' (video), a documentary about the funk band Living Colour Literature * Primer (textbook), a t ...
(not sprayed on) before the color coat was applied, a revolutionary process that was later copied by other automakers. After drying, an additional wax-based compound was sprayed inside girders, rocker panels, fenders, and other hidden areas in the car bodies. American Motors promoted the 1958 Rambler in several advertising campaigns. One approach featured George W. Romney challenging "the big car concept." A series of print ads also mocked the domestic Big Three automakers' standard-sized cars featuring illustrations by famous
cartoonist A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comic book illustrators in that they produce both the literary and ...
s showing the compact Rambler easily getting through places that would get the large "gas guzzling dinosaur" automobiles stuck. An example is the story, "The Millionaire and The Rambler" by
Otto Soglow Otto Soglow (December 23, 1900 – April 3, 1975) was an American cartoonist best known for his comic strip ''The Little King''. Born in Yorkville, Manhattan, Soglow grew up in New York City, where he held various jobs as a teenager and made an ...
.
Chon Day Chauncey Addison Day, better known as Chon Day, (April 6, 1907 – Jan 1, 2000) was an American cartoonist whose cartoons appeared in ''The New Yorker'' and other magazines. Born in Chatham, New Jersey, Day attended Lehigh University in 1926, whe ...
illustrated a story on how "Rambler foils bank robbery." Sales of the Rambler six and V8 increased to 119,000 during a year when all U.S. cars were down in volume. The 1958 Ramblers "sold like hotcakes" and returned the smallest U.S. automaker to profitability. Together with the smaller
Rambler American The Rambler American is a compact car that was manufactured by the American Motors Corporation (AMC) between 1958 and 1969. The American was the second incarnation of AMC forerunner Nash Motors' compact Rambler that was introduced in 1950 an ...
line, AMC "broke sales records" in 1958 as consumers valued basic transportation from their automobiles and no longer cared "how big their cars were." Although in the midst of the
Recession of 1958 The Recession of 1958, also known as the Eisenhower Recession, was a sharp worldwide economic downturn in 1958. The effect of the recession spread beyond the United States borders to Europe and Canada, causing many businesses to shut down. It was t ...
, Rambler captured seventh place in automobile sales.


1959

Improvements to the Rambler included a full-width die-cast grille while the bodyside gained an uninterrupted line. Rather than blending into the C-pillar, the beltline continued to the tailfins. Engineering changes included thicker brake linings and larger brakes for V8-powered cars, as well as fuel economy improvements with lower axle ratios and more efficient
carburetor A carburetor (also spelled carburettor) is a device used by an internal combustion engine to control and mix air and fuel entering the engine. The primary method of adding fuel to the intake air is through the venturi tube in the main meteri ...
for the I6 engines. An electrically engaged
overdrive Overdrive may refer to: Organizations * OverDrive, Inc., a digital distributor of entertainment media ** OverDrive Media Console, a media player developed by OverDrive, Inc. * Overdrive PC, a subsidiary of Velocity Micro Technology * Overdrive ...
unit behind the three-speed manual transmission was also available. The automatic transmission was operated by pushbuttons on the left side of the instrument panel. The button functions were indicated by lights with amber for neutral and start, red for reverse, and green for the three drive gears. Engine starting was now incorporated into the neutral pushbutton, thus eliminating the ignition key start switch. Accidental starter engagement was prevented by a vacuum lockout when the engine was running. To increase longevity, Rambler mufflers were aluminum-coated on the inside and zinc-coated on the outside. A total of eleven models were offered for 1959 in four-door sedan and station wagon versions as well as a four-door
hardtop A hardtop is a rigid form of automobile roof, which for modern cars is typically constructed from metal. A hardtop roof can be either fixed (i.e. not removable), Convertible#Detachable hardtop, detachable for separate storing or retractable ha ...
(no B-pillar) body style. The base "Deluxe" model came only as a six-cylinder 4-door sedan, the "Super" and "Custom" trims were available as "Economy 6" or "Rebel V-8" sedans or "Cross Country" station wagons, while the hardtop "Country Club" model came in Economy 6 Super or as a Rebel V-8 Custom. The Super models featured a contrasting color for the rear side trim while Custom models included a full-length secondary color-filled body side trim. Premium options and conveniences continued to be offered including "
Weather Eye The Weather Eye was a trade name for a Nash Motors-designed fresh-air system for automobile passenger compartment heating, cooling, and ventilating. The Nash "All-Weather Eye" was the first automobile air conditioning system for the mass marke ...
" air-conditioning, air suspension on V8 equipped cars,
limited slip differential A limited-slip differential (LSD) is a type of differential that allows its two output shafts to rotate at different speeds but limits the maximum difference between the two shafts. Limited-slip differentials are often known by the generic tr ...
s, an exterior-mounted
continental tire Continental AG, commonly known as Continental or colloquially as Conti, is a German multinational automotive parts manufacturing company specializing in tires, brake systems, interior electronics, automotive safety, powertrain and chassis compo ...
, as well as the American Motors' exclusive individually adjustable and reclining front seats with headrests that "would pay for themselves in safety if the car was banged from the rear." A survey of 5,000 ''Popular Science'' magazine readers about all the new 1959 cars resulted in Rambler acheving the highest response to "which car is the best dealfor the money?" with its economy being cited as most important. When asked "if you buy a '59, which one will you pick?" resulted in Ford being selected by 17% of the respondents while Rambler and Chevrolet tied for second place at 16%. The Ramblers "were well built, roomy, and economical, and found favor with thousands of American families. The unit body construction of the Ramblers was "found to be more superior to the others in terms of body tightness and freedom from rattles and twisting." Sales of the bigger Ramblers did very well, especially given the automobile industry's modest recovery in 1959. Promotion by AMC focused on the car's compact size offering "big car room and comfort" along with "small car economy and handling." Ramblers attracted over a quarter-million customers, with the majority of them being sixes, as the Rebel V8 found just 16,399 buyers. The most popular body style was the "Cross Country" representing about half of the sales during 1959. These station wagons featured economy in fuel consumption and overall use as well as of cargo space and room to fit sheets of plywood. Rambler finished 1959 in sixth place among all models produced in the U.S. and AMC ended with $60 million in profits.


