My Mother
bought a new AMC Rambler Classic 4dr back in 1963, grey with a white
top.
She loved that car. The dealer evidently gave her a keychain with
the car in a case.
She put the keychain, case and all, into a drawer in the kitchen
where it would stay up until the early 1990's when
she passed away. I found the keychain and kept it as a keepsake to
remember her by.
I remember riding in the car as a child and how sad she was when
the transmission finally gave out and
she had to sell it many years and miles later. The keychain is
still in its original case. The only thing I replaced was
the foam it rested on. The original foam had dissolved over the
years and the keychain was starting to tarnish.
I cleaned it up and replaced the foam. It now sits on a shelf
beside a picture of her.
I found your web site after watching some episodes today of the
"Adventures of Superman" from the 50's and trying to figure
out what kind of cars were on the show. I found a Superman web
site that said the cars were mostly Nash's in the early years.
That led me to a few Nash related web sites where I learned that
Nash eventually became American Motors and that
reminded me of my mothers car from years back. I then started
trying to find a picture of a car similar to hers.
The closest one I can find is a 63 Rambler Classic 550. I think
her car was a 660 but I don't seem to be able to find any pictures
of a model like that or even if they made a 660 in 63. I'm pretty
positive that it was a 63 tho due to the concave grill that seems
to have been only on 63 models. Could you tell me if they did make
660's in 63 or is it just a figment of my imagination.
I wasn't sure how rare these keychains are but I thought you might
like a pic of it for your web site.
Thanks
Danny Taylor
Dallas TX
Hi Danny-
In 1963 Rambler made the Classic in 550, 660 and
770 trim, and you are correct, 63 was the only year for the concave
grill. The 660 4 door was by far the most popular model with
71,646 produced with the 6, and 11,067 produced with the 8. The
next closes Classic model was the 660 Station Wagon, with 46,282
produced.
63 was the best year American Motor's every had
winning Motor Trends Car of the Year Award and raising to 3rd place in
sales behind Chevy and Ford, sadly not many of the 63's survive
today. Below is a link to a picture of a 63 660 4 door classic
from last years AMCRC national: