With only 2,520 made, this 1964 Rambler Typhoon is a rare car. This unique project can be found here on eBay in Bellevue, Washington with one bid of $800 and there is no reserve. I got a car from Bellevue fairly recently and I wish that I would have waited for this Typhoon. Thanks to Fred H. for tracking down this one!
It looks like they’ve started restoration work already with that RF fender. The seller “bought it in Fargo North Dakota in 2003.” And they say that it’s “in need of restoration.”
This car looks like it’s in pretty good shape to me, the seller says “body is good with one dent on the passenger door. Very little surface rust. Solid car.” The Typhoon was a one-year-only model within the 770 line of the Rambler Classic, the “sporty” version, and they only came in this light yellow color with a black roof.
The Rambler Classic 770 was the best that a person could get, at least as far as trim levels went. There were the 770-H and Typhoon for those who wanted a little more pizzazz with their 770. The seller says that the interior needs to be restored. I wonder more what the rust levels are like, but they say that there is very little rust, hopefully that means the floors, too.
The Typhoon was created to tout AMC’s new 232 cubic-inch, seven-main-bearing, short-stroke inline-six which had 145 hp. That’s a decent amount of power and it was the only engine available in the Typhoon. The Classic 770 sans-Typhoon package was available with a 287 V8 which would have been a nice option. The seller says that this Typhoon “was driven home from my mechanics shop in Bellevue in 2014. Fuel system needs to be re-done. Maybe a new tank is needed? There is a temp 1 gallon can under the hood. Automatic. It will need to be trailered at this time. No battery.” Have any of you owned a Typhoon?
With a name like Typhoon, was expecting maybe a v-8 and a four speed.
A real sharp looking car though. To me the style looks a little like a first gen Falcon.
I saw this on eBay a couple days ago, and have been watching it. Never seen one before. I was kind of thinking the same thing, looking somewhat like a Falcon. It was probably aimed at competing with the small Falcons and Novas. If I wasn’t already working on two other unusual 60’s senior compacts, I’d scoop this one up! She’s a beauty 😎
The 1960’s Grand National. Neat car.
This is a rare find, and it’s really nothing special, ( not like it’s a Tarpon) except to promote it’s new motor, which went on to power millions of vehicles. Rambler was still riding high from it’s 1963 Car of the Year, ( never did understand how it got that, even though I liked the styling) If I may correct the author, the V8 was a 287, and the Classic’s that had them were quick cars. This is a great find to get into the hobby. Guaranteed, at a show, there wouldn’t be too many Typhoons.
273?! I had Chrysler on the brain, thanks for the correction, Howard!
An easy resto for the next owner that’ll be light on his or her bank account. There’s still a little over 9 hours left on the auction and the bidding hasn’t reach a grand.
Been a long time since I’ve seen a 2 door HT anything with only $800 bid.
It is listed on Craigslist for 2,900 $.. That 800$ bid might be a buddy bidding .If not somebody is getting a heck of a deal ))
This is one of those instances where a little elbow grease would have paid huge dividends. Give that thing a good wash, clean the windows, get all the crap out of the inside and tidy it up a bit. You are talking just a few hours of work and no money. I have no pity for lazy sellers. If he takes it in the shorts on this one it will be deserved.
That’s a cool little car for the money!
I’ve seen a few of these over the years, they’re pretty sharp for what they are. The 232 sans emission controls is no slouch, it really did provide Typhoon-like performance compared to the anemic old 195.6, and without the weight of the heavy 1950s-design 287 V8.
It looks like this one is solid and pretty complete aside from some interior issues (torn seat, missing door card), though the interior and engine compartment photos are part blurry so it’s a bit hard to see what’s going on in there. (Though it is obvious there’s some issue with the fuel tank since there’s a WD-40 can feeding the fuel pump.)
Cheap price for a sporty looking old car, make one heck of a sleeper too.😎
I have 2 of these cars , one classic with a 287 and an ambassador with a 327, both non runners with good bodies . They do have a great stile almost a bubble rear window.
