This Rambler American has been sitting with some eclectic company for many years. Hiding behind a chain link fence, it is a car rarely seen these days, but it was a boon to a fledgling American Motors in the late Fifties.
The original Nash Rambler simultaneously helped Nash and hurt it. While sales of the new luxury compact were very good, it doomed the full size Nash line to the point of extinction in 1957. The original Rambler lasted to 1955, when it received new full front wheel cutouts and a new grille. It was a one-year wonder though, being replaced with an all-new Rambler for ’56. For a while…
In 1958, it returned as the new Rambler American. The standard Ramblers continued as usual. This was a new budget model, and in recessionary 1958, it sold well. Available in a two door sedan or two door wagon, it was basically a 1955 Rambler with a new grille and larger rear wheel cutout.
These rehashed early Fifties Ramblers carried on through 1960, when a four door sedan was added. The American would get some new threads in 1961, but would remain the same otherwise, right down to its flathead six cylinder engine.
Our featured CC is definitely a ’60, as that was the only year the four door sedan came with the 1958-era sheetmetal. While it’s definitely been sitting a while, it still looks fairly solid. The antique vehicle plate suggests it was someone’s baby at some point in time.
With its simple, no-nonsense mechanicals, it may still have some life left in it yet. Let’s hope it can find the right owner and hit the road again.
While riding in my Cadillac
Much to my surprise
A little Nash Rambler was following me about 1/3 my size
He must have thought his car had more guts as he kept on tooting his horn
I’ll show him that a Cadillac is not a car to scorn…
Beep beep
Beep beep
his car went beep beep beep
“Hey, buddy, how can I get this car out of second gear?”
“Put a 350 tranny behind that small-block instead of a Powerglide.”
Checker Motors junior series cars were not as well received as management had hoped.
A friend’s father used to by Americans of this vintage – he had several over a period of 5 years or so. He must have liked them. It was odd because he was a very big man, and in that era, this was a very small car.
Looks much like a Standard Vanguard and a little bit Simca Etoile around the rear wheel arches I doubt if it was as good as a Vanguard though or anything else as this is a virtually unknown car over here. Ramblers were sold here but this thing would have been priced amongst the Ford Zephyrs and Vauxhall Veloxes and no way is it real competition for those cars.
I liked this car. The one I really wanted though was somewhere around 66. Had a 258 and I think it was named the rogue. Memory fails me often but I think that’s correct.
The 258 was a real good engine IMO.
The wheel cutouts were a reflection of the recent death of George W. Mason, who’d been Nash-Kelvinator’s president. Mason had insisted on the full wheel skirts because he thought they provided brand identification, although they limited front track and turning radius and made tire changing a pain. Neither Romney nor styling director Ed Anderson particularly liked the front skirts, but Mason wouldn’t be swayed. Almost as soon as he was gone, off they came, although the front track remained very narrow until the Rambler American was redesigned for 1961.
The 1958 revival, of course, was driven by the recession. Romney had been set to go with the larger Rambler as the company’s only car line, but by 1957 it was clear that compact sales were on the rise. AMC still had the tooling for the original, so they dusted it off, freshened up the sheet metal, and put it back into production alongside the larger cars.
I like the styling of the ’58-’60 cars a lot, but their space efficiency leaves a lot to be desired. They’re about the size of a modern Honda Civic, but a lot more cramped inside. It’s a good lesson in why compact and subcompact cars today are almost all FWD.
I think that Romney made a mistake by dropping the 100-wheelbase Ramblers in 1956. The new, more mid-sized Rambler didn’t sell all that great in its first year, perhaps because its entry-level price was much higher and Ramblers were only available with four doors.
The Willys Aero and Hudson Jet were much more space efficient than the Nash Rambler because it suffered from oddly exaggerated pontoon styling. In contrast, the completely redesigned 1964 American was almost European in its space efficiency.
Granted that FWD will allow for a smaller and lighter vehicle than RWD. But that matters somewhat less in larger cars.
The Supra in the background looks like it could find a nice home. Anyway, interesting find!
The four doors was something of a big deal; as I recall, in the early 50s, the way to get a four door was to buy the wagon. I don’t recall an early 50s four door sedan.
Nice that they opened up the front wheel wells- it could turn a lot more sharply.
Nice that they opened up the rear wheel wells- too bad the hole didn’t line up with the tire.
That’s a nice little car. It really reminds me of the 1955 Rambler 2-door that my dad had in the mid-60s. His car was a badge-engineered “Hudson” Rambler, pretty much identical to the Nash version.
When I was Embarrassed by riding in my dads 62, I’d See One of THESE 60 or before Americans and be grateful that we had the square one. i liked the robins egg blue
Yet I wondered if Rambler had seen better times. I Had No Knowledge Of It being A New Name relatively.
That was my first car would love to have it back