American Motors redesigned its “mid-size” cars in 1963, the Classic and Ambassador. The cars were so well-received by Motor Trend that they bestowed “Car of the Year” honors on these Ramblers. The 660 was the mid-trim model of the Classic, with the 550 aimed at fleet purchases and the 770 for buyers wanting a nicely decked-out vehicle. This ’63 may be a 94,000-mile survivor, though the paint looks too nice to be six decades old. Located in Avenel, New Jersey, this AMC is available here on craigslist for $5,500. An attaboy goes to Jack M. for this tip!
AMC invested heavily in redoing the Classic and Ambassador in 1963. They were slightly smaller, and the two series shared the same platform and wheelbase, unlike the 1961-62 models. A lot of buyers in 1963 went with an inline-6 in the Classic 660, but this car’s first owner did not. A 287 cubic inch V8 likely resides under the hood, and it’s paired with an automatic transmission rather than a “stick shift”. The owner also sprung for power steering and brakes, more like a 770 customer would do.
According to the seller, this Rambler is a TV and movie star, having appeared in an assortment of productions. These include American Horror Story, Godfather of Harlem, and a few that have yet to be released. We’re told this is a good running automobile that starts up and goes right to work. The seller adds that a fair amount of work has been done over the years, and there are receipts to back it up, but this work is not outlined.
The body and maroon paint look darn nice, and the interior is also good, though at least one door panel is going to need repair. This was a radio-delete car, but the seller has a correct unit you could install; its working condition is unknown. This Rambler is not perfect, but for the asking price, you can get into vintage car collecting without breaking the bank.
I just love those Rambler features, makes me feel right at home,,( takeoff on another great Lynyard Skynyrd song, Mr. Breeze) Movie star car, you say? Amer. Horror Story, you say? We’ll see about that. My daughter was the production designer for those shows and never mentioned a Rambler. Regardless, it doesn’t add squat to the value, and the seats, Russ, don’t forget the front reclining seats, the absolute butt of all car jokes. The “CoTY” award was our moment in the sun. I still say there was phoofery afoot, with cars like the ’63 Riv, or GP, I think old Roy had a favor coming, but it did little for sales. It was still a Rambler.
This is a fantastic find, it won’t be here long. If my living situation wasn’t so sketchy right now, this would be on its way to Scottys driveway. Maybe next time around, pal, if any.
Very nice example, my first car was a ‘63 Rambler a lot like this one but was a station wagon in turquoise with a 6 cylinder. Got a lot of jokes but not when it was time to haul the hockey gear.
Nice car! Gotta love the delete plates in the dash for radio and clock. Those screamed “cheapskate!” to passengers back in the day. Being in NJ you’ll definitely want to check underneath for chassis corrosion. (Is that a rust hole near the passenger side hood hinge, or a shadow?) Also due to a design flaw these cars are susceptible to serious rust in the heater box area causing water leaks and ultimately a rusted floor on that side.
As I recall for 1963 power steering was via a hydraulic assist cylinder on the manual steering linkage. (Integral power steering gear came in for 1964.) I could have sworn that a generator was standard on 1963 models as well but an alternator could have been installed somewhere along the way. And what’s with the aftermarket turn signal switch?
In addition to the Rambler-exclusive reclining coil-sprung seats you have a dual-circuit brake system years before the feds required it. The ad says “power steering and breaks (sic)” but there is clearly no brake booster.
The car should move out well with the 287 V8, but it’s a heavy lump which induces corresponding levels of understeer. However these were not intended to be sports cars and they are nice comfortable cruisers.