I would say the 990 ambassador was the top of the classic line same car more stainless trim.
Too bad Rambler left the 6 cylinder running gear and did not upgrade to the V8 running gear. What is the difference you ask? First of all the v8 had 10″ brakes all around vs the 9″ for the 6, v8 had larger tires than the 6, standard front sway bar on the v8 which the 6 did not have and wasn’t an option AFAICT, heavier springs in the v8 than the 6, higher amp alternator for the v8, larger and heavier rear end for the v8, and water cooled auto trans in the v8–air cooled in the 6. All of these are the standard differences between the v8 and the 6’s running gear, although I am sure I have forgotten some more of them. The 195.6 six was long on tooth by the mid 60’s and although usable for hauling people around it was lacking in towing power. The 232 was a much better engine and went on to 40 years of production in various displacements. Since this was a mid year model, Rambler was just trying to get it on the show room floor and sold. I can’t remember if any of the HD or v8 parts were offered for the 6 in preceding years as almost all the attention was on the new v8’s which were also a mid year model introduction in 66. For 3 out of 4 years(’63-’66) Rambler introduced a new engine in mid year models. The 287 although just a 327 with a smaller bore it didn’t exist until ’63 1\2.
The Typhoon is what I learned to drive on (and snuck out in when my parents were t home). With a trunk that would easily hold two kegs of beer, fold down front seats and an automatic that would bump start at about 35 mph I had a blast driving it to high school and on and off after that. Most of my classmates had Camaros, Novas, Mustangs, Cuda’s and the like and it was pretty much forgotten after I bought my own first car – a 1970 Torino Type N/W. My parents offered it to me later for $100, but I was young, and dumb and had much less of a clue than I do today. Been watching this car on Craigslist, just no room for the car today, and typically I don’t ‘go back’, unless I found a super nice nearly done car. Hoping someone gets it, and does the car justice.
Sunday noon on the west coast and 3 hours left to bid & it is at $960.
Would be a fun cart o clean up get running and drive until more money is available to redo interior etc.
Just relooked at the ad I can’t find the ‘no reserve’ words. am I missing something?
My parents had a 1964 660 Classic and those fold down front seats got me married. They gave me the car for a wedding present.
$1,001.00 ending price. Someone got a good buy.
Folks bought one new in ’64. Much like this one (not a Typhoon) but black on red. V8, stick and overdrive. VERY cool car. Mom got 22 mpg highway. I seldom got to drive it, but on the strip outside of town, it’d do 97 mph in 2nd and over. :-) Terry J
Sold, doggone it!!! /would have been perfect for what I’m looking for. Well, chucks!
I’ve always had a soft spot for Ramblers. At one time in the early 70s my Pops had 3 of them, one a 62 Amercian coupe, and two sedans from this generation. Back then these were used cars that weren’t of much value as a trade-in; Pops picked them up for a few dollars. I’d love to own a few of these little runners
I found what was probably the only Typhoon imported into Europe in a garage in Birmingham UK. 2004. Trailered it back behind my ’83 Concorde and bust a finger getting off the towing dolly. Great car but full of rust. It was a real find, the subject of much speculation by the handful of AMC fans in Euro. It had been front ended at some point and had an altered ’65 hood. May have been shown at the 1964 London motor show. had to let it go along with a ’77 Gremlin for my dream car, a 1956 Nash Ambassador Special, still years later, under construction.
I had a new ’64 2 dr ht..black on red buckets/console, twin-stick 287, not near as quick as my new ’63 327/overdrive, but a nice car. I can’t recall the Typhoon at all. My last one was a ’65 red over white 2 dr ht, 327/stick..cam, headwork, duals…it was baaaad
This model was my first car, bought it in 1971. I have fond memories of it. It was comfortable to drive, 3 gears on the column standard transmission. It only go abut 20 miles per gallon. Of course gas was only 25 cents a gallon then. I wouldn’t mind owning it but that is a long hall Washington to Missouri.