1960

The 1960 models featured numerous exterior and interior design changes. The greenhouse was made "lighter" with a narrower
C-pillar The pillars on a car with permanent roof body style (such as four-door sedans) are the vertical or nearly vertical supports of its window area or greenhouse—designated respectively as the ''A, B, C'' and (in larger cars such as 4-door stat ...
and roof profile, as well as slanting both the windshield and rear window at a greater angle providing for an "airy cabin." The front end was simplified, while the tailfins became smaller thus highlighting the new tall taillamps. The overall length was trimmed by because of a new spit-bumper design. Riding on 15-inch wheels the Rambler appeared to be larger than it actually was. The interior was also revised and the instrument panel now incorporated all instrumentation within a large oval in front of the driver. The practice of separate Six and Rebel V8 models now ended with the focus on the Rambler name and the trim three levels: "Deluxe", "Super", and "Custom". Each was offered with "Economy 6 or Rebel V-8 engines." The larger Rambler sedans were joined by a new four-door
Rambler American The Rambler American is a compact car that was manufactured by the American Motors Corporation (AMC) between 1958 and 1969. The American was the second incarnation of AMC forerunner Nash Motors' compact Rambler that was introduced in 1950 an ...
model that rode on the shorter platform as the smaller two-door sedan and wagon series, but sales of all Ramblers continued to increase. In 1960, the Rambler line reached third place in total annual industry sales in the United States. The 1960 Rambler Six with its engine became the best selling model for AMC with 297,368 sold for the year.


Overseas assembly


Canada

The former Nash plant on Danforth Avenue in
Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
produced the
Rambler Six The Rambler Six and the Rambler V8 are intermediate sized automobiles that were built and marketed by American Motors Corporation (AMC) from 1956 to 1960. Launched on 15 December 1955, the 1956 model year Rambler Six ushered a "new era in moto ...
in 1955-1957 before it ceased production as subsequent models were imported into Canada.


