This extremely rare and low-mileage 1970 AMC Rebel Machine (8,700 miles, 1/4 mile at a time?) is listed for sale here on eBay. The car is located in Murrysville, PA and bidding has understandably topped $40,000 (think what it would be if this were a “big three” car!)
We are told this car is completely original and that it was sold to the current owner at the Mecum Indy auction in 2012. I found the link to the original auction listing here. Apparently it was raced in the NHRA by the selling dealer.
I’ll tell you, after looking the pictures over closely it’s hard to find fault with this survivor. What I don’t understand is why this car isn’t going for over six figures — it sure seems like a wonderful find to me. I know we have some very knowledgeable AMC fans on our site; can some of you chime in and explain how special this car actually is?
The interior looks like it’s never even been sat in for any length of time!
Under hood appearance is just as nice, even down to the flexible vinyl windshield washer bag on the fender! How about this red, white and blue piece of ‘Merican history? I love it — do you?
I was a just 18 years old and I knew this younger mechanic who worked at a dealership back then. He bought a brand new machine with this paint scheme. Took me and a friend of mine for a ride, wow is all I have to say. This is and was one of the coolest cars of the time. Fast and he threw it in some curves and I was truly impressed and there were some pretty good cars on the road then. AMC was on there last leg then a real muscle car.
Quick correction, 1/2 mile at a time ( got to get back) It’s special now, mostly because, it was not special then, to most. Like the SC/Rambler, the paint scheme threw many off, on an already not so popular car outside the midwest.
This car is special, alright. It’s a one year only car, and the 1st 1,000 or so, were these colors, after that, it cost an extra $75 bucks, and more were sold in the 14 other colors they offered. ( 2,326 total) They did one thing great, 14.5@98 mph in the 1/4, out of the box, but not much of a car otherwise. The reason it’s not 6 figures, is apparently, we haven’t gotten over that stigma about AMC’s. We never got the respect of the Big 3, but with this car, we showed them! At the AMC reunion a few years back, it was quite a site, seeing at least a dozen of these lined up, and only 2 or 3 were RWB.
Going through the pictures on the ad, I noticed it has header plugs…was that from the factory, AMC guys? Didn’t really fall in love with this car until I saw those….
woo doggies try to find one!! 8,700 miles, 1/4 mile at a time. up to 44 large now. Would be great to take to car show, but then I kind of think it belongs in a museum.
Good luck to the new owner!!!
Not an AMC fan but this is an amazing time capsule. Seems cheap at this price but I’m sure it will go much higher.
Beautiful example. Sold for 60K in 2012.
Yeah, but are they ORIGINAL miles??
This is pretty much the Holy Grail for performance-oriented AMC fans! (Well, along with the AMX and SC/Rambler.) Rare even when new, hardly ever saw one on the road even back in the day and have not seen one in this condition in practically forever. About the only things that look non-original are the gold lettering on the sides and the Interstate battery under the hood.
The wild paint job and striping is a love it or hate it kind of thing. (I actually prefer it to the more sedate solid color models.)
I prefer the solid color examples, saw one in brown, it was stunning! My personal holy grail would be a S/C 360 Hornet with the 4 barrel engine and of course a four speed!
If this car was ever raced in NHRA stock classes, it isn’t in its “as raced” condition. As it sits, this car is not legal to run “stock” back in 1970. I looked at a 1969 and 1971 rulebook, it doesn’t have a scatter shield and the exhaust cutouts point towards the track, it would never pass tech Inspection. It also lacks other things you would typically find on a car running in stock at the time such as traction bars and aftermarket gauges. This car looks more like a promotional vehicle used by the dealer rather than a dealer sponsored race car. I’d be suspicious of the “race history” unless verifiable proof existed, otherwise it’s a nice story, but not worth paying extra. To get top dollar as a former race car, it would need to be period correct, this car isn’t, even if the claims about a “race history” are true.
Steve R
Well said Steve and really the bottom line on the car. It’s really a top notch example of an AMC muscle car or any muscle car for that matter, but it seems more of a car that was left in its factory production state as opposed to a modified stock drag car. A fantastic original none the less. Id be curious if it meets the 60 k threshold it realized in 2012.
Maybe it was raced in the AHRA and / or IHRA, they had more “open” Stock Rules back then than the NHRA.
Below text is from a rare original 1970 AMC Rebel Machine Owners Manual Supplement Booklet:
iv. nhra ( blueprint-not for street )
The following changes and modifications represent a list of permissible engine and chassis changes recommended for preparing a car for National Hot Rod Association stock class.
In NHRA competition although many modifications are allowed in
suspension and safety areas, the engine parts must remain
exactly the same as those installed in the car when it leaves the factory. Of course, it can and should be completely blueprinted according to released factory specifications. According to the released factory figures your Rebel Machine has an advertised shipping weight of 3650 lbs. with an advertised horsepower rating of 340, which gives it a power to weight ratio of 10.735. This qualifies it to compete in NHRA G/S & G/SA classes.
*Blueprint cylinder heads.
Valves should be reground to a performance seat, combustion chambers should be cc’d and brought to the minimum of 49.10 CC’s allowable by factory spec. by milling the head surfaces.
Mill .010 of an inch from the head to gain 1.6 CC’s.
*Re-bore engine block .030″ over-bore.
*Mill Block Deck to minimum .0020″ Deck Clearance allowable
by factory spec., stock Deck Clearance .0105″ +/- .0085″
*Install Mallory Hi-Output Ignition System AMC Service Part No. 448-7900. The desired ignition curve is pre-set in the distributor from the factory.
*Re-jet carburetor secondary 2% richer.
*Reduce car to optimum weight ( 3650 lbs. ).
