Crisp and clean was the result of a redesign for the second-generation Rambler Classic line, and it was quite an update. It was so impressive that Motor Trend named the whole lineup as its 1963 Car of the Year. This 1963 Rambler Classic 770 sedan is a top-trim level car from Texas with just 24,000 miles on it! The seller has it posted here on craigslist in my hometown: Duluth, Minnesota. They’re asking $6,500, and here is the original listing.
What an amazing car, it looks perfect in most of the photos, and it sure appears to be. The seller says this is a Texas car, which probably explains the lack of rust, or visible rust. We don’t see the underside, and the seller doesn’t mention rust at all in their description. They do say that it has 24,000 actual miles, and it looks like it’s right out of a museum.
For the redesigned 1963 model year, second-generation Rambler Classic buyers could choose from the lowest trim, the 550, the mid-level 660, or this one, being the top trim 770 model. If this were a rare two-door model, I can’t imagine it would still be for sale. We don’t get to see inside the trunk compartment, but I’m assuming it looks as nice as the rest of the car does.
Seeing painted door strikers like that always makes me think a vehicle has been repainted; I hope that isn’t the case here. There’s no mention of it, and we have some AMC experts in the crowd who would know if those would have been painted at the factory or not. The only glitch inside is the dash, which needs to be repadded, according to the seller. The back seat looks like new, as does the front seat.
The engine isn’t the new V8 available in 1963, this is the tried-and-true AMC 196-cu.in. OHV inline-six, which had 127 horsepower and 185 lb-ft of torque when new. This one is sent through a three-speed automatic to the rear wheels, and there’s no mention of how it runs, but it appears to have a new radiator and new battery. Have any of you owned a ’63 Rambler Classic?
It does not look like a V8. It looks more like an inline six.
Dang it, thanks for catching that typo, Jack!
It is!
My first car was a ‘63 Rambler just like this one but it was a station wagon. Dark turquoise with a matching interior. Got it for $500 in 1973. Not really a cool car for someone in high school but the storage came in handy for hockey gear. I’d recommend checking the top of the front fenders for rust. Mine kept rusting through on the drivers side; the way the inner fender was made it trapped water and road salt up there. Dad and I repaired it many times DIY with mesh and bondo as getting a proper repair with metal work wasn’t in the budget. Looks like the subject car will need a new back bumper and carpet to make it really nice. Hopefully there’s documentation for the claimed mileage. GLWTS.
@MarkyMark
My face almost went through the windshield of one of these as my best friend had one in high school also.
He rearended a 1969 Cougar stopped at a red light. The only damage to the Cougar was a broken backup light lens. The entire front end of his Rambler was crunched like today’s cars with their crumple zones. You’d think he hit a Mack truck head on.
His was green with a white roof. It was his first car his parents bought for him and he became a lifelong AMC guy.
Well, one thing about getting old, is one gets to see all the relics of the past suddenly reappear, as one by one, these surface when storage areas are discovered. And when they do, we can rest assured, Scotty is watching.
The CotY award had some mighty big clout. I believe it was the restyled American that helped. How it won out over the likes of a ’63 GP or Riv was a bit fishy, but for whatever reason, it was responsible for a slight increase in sales, but to most, it was still just a Rambler. Hey, it was our one up on Studebaker. I know, we say, like the oil filter location, however, it should be noted, it wasn’t a full pressure filter, more of a trickle filter, but better than nothing, and always soaked the motor when removing, so not so hot, really. A wonderful find, and YES, an automatic and a bit pricey, or rest assured, it would be in Scottys garage. The big plus here, SG, NO SHIPPING COSTS! Throw them an offer, doesn’t get much better than this.
Don’t forget, it’s got “Tri-Poised” power or the reclining front seats, front and rear bumpers interchange, steering wheel was too big, the single digit speedo numbers were accurate sometimes, not X 10, dipstick on the oil cap, that the paint was worn off, vacuum wipers, trunnion steering and the “Weather-Eye” heater, the best in the business. Fact is, when choosing a beater for the winter, a Rambler was always bought for the heater, $100 tops. Ramblers were wonderful cars.
Remember Howard, the American was restyled for 1964. The MTCOTY award went to the Rambler line of cars for 1963. It was “mostly” the “New” Classic and Ambassador that won the award for AM. The American was mostly carry-over from 1962. I say it was “mostly” the Classic and Ambassador, because the “new for ’63” novelty Twin Stick transmission also played a small role in AM winning the award.
Thanks James, if THIS comment goes through and not banned yet, I keep thinking it was ’63 for the restyle( late’63?), but you are correct. I believe the ’63 American was the Mobil gas mileage champion, and Rambler was selling economy, and perhaps helped with the CotY award.
There’s something funky going on with the paint. The engine compartment should be body color, and so should the exposed metal parts in the interior. The engine looks to be rattle-canned.
These cars had very advanced unit body engineering for the time but still had 1940s technology under the skin. (Trunnion front suspension, torque tube rear suspension, vacuum wipers, flathead engine converted to OHV.)