Mexico

Midsize Rambler models were assembled from CKD kits in Mexico during two different periods. The first was under Armadora Mexicana based in
Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...
, between 1956 and 1957, and the second under Planta REO based in
Monterrey Monterrey ( , ) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León, Mexico, and the third largest city in Mexico behind Guadalajara and Mexico City. Located at the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental, the city is anchor ...
, from late 1959. Because of the low sales volume, American Motors terminated its contract with Armadora Mexicana that originally began with AMC's predecessor company in 1950. Complete Rambler models were again imported from the United States (between 1957 and 1958), sold through a limited network of dealerships of which most were located in Mexico City. The agreement with Planta REO was formalized in 1959, becoming AMC's second partner in the country and resuming local assembly. Between 1958 and 1959, the Mexican midsize Rambler line consisted of a four-door sedan in Super trim, a four-door hardtop in Super trim, and a four-door pillared wagon in Cross Country trim. All three versions were powered by the one-barrel OHV I6 engines. A three-speed manual transmission was standard with the three-speed automatic as an option, including the push-button version. The problem of low sales volume continued under Planta REO and AMC also canceled this contract. The company would eventually sign an agreement with Toyota, which would cause speculations of Planta REO neglecting the Rambler brand in favor of the Japanese one, being allegedly an important or the main cause of the low commercial success of this second venture of AMC in Mexico. Imports of completed AMC vehicles into Mexico resumed until a third domestic production partner was established. Willys Mexicana, the company that would become
Vehículos Automotores Mexicanos Vehículos Automotores Mexicanos, S.A. (VAM) was a Mexican automaker from 1946 to 1986. The original organization, a distributor and license manufacturer for Willys-Overland and AMC vehicles, became government controlled in 1963 with American Mo ...
(VAM) was the third local company that AMC would sign an agreement during 1960. However, VAM did not assemble the Rambler Six and Rambler V8 models, focusing instead on the smaller-sized
Rambler American The Rambler American is a compact car that was manufactured by the American Motors Corporation (AMC) between 1958 and 1969. The American was the second incarnation of AMC forerunner Nash Motors' compact Rambler that was introduced in 1950 an ...
cars. This marked the end of both the midsize Ramblers and subsequent first-generation Rambler Classics in the Mexican market. VAM never sought to import them instead either in 1960 and 1961 and the auto industry integration decree published in 1962 would legally ban the importation of fully assembled vehicles and engines. Willys Mexicana would not introduce a midsize AMC automobile until 1963, the model in question being the now second-generation Rambler Classic models. The 1956-1959 Rambler models represented the only case of an AMC midsize station wagon being available in Mexico as the future second-generation Classic, Rebel, and Matador station wagons would not be produced in the country. It also represented the only case in Mexico in which AMC's intermediate line had more than two body styles available. As of 2017, there is no record of the performance 1957 Rambler Rebel model being available in Mexico, although there was the possibility of it being imported through individual orders.


Australia

Ramblers were assembled in Australia by
Australian Motor Industries Australian Motor Industries (AMI) was an automobile assembly firm that was significant in the early history of the automotive industry in Australia. Start of production The origins of Australian Motor Industries can be traced back to 1926 w ...
(AMI) starting in October 1960 under an agreement with AMC. They were assembled with right-hand drive from semi knock-down (SKD) kits shipped from U.S. factories. Many components such as upholstery, lights, and other parts were locally sourced to meet import tariff concessions.


New Zealand

The 1956-1960 Rambler models were assembled in New Zealand with a right-hand drive from semi knock-down kits sourced from Canada. The cars were assembled by VW Motors in Otahuhu, Auckland where they were made alongside Volkswagen vehicles. Rambler production continued at the VW plant until 1962.


Legacy

American Motors began the process of differentiating the
Rambler Rambler or Ramble may refer to: Places * Rambler, Wyoming * Rambler Channel (藍巴勒海峽), separates Tsing Yi Island and the mainland New Territories in Hong Kong * The Ramble and Lake, Central Park, an area within New York City's Centr ...
brand name from its various sizes and similar model names. New nameplates were introduced; the Rambler Six and Rambler Rebel V8 were both renamed the
Rambler Classic The Rambler Classic is an intermediate sized automobile that was built and sold by American Motors Corporation (AMC) from the 1961 through 1966 model years. The Classic took the place of the Rambler Six and Rambler Rebel V-8 names, which were ...
in 1961.


Notes


References

* * * *


External links


The AMC Rambler Car Club

The Nash Car Club

American Motors Owners Association



AMCyclopedia AMC/Rambler History/Documentation Site
* {{amc Timeline AMC vehicles Six and V8 Rear-wheel-drive vehicles Compact cars Mid-size cars Sedans Station wagons Cars introduced in 1956 1960s cars