Upon first glance, this 1967 AMC Rebel Briarcliff Wagon looks rough. Ok, upon second and third glances it also looks rough, but if there was ever a wagon worthy of a full restoration, this rare 1 of 400 Briarcliff is it. The seller has this very rare “regional wagon” listed here on eBay in Bangor, Pennsylvania and they have a buy-it-now price of $1,999 listed. This is one car that I hope can be saved.
There are very few of these cars left, at least in nice condition. They were made for regions of the U.S. with salty roads and that environment isn’t kind to most vehicles, including this example. The Briarcliff is one of three “regional” wagons made by AMC for their Rebel wagon line and they were very, very limited-edition, to the tune of around 1,500 made in all three models. The Briarcliff is the rarest of the bunch with just 400 being produced. The Mariner (600 were made) version was bright blue with white “teakwood plank” sides, and the Westerner (500 were made) was white with sort of a burled leather-like vinyl trim. Here are all three models. I don’t believe we’ve seen one of these wagons here on Barn Finds until now.
All three had unique color schemes and it wasn’t just paint, as the Briarcliff had “black camera grain” (pebble-grain) side panels and red paint elsewhere. I’ve been trying to figure out how to restore an old ATV with pebble-grain fiberglass that needs repairs, and I’m not sure if a person can get replacement Di-Noc material in a black pebble-grain or not anymore. The regional wagon series was reportedly only made for a half-year in 1967 and then it ended.
The Briarcliff was made for specific cities in the South, East, and Midwest portions of the country, cities such as Memphis, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Hartford, Providence, and Albany. Tough areas for winter driving and this car shows the ravages of rust almost everywhere, sadly. The seller has done a nice job showing a wide variety of photos, including the underside.
As rugged as the exterior looks, it may look even more rough inside. I hope the passenger door panel is somewhere, and you can see that almost everything will need to be restored inside, although, the steering wheel looks nice, so there’s that. The seat pattern and color shouldn’t be hard to match, as shown in the back seating area. The rear cargo area looks solid other than some heavy surface rust in the cracks and crevices on the floor.
The engine is AMC’s 290-cu.in. OHV V8, which would have had 200 horsepower and 284 lb-ft of torque when new. It sends power through a three-speed automatic to the rear wheels and actually looks pretty nice under the hood. The seller says the engine runs “surprisingly well”, shifts fine, the power steering works smoothly, it has great oil pressure, and three of the tires hold air. You know it needs new tires anyway, but this really looks like a car worthy of a full restoration to me, what do you think? If I hadn’t squandered my life, I’d be all over this one.
The Mariner version was sold in the Pacific Northwest, and there was one in the neighborhood here some time back. But all three of these were somewhat attractive. I’m wondering if these cars show a unique VIN? If so, it’s a good start to restoring one. Though this car? I’m not so sure, it’s really rough. It may be better to use it as a donor.
Interesting write-up Scotty. I had no idea these specialty models existed. Maybe an AMC enthusiast will bring it back to life.
One small aside: that’s a cool steering wheel.
I tell ya’, leave it to this guy to find the obscure. Now I’m not braggin’ folks so don’t put me down,,,but I thought I heard of every Rambler/AMC to come down Hy.41, but I never heard of this. Don’t you just love the retro 60s chic model in the ad, like this is some Ferrari. In a more accurate meaning, we never really cared what they were called. A Rambler( that’s right, called Rambler well after the AMC thing) was strictly a “beater with a heater”. Come to think of it, I don’t ever recall anyone with a new one. They seemed to accumulate in back rows of car dealers, mostly on a trade in as not many wanted to buy a used Rambler. Wagons were actually quite popular, probably their biggest seller, it’s just, when the suspension rusted, the motor was pulled for that Gremlin project, and amazing to see one here at all. Just like the 70s, yank the motor and scrap the rest.