These were very nice looking ramblers. Dick Teague did a great job designing these and to think he came from Packard! This particular car looks really nice, really nice, but it looks just a little worn for 24,000 miles. At least to me and I could be wrong.
When a torsion bar snapped on her ’57 New Yorker, my then recently widowed mom bought a new white over black 2-door 770, red interior and auto.
Even as an Italian car driver, I thought it a nice car. Handling could have used stout sway bars fore and aft and the automatic could have used higher shift points, but when I drove it I got around that deft D1/D2 switching.
The upstate NY tinworm got it and in ’74 she traded it for a 4-door Maverick after the Rumbler’s body warp caused the windshield to crack.
Our family bought one for a second car around 1970. Good car if you overlook the crazy oil consumption. It looked like a mosquito fog truck on the highway.
I had several Rambler Americans at times with the 196 flat head 6, same displacement as this overhead version. They were years 59, 61, 62. One was a wagon. That was back in 1974 thru about 79. The 59 was the first, that I said here before, I towed the back half of a F-100 truck with the little Rambler, loaded with STUFF, from Mendocino County, CA to Philadelphia. Unbelievable that I made it; it took two weeks to cross, using the southern route to avoid snow in the Rockies. It broke down twice, but lived to be repainted twice, first with a short-lived Earl Sheib job (“I will paint ANY car for $__.”) Good memories.
Bought a 1963 Rambler Ambassador 990 4 door sedan in 1969 in time for fall quarter at UMD in Duluth, MN. Gold with a white top. Gold interior with gold shag carpet! Twin front ashtrays in the dash, AM radio with a “fader” riostat switch under the dash to give more volume to the rear sparker. 327 V8 auto. Drove it till the summer of 1973. Drove it to the West Coast and back in 71. Was dependable and fast. 95 on the interstates all day long. Saw a similar one in Superior, WI. a few years ago near Frazier Ship Yards. Fun college car.
The worst part about these finds is that most of them come from the estates of people who may have had them since new and have since passed on. The horror is that’s my generation!!!!!
Bingo!
For the pair of BF readers who will admit to watching PBS, they are currently running a series on the rise, short life, and fall of American Motors. I watched the first episode last night and it was very good.
Howard A. will appreciate the images of Kenosha.
Thanks for the heads up, Frank! I publicly admit to being a huge PBS fan, and we’ve been members for years. I haven’t heard of that show, I’ll have to see if I can track it down.
Thanks, Scotty. Here is some more information and it is also available on YouTube,
Documentary | TV-PG
Take a wild ride through history as nostalgia and great cars combine in this uniquely American story of grit, innovation, and hard work. THE LAST INDEPENDENT AUTOMAKER is a documentary series featuring six half-hour episodes that detail the unlikely rise and tragic fall of American Motors Corporation (AMC). Through more than 40 exclusive interviews with CEOs, engineers, designers, salespeople, journalists, factory workers, and labor union members, THE LAST INDEPENDENT AUTOMAKER is a deep, unvarnished look at the inner workings of a car company. The series traces AMC’s history through more than four decades and tells its story through hours of lost film archives combined with thousands of historic photographs and new 4K footage of gorgeous classic cars. Each episode focuses on a different period, weaving together the drama of a cutthroat industry packed with big personalities and iconic cars.
Distributor American Public Television
I owned 3 ‘64 Ramblers an Ambassador with a 327. Pretty fast for an AMC, but the front end would shake you off the road, and the power brake assist worked intermittently. Fiber timing gear cracked while idling down a driveway. Next was a ‘64 Classic wagon. 6/auto. It was the best of the three. Last was a Classic 4 door. 6/auto. Put plug extenders on a couple plugs to keep them from fouling from oil. Took longer to foul the plug, so didn’t have to clean them as often. Vacuum wipers were a pain. All in all. I bought them because they were cheap, so I can’t complain too loudly. As far as I’m concerned, AMCs of this era are nothing to write home about. If I never own another, that would be just fine. This one looks to be in decent shape. 24k ? I think not. Hopefully the new caretaker enjoys his acquisition.
It’s quite unusual. Would be fun to have
But would never have been a chic magnet back in the day. 😃
I sure wish my 6 cylinder 63 comet s22 convertible that I own has this kind of hp and torque figures.. She’s a little dog…!!! My grandfather had a similar AMC in green that they would drive back and forth to Florida annually from ny for the winter… Love the euro styling of the day.. Great car.
Dang, just as I get to Duluth, the seller has deleted the listing. Did one of you grab this Classic?
Count your blessings that you missed it. This AMC has been repainted and as
“That AMC guy” points out, the shock towers and engine bay should match the cars color. Note the right shock tower where someone taped off the VIN before spraying everything black. That white that is now visible was the engine bay color.
That car is barking. Poor fellow that got it, got it, I’d say…
If the car is not nearby, it pays huge dividends to have a professional inspect it for you.