1902-1918
|
The Thomas B. Jeffery
Company begins
building one-cylinder Ramblers in a converted 19th-century bicycle
plant
in Kenosha, Wisconsin. By 1914, the cars are quite sophisticated and
luxurious.
Jeffery dies in 1916 and the children rename the Ramblers, "Jeffrey's"
in his honor. |
1919
|
Charles W. Nash leaves
the presidency
of Billy Durant's General Motors with the intention of taking over
Packard.
That deal falls through and Nash buys the Jeffery Company, which
becomes
Nash Motors. By 1928, he was making 138,169 cars each year. |
1937
|
On January 4, Nash
merges with the
Kelvinator Corporation, makers of home appliances. Kelvinator President
George Mason becomes president of Nash-Kelvinator and Nash is elected
chairman
of the board. |
1938
|
Nash introduces the
first "conditioned
air" in its cars. |
1940
|
Nash pioneers the
single-unit, all-steel
car body with the Nash 600. |
1941
|
Nash reaches 9.7% of the
market. |
1942-1944
|
Nash's Kenosha factory
turns to building
Pratt & Whitney R-2800 engines under contract for Navy planes. |
1945
|
Nash gets a jump on the
other companies
for postwar production, selling 6,148 cars. This makes the company,
fleetingly,
the #3 U.S. auto maker. |
1950
|
Nash introduces the
first compact
car, a convertible Rambler. A Nash Ambassador finishes third in the
Mexican
Road Race. |
1954
|
On May 1, the American
Motors Corporation
is formed through a merger of Nash-Kelvinator Corporation and the
Hudson
Motor Car Company. On October 12 following George Mason's death, George
Romney is named AMC chairman, president, and general manager. |
1956
|
A limited-edition
Rambler Rebel is
made for the 1957 model year. It has the Nash-Hudson V-8 and many
modern
features and luxury amenities. One thousand cars are built. |
1957
|
The Nash and Hudson
nameplates are
put to rest by the newly introduced 1958 models (Hudsons had been
merely
dressed-up Nash's since the 1955 model year and were known by some as
"Hashes").
The Ambassador, basically a Rambler stretched from the windshield
forward,
is introduced for the 1958 model year. |
1960
|
AMC, having concentrated
on small
car production since 1955, reaches 7.5% of the domestic auto market
with
485,745 cars sold. The 1961 Ambassador is the last with a 117"
wheelbase
(from 1962-1964 it was a dressed-up Classic). |
1961
|
Renault and AMC enter
into an agreement
to build Ramblers and Ambassadors in Belgium. IKA Renault exported
Ramblers
to Argentina from 1961-1967. |
1962
|
Romney resigns in
February to run
for, and is elected, governor of Michigan. He is succeeded as AMC
president
by Roy Abernathy, who reintroduces luxury models -- a move some say
helped
lead to the company's downfall. |
1963
|
3,922 "Mitey Mites,"
miniature jeeps
for airborne transport, had been produced for the Marine Corps since
1960.
AMC Classics and Ambassadors are named Motor Trend Car of the
Year. |
1964
|
The longer wheelbase
Ambassador returns
for 1965. It's extended from the windshield forward, but otherwise is
still
a Classic except for trim and amenities. |
1965
|
AMC pays its last stock
dividend ($.11/share
down from $2.06 in 1962) until 1974. AMC had sold 246 "Rambulances"
since
1960. |
1966
|
The Classic is rebodied
and renamed
Rebel for the 1967 model year. Convertibles are reintroduced. AMC
reports
a $30 million loss for the fiscal year, compared to a $7 million gain
in
1965 and a $44 million gain in 1964. |
1967
|
AMC reports a net loss
of $76 million
for the fiscal year. The Javelin is introduced for the 1968 model year,
followed by the AMX the next February. |
1968
|
Kelvinator division is
sold and AMC
is back in the black, for a while. |
1969
|
On June 30, the last
U.S.-produced
Rambler (an American) rolls off the line in Kenosha. A total of
4,204,925
had been made. |
