To continue "offbeat cars" week, I present a second AMC-era product. I like wagons, alot, and I'm just getting into AMC/Ramblers alot more than I've ever been. To me, discovering a new world in an already crowded segment makes me feel like I'm new at being a car enthusiast; I'm not, but my ever-growing knowledge base is only helped with the discovery of vehicles I otherwise would've only given a quick once-over.
While wagons of any sort are far from common, especially in crossover hell, I treated this Rambler initially with surprise; from a distance I thought it was a usual Chevy or perhaps a Mopar, but the rear end didn't look right. So, I pulled my bike up, and.. wow. I stood there for maybe a good ten to fifteen seconds just taking it in. I almost want to say this was the first Rambler product I'd seen in person, and also the first one I was able to shoot in depth.
In the 1960s, with station wagons being a big part of the automotive scene, it seemed as if every major car manufacturer offered multiple varieties to choose from. AMC/Rambler was no different. Rather than naming all of its offerings with traditional names like "Vista Cruiser", "Kingswood", or "Estate Wagon", Rambler opted to number its series of cars. 550 was the base model, 660 was the midgrade, and this 770 shown here was the top of the line model; it feature such niceties such as full on AM/FM radio, eight passenger seating, a standard roof, and standard 232 I6 power. While 145 horses isn't much, especially compared to even four cylinders today, remember this was over forty years ago. I think 145 does the car just fine, as I doubt the owner uses it as a race car of any sort.
This example of a rare breed certainly does the car justice; no hard-life lived here; paint, chrome and side trim are in immaculate condition, as are the factory correct hubcaps. Inside, too, was damn clean. No blatant rips in the upholstery, and all the interior trim seemed to be intact, including the rearmost seats. I don't know if I'm correct, but this looked like a genuine one-owner car. And I'll be surprised if it wasn't.
As an enthusiast, I think cars like this one should be preserved more; not only do they give the next generation of car enthusiasts something to look forward to, cars like this can also be conversation pieces at car shows, and allow the older generation to mingle with the younger generation. In short, cars like this need to be saved in order for the car enthusiast to be saved.
