Wanted   Do you have a passion for antiques and collectibles - and writing?   The Wayback Times invites you to submit freelance articles for use in print and on our new web site.   E-mail your text submissions to The Wayback Times.   Articles published in The Wayback Times since 1995 have covered a wide range of interests, from Golliwoggs to toy VW collecting, and from collecting insulators to hunting old books.   Most authors of our online selection of articles have included their e-mail addresses and they are always delighted to hear from other collectors.

Wayback Wheels - Vintage Car Talk   Beep, beep . . . here comes the Little Nash Rambler   By Aaron Neilly Beep Beep, Beep Beep . . . his horn went Beep Beep Beep! Many of you probably remember hearing this song about the Little Nash Rambler, but after hearing it on the local oldies station about a year ago, I couldn’t help but notice I hadn’t seen a Rambler in close to a decade.   It was funny I thought that, because later that spring, I kept noticing a neat looking little Rambler 660 around town. It was definitely a labour of love for the owner as the car was slowly ressurected but being used as a daily driver at the same time.   A few panels were still coated in primer, and “Flirtin’ with Disaster” was painted on the trunk lid, but I think I saw that car on the road every day this past summer, with restoration work progressing throughout the weeks.   The “modern” Rambler company was formed in 1950, by the Nash-Kelvinator corporation. The Rambler company existed previously, from 1897 to 1914, when the name was changed to “Jeffrey” in honour of the founder’s last name.   The Jeffrey corporation was then sold to Charles Nash in 1916, who changed the company name to Nash Motors, and later becoming the Nash-Kelvinator Corporation in 1937 through a merger with the popular household appliance company.   The Rambler name was not used again until 1950 when new life was needed to revitalize the Nash lineup. The war was over, cars were massive, and steel was in short supply- a good reason to produce a small, inexpensive car, created for the economically-minded.   The first Nash Rambler was only available as a convertible - an option on most other cars, but an appealing “option” for consumers, and great way for the Nash company to save steel. As the name was popularized, other variants quickly became available including a four door sedan and a station wagon.   Nash and the Hudson Motor Car Company merged in 1954, creating American Motors Corporation(or AMC), with all AMC cars being badged as Rambler products from this point on. There were two basic models of the Rambler; the Ambassador and the Classic.   As years progressed, components and running gear became greatly standardized between the different models, with most cars sharing body metal and only varying with different trim levels.   Motor Trend magazine named the entire Rambler line “Motor Trend Car of the Year” for 1963, giving American Motors increased motivation to push the brand further. The Classic and Ambassador were redesigned for 1965, making both vehicles visibly different from each other (although still sharing a majority of components), but sales started to drop drastically.   The decision was made to slowly phase out the Rambler name in favour of the AMC name. The first car introduced under the AMC name was the 1966 “Marlin,” a sporty coupe designed to compete with offerings from GM, Ford and Chrysler.   This was the first step in AMC becoming a car manufacturer with more than one vehicle platform, but it was also the first step in the demise of the Rambler. By 1968, the only Rambler still being made was the appliance-like “American,” but at this point AMC still hadn’t given up on the name.   Horsepower experts Hurst Performance built a special sport model called the SC/Rambler, featuring a 315 Horsepower 390 cubic inch V8 squeezed under the hood, mated to a 4-speed transmission, with, of course, the legendary Hurst shifter attached to it. The SCs were only available in white with red side accents and a blue centre stripe.   Unfortunately, reviews were mediocre, looks were plain, and the car sold poorly.   In 1969, all models were badged only as Rambler, and mid-way through the year, production ceased. Over four million Ramblers of various versions were sold over the years, and the name was even re-used on a few Australian and Mexican variants of AMC products sold until the early 1980s.   The brand likely could have been a saving grace for AMC during the fuel crisis of the '70s as people were familiar with the Rambler and knew it as an inexpensive and economical car, but this was not the case, and North America never saw another Rambler.   By 1987, AMC would also meet its fate, with a few off-brands being cast out, but ultimately failing in the end.   Aaron Neilly is a licensed mechanic with a soft spot for unique automobiles. He can usually be found tinkering on a classic Volkswagen in his spare time. You can e-mail him at: bandicoot.rally@gmail.com       Return to top of page   This Is Livin' Publishing © 2010 581 8th Line West, RR1 Hastings, ON, K0L 1Y0 Phone/Fax: 705-696-1833   webmaster