American Motors Corporation Model Descriptions and General Information

American Motors Corporation Model Descriptions and General Information Rambler Six and V8: 1955 – 1957 1955 Nash Rambler Six The 1955 Nash Rambler received a minor facelift over 1954, but was basically unchanged from the car issued in 1953, which was distinguished by a lowered hood, and enclosed front and rear fenders. That styling had been credited to Pinin Farina and did have many of the styling features of the 1952 and 1953 Golden Anniversary Ambassador and Statesman. (For more information on the 1953 Rambler, see the Tech Section on Nash vehicles). New for 1955 features included the addition of a cellular grille and full wheel cut-outs in the front fenders, versus the previous enclosed look. Ramblers came in two wheelbase models; 100" for the Standard 2- 1955 Rambler Cross Country Station Wagon. door and 4-door cars and 108" for "Custom" 2 and 4-door models as is the station wagon shown at right. As part of the merger, the Rambler was sold as the "Nash Rambler" and the "Hudson Rambler". See the discussion under Hudson Cars for more information. The 85 horsepower 184 cu. in. 6-cylinder engine of previous years was dropped and was replaced by the 90 horsepower 196 cubic inch engine, which had come on the Hydra-Matic equipped cars in 1953 and 1954. It now was the sole available powerplant. Rambler consistently held the No. 1 spot in used car value, as reflected in NADA reports of the time. As such, for 1955, 56,023 Nash Ramblers were sold. And when combined with Hudson Rambler sales, over 81 thousand were delivered to customers, which, at the time, was the highest total ever. Romney was 1955 Rambler 2-Door Hardtop. vindicated. Quite a cutie pie. 1956 Nash Rambler Six In 1956, American Motors created an all-new Rambler, using the 108" wheelbase chassis. The car was a major redesign of the long- wheelbase four-door sedans and station wagons. The short- wheelbase cars were dropped. (They would reappear, with a few minor changes, as 1958 Rambler Americans. See Section F. Product Descriptions - Compact Cars). The 1956 models had a new oval shaped grille housing the headlights. The running lights or parking lights were set high in each front fender, and complemented new rear fenders and the revisions 1956 Rambler Cross Country Wagon. to the rear deck. Chrome trim and color treatments with three-tone This was the first 4-door hardtop wagon offered color combinations were available and a wraparound rear window by any manufacturer, scooping GM by one year. was featured. Also introduced was the first four-door hardtop station wagon. Again, the Rambler body was sold under the Nash and Hudson brand names. The new car came only as a 4-door model, but it was offered as a 4-door post sedan and station wagon as well as a new 4-door hardtop sedan. In an industry first, Rambler introduced a 4- door hardtop station wagon. The Rambler Six was offered in entry- level "Deluxe" trim, in midrange "Super" and highline "Custom" trim. Due to ever smaller production numbers, AMC ceased production at 1956 Rambler 4-Door Hardtop. their El Segundo, California plant. 1957 Rambler Six & V8 For 1957, the Rambler became a make in its own right, no longer branded as a Nash or Hudson, however all model designations stayed the same. It continued the 108" wheelbase from 1956 with a few minor changes to the body. Included were new vertical front running lights, with bright metal dividers below the headlights; a new wing-shaped ornament on top of the grille section and the side color accent trim no longer ran over the roof, but bisected the rear quarter. Three series were still available. The Custom series (with "Rambler 1957 Rambler Six 4-Door Hardtop. 32 American Motors Corporation Model Descriptions and General Information Custom" on the front fenders) had dual side moldings with a round medallion at the forward end. Super series models carried a full- length side molding with the word "Super" on the rear fenders. DeLuxe models came with no series name or side moldings. For the first time the Rambler was available with a V-8 engine. This was the 250 cubic inch "Special" engine that was offered in the 1956 Ambassador "Specials". The V8 could be had with same four-door station wagon and sedan styles of the base 6 cylinder powerplant. Super and Custom trim levels were available, but the lower level "DeLuxe" model was not available with a V8. A high performance Rambler "Rebel" model was also offered. The Rambler Rebel used the Ambassador's newly offered 327 cubic inch engine in the Rambler V-8 body. For more information, see Section I; High Performance Models, or click here. The car was limited to only 1500 copies and all were sold - leaving one to wonder why, in such a dismal sales year, the number was not increased. While Rambler rebounded from a poor sales year, the consolidation of Hudson and Nash dealerships hurt sales. No Hudson Ramblers were offered, perhaps cutting into sales of what was a popular car for its time. Regardless, almost 85 thousand Ramblers were sold (up over 18 thousand from 1956), perhaps saving the entire company from oblivion. 1955 Rambler Advertisement 1956 Rambler Intro Brochure 1957 Rambler Advertisement 33 .

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