The 1959 model year was a banner one for American Motors. They sold a record number of cars not only for themselves but also for any “independent” automobile manufacturer. AMC built sensibly sized products that appealed to those with families who were part of the postwar ‘baby boom” of the 1950s and 1960s. This Cross Country wagon, part of the Super series, looks to have held its own, although it will need some cosmetic and mechanical attention. From Eugene, Oregon, this classic is available here on craigslist for $7,950. Thanks, T.J., for this “ramblin’” kind of tip!
AMC had four basic model ranges in 1959: American, Rambler Six, Rebel, and Ambassador. In the Rambler Six line, the cars were further divided into Deluxe, Super and Custom trim. That year, the Super Cross Country station wagon, like the seller’s car, was the second-most-popular model in the Rambler Six range at more than 66,700 copies. The company was now known for building smaller, less-dramatic autos that were economical to buy and maintain. This reputation helped plaster AMC president George Romney’s face on the cover of Time magazine.
The seller’s Super has been off the road and tucked away in a garage since 1978. It has managed to stay mostly rust-free except for the surface variety, also referred to as patina. That means it’s a solid vehicle that would be a fine candidate for restoration. Under the hood should be (no photo) AMC’s cast-iron overhead valve inline-6-six that displaces 196 cubic inches. With a robust compression ratio, which resulted in 127 hp fed by a single-barrel carburetor. This wagon has a “3-on-the-tree” manual transmission which should have an overdrive feature.
No attempt has been made to start this Rambler, but we’re told the engine turns freely and – with a new battery and some fresh gas – it might run with a minimum of fanfare. The odometer reads 22,000, which likely means it turned over sometime during the car’s first 19 years on the planet. The seller is set on getting his asking price, but a loss of storage space has prompted the sale. This would be a neat wagon when fixed up as these machines don’t turn up every day.
This stuff seems to be coming out of the woodwork as time marches on. More accurately, elderly owners are having their stuff gone through. Probably 0% chance of any restoration. For the record, in ’59, and well into the 60s, we “local Rambler folk”, never said much about the “AMC” name. To us, they were always Ramblers. I read, in 1966, Roy Abernethy, then president, convinced the board Rambler had a stodgy image, and slowly, the Rambler name fell to the wayside. The last one was the 1969 Rambler American. To say the motor was AMC isn’t exactly true, I think more of a Nash design. I don’t think this car has O/D, more of a Studebaker thing. I’ve seen a lot of Ramblers, many 3 speeds, and never an O/D. O/D was a road thing, and most Ramblers were city cars. If the clutch is bad, and there’s every indication it is, it’s a big job. Again, it’s a neat find, makes me think of home, at least how I remember it, but they have to be nicer than this for any interest today.
I live in the same city and this guy has collected interesting stuff for years. He used to be open to the public but that hasn’t been the case for awhile. I was wondering what was going on at the location as you could tell they were moving stuff around. That’s an ambitious price.
I also live in Eugene and saw this because my automated craigslist search criteria includes manual transmission. My first impulse was to respond saying saying; what the hell? $8,500? Now I wonder if it actually sold for that amount.
Deleted already, yikes!
My aunt/uncle had a Cotillion pink/black wagon of this model, with the six and automatic. They held onto that thing into the 60’s, then got tired of being laughed at by us when they pulled in the driveway & traded it for a brand new baby blue `64 Country Squire with a 390 & everything on it!
Here is what a query turns up…
American Motors had a history-making year of sales in 1959. There were four basic model ranges: American, Rambler Six, Rebel and Ambassador. In the Rambler Six line, AMC bequeathed a simple new eggcrate grille with a gap between the grille and the hood where “RAMBLER” was spelled out in stand-up block letters. The Six line was further divided into Deluxe, Super and Custom levels in ascending order of trim. Supers, like our feature car’s Cross Country, were distinguished by a script callout in the rear door near the tip of the missile-shaped side trim spear. The Super Cross Country turned out to be the second-most-popular model in the Rambler Six range, with 66,739 examples produced, topped only by the Super four-door sedan, which rang up 72,577 sales units in 1959.Power came from American Motors’ base engine, a cast-iron straight-six with OHV architecture. It displaced 195.6 cubic inches and boasted a robust compression ratio of 8.7:1. That translated into 127 horsepower at 4,200 RPM, the solid-lifter engine being fed by a single-barrel Carter Type YF-2014S carburetor. The transmission is a three-speed manual, backed up with overdrive.
Having recently restored a ’59 Ambassador, I can tell you that ‘it ain’t cheap’.
No great abundance of parts like there are for a Tri-5, Mustang, or F150.
So if you’re gonna do it, gotta buy it right.
The ‘ask’ on this one is pretty steep, IMHO.
My parents owned a 59 wagon 6 with 3 speed with overdrive .Two brothers and two sisters learned how to drive with it. Great car and we had it for years.