The Rambler Six was available from 1956 to 1960 but in 1958 they were given a bit of a redesign with sharper edges and corners, four headlights, and they jumped on the tailfin bandwagon, too. This gorgeous, almost-all-original 1959 Rambler Six Custom sedan can be found listed here on eBay in Lakeland, Florida, halfway between Tampa and Orlando. The current bid is $7,959 but the reserve isn’t met yet.
What a car, this thing is beautiful and the seller says that it’s mostly original. There is some fading on the trunk lid according to the current owner, but if almost everything else is sixty-two-year-old paint, it’s in amazing condition. This color, too, beautiful. I know that it’s shallow of me to always go off the deep end rambling on and on about the cosmetic appearance of the vehicles shown here, but I can’t help it, looks are important to me. At least for vehicles, clearly I don’t care about my own appearance.
You can see the small but big-for-AMC fins here. I prefer the more rounded Nash-like design of the 1956 and 1957 Ramblers but I would not mind seeing this 1959 Rambler Six in the garage every day. There was also a Rambler V8, or Rebel, with a 250 cubic-inch V8 whereas the Ambassadors could be had with a 327 V8. Again, anything would work for me. Even the trunk compartment looks to be in fantastic condition.
I actually like seeing some wear on the driver’s seat, it tells me that this car is probably mostly original. Although would the door strikers have been painted from the factory? That’s one detail that always sticks out for me and it depends on the manufacturer. The back seat looks perfect and this car has a three-speed manual transmission with a column-mounted shifter: aka – a three-on-the-tree. About three years ago, I looked at a 1960 Rambler Super and it was a nice car but the steering was a little loosey-goosey and it smelled like gas. At $3,000 I should have grabbed it.
By the beard of Zeus! I may need a minute to compose myself, this engine compartment is so nice compared to most that we see here. The only thing I would add would be to ditch the green-top battery or maybe get a battery-topper but man, this is nice. It’s AMC’s 195.6 cubic-inch overhead-valve inline-six with around 125 horsepower. The seller says that this is a fun, simply amazing driver and I have no doubt about that. I would love to own this car, how about you?
You can see the ground, and a lot of it, from under the hood! When was the last car built where that was possible ??? ?
I like the reverse kink in the C pillar. Several years ago I saw a 57 Nash wagon and I had no idea what I was looking at. I know some people call these ugly but I think they are really nice.
It’s a ’58 Rambler Ambassador Custom Cross Country hardtop. Very rare even new and originally planned to be the Hudson Rebel.
If I was one of those 11 million millionaires( that STILL bamboozles me) this car would be on a transport, headed to the upper midwest, to be offloaded at Scotty’s front door. I still haven’t forgiven him for passing on that Super. They are a handful, and coming from any modern car ( I think Scotty has a Porsche Cayenne) it’s going to seem a bit backward, and it is, but for 1959, this was perfect. The guy across the alley from my folks, his mom had a ’59 or ’60 Classic 4 door, similar to this,, V8, 4 barrel, automatic, posi, and I tell you what, that car was the car of choice for the “stoplight drags”. Not much else, in the family sedans, could beat it. They were cars built by my friends parents and neighbors and were mighty proud of what they did.
Noth.my sister and I learned to drive on a 59 Ambassador ,4 dr this thing was a showroom beauty snow whit red and black interior push button shift ..center trunk mounted slanted antenna and FULL continental kit It was stunning and with the 327yup we raced hell out of it trunk seams rusted some wish I had it today
A very nice car, indeed! As I’ve gotten older, I find I prefer vintage cars in original condition and this ’59 Rambler really appeals to me. It’s nice to see a car that looks as it did when it left the dealer showroom. The overall condition is amazing, especially under the hood. Maybe some restoration has been done to the car over the years but if it there was, the originality seems to have been retained. This would be a car I’d love to see at a show or cruise, a fairly rare car. It seems to be a turn-key car needing little and hopefully the ask isn’t unrealistic.
It’s listed on their website for ?19,900. It is nice, but there are other cars I’d rather have for that amount of money.
Steve R
This particular dealer is ALWAYS NOTORIOUSLY OVERPRICED!
