The AMC American is a compact car produced by American Motors Corporation (AMC) from 1958 until 1969. It had been produced previously by the Nash Motors company. That company merged with the Hudson Motor Company to create the American Motors Corporation (or AMC). This merger was necessitated by a recession that occurred in the United States in 1958. The AMC Rambler had three generations: 1958–1960, 1961–1963, and 1964–1969. Its final model year, 1969, was the last automobile to carry the AMC Rambler name in the U.S. and Canadian markets. This is a very different car them some of the classic muscle cars we have reviewed. Does a compact car appeal to you?
AMC Rambler Description
Interestingly, the AMC Rambler platform also served as the foundation for other designs. The 1964 Rambler Tarpon had a fastback design that foreshadowed the styling of the 1965 Rambler Marlin. The platform transitioned to the 1968 AMC Javelin. It was further reconfigured for its replacement model, the 1970 AMC Hornet. The Rambler American exemplifies AMC’s strategic agility, blending economy, innovation, and performance.
The beginnings of the AMC Rambler American began with the Nash Rambler in 1950. AMC President George Mason believed in small cars and introduced the Austin-built, Nash-designed Metropolitan in 1954. There were three main generations of the AMC Rambler. Starting in 1962, the AMC Rambler was sold around the world.
The first generation of the AMC Rambler relied heavily on the Nash Rambler. There was a new grille and more open rear fender wells in the first model of the AMC Rambler. That gave the car a lighter appearance than that of the earlier car. This design was originally mandated by Nash’s Airflyte styling motif, which sought to reach for the blinding optimism of post-World War II transportation.
The second-generation AMC Rambler American had heavy restyling of the previous year’s model under styling Vice President Edmund E. Anderson. While mechanically identical to the 1960 model, Anderson’s restyle resulted in a car that was three inches (76 mm) narrower and shorter in its exterior dimensions with an overall length of 173.1 inches (4,397 mm), but increased in its cargo capacity. Continuing to ride on the 100-inch (2,540 mm) wheelbase, the American’s new styling was more square (sometimes described as “breadbox”) instead of the round “roly-poly” shape (or “bathtub”), and the visual connection with the original 1950 Nash model had finally disappeared.
For its third generation, the AMC Rambler emerged with a completely new design. The entire line was treated to neat and trim lines with more simplicity (compared to the more boxy predecessors) with characteristic tunneled headlights with a simple horizontal grille between them. The Rambler American’s wheelbase grew by six inches or 152 mm (to 106 in or 2692 mm), and the interiors were made more spacious.
The station wagons, in the restyled 1964 series, came with four doors and gained 17% more cargo space compared to the previous design. They all featured a new roll-down disappearing rear window for the bottom-hinged tailgate. Full coil front springs, along with soft rear leaf units, gave the new AMC Rambler an unusually smooth ride, better than many larger domestic cars. The new models also incorporated various parts and components (such as doors) that were interchangeable with AMC’s larger cars. In essence, the new body was shorter.
Starting in 1962 was sold around the world. The AMC Rambler was also shipped from the U.S. and assembled at the Haren factory in Belgium to be sold as the “Renault Rambler” in France, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Austria, starting with the 1962 model.
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The second President of AMC was George Romney, who served from 1954 to 1962 and was the father of Mitt Romney. One of the big draws of compact cars is their fuel efficiency, which was championed by Romey and his predecessor, George Mason. The AMC Rambler was a yearly winner of the best fuel economy in the Mobil Economy Run and the Pure Oil Company Economy Trials, even during later years when fuel efficiency was not a major factor in the purchase of automobiles. For example, the five-day event in 1959 covered 1,898 miles (3,055 km). A Rambler American Deluxe topped the 47-car Mobilgas Economy Run field with an average of 25.2878 miles per US gallon.
