On first glance, at least from the front 3/4 views, it’s hard to tell that this isn’t an AMC Ambassador but it is, in fact, a very rare 1967 AMC Marlin which for ’67 was based on the bigger Ambassador. This fastback fish is listed on eBay with a single bid of $8,500 but the reserve isn’t met. I know, they’re not only rare but they’re quite valuable now. It’s located in Paonia, Colorado. Thanks to Ikey H. for reeling in this Marlin!
I’m a huge AMC fan and I absolutely love the 1965 and 1966 Marlins which were based on the smaller 112-inch wheelbase Rambler Classic platform. But, there’s something about this one-year-only ’67 Marlin which was based on the 118-inch wheelbase AMC Ambassador platform. The design seems to work a bit better overall but sales did not work at all with only 2,545 Marlins being sold in 1967, their last year in production. It’s a shame, they were a unique offering especially for a company like AMC.
Here’s where the inevitable comparisons to the Dodge Charger come in, we’ll wait.. (looking at watch, tapping foot..).. Ok, back to this ’67 Marlin. These are still on my top-ten wish list but I’d prefer a 1965 Rambler Classic-based car, I’m weird that way. Most people very much prefer the looks of the ’67 Ambassador-based Marlin. Which do you prefer?
The interior is in rough shape, at least when you first look at it. It’s hard to not notice the absolutely trashed seats. But, this is an even more rare 4-speed car so it instantly gains mucho street cred on that fact alone. The seller shows some areas that will need work on the body such as above both rear wheels but this car is worthy of a full-blown restoration, it’s that rare and desirable.
The seller says that only 32 of the 1967 AMC Marlins were produced with both a 4-speed and this 343 cubic-inch V8! The VIN decodes to this being a 4-barrel high-compression engine which is as good as it gets. No wonder there’s an $8,500 bid and the reserve isn’t met, this is thee 1967 Marlin to have! This car would have had 280 hp, as much as AMC offered in the Marlin. If a person could do some welding and interior work this could really be a good buy depending on the seller’s reserve price. Have any of you owned a Marlin? Any thoughts on this 343 V8 4-speed car?
It looks like a whole different car in these colors!
The punched in front bumper makes the face look very different too.
I do like the Ambassador platform better even though body is bigger it makes the “hatch” more in proportion.
I would take 1965 Rambler Classic, a 770 model, as a two or four door model over any of the Marlins from 1965 — 1967. The Classic that year was modest in style, but with the right paint and the car clean, it was pretty sharp. The highlight for AMC were the three years of AMC Ambassadors. AMC had a handsome lineup the last 1/2 of the 1960’s. The Classics, Rebels, and Ambassadors those years pretty sharp cars, and ALL had a current style for the times. I have never heard what it was the tripped AMC into lower sales, but those three years held their own against anything from the Big 3. If it was quality, why couldn’t they have improved ?
Very nice. Not a fan of the stacked headlights, but this was, and still is a very nice car. The factory 4 speed is the icing on the cake. Growing up in Milwaukee, we took many a lump when it came to ridiculing AMC’s. I remember, when the Marlin was introduced, we thought, THIS is the car, with it’s swoopy styling,as compared to grandpa’s Rambler Classic, that will make us the king. Instead, people laughed and pointed, what a joke, they said. ( We kicked everybody’s butt when the Javelin came out, however) The Charger didn’t do much better, and look at that today. Today, this, like the early Charger, is probably one of the most sought after classic’s you could get. Who’s laughing now?
Interesting how that works, guessing what’s going to be popular in the future. Stashing away a go fast Mustang or Corvette is a relatively safe bet, but who’s going to keep that old Nissan Leaf or Chevy Volt in perfect condition for the next 50 years? You never know!
If you have to have one, this is the one to have. I still would prefer a later model Machine, although it’s kinda apples and oranges
@Rhett, excuse me for not knowing but what is that? Model and year please.
‘71 Matador Machine Go, a very, very rare model. Maybe 40-50 were built. What I’d give to have one…even a clone
’67 was a design change for the Marlin. Has more of a Fairlane look with the stacked eyeballs and a little bigger overall being switched from the American base for 65-66 to the Ambassador base in 67.
That 343 will scoot this down the road for sure, and with a 4spd it’ll be a fun ride for sure!
Actually, the American was based on the Classic and Ambassador platform of 1963.
They were all able to be produced with the same door frames Uni-Side it was called IIRC correctly, cut down on stampings and production complexities] etc, saving AMC a lot of money.
Did somebody say AMC and scoot?
https://detroit.craigslist.org/mcb/cto/d/1972-amc-matador-nhra-ihra/6655531380.html
if this were mine it would not end up brown and white. i don’t care what colors it came with i would change ’em.
heck if you’re really concerned about having the ‘correct’ as built colors on it then perhaps wrap it in vinyl. sounds bad but it looks pretty good and for ~$1000-$1400 you get a car with a different color that’s removable.
Wrap it in vinyl… Are you serious???
