When it was first developed and released in 1958, the Rambler American was designed by American Motors to be an affordable compact car. By the end of its run a decade later, it can be credited as being the forerunner for AMC’s version of the small, sporty “pony” style car.
Rambler was originally a marque used by the Nash Motor Company before it became part of American Motors. The name would be shared by Hudson Motors in the early to mid-1950s as well. But by 1958 AMC president George Romney saw the need in his line-up for a small compact car to address a specific market and to try to horn in on Detroit’s Big Three.
Since the financial health of AMC wasn’t strong enough to merit a ground up development of an entirely new design, they took parts and ideas from the successful, and very small, Metropolitan and stretched it out to a slightly longer, more family sized wheelbase. By utilizing the recently scrapped Rambler name, AMC was able to have instant brand recognition and ride on an established reputation for economy.
The first generation Rambler Americans had a 3.2 liter six cylinder engine that produced 90 horse power. Those first 1958 models sold form just under $1800, an attractive price point for many buyers. In addition, it was the only true economy car at that price to offer an automatic transmission. That along with a body that had been entirely dipped in rust-proofing were major selling points.
Running through 1960, this generation eventually offered a few extras such as a roof rack and a sportier engine, along with the introduction of a station wagon model. It was pitted to compete against the likes of the Ford Falcon, the Chevy Corvair and Plymouth Valiant. This was to prove to be very tough competition to be confronting.
A major re-styling occurred in 1961 that completely changed the look of the American. Though it was basically the same under the hood with the exception of the straight six getting an overhead valve offering for the higher end models, this new look was dubbed the second generation.
More changes were to follow. But with AMC’s finances always on the edge, those changes were introduced only when they benefited the car. For example, in 1962 AMC introduced what it called the “E Stick” transmission. This was a three speed transmission with an automatic clutch that was viewed as an economical alternative to the traditional automatic transmission.
Despite a lot of fancy bells and whistles, 1962 saw record sales of the American. Still, that didn’t spur AMC to make wholesale changes. The 1963 cars saw some more minor cosmetic and equipment changes along with a new designation in models. Despite of, or perhaps because of this austerity, the American was named a Motor Trend Car of the Year.
The following year saw another major styling change and, for the first time around, the American was given a slightly longer wheelbase. This stretched the cabin and gave over 17% more cargo space.
AMC had been steadfast in its ideas behind this car. While the Big Three were turning out muscle machines, the Rambler American continued to be marketed as an economical alternative. That is until 1965. That is when the first in what would be a series of new, more powerful engines would be offered. In this case it was a slightly larger 232 cubic inch inline six that revved a little hotter and pushed the car a little faster.
This concept of meaty power plants in small, light cars was becoming a new wave. Led by Ford’s breakout sensation, the Mustang, so called “pony” cars were soon rolling off the lines of all the major Detroit automakers.
Once again finances limited what AMC could do in order to compete. They didn’t have the funds to do a ground up design the Ford had done with the Mustang. So instead, they relied on their existing design, the Rambler American. They found that by offering larger engines that, surprisingly, fit under the hood, they could compete with the others.
Eventually they offered up a 390 cubic inch four barrel V-8 in what was still essentially the design of a compact economy car. From 1965 through 1969, this third generation American (though the last year the American was dropped and the car was known simply as the Rambler) again saw little else change. Model options decreased in order to limit costs and sales began to sag.
During the run of this third generation American AMC began using many of the concepts it had developed for its successful economy car to design what would become their two true performance sports cars: the Javelin and the AMX. But it was the basics that came from the American.
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