The Rambler Rebel was built by American Motors in two separate periods, from 1957 to 1960 and again for 1966 and 1967. The first Rebel of 1957 was a single high-performance model that many regard as a forerunner of the muscle car; the name returned on a premium intermediate hardtop and then spread across the whole intermediate line.
Rambler Rebel at a glance
| Maker | American Motors Corporation, Kenosha, Wisconsin |
|---|---|
| Periods | 1957–1960 and 1966–1967 |
| 1957 body | four-door hardtop only |
| 1957 engine | 327 cu in (5.4 L) V8 |
| 1957 wheelbase | 108 inches |
| 1957 price | US$2,786 |
| 1957 gearbox | manual with overdrive or GM Hydra-Matic |
| 1958–1960 | V8 Ramblers in sedan and wagon bodies, two trim levels |
| 1966 | a premium intermediate two-door hardtop |
| 1967 | the whole new intermediate line renamed Rambler Rebel |
| From 1968 | the line became the AMC Rebel |
History of the Rambler Rebel
Background
The Rebel came out of George Romney’s strategy for American Motors. As a small independent maker, AMC could not fight General Motors, Ford and Chrysler head-on, so Romney concentrated on cars smaller than the standard American models, with an emphasis on efficiency and cost. A crucial part of that plan was AMC’s own V8, developed from 1955 under chief engineer Meade Moore. A 250 cu in overhead-valve V8 appeared in mid-1956 with 190 hp, then the smallest American V8 but more powerful than Chevrolet’s two-barrel engines of the time. For 1956 the Rambler four-door range was redesigned by Edmund E. Anderson and Bill Reddig with a reverse-sloped C-pillar and Pinin Farina’s inboard, grille-mounted headlamps.
The 1957 Rebel
The 1957 Rebel combined the lightweight 108-inch wheelbase Rambler four-door hardtop body with AMC’s new 327 cu in (5.4 L) V8. It was the first time a large-block V8 had been fitted to a mid-size car in the postwar market, when the Big Three offered no intermediate cars at all. Introduced in December 1956, it was the first factory-produced intermediate high-performance car and a direct precursor of the muscle car era. At $2,786 it was cheap for the power it offered, and Motor Trend called it the fastest stock American sedan. All Rebels came with a manual gearbox and overdrive or GM’s four-speed Hydra-Matic automatic, a dual exhaust, a heavy-duty suspension with Gabriel shock absorbers and a front anti-roll bar. It was also among the earliest production cars to offer electronic fuel injection.
1958–1960
For 1958 the Rebel name was widened to cover all Rambler models with a V8 as standard equipment. These were offered as sedans and station wagons in two trim levels and largely mirrored the Rambler Six models with a V8 under the bonnet. Production was in Kenosha, with Canadian cars assembled in Toronto until that plant closed in July 1957 and then imported from Wisconsin until AMC opened Brampton in December 1960. The Rebel was also assembled in Belgium by Renault, in Australia by Australian Motor Industries, in New Zealand by Campbell Motor Industries and in Argentina by Industrias Kaiser Argentina.
1966–1967
The name returned for 1966 on a premium, intermediate-sized two-door hardtop. For 1967 AMC consolidated its newly designed intermediate line under the Rambler Rebel name, and from 1968, as the Rambler marque was dropped from intermediate models, the cars became the AMC Rebel.
Design and features
- Big engine, small body: the 327 cu in V8 in the 108-inch wheelbase Rambler hardtop made the 1957 Rebel the first factory intermediate hot rod.
- Early fuel injection: the Rebel was among the first production cars offered with electronic fuel injection.
- Performance chassis: dual exhaust, heavy-duty suspension with Gabriel shocks and a front anti-roll bar were standard.
- Two lives: a single high-performance model in 1957, then a whole V8 line and later a premium intermediate.
Rambler Rebel versions
- Rebel (1957): four-door hardtop with the 327 V8, the original model.
- Rebel V8 (1958–1960): sedans and station wagons in two trim levels.
- Rebel hardtop (1966): the premium intermediate two-door.
- Rambler Rebel (1967): the redesigned intermediate line.
- AMC Rebel (from 1968): the same line after the Rambler badge was dropped.
The Rebel replaced the Rambler Six and V8 at the top of the intermediate range, sat above the Rambler American and was itself replaced by the Rambler Matador. More cars are in the Rambler collection.
Video: Rambler Rebel 67
Video on YouTube.
Sources
- Rambler Rebel, English Wikipedia: background, 1957 model, 1958–1960 line, later revival
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