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The Rambler has gone from early automobile to a compact car to its own automotive brand. Read more about the Ramblers extensive automotive history.
Before AMC, There Was Rambler
Everyone remembers AMC for models like the Javelin, AMX, Eagle, all the Jeeps, and even the Gremlin. But perhaps one of its most substantial nameplates for the company’s early success is often disregarded by car fans. The Rambler name has shifted from a compact car to an American automotive brand and even into a production dragster, but its history goes even farther back than that. Join us as we look at the Rambler’s many lives throughout early automotive history and fondly remember the classic cars that carried the name.
The First Rambler Automobile
That Rambler name not only predates the AMC brand, but it was even around before the Detroit Big Three too. The name was first used for the Rambler bicycle back in 1878 by the Gormully & Jeffery Manufacturing Company. Co-founder Thomas B. Jeffery eventually found an interest in the early automobiles after his business partner had died. Under the Thomas B. Jeffery Company, he and his son built the Rambler automobile in 1897. This early Rambler featured a single-cylinder engine under its seat and used tiller-steering.
Thomas and his son continued to refine the Rambler by adding a conventional steering wheel and a spare tire to the design before mass producing the model out of a factory in Kenosha, Wisconsin in 1902. In subsequent years, the Rambler would be upgraded to utilize a more powerful two-cylinder engine and then an even more powerful four-cylinder engine. The Thomas B. Jeffery Company was the second largest producer of automobiles during this time, behind only Oldsmobile.
Thomas eventually died in 1910 leaving the company to his son who later sold it off to Charles W. Nash. This in turn created the Nash Motors Company in 1916. The Rambler name came along with the purchase of the company, but Nash models did not carry the moniker until 1950.
The First Successful American Compact
Nash Motors had merged with the Kelvinator Appliance Company in 1937 to create the Nash-Kelvinator Corporation. The company went onto introduce new exciting features like air conditioning, Automatic Vacuum Shift transmission, and reclinable front seats that could transform the cabin space into a “Bed-In-A-Car”.
The company put civilian passenger car production on hold during WWII but later returned to the Nash factory in October of 1945. The first model off the line was the Nash Ambassador, which was virtually the same model that had been produced prior to the war with minor updates. Four years later, Nash introduced the Airflyte, the company’s first advanced design featuring aerodynamic construction to reduce drag. Soft edges, bulbous curves, and closed fenders were the key points to the Airflyte styling on models like the Ambassador and Statesman.
During this period of the Airflyte designs, George Mason, then president of Nash-Kelvinator, directed the company to produce smaller, economical cars that could reach a wider market. The automotive market was skewing towards bigger, more expensive cars leading Mason to identify a potential a group of American shoppers looking for cheaper options that came in a smaller size. This led to the development of the 1950 Nash Rambler, a feature laden compact convertible at a great price.
The Nash Rambler was initially only available as the Landau, a two-door convertible. It carried a revised version of the Airflyte styling, but the Ramblers unique convertible design helped the model reduce the amount of steel necessary for production. Not only was this important with the steel shortage happening at the time, but it was easily presented as a marketing gimmick to the public. Powering this generation of the Nash Rambler was a 2.8L straight-six engine that wasn’t particularly fast but could achieve great fuel economy.
Nash also included an electric clock, AM radio, wheel covers, and whitewall tires as standard equipment on the Rambler – which were commonly only available as options for an additional charge on other vehicles. Customers got all that at a base price of around $1,800, which undercut its competition slightly. The Nash Rambler found its audience almost immediately and began to be a good seller for Nash-Kelvinator. It was able to prove that just because a car is small and inexpensive, doesn’t mean it can’t be a pleasant experience.
1951 saw the introduction of the Rambler station wagon and the Country Club – a hard top version of the Landau. In 1952, Nash added the Rambler Deliveryman, a utility wagon offering for commercial use. That year also introduced the Greenbrier station wagon which gave the model a two-tone paintjob.
As the Big Three competition began to heat up, independent automakers started to feel pressure and found it harder to compete with the likes of popular brands like Ford and Chevrolet. This led to Nash-Kelvinator and the Hudson Motor Car Company to merge in 1954 and become the American Motors Corporation, otherwise known as AMC. The Rambler would undergo a few updates and continue to be sold under both the Nash and now Hudson brands in following years. That is until 1957, when Rambler became its own automotive marquee under AMC.
1954 was the Nash Rambler’s first major refresh. Previous models only came as two-door cars, but Nash added a four-door sedan and the Cross Country wagon to the lineup. These four-door Ramblers lengthened the wheelbase by eight inches and made getting in and out of the rear seats easier. Previously standard features like the radio and heater were made optional equipment to match the rest of the automotive industry. A new option for the Rambler though was Nash’s integrated air conditioning system that could control heating, cooling, and ventilation all in one place on the dash.