Sadly, “ended” just short of $10,000.00
11 million millionaires? That seems low. OH, and Howard, the car hobby is dead.
Yeah, give or take a couple thousand. You know, just when I think the hobby IS dead, something like this comes along. I don’t go for this “adjusted for inflation” crap, somehow $1500 dollars in the 80’s was easier to come up with than $7000 now, but I think it’s still within a families budget. Biggest problem I see with this car, is the manual trans. Rather than learn how to drive it, and possibly baking the clutch, which is a pain to replace on these, many will simply pass it by. With only 7 bids, it’s not exactly a popular car.
For a guy like me Howard, who hates little as much as he hates frickin’ automatics, this would be fine. I would prefer floor shift though. And I would ditch the wheels and the whitewalls… Other than that, it’s beautiful.
It’s easy to see how AMC sold a million of these cars. They were a nice looking “economy” car before there was such a thing. It’s why GM, Ford and Chrysler came out with their compacts beginning around 1960. And this car’s in great shape and has a beautiful color besides. If I wasn’t on the opposite diagonal corner of the US, I’d pick this up.
Nice car! My folks had a ’59 wagon–but
not for long though. Dad traded it after
we lost the floorboards going down
Market Street. These cars are seldom
seen today due to rust issues. When I
had my ’62 Classic 2-door, I was quite
surprised to find no rust whatever in the
floors or trunk. This car is 21/2 hours from me and if I could get it for a fair
price, I would teach Sis to drive a 3-speed, and it would be driven back to
Melbourne under it’s own power. Who
knows, she might like it better than our
Hyundai Accent.
Seeing the words “gorgeous” and “Rambler” in the same sentence, well frankly I never thought I would see that day.
Amazing (to me) how perspective changes over time.
Laughed at these cars as a kid but looking at this one right now, Wow, what a beauty!
Same here. I had laughed and poked fun at cars like these when I was a kid in the 1970’s but now it’s a head turner.
Honestly I like all that is AMC/Rambler/Nash however the big 58-60 senior cars really did nothing for me……. Until now.
This car has the color, look and presentation. The cars stance has been changed as the front is lowered. Not sure how that has been accomplished with the trunnion suspension but I won’t question it. It’s just cool.
I would usually prefer the smooth V8 but in this case it wouldn’t matter. Even the wheels are perfect. This is so nice George Romney is smiling.
Gasp! Did nothing for you, get out,,,we’d run you out on a Milwaukee Road rail, you talked like that in MilwauKenosha, kidding, but these, I felt, were the last of the “glitzy” Ramblers, like most late 50’s cars. I too noticed it seemed a bit low, and no underside shots, I’d be curious how that was done. Usually, when Ramblers looked like this, like my grandfathers ’61 Classic, the front end rusted, even in seemingly rust free cars. My grandfathers had 41K, perfect body and int. but the trunnions were rusted and nobody would fix it. He had the 6 and I remember it ran quiet as a mouse, but it was off to the junkyard, a fate most Ramblers ended up in.
First, I currently HAVE a 1959 Super in good shape. Same engine but upgraded to the factory 2BBL, with the original BW push-button automatic. I admit I’d rather have the manual. There is just way too much power lost between flywheel and road wheel. Other things to keep in mind on these: (1) the door seals were monstrosities when new and aren’t available anymore, so if you must park it outside make sure it’s covered; (2) these were built with the double-acting fuel pump that served as a vacuum boost for the wipers. If the wipers are non-functional, you’ll spend a small fortune rebuilding both pump and motor – just to have the pump go south again if you let it sit with ethanol in it. I have not found an electric wiper kit that didn’t require a bunch of engineering and metal cutting to install. So, if you would prefer an auto, lemme know. I also have a low-mileage Ambassador with the 327 and oodles of power.
JB,
Don’t use original AMC fuel pump rebuild kits. There are plenty of companies selling NEW pump kits that are ethanol compliant. You can also do an exchange for a rebuilt pump from several suppliers who specialize in rebuilt fuel pumps. I had no problem getting an ethanol compliant kit for my Tatra V8!
I don’t know for sure what the 1959-60 vacuum wiper pumps look like, but if it’s the basic Trico unit with a rectangular fitting at the main shaft that fits into a matching recessed slot, then there is an electric wiper that fits.
