The Big Rambler/AMC/Jeep Show, Kenosha, WI, 2007

[ivcruiser]

Well done and narrarated! Although Im not 100% sure of the Marlin supposedly being the response to the Mustang. Charger maybe, perhaps Galaxie. But it was WAY bigger than a Mustang and more in line with those cars in my estimation. I did attend the 2011 Kenosha Homecoming with my 76 Pacer X and have a 63 Rambler wagon and a 69 Rambler with a fuel injected HO 4.0 from a jeep! Love these cars!.....Again VERY well done sir!

[pr3par32die]

wow. i learned alot. very informative video, and nice clips! i like seeing those old cars! wow! +1

[OsbornTramain]

This sounds like Mr. Roger's cousin.......and All Hudson's are Hudsons, they were part of the merger.....It's just wrong to say the 55 Hudson's aren't "true" Hudsons. The Marlin wasn't the answer to the Mustang was, the Rambler Typhoon and then Rogue were to compete with the Mustang.

[artistmac]

@OsbornTramain I've had a lot of comparisons to Matthew Broderick;; Mr. Rogers is a first :D Moving on...

Osborn, look at '55-'57 Nashes and Hudsons side by side. Take away the chrome and the 2-tone paint jobs, and they're twins! They were built on the same assembly line by the same workers. They both have the same unit bodies, sheet metal and greenhouse. Except for the '55-'56 Hornet's 308ci 6, they used the same engines. Badge engineering to make Kaiser & Frazer proud :D

[OsbornTramain]

@artistmac wrong, they dont have the same sheet metal. Hudson uses full wheel cut outs and then there are body lines not shared. Hoods are different too. They are twins in that a 55 Chevy and Pontiac are twins or a Plymouth or Dodge too...but they all have different sheet metal....they are not twins, only same plateforms The Hudson even has it's own Dash Board which came from the 54 Hudson

[artistmac]

@OsbornTramain The full-length body line near the bottom of the car is the same on both. Rooflines, same. Front wheel cutouts? Trivial. And for 1957, both cars used the same cutouts. If you have a '55-'57 Hudson and are tired of the "Hash" references, deal with it. If AMC had continued with the step-down Hudsons and the Pininfarina-designed Nash, they'd have gone broke. One platform had to win out, and that platform was NASH. And neither car survived past 1957; AMC wanted to focus on Rambler.

[artistmac]

@OsbornTramain The only reason AMC bothered to whip up a Nash-based Hudson on the cheap in the first place was so that Hudson dealers would have a full-size car to sell. The Rambler, which was being sold at both Nash and Hudson dealers after the merger, wasn't going to cut it with traditional full-size Hudson customers.

[artistmac]

@OsbornTramain BTW, the '55 Chevy and Pontiac were not twins. They had the same greenhouse, but that's where the similarity ends. All '55 full-size Chevys had a 115" wheelbase. The entry-level Pontiac Chieftain rode on a 122" wheelbase; the Star Chief, 124". The '55 Dodge had a 5" longer wheelbase than the Plymouth, and, again, different engines. Both '55-'57 Nashes and Hudsons used a 114.5" w.b. for the cheaper versions, 121.5" for the top-of-the-line. Same car.

[OsbornTramain]

@artistmac Badge engineering is when you simply change a badge. For example, a Dodge Omni and Plymouth Horizon or a Plymouth Volare or Dodge Aspen. Only the grill inserts and badges are different...hence badge engineering. Nashes and Hudsons shared platforms but are not Badge engineered. If you say, it's badge engineered with the exception of engines, dashboards, sheet metal, then it's not badge engineered.

[artistmac]

@OsbornTramain Badge engineering is when you take one basic vehicle and change the grille, headlights and taillights (and not much else) from one make to another. It doesn't have to be just badges. Examples: Dodge Dakota/Mitsubishi Raider, Kaiser Manhattan/Fraser Manhattan, Chevrolet Tahoe/GMC Yukon, Subaru Impreza Wagon/Saab 9-2, Fiat 124/Lada 1600, 1961 and later MG Midget/Austin Healey Sprite, Dodge Caravan/Volkswagen Routan, Isuzu Rodeo/Honda Passport, Isuzu Oasis/Honda Odyssey. Twins.

[OsbornTramain]

Agreed on the list above with exception of Saab 92/Impreza. Agreed on Definition, but not the case with Hudson, way more than badge and grill. Different Engines, Sheetmetal with exception of roof and trunk. Completely different performance MPG, Acceleration, Everything. Different Dash and interiors. 55 Hudson & Nash are as different as 55 Chevy & 55 Pontiac or 58 Buick & Oldsmobile. Which had same green house and trunks. Way more than Badge, the engine alone produce a different car.