Rambler as an Automotive Brand
George Romney took over as AMC’s president soon after the company’s formation. He decided to gradually phase out Nash and Hudson as AMC’s primary automotive brands. In 1957, AMC began marketing some of their vehicles under Rambler and folded Nash and Hudson under that marquee the following year. Models like the Nash Ambassador and Hudson Hornet were remarketed as the Ambassador by Rambler. Rambler became AMC’s lone customer facing automotive marquee by 1958.
Rambler’s focus continued to be on compact, fuel-efficient, affordable cars in a market full of expensive land yachts. This decision helped poise AMC favorably prior to the 1958 recession in which most other automotive brands took hits to their sales numbers. Meanwhile, Rambler continued to see high demand for their affordably priced cars. Rambler, as an economical automotive marquee, went on to see success over the course of the ‘60s and saw its name attached to several different models.
Rambler Six and Rambler V8
The four-door version of the Nash Rambler continued as the Rambler Six while the two-door models were discontinued in 1956. These models added a new reverse angled C-pillar known as the Fashion Safety Arch, did away with fender skirts completely, and a new inboard mounted grille with integrated headlights was added thanks to some inspiration from the Nash-Healey. The Rambler Six retained the 108-inch wheelbase from previous Rambler four-door models, but the length of the vehicle had increased by five inches.
Powering these new models was a 195.6 CID straight-six flathead engine that could produce 120 hp while also achieving 30 mpg. That engine was matted to a GM sourced Hydramatic automatic transmission that directed power through a torque tube drive system to the rear wheels. 1958 saw the introduction of AMC’s 190-bhp 250 CID V8 to the model which led to it being redubbed the Rambler V8.
The Rambler Six and Rambler V8 continued throughout the rest of the ‘50s with minor adjustments that furthered America’s smallest production car. The exterior of the vehicle was revised to have rear tailfins, side moldings, and twin headlights. The models also saw mechanical improvements with the straight-six gaining a better carburetor and a Borg-Warner Flash-O-Matic automatic transmission with pushbutton gear select. AMC even made sure these cars were virtually rustproof by adding zinc coating to the cars’ mufflers, submerging their bodies in a primer before adding a color coating, and adding a wax compound to the tucked away corners of the vehicle.
Rambler Rebel
As automotive racing and performance cars came into popularity, AMC brought a performance version of their four-door Rambler to market in 1957. The Rambler Rebel was essentially a Rambler Six that carried a 327 CID V8. Though it wasn’t hitting the oval tracks of NASCAR, it was a fun little machine. The Rebel’s lightweight coupled with the 255-horsepower V8 made for a power-to-weight ratio that allowed it to go from 0 to 60 mph in about 7.5 seconds. Love it or hate it, this was essentially the precursor to the muscle car era of the 1960s. The Rambler Rebel would be discontinued in 1960 alongside the Rambler Six and Rambler V8 models.
Rambler American
With the other Ramblers growing in size, AMC decided to introduce a new compact to the lineup for 1958. The Rambler American was a compact car that took the Airflyte styled Nash Rambler platform and revised it to be a little more modern. The fender skirts were removed, a new grille was installed, the rear taillights were flipped upside down, and it rode on a 100-inch wheelbase. Powering the first generation from 1958 to 1960 was the same 195.6 CID flathead straight-six found in the Rambler Six.
The second-generation Rambler American was given a significant retooling to its exterior design while retaining basically the exact same mechanicals under its skin from the previous generation. The bulbous, rounded edges from the Airflyte era were tossed out in favor of a boxier shape with harder angles. While the American shrunk in size slightly, it actually gained more trunk space at the rear. The Rambler American’s lone engine option continued to be the 195.6 CID straight-six, but 1961 introduced a new overhead-valve cylinder head on higher trims in place of the basic flathead design.
1964 brought about the third and final generation of the Rambler American, this time with a completely revised design. The American now rode on a new 106-inch wheelbase, grew in size, and provided a multitude of different engines. Now the American could be had with a 199 CID straight-six, a 290 CID V8 with either a two-barrel or four-barrel carburetor, a 343 CID V8 with a four-barrel carb, or even a 390 CID V8 with a four-barrel carb. The 195.6 CID flathead straight-six engine was still kicking around too and was actually the last flathead engine example in an American car.
Rambler Ambassador
The Ambassador name was one of AMC’s longest running nameplates. The Ambassador was originally sold under Nash and debuted in 1927. It was the company’s flagship model and found itself presented as a luxury model. The Ambassador was graced with the Rambler name in 1958, when it looked essentially like a stretched version of the Rambler Rebel. It had nearly the exact same front-end design, carried the same tailfins at the rear, the same side molding look, and the same reverse slant rear window design.