Just buy a repro 1957 Chevy electric wiper motor. It was an option on all ’57 Chevy cars. It’s 2 speed, and still uses the Bowden cable from the Rambler’s switch to the wiper motor. All you need to do is run a single power wire from the ignition switch to the wiper motor. Do remember to connect the vacuum pump intake and exhaust ports together so they are not getting dirt contamination, as that will cause early failure.
I’ve used the very same Chevy electric wiper motor on multiple V8 Packards, and GM cars like my old 1955 Cadillac Fleetwood 60s & ’57 Buick Roadmaster Riviera hardtop.
It’s just great to have Bill McCoskey’s tips! Its like going to school!
Too bad the Ramnler is being sold by a dealer :)
Seeing these at the side of the road with one front wheel at an angle up inside the wheel well was not an uncommon sight, it seemed to happen at low speeds, rounding a corner.. Ralph Nadar missed this one. Failed trunions or ball joints, I don’t know.
The trunnions were the weak link in the pre-1970 AMC front suspension.
Those Ramblers were so butt ugly they actually rounded the corner to become attractive…
Ended. $9,100.00.
Checked out the other 47 cars for sale by this seller. I remember when sellers had a lot where they sold their inventory. Now they take a few photos, put them online, and wait for the offers to roll in.
Steve,
I remember those times as well. The “internet of things” has changes so much of what society does, and is, now. I’ve been involved with multiple auction companies over the years, both as a buyer and a seller. I see the entire auction system changing drastically, with “in-person only” auctions becoming the lower grade services, typically used for estate disposal. The combination in-person and online auctions are working well for typical collector auctions, and the “high line” auctions are still mostly in-person types, due to people wanting to see exactly what they are paying top dollar for.
What it also means is I can “attend” multiple auctions at a time, because they typically allow advance bidding a couple weeks ahead of the closing date/time. I no longer need to wait for hours to bid on a single item I want, and if I get out bid, I’ve wasted a day and purchased nothing. As I write this message, I have 4 different auction services, each handling multiple bids for me, and I’m not having to worry about Covid19!
I miss the old “in your face” competition found in the old style auctions, and I miss the friends I got to know at some of the weekly auctions that have closed, or switched to online only. Now today I have no idea if my “friendly competition” is even online, much less bidding against me.
I miss not having my vintage car shop’s lot full of interesting older vehicles, and the contacts I made with people who stopped by to look, or sometimes even decided to make a purchase. That no longer happens. I guess websites like Barn Finds are slowly replacing those in-person experiences. But it’s just not the same.
I used to spend almost every Wednesday at a local wholesale auction company that had been in constant weekly use for over 60 years. They ended the in-person auctions about a year ago, and have only recently started up online, and it’s not the same. But the owner says his bottom line is far better, and his overhead is less.
Bill,
I LOVE your comments!
Steve
Thanks Steve, Great minds DO think alike!
Remember well. Grew-up in the way back seat as we called it. Don’t make me come back there. My Dad owned a Rambler Dealership in the early 60’s. Strasser-Stadler Rambler of Ravenna Ohio. In the summer we kids would be at the lot wash’n cars sweep’n clean’n windows all for the reward of maybe 4bits still was fun.And of course in the winter as like today. Sweeping snow off cars and shoveling walks.Was a great time growing up.
If we only knew then what we know now, we would have bought a couple of these, as no one liked or wanted them.
My first car was a 1950 Studebaker Champion Starlite Coupe, Dad gave 50.00 for it. Drove it for a year and traded it on a 1958 Rambler Classic! Moving on up.
Considering what the Big 3 was offering in 1959, this car actually has some beauty to it. 1958-1960, I don’t see many of any more. Two things I noticed on the drivers seat. (1) you could easily reach and operate the seat adjuster. On todays cars, you must be rather flexible to reach the adjustment bar at the base of the seat. (2) it has the reclining back. If I remember correctly, you could actually lay it down flat. My 1996 Caprice Classic will just about do that. All I need is a foot rest and I would have a recliner! I actually like these fins. The other makes of this era, that had fins, were in excess, as far as I am concerned.