A classic name that's been dead and gone from the car industry for decades now, AMC as a brand used to be the underdog of the American car scene, being the quirky yet sensible competitor to the Big Three. Formed through America's largest corporate merger up until that point, Nash-Kelvinator and Hudson came together to become AMC, carrying over nameplates, specifically Rambler for their new model range.
While most of their history is forgotten in favor of the hilariously weird later commuters like the doorstop-shaped Gremlin and fishbowl-style Pacer, AMC did have some genuinely sweet muscle cars in their catalog. Among them were awesome names like the Javelin, AMX, and the Americana-filled Rebel Machine, providing the brand with solid competition during the peak of Detroit's horsepower war.
Years before this battle for muscle domination kicked off, though, AMC created a shockingly fast V8 beast, taking a small Rambler sedan and giving it the best power and performance they could conceive of. Born in 1957, this early muscle car was the Rambler Rebel, later lending its name to the well-known Rebel Machine, yet mostly forgotten today in spite of its achievements.
Ramblin' On
Carried out in 1954, AMC's formation, as mentioned, was the largest corporate merger in America up until that point, seeing Nash and Hudson join forces in a market quickly being dominated by the Big Three. Bringing the brand's car production into one factory, both the Nash and Hudson brand names remained attached to their cars, with Nash's historic compact Rambler nameplate soon used for almost all of the model lineup, dropping both Hudson and Nash entirely later to sell the affordable and economical cars as simply Ramblers.
Spawning several Rambler models, the Rambler varied from barebones compact to a mid-size family wagon (pictured above). Similarly positioned around a low price and reliability, these Ramblers can be thought of like the Toyota Corolla of today, and similarly to the Corolla became a best seller in America thanks to these traits.
While the Rambler would achieve respect and great success, they were by no means what you'd consider an exciting car, with most of the lineup having a focus on sensibility rather than anything you'd consider fun. But, to help bring the Rambler nameplate the attention and success it would later achieve and showcase what performance AMC could achieve, the Rambler Rebel was released in 1957 as a shockingly fast sedan.
Showcasing AMC's new 327 cu-in V8, which in turn was developed from their existing 250 cu-in V8, the Rebel was based on the mid-size Rambler 4-door sedan, and not only proved what the Rambler was capable of, but with its 327 V8 designed for use in the larger Ambassador models, it became an early pioneer of the big-car V8 in a mid-size platform formula that spawned 1960's legends like the Pontiac GTO.
A Muscle Car Ahead Of Its Time
While yes, the Oldsmobile Rocket 88 technically was the first example of this, and widely considered the first muscle car, the Rambler Rebel was still among the first to do it, and a serious step forward for the type with its lighter, smaller, and more practical focus. Designed for use in the Ambassador - technically sold as a Rambler, the 327 V8 had 300 lbs less it needed to move when shoved inside the Rebel and received performance touches like solid lifters, a higher compression ratio, and a 4-barrel carburetor bringing power to a respectable 255 hp, with 345 lb-ft of torque on tap - though a proposed fuel injected option would have brought it to 288 hp.
But, performance didn't just revolve around the engine, as the shorter and lighter Rambler platform, it rode in also received beefier adjustable shocks, heftier anti-roll bars front and back, more aggressive gearing, and more. Weighing in at 3,335 lbs with its unibody design, the Rambler Rebel came equipped with either Borg-Warner T85 3-speed manual, or GM sourced Flashaway Hydra-Matic 4-speed auto and could do a 0-60 mph run in 7.5 seconds.
While this was seriously fast for the time, it's not as if powerful V8s didn't exist in 1957, and with monsters like the '57 Chrysler 300C putting out 375 hp, the Rambler Rebel instead helped to prove how potent a lighter, more planted car could put up a fight against these heavyweight beasts.
That's exactly what happened too, as despite being the weakest of the performance offerings that year, a MotorTrend test comparing their acceleration found that the Rebel was the second-fastest overall, losing out only to the "fuelie" Corvette, but solidified itself as the fastest sedan on sale for '57. Also, taking 4th place in a Daytona Beach Speedweek acceleration contest, it was now obvious just how much of a performance threat the Rebel really was
Style To Match
Not just a serious performance car, the Rambler Rebel was also meant to be a special, limited-edition model that would bring in attention to the Rambler lineup and new 327 V8 engine, and with just 1,500 units made, stylish touches also helped to distinguish it from the crowd of common Ramblers. Using the same rather strange wide-mouth design of the previous year Rambler, the Rebel retained the flashy chrome grille and bumpers but only came in one paint option - a sleek grayish silver tone called "Rebel Silver," accented with copper-orange "spears" running down the side.
When it came to the interior, the Rebel's layout, and overall mechanical aspects were mostly the same as the basic Rambler - which was notably spacious compared to the competition but received an equal amount of unique trim to further set it apart as a special model.
Upholstered in black nylon and grey vinyl, the Rebel got some great standard features for the time, including a radio, full carpeting, AMC's "Airliner" reclining foam padded seats decked out with similar custom black and grey trim, a "Weather Eye" heater, power steering, power brakes, perforated-vinyl headliner, rust-proof undercoating, and more.
Options too were good for the '50s, including more niceties like A/C, tinted windows, high-speed "Blue Streak" tires, and a rear tire mount, among others. Overall a practical 4-door sedan transformed into both a performance beast and custom trimmed stunner, the Rebel truly was a special car.
Pricing And Collectability
This awesome 327 powered, performance-tuned Rambler Rebel would last just one year, though, as for '58 AMC attached the Rebel name to standard 250 cu-in V8 Rambler, remaining like this until the name disappeared in 1960. Re-introduced for 1966 attached to the Rambler Classic, with the 327 back on offer, the most iconic Rebel model came about in '67, with the special Rebel Machine based on it becoming one of AMC's most badass muscle cars.
An economy car taken to new heights, the 1957 Rambler Rebel kept its cheap and cheerful roots and sold 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.
NEXT: 10 Cool Facts Everyone Forgot About AMC And Their Muscle Cars