AMC (American Motors) Rambler American History

Launched in 1958, the Rambler American revived an earlier Nash compact body to give AMC a cheap, economical car just as a recession hit — and it landed perfectly, being among the lowest-priced cars built in the US and a repeat winner of the Mobil Economy Run. It ran across three generations: a rounded 1958–1960 original, an angular 'breadbox' 1961–1963 restyle, and a cleaner Dick Teague 1964–1969 redesign that added V8 availability from 1966. AMC's value-and-economy reputation under George Romney was built largely on this car.

Its most collectible chapter came at the very end: the 1969 SC/Rambler, built with Hurst Performance, stuffed a 315-hp 390 V8 and a four-speed into the little compact, wrapped in loud red-white-and-blue paint. Only 1,512 were made, priced under $3,000, and they ran low-14-second quarter-miles. The American was replaced by the Hornet for 1970, retiring the Rambler name.