[artistmac]

@OsbornTramain And the Marlin was intended to be the answer to the Mustang; instead of basing it on the compact Rambler, as was first intended, AMC plopped a bizarre fastback roof on the midsize Classic, where it joined the early Barracuda in ponycar styling hell. As I said in the video, AMC finally hit one out of the park with the Rambler-based, beautifully-styled Javelin. And Osborne, no one who wanted a Mustang (or a Javelin) would look twice at... a Rambler Rogue!? An SC Hurst, maaaybe.

[OsbornTramain]

@artistmac Wrong again, The Marlin was put on the larger wheel base to be a larger car and compete with the Riviera or Toronado or Dodge Charger. They were no way made to compete with the Mustang. They weren't even in the same price class or size class, Marlins were Intermediates like a Charger. The final year , it was considered a subseries of the Ambassador and included in the Ambassadors Sales Brochure.

[artistmac]

@OsbornTramain Part of the reason they were put on the larger wheelbase was that Chairman Roy Abernathy, who was 6'4", insisted he be able to sit in the back seat without bending over. Sorry, but this car was completely outclassed by the Mustang, on the low end, and the Thunderbird, Riviera and Toronado on the high end. I stand by my assertion; it was bizarre. And the public apparently thought so. Only 17,000 were sold in 3 years. Thunderbird, 70,000 and Mustang, 520,000 in '65 alone.

[1aauto]

I've always liked the Rebel Machine.That one was pretty nice.

[pauljs75]

Cool bit of history to go with this. More history than car show actually.

The only thing is that the audio quality made me expect to hear that "bing" noise to go to the next frame or a prompt to flip the audio cassette. (Really does sound tinny like one of those old film projectors. Seems fitting for a documentary. Kids today with their DVDs or internet videos at school probably have no idea what I'm talking about.)

[Brootal290]

Loved it. Thanks for the brief history. A lot of it I already knew, but wasn't real familiar with the later years of AMC as they disappeared from Aussie shores much earlier.

[artistmac]

@Brootal290 Did AMC build Australian versions of the Rambler the same way Chrysler did with the Dodge Dart chassis (Valiant, Charger)?

[Brootal290]

@artistmac Yes and no. AMCs (which were always called Rambler in Oz) were assembled locally at AMI (Australian Motor Industries) in Melbourne along with Toyotas, Triumphs and some other marques. The cars were sent over as CKD (Complete Knock Down) and local trim and I think paint was used. My '67 also has a US '66 dash, although the exterior is identical. The Valiants were different in regards to the exterior trim, grille and lights and may have been local pressings too. Not sure on that though.

[domeafava]

Wow. Im from Australia and I cant see how you missed, completely, the "Car Of The Year", 1963. What the??? I have 2 1963 Ramblers, 1 6 cylinder and 1 V8. Go back to the drawing board man and get your act together.

[vintageracer25]

Great little documentary on a great little company!

My second car was a '63 Rambler American in 1967 and I've had a few others since.

I now am the proud owner of a 1968 390c.i., 4 spd AMX.

[zaidrim]

I was going to complement you on your speaking, before I even read your response to someone. I learned to drive with a 1969 Rambler wagon, and always have had a liking for AMC cars and their quality. AMC Renaults were a different story, though I did like the Renault 10s of the late 60's and early 70's. Perhaps I will make it to one of those events in Kenosha one day. Good video.

[StephenLutz1]

thank you

[BOGATA9]

Did my eyes deceive me. Was that a blue 71 Ambassador 2-door with an original 401 engine. Thats one super rare car.

[mustangcharger]

Kenosha and AMC rawk!

[hankeybillfred]

OH YEAH? WELL GUESS WHAT!

OMG CAMAROS OWN THE AMCS, AMC IS JUST A BIG STINKY DOO-DOO RIP OFF, RAWR, IM A FUCKTARDED CHEVY-GUY RAWR!

just kidding, i recently bought a 64 Rambler classic 2 door hardtop "typhoon", for $400, but it looks like a piece of shit, rats are living in it, the slant six is gone.

[malflo]

There was no slant 6 in your Typhoon moron.

[hankeybillfred]

Sorry ment inline, i got a dodge dart too, i love the looks of the 60's.

[zzzdogutube]

That was an excellent video.

Thanks

[notjustanotherface]

That upgraded Rebel looked mean.