Lot’s of cars are wrapped.Done right it’s very hard to tell.
egads—lots of Ford hot rods have chevy engines, too. Just because it’s done doesn’t make it right…
This one is where AMC could have had an offering in the personal luxury market long before designer editions of the 74 Matador coupe.
AMC’s Monte Carlo, Elite, Supreme or Cordoba years before the segment really took off.
A missed opportunity.
In Ambassador guise, the 2 door hardtop & convertible [and 2 door sedan that year] were probably the best looking AMCs ever [not including the Javelin] in 1967.
The 68 ruined the subtle details of the 67: the cathedral tail lights [something much loved by Dick Teague who had a hand in the 55-56 Packards] and the clean grille and light assembly in the front.
Nice car. Not seen everyday.
Longer chassis definitely improves the proportions.
Very rare indeed, as I recall AMC only sold about 1500 of these and most of those had smaller engines and automatic transmission. It has more of a mainstream look than the Classic-based Marlin, which is pretty bizarre. Aside from being larger, the ’67 did bring some nice upgrades over the earlier models.
Gone is the 1949 Nash torque-tube drive, replaced with an open driveline and 4-link rear suspension. The new series V8s replaced the sturdy but heavy and breathing-limited earlier mills. Never fear, though, there are still Ramblerisms present – vacuum wipers of course as well as trunnion upper front suspension are carryover. Automatic models still used the ancient Borg-Warner transmission.
This example has the liveliest engine and trans combo. The 343 4-barrel was AMCs biggest engine for 1967 and coupled with the 4-on-the-floor it should really scoot along. It also has power brakes though the master cylinder looks like 4-wheel drum type.
These are really nice cars that while they are somewhat difficult to restore, get lots of attention when you tske them to a local show
Very unusual for sure – looks kinda like a cross between a Plymouth and a Pontiac. I’m sure it gets a ton of ‘what is that?’ inquiries… maybe more fun than just another more common car.
In 1970 I traded a loaded 1960 Ambassador (air, electric windows and wipers, …) for a 1967 Marlin that had everything except air (factory tach, AM/FM w/ Vibratone, electric windows and wipers, front disc brakes, remote control mirror, 343, 4 barrel AFB, bucket seats with a nice factory console housing a Borg Warner automatic transmission, turbo cast wheel covers, clock…) It is still in my garage and was originally matador red with a black vinyl top. It is still matador red, even where the black vinyl top was. In ~ 1979 I converted it to dual fuel to use either gas or propane. My next project is to refresh the mechanicals, redo the paint and interior and go back to the original black vinyl top and remove the propane tank and carburetor. All three of my kids (born in 1974 (twins) and 1979) came home from the hospital in that car. And now living in Texas, it will finally get AC! A fews years after I bought my 67, my brother bought a 65 or 66 with the 327 which is looking pretty close to showroom new. For my 67, in about 180K miles, I had the auto transmission rebuilt once and I replaced the camshaft and lifters (low cost thanks to JC Whitney) because early on one lobe on the camshaft was a bit flat. To this day, the engine has excellent compression and doesn’t use oil. A weak point was (and still is) the power window motors, especially for the rear windows.
no 60 Ambassador had electric wipers, just saying.
Ah, the Vibratone, almost forgot about that option! I still have a Vibratone unit laying around from a ’64 Ambassador I used to own. Of course the ultimate factory audio would be an AMC 8-track player that mounts on the transmission hump.
I think the power window motors are from Ford, though that’s from hazy memory of having worked on a ’67 Rebel with power windows ages ago.
These were a good looking car that should have sold better, like all of AMC’s cars during these years. This would be unique car to take to any car show, and fun to drive to boot.
It’s a totally different car, but I think the ’71 AMC Hornet SC 360 would be a super rare car to own too.
Wow Scotty G, I would have never thought of you as being a AMC fan very cool! I don’t know about the quantity built tho because I remember looking at a couple of these growing up back then! You could be correct and I am just lucky enough to get to see them! They also had 4 speeds in them!
That dash, binnacle, and cluster surround is the same as the 67 Ambassador, and was what AMC used for all RHD export market AMC Rebel and Matador models from 1967-1977. AMC first used the RHD converted dash in the 3700 RHD Ambassadors they assembled for the U.S Postal Service in 1967 and after that the dash became the “standard” dash for all RHD cars thereafter.
Did not reach reserve at $9569.69.
I’m no expert on these, but that seems like all the money for a car like this in the current condition.
Have had all 3 years of Marlins. The ’67 was 343 auto. A real handling pig. Too big. But a real highway cruiser, especially with the cruise control on. Later, drove a blue 343 4-speed but didn’t buy. Terry Gale now has it at Rambler Ranch
For the 1967 model year, AMC decided to introduce a 343 V8 version of the Marlin with 280 HP on tap. Despite the fact it wasn’t a lot, it was still enough to provide the Marlin with decent performance and driving dynamics. Today, 343 V8-powered Marlins are rare, but there are even rarer versions. Some had a factory-tuned 343 V8 engine that produced 320 HP, giving the Marlin real power. While it’s unclear how many of those special order cars they made, today, they are nearly impossible to find.