While its style was similar, the wheelbase of the Ambassador was longer at 117 inches and provided more room. Under the hood of the Ambassador was a 327 CID V8 with a four-barrel carb and featured hydraulic lifters. That engine produced 270 horsepower and was paired with a 3-speed automatic transmission exclusively.
The Ambassador was still considered a semi-luxury model and featured items like an electric clock and higher quality interior upholstery. That being the case, AMC initially decided to try and separate the Ambassador from the economical Rambler name plate by labelling it the “Ambassador V-8 by Rambler” in marketing materials. However, the badges on the vehicle still referred to it as the Rambler Ambassador.
The Ambassador went through five generations as a Rambler model before transitioning to being labeled an AMC model just before introducing its sixth generation. The nameplate continued under AMC until 1974 before being discontinued completely, giving it the record for longest running continuous nameplate at that time.
Rambler Classic
The Rambler Classic debuted for the 1961 model year as a mid-sized replacement to the Rambler Six and Rambler V8. The Classic gained the 195.6 straight-six and 250 CID V8 from its predecessors and retained their 108-inch wheelbase. The exterior featured brought the twin headlights down into the grille space at the front and reduced the tailfins at the rear that were more prevalent on prior models.
Rambler would update the Classic through two more generations before discontinuing the model after 1966. In that time, the Rambler Classic gained larger engine options, updated styling, and lent itself as the base for the second coming of the Rebel.
Rambler Rebel (Again)
Rambler brought back the Rebel in 1966 in the form of a two-door hardtop Rambler Classic. The Rambler Rebel gained a sportier roofline, unique exterior trim, a specially equipped interior, front bucket seats, and a more potent powertrain than the Classic. Under the hood of this Rebel was either a 232 CID straight-size or the performance optioned 326 CID V8.
The Classic name was scrapped in 1967 and all new mid-sized cars took on the Rambler Rebel name. Its size increased all around to provide more passenger and cargo space and was given that Coke-bottle styling that was common of cars in the late ‘60s. This new Rambler Rebel carried a staggering amount of engines that ranged from a 232 CID straight-six up to a 343 CID V8. The Rebel gained popularity as the 390 CID V8 totting 1970 muscle car known as “The Machine”, but that was under the AMC banner and the Rambler marquee was in the rearview by that point.
Rambler Marlin
Rambler showcased a compact fastback concept known as the Tarpon in January of 1964. The eye-catching four-seater fastback rode on the same platform as the Rambler American when it was shown to the public, but all anyone cared about was how great it looked. It seemed like there was a customer base that wanted a sleek looking model like the Tarpon, so AMC brought the concept into production as the Rambler Marlin.
The Rambler Marlin retained the fastback roofline, that giant rear window, and pillarless passenger windows, but AMC put the design on the mid-sized Rambler Classic platform instead. Powering the Marline was eighter a 232 CID straight-six or a 327 CID V8 four-barrel engine. It seemed like AMC had found a winner that could attract a younger audience, but they weren’t quick enough to market.
With the emergence of the Ford Mustang just before it, the Marlin had to pivot into being classed as a personal luxury fastback rather than try to compete with the popular pony car. The Marlin was given luxurious features and a comfortable suspension to separate itself. It worked out fine for its first year, but then the Mercury Cougar entered as a luxury optioned version of the Mustang and the Dodge Charger also showed up as a mid-sized contender with a better powerplant.
1969: The Last Rambler and the “Scrambler”
This year also saw a celebratory collaboration with Hurst Performance to make a high-performance version of the Rambler in its final year. The Hurst SC/Rambler was a production two-door that was tailormade for the dragstrip. 1,512 examples of the car affectionately known as the “Scrambler” were produced and all of them were capable of running a quarter-mile in just over 14 seconds.
In 1969, AMC axed the Rambler marquee and placed all of their automotive products under the American Motors name. To give the Rambler a proper send off, AMC renamed the Rambler American the American Motors Rambler for the model’s final year before being replaced by the AMC Hornet.
Every SC/Rambler was given the 315-horsepwoer 390 CID V8 out of the AMX. A cast-iron manifold transitioned into a dual-exhaust that featured Thrush two-chamber oval baffled mufflers. A Hurst shifter ran through the gears of a four-speed manual BorgWarner T-10 with close gear ratios. At the rear was AMC’s Twin-Grip limited slip differential featuring Dana internals. Hurst had front disc brakes installed as well as a heavier sway bar and made reinforcements to the body.
Hurst made sure you could tell that this was a special SC/Rambler (if the engine note didn’t already give it away) by only selling them in two unique tri-colorways. The A trim was white with a large red line down the sides and a blue line down the middle, while the B trim was white with a blue line along the bottom and a red line just above that. The SC/Rambler being the final page in the story that was the Rambler was a perfect ending to this often-disregarded classic.
I love the Nash Rambler! I wish AMC was still around. They made the BEST cars.
Good story