1965 was the first model year for the redesigned third-generation Rambler Classic and you may have a hard time finding a nicer one than this 72,000-mile “mostly original” example with a 287 V8. This beautiful Mystic Gold 1965 Rambler Classic 770 two-door hardtop is listed here on Facebook Marketplace in Pelham, New Hampshire and they’re asking $12,000. Here is the original listing, and thanks to Bruce M. for the classic tip!
This is a screenshot of a video the seller has provided showing this great-looking Classic hardtop backing off of a trailer. It’s not on YouTube so I can’t attach a link here, but please check out the listing to see the video and the 19 (!) photos the seller has loaded into their listing. Fantastic job, seller! It makes me like this car even more if that’s possible. The photo above shows this car wearing its “dog dish” caps, but the first photo shows it wearing some very cool wire wheel spinner covers and both sets are included.
The third-generation Rambler Classic was made for only two years before AMC retired the Classic name, 1965 and 1966, and they came in the usual body styles, but it’s hard to beat a two-door hardtop. There was also a 770-H model but this example doesn’t have an “H” badge below the 770 badges on the front fenders. Even without being the somewhat sportier H model, this car is pretty desirable, at least to anyone over 40. 50? Hello?
Speaking of desirable, the beautiful interior looks fantastic and they say it was redone recently. We don’t know exactly what was redone but it looks nice inside. The last generation Classic was basically a smaller Ambassador with a different grille and a few other differences. The seller has provided a few underside photos and it looks solid, although it’s been coated so it’s hard to tell. They say it’s a solid car so we have to go with that.
This car has an AMC 287-cu.in. OHV V8 with just under 200 horsepower and 280 lb-ft of torque. It sends that power through a three-speed Borg Warner automatic to the rear wheels and I’m assuming the radiator cap was removed to show the green antifreeze? Power steering adds some driving ease and this would be a fun car to own. Have any of you had a last-generation Rambler Classic?
Wow, that’s a beauty. Too bad we can’t have ’em all!
I had one of these in college just before the Oil Crisis of ’73! Mine had a lower interior trim level (cloth seats split bench to allow entry to the back seat) but the same mechanical layout. Mine was a 550, I think. Great highway car and I think, generally speaking, these Romney era Ramblers are still attractive if unostentatious! Reliable too but the 287 has a fiber timing gear which can disintegrate (age-related-like a timing belt?). Not an interference engine so no big deal. They also had a little quirk-sometimes jumping into reverse when you slammed the hood down (probably a wear issue). It happened to me once-the car pulled the hose right off the gas pump starting a fire! I spent the night in jail while they figured out if they needed to press charges. Now it’s a fond memory of a much-enjoyed car!
All of AMC’s V8 engines were interference engines. When the plastic cam sprocket teeth wore out the timing could jump, and that was a big, expensive deal.
Ask the guy who also owned three of them.
AMC did not have plastic teeth on the crankshaft or the camshaft. They have coated steel teeth designed to cut down noise and when the plastic wore out it did accumulate down in the bottom of the timing chain cover but it would never cause the timing chain to jump a tooth. Obviously, you had some but did not do the work.
American 🇺🇸 as a slice of apple pie 🥧
Much to my 10 year oldest horror, my dad brought a used Rambler American home in 1963. Simple six flathead was pretty boring, was prone to overheating. Today, that is the image in my mind whenever I hear the word “Rambler.”
These had a curved glass in the side windows, which corporate bragged about ad nauseum. I cannot recall why it was such a big deal. These were also the last full year of dealer drive where you could watch you car get built and save the freight by driving it home. I felt like I was living the dream being young and generally not being challenged anywhere in the yards or in the final inspection area. Chrysler had a completely different policy whenever we (rarely) visited their offices. Maybe it was that my Dad always brought many bottles of Crown Royal which wasn’t available in the US in those days. And he actually liked the AMC guys who viewed us as part of the team while Chrysler always managed to show us how insignificant a dealer from Coeur d’Alene was in their hierarchy.
My grandfather always drove Cadillacs, but he bought a 66 rambler because it was cheap. That was the first and only American car I’ve ever seen that had an alternator light instead of a generator light.
The neighbor across the street from my parents’ house owned one of these in a 4 door version. Some of AMC features were a little ahead of their time what with reclining front seats like this one has. His had the 232 6 cyl. He used to have come over & wash it under crab apple tree. After they adopted a Burmese girl I was hoping he’d call over more often. My, she was fine! and the car wasn’t bad either! LOL!
Listing update: this one is gone, did one of you buy it?
I’m the seller. I took down the listing for now, but might re-list it but I’m looking at another car possible! Thanks for the great post! Defiantly a rare interesting car!
I had a 1965 770 Hardtop. It had the 327
cu.in option w/ a Holley two barrel. Factory air and fabric seats. Basically all the option of the time. It was a road dog! Got it in Iowa, inherited it from my grandmother. Died in Louisiana, probably the timing gear issue I’ve read about. It had in excess of 200K miles at the time of its demise.