The 4 Seasons Presents:
Did You Know.............?
....that although the Rambler 327 V8 is often mistaken for the Chevrolet motor of the same displacement, Rambler's engine was available 5 years before Chevy's? The AMC V8 was introduced in 1956 on the Nash Ambassador and it appeared in Ramblers up through the 1966 model year and in Kaiser Jeep from 1966 through 1969.
.....that the Rambler Marlin, similar to Dodge Charger in design and concept, was introduced 1/2 model year before Charger? In fact, the car would have been available sooner if AMC had produced the first proposal. Called the Tarpon, it was based on the '64 American with a fastback design. It would have been more along the lines of the original Plymouth Barracuda. The Dodge Charger, however, was the sales winner. Production totaled 53,088 units over 2 model years, while the Marlin totaled 17,419 units during its 2-1/2 year run (figures from Standard Catalog of American Cars).
.....that Rambler, in 1962, was the only car (except for Cadillac & Rolls Royce) to have a dual master cylinder as standard equipment across all of the model lines. It was a major safety advancement, allowing independent front and rear brake systems each to back up the other in case function was lost due to hydraulic failure (i.e. a broken brake line or bad wheel cylinder, for example). In most cars at the time, hydraulic failure in any part of the braking system meant total loss of brakes.
Incidentally, Hudson, one of the parent companies of American Motors, had a different solution to brake failure. In case of hydraulic failure (brake pedal goes to the floor), the Hudson had a backup mechanical system which took effect when the brake pedal got too low. This mechanical system allowed the use of the emergency brakes at the rear wheels - a real emergency brake!
.....that in 1963, Motor Trend named American Motors' whole car lineup CAR OF THE YEAR?
.....that although Pontiac is often credited for starting the Muscle Car craze (installing a large motor in an imtermediate size production car) with the 1964 GTO, that the Rambler Rebel beat them by 7 years? In 1957, the Ambassador 327 was installed into the 108 inch wheelbase Rambler, creating the first Rebel. This car was capable of 255 horsepower and 0-60 in just 7.5 seconds! Compare this to the 1957 Corvette's (non-fuel injected) time of 7.3 seconds. No other factory-stock American car could beat it!
....that the 1956 Rambler (under both the Nash and Hudson names) intorduced the the world to the first 4 door hardtop station wagon?
....that only 0.5% of all 1963 Ramblers had power windows?
....that after the 1948 Nash Ambassador, no Nash/Hudson/AMC car would ever use a seperate frame and body?
....that the 1957 Nash Ambassador was the first U.S. car to incorporate a four-headlight system into its cars?