[mrSarcastic1984]

great job on the video!! make sure you come back in 2011 for the 109th anniversary (dont ask why theyre doing 109 instead of 110 haha)

[CTOL1]

Very Nice presentation

I never owned one but had many friends with them, in fact a friend of mine had # 43 Javlin off the line, It had the 343 V8 and a 4 speed stick

The 232 in line six wasn't a bad engine, it could be ordered with a 2 barrel carb and with the 3 speed Automatic, it was very quick due to its light uni body .

Some little known items:

Enameled exhaust

Sealed torque tube drive shafts on some models

Small unnoticed extras that made these good value

Milwaukee had a body plant as well

[TheMandoor]

I just showed this to a friend because its so good & he says...Wonderful history lesson. As an X Javelin owner & AMC fan, I realy learned a lot that I didnt know. Thank you for making this.

[TheMandoor]

That was a great video, thanks for making it!

[misteramx1]

Beautiful ,.....simply beautiful.

That was a very honest ,factual impressive short over view of the history of american motors .loved it -you are a true am die hard fan .Thank you .......Misteramx3.

[ToyKingWonder]

Excellent video, one of the best--and you told a great AMC story in less than 10 minutes.

I have a 1969 AMX 390 Go-Pack car, and it blows away almost anything. People don't appreciate these interesting cars, until they experience them.

[HeadTater]

I've always had a soft spot for the orphan cars. I am a bit partial to Studebaker myself, but AMC are great too. As much as I like GM, I kinda have to be a little sore at the Big Three for "killing" the little guys. I kinda wonder what would have happened if Studebaker had survived to the gas crisis.

The narration is a bit happy-go-lucky and feelgood for my taste. A little falsetto as well with that weird canned sound. Still good anyway.

[artistmac]

"Falsetto"!? Ooh, tough crowd (as Rodney Dangerfield used to say). I guess it's time for that Vin Diesel mail-order elocution course;-)

[HeadTater]

Sorry, man. It's just that guys like James Earl Jones seem to be the best narrators. I guess it's not as bad as I originally said. Just hold off on sending any letters to Mr. Diesel.

[345scout]

Nice... Very Nice

[mrmopar4]

Very well Done. Very nice. You should do a video about how current AMC owners are keeping their cars alive with transplants of 401s, 390s and 360s.

[dunkirchen1940]

Best cars ever made!

ON WISCONSIN!!!

[gman6660]

i have to go hug my '65 american 440H now, excuse me

[baklys]

This is one of the best AMC- videos I have seen!! Thanks!

[07hhrdriver]

i would love to see new designs come out for amx, the machine and hornet. but like mustang, charger and challenger. the only problem would be window stickers would be in the $30,000 and out of most people hands.

[Moose9105]

Well Done.

[stevesoxx]

Excellent job and very unique voice. Kudos!

[rickjark]

what about jeffery motors forerunner of nash

[fuckyoda]

cool i learned some stuff

the way he spoke kinda scared me tho, kinda creepy. i wanted to go run and hide in my closet

[artistmac]

I went to the Peter Lorre school of Public Speaking;-)

[akubovic]

Nice video, you covered pretty much everything, except for the AMC Matador! specifially the 1971-1973 models. I was a bit disappointed because I own a 1972 AMC Matador, but I very much enjoyed watching this video, it was great!

[ManheimDiesel]

Very nice job! It was a real treat to see all these great cars in this documentary. Thanks!

[toenail37]

Thanks for sharing.

[maxibluegremlin]

Artistmac, You did a WONDERFUL job!

I loved those cars. I bought a new 1973 AMC Gremlin for $2,777...it was the best car I ever owned!

[kes1963]

my dad had a rambler wagon when i was 2 or 3 years old in the mid 60's

[Wills666]

awesome!

[slumpyb]

Really nice job!

[L324RT12]

Sounds like Reading Rainbow......

[artistmac]

I was going more for "Sunday Morning with Charles Osgood" on CBS, but oh well... ;-)

[hudson501]

Very good and pretty much on target information regarding the 1954 Hudson-Nash merger leading to the formation of American Motors.

[rickjark]

what about the jeffery motor company .

[Rocknocker]

35 years ago, I used to live here.

Thanks.

[patrulz13]

nice vid! i live in the northshore waukegan/gurnee area and i know right where the north line runs. nice cars as well

[raconter1]

Superb vid! My congratulations! :) Jack

[raconter1]

Superb vid! My congratulations! :) Jack

[ohio1968javelin]

good stuff and thanx .

[mytujuan]

This was a great video......Thanks

I have a few min old car vid like Chevy 55 Pontia 56...take a look....very simple. 26vid

[dave69ss]

Wow!! Awesome video. I own a 1969 AMC Rebel SST. 2dr. v8. This video makes me want to drive my car, all the way to the next AMC show in Kenosha. Thanks for such a great AMC video.

