Car Spot: 57 Rambler Rebel

America’s first muscle car

In the 1950s, American Motors ads boasted: “Why don’t we enter high-performance Rambler V-8s in racing? Because the only race Rambler cares about is the human race.” This was the George Romney era at AMC from 54 to 62, and his focus was entirely on compact and economy cars, showing no interest in the performance market. There was one curious exception to this policy, and the subject of this week’s spot, a super-rare 1957 Rambler Rebel, which I found recently at the American Motors Homecoming event held in Kenosha, WI, where the car was built.

In the spring of 1957, the car known for its thrifty six-cylinder came to turn heads at Daytona on the beach, where it quickly proved to be the quickest production sedan at the Speed Trials being held there. In this example was its brand new 327 cubic inch V8 producing 255 hp at 4,700 rpm and a whopping 345 lb-ft of torque at just 2,600 rpm. Originally intended for the larger Nash and Hudsons propelled the fairly light Rambler, a four-door sedan, from 0-60 in 7.5 seconds and through the 1/4 mile in 18.32 seconds. Wow, a Rambler! That was seriously fast in 1957, and the quickest 0-60 time of any sedan at the event, thanks to its new engine.

It could have become AMC’s first halo car, offering a really special version of the Rambler Custom four-door hardtop, powered by the Ambassador/Hornet V-8. It would be fast and stylish, the perfect combination for a halo car. How they managed to get Romney to agree to it was a wonder. It would become an instant collectible because just 1500 examples would roll off the Kenosha Assembly Line. Transmission choices were limited to a heavy-duty T-85 three-speed manual with overdrive, or a beefy Flashaway Hydra-Matic, and a stout Borg & Beck pressure plate clutch was specified with the manual gearbox. To handle the extra power, the Rebel’s suspension was beefed up with heavy-duty adjustable shock absorbers as standard equipment and thicker front and rear antiroll bars, along with flanged brake drums. It was available in just one color, a metallic silver-gray, cleverly named Rebel Silver, offset by bronze-gold anodized aluminum side trim with the Rebel name spelled out in script on the leading edge. To compensate for the lack of a B-pillar, they beefed up rockers, quarter panels, and center posts for the four-door hardtops, so body fit has held up very well over the years.

Inside it was nothing but the best like this example which came with full-floor carpets, special perforated-vinyl headliner, foam cushion reclining seats with Custom seat trim, clock, radio with a unique rear-mounted antenna, directional signals, Weather Eye heater, power steering and brakes, backup lamps, windshield washers, a padded instrument panel, and sun visors. Options included air conditioning, Solex tinted glass, six-ply nylon “Blue-Streak” high-speed whitewall tires, a continental tire mount, and seat belts.

1957 was a big year for performance, and Motor Trend tested a bunch for 0-60-mph acceleration. Everybody was in the game then, pushing at or close to 300 hp. The Rebel’s 255 hp actually put it down near the bottom of the list of performance engines. The Rambler Rebel was shown to be America’s fastest sedan for 1957 with 0-60 mph run timed at 7.5 seconds, while the Chrysler 300C ran 7.6 seconds. The only car that could beat the Rebel in acceleration was a fuel-injected Corvette, 7.0 seconds, to become the fastest American car, while the Rebel was the fastest American sedan. Again, a great example of AMC doing something on a shoestring budget. It was a great start and one of the early muscle cars. AMC wouldn’t return to performance cars until 1968 with its introduction of the Javelin and AMX.

So let’s say you want one of these gems. Well, good luck finding one and finding an owner who wants to part with it. Rust has generally not been a problem, probably due to the standard factory undercoating. But with only 1,500 produced, I thought this might be a big ticket. I was surprised an economy car taken to new heights with a base price of $2,786 in ’57 (equivalent to $27,466 today). Rare thanks to the 1,500 unit production and one of the fastest cars of 1957, the Rambler Rebel is difficult to find for sale today. If you can find one, though, prices seem to hover around $25,000 based on previous listings, but I’m betting that the owner of this one would just consider that a down payment.

You will see more from the Homecoming Event, which for me was a trip down memory lane since my dad worked for the company for 27 years. I have a special place in my heart for these cars and the collectors who keep the dream alive. You will see more of these in the coming weeks.

Thanks for stopping by and checking out this week’s spot. Come back next Sunday and check out my latest find, along with some of its history, and have a great week.

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