by Michael GolubiewskiProduction Editor
Brian Lewis of Selinsgrove asks, “Do you know that song, ‘I was born a ramblin’ man?’ Well, I’ve always said that I was born a Rambler man.”
Lewis’ grandparents owned a Rambler when he was a little boy, and he’s always loved the car.
“A 1965 Rambler was my first car back when I turned 16 in 1980,” he shares. “Unfortunately I totaled that one.”
Lewis says he has owned this week’s ride, a 1966 Rambler American, since 1995.
“An elderly couple owned this car, kept it in a garage and basically only took it out to church on Sunday and to the supermarket,” Lewis says.
The Rambler American was produced by the American Motors Corporation (AMC) from 1958-69. AMC’s forerunner, the Nash Motor Company, also sold a Rambler compact in 1954 and 1955. The American had three very distinctive generations: 1958-60, 1961-63 and 1964-69.
The Rambler American was, at a time when big muscle cars were popular, marketed as an economy car. For several years, including 1966, the American was the winner of the “Mobil Economy Run,” a popular test that took place from 1936-68. To test fuel efficiency, cars were put on a coast-to-coast run, driving on real roads in regular traffic and weather conditions to test just how efficient they were. Ramblers won so many times that the big three automakers — GM, Ford and Chrysler — eventually got them moved to a separate class because no other car model even came close.
“Even today, I’m astounded by the gas mileage this Rambler gets,” Lewis says. “It’s close to 30 miles to the gallon. That was unheard of from a 1960s car.”
Lewis’ American was the top of the line for the model. It was previously called a “440” but in 1966 had its name changed to the Rogue. The car features a 290 cubic inch, 4.8-liter typhoon eight-cylinder engine with 200 horsepower and a two-barrel carburetor. A four-barrel was also available in 1966 for higher horsepower. The engines introduced in 1966 featured a new innovation called “thin wall” technology and weighed only 540 pounds.
Lewis has tried to keep the American as true to original as possible. A new paint job back to its original green color and new rims are the only modifications he says he has made.
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