[mrSarcastic1984]

great vid man, i really dont like living here in kenosha, but im proud to say i live in a city full of car history, and i guess that makes it worth while living here..

[domeafava]

You have done a great job showcasing the great Hudson/Nash/Rambler/AMC cars and the heritage behind this great vehicle. I was a little disappointed that the "Car of the Year" 1963 model lineup wasn't even mentioned. Other than that, I wish I could go to Kenosha to absorb some of the history but I am a little far removed here in Australia. Great job and I hope you do some more short vids like this on specifics, maybe Hornets or Javelins or even the Matador X.

[HOTROD74GremlinX]

Great history lesson dude! AMCya

[djcocum]

Very nice document :)

[BearMate]

wow - this was a great vid - liked learning about the amc's. i bought a 1977 jeep cj5 with the levi interior. everyone loved it!

[gremmann]

Thanks for the history lesson. My dad raced Hudsons in the 50's. I've been an AMC buyer since I was 18, my 1st car being a Gremlin X V-8, in 72. My current toy is a 73 304 Gremlin X, which I've owned since 88'. I've had a Matador, Eagle, AMX, Hornet, American, and not regretted owning any of them. In 2009 the national AMC meet will be in St. Louis where I live. Hope to see many AMC fans there!

[amcrules]

KILLER VID!!!!!!!!!

[EagleKammback]

I love those Jeeps. GREAT VIDEO!!!! I'll have to show this in class. I love the Pacer, actually the Pacer was dropped in 1980. I have 2 Eagles, 81 Kammback with 300,000 miles I'm restoring, and an 83 258 Auto wagon

[justjeff53]

Great video. One of the best things I've see about AMC on youtube. I love these cars and have owned many in the last 35 years. I currently own an 83 Concord DL (last of the breed) And will (hopefully) be looking for a 1960s model AMC next year. BTW the Pacer wasn't a bad car at all.. And at least in the beginning AMC did sell a lot of them.. Thanks.

[mackb4]

This is a very well thought out video with lots of history to those not familar with the legendary AMC. AMC would have survived today with their inovative ideas.We need idea people in th eauto industry like AMC had. Great job on the video!

[artistmac]

You're absolutely right about the sound; it's like I'm talking into a toilet bowl. But I'm getting some help in that area from a friend who shoots video for a living. And I finally bit the bullet and bought a transmitter mike. Makes a world of difference:-)

[amcramblermarlin]

So AMC Gremlins got smacked around by Ford Pintos and Chevrolet Vegas? AM General Humvees get smacked around by Chevys, Fords and Chryslers? Take back your words.

[notjustanotherface]

ambramblermarlin, the Marlin would have sold better if a. AMC had redesigned it, b. put one of those 390 HP engines in one of them, c. made them perform better, and d. made one with an even bigger engine, like, say, 500 or 600 HP or even bigger than that, too? In a sense, it kind of reminds me of the early Dodge Aspen vehicles in the middle 1970s, which also make for surprisingly good muscle cars if they are seriously modified, too.

[badsysop]

This is an awesome video with a great narration. The only problem is the quality of the sound... Man, you are so great you should invest in some decent audio recording equipment. A simple digital recorder and a decent sound editing program will make your stuff seem like top-end stuff!

I'm not complaining though. I enjoyed the hell out of this video and your commentary.

[Scrambler62]

awesome vid, nothing else to say. ;o)

[OddgirlMary]

I've driven my 1964 Ambassador to the Rambler love fest in Kenosha twice and was planning on going this year, but Rosie needed a new oil pan and things just didn't come together. I was so bummed not to make it, but at least I got to see some of it in your video - thank you! I also appreciate the AMC family history lesson you present here. You obvioiusly put a lot of work and research into this video. It's fantastic - great job!!!

[MartySchrader]

I forgot all about Penske and crew. That really didn't translate into street vehicles, though. AMC cars always got smacked around by Chevy, Ford, and Mopar hardware.

One of my many rides was a '67 Rambler American. This thing was just unkillable. It was shared back and forth between a buddy and myself for a few years. We actually thought about turning it into a sleeper street racer at one point because it was so light and easy to work on. Gave up because of funds and time. Oh, well.

[dogstar7]

That was great! Wonderful background.

[ljenkin6]

Thanks for the automotive history lesson.

[vidular]

Super! I remember my dad owned a Hudson Jet sedan in the late 50's early 60's and then a Rambler station wagon - he loved AMC cars. Great video, you sure know your auto history - excellent narration!

[sd455pontiac]

Fantastic !!!