*Retain heavy-duty 10-1/2″ Borg & Beck clutch and 40 lb. flywheel.
*Install rear axle ratio of 4.44:1, AMC Service part No. 320-9854
*Use 28.5″ x 7″ rear drag racing slicks.
*Install special 90-10 front shocks
*Install special 50-50 rear shocks with 1-3/8″ piston diameter.
————–
Under AHRA rules engine and chassis preparation is not restricted solely to the use of stock parts. The following recommended changes and modifications are based on experience and testing done both on the dynamometer and the drag strip.
*Install a manual lash camshaft of your choice, (maximum .580 lift recommended).
*Replace stock cylinder head with special large valve performance heads,
2.065″ Dia Intake, 1.740″ Dia Exhaust, AMC Service Part No. 448-8659
*Install special Edelbrock aluminum intake manifold AMC Service Part No. 448-8409
*Install special Holley 4 barrel 850 cfm carburetor (?Vac Sec, List #?) AMC Service Part No. 448-8646
*Install Mallory Hi-Output Ignition System, AMC Service Part No. 448-7900 The desired ignition curve is pre-set in the distributor from the factory.
*Install Doug Thorley headers, AMC Service Part No. Left Side 448-5727, Right Side 448-5726
*Add Ram Air Package (Only if car is not equipped from factory).
*Retain heavy-duty 10-1/2″ Borg & Beck clutch and 40 lb. flywheel.
*Install special 8″ rear wheel rims.
*Use special 10″ rear drag racing slicks.
*Install special 5.00:1 rear axle AMC Service Part No. 448-6587
*Install special 50-50 rear shocks with 1-3/8″ piston diameter.
*Install special 90-10 front shocks
If you don’t like the colors ,buy a grey BMW or Kia,depending on your budget.
(multiple SC/Rambler ,69 AMX ,Purple Pierre Cardin AMX owner )
You have to pay more for the good ones, I was always told.
Holds true for cars too my friend! Lol
I Like the wash bag, Interstate’n shaker hood…
header plugs R funny. Imagine a 390 rumble under ur seat.
You lost me with the header plugs chrlsful.
You’re far more tolerant than most. I checked out immiedietly at ” ‘n shaker hood.” Lol
Header plug…https://images.auction123.com/2efc0a2d-2f04-463e-92c7-3c95db3b365d/A0M190Y177923/53.jpg?wtrmk10nw
Those “header plugs” are generally referred to as exhaust cutouts.
Someone added those at a later date, the NHRA rulebook said cutouts could be used on cars running in stock, but specifically states they couldn’t be pointing down at the track.
Steve R
Doh! Thanks flmikey. I always called them exhaust cutouts like Steve R mentioned. Take care, Mike.
Neat car , interesting story too , but I’d rather have any 4 speed 1970 GM A-body muscle car , or a Torino Cobra Jet , or a Road Runner or Super Bee . On a side note , I got a great deal on a clean one owner , 27K mile 69 AMX 390/4 speed , around 87 , it ran pretty good but just wasn’t what I wanted . I had a rusty 69 W31 Cutlass at that time that would whoop it’s ass (and many other cars at the time too) . JMO .
I remember Dad and I working out in the farm shop when this Rebel Machine pulled into the yard. The guy got out and was asking Dad for directions to another operation. “What kind of a car is that?” Dad asked. “It’s a MACHINE,’ the guy responded enthusiastically. “It’s my pride and joy.” He drove off and we went back to changing knife sections on the cutter bar for the combine. “I don’t know what he’s all revved up about,” Dad muttered. “It’s just another damned Rambler.” AMC had to deal with attitudes like that all over the country. They could’ve built the best car in the world but the stigma was: “It’s still a damned Rambler.” That reminds me of some of my relatives down in the deep south when they refer to a ‘Damn Yankee;’ they grow up thinking it’s one word; AMC had the same trouble with Rambler….
You mean to tell me it’s not one word?
There was a guy next town over from me that had one of these for years in his yard……passed by it a couple times a week. I soon realized what it was, but somebody beat me to the punch….alas, it was gone. Never saw it again. No where as nice as this, but was red, white and blue…
I wish I had the money for this car I have been wanting 1 in this color scheme but without the rebel machine down the sides of it and without the engine size on the sides of it also
AMC always had polarizing designs, but this car is not only beautiful it represents one of the Grail cars of the muscle era. It’s going to go for a bargain price compared to the others of the time as well I bet.
6 figures?
Some readers are confused by the term header plugs as I was, until I saw the photo. A lot of people refer to these as exhaust cut outs.
Spotted one like this in a PX brochure while serving in the Army in Cam Ranh Bay, RVN; you could buy it through the Exchange and have it waiting for you in San Francisco when you DEROSed to the States! Really wanted one but knew a divorce was coming and had to pass!
Why isn’t it over 6 figures? Easy, it’s an AMC.
No respect at all.
Having said that, I would love to own a Javelin as my next fun car.
Exactly, PRA4SNW
If this was a Judge in the same nick it would be well over $70K by now I’m sure. I think Machine has to be considered one of the rarest – if not THAT rarest – of all the makers tire roasting muscle cars.
AMC designs were often polarizing but I think this is flat out gorgeous. But then I drive old Saabs, so there’s that LOL
Whoa, a recent comment sent this thread to my email, so I started reading the posts. I saw my post from 9/21 and thought “How the hell am I commenting this in the future”. THen I realized it from a year ago.
Time for a nap…..
Back to the future Dennis! Sweet dreams on that Javelin. Take care Mike.
Note that the reserve hasn’t been met, with bidding currently at $45,100. This car seems like a pretty good investment to me at anything under $50k… The new owner is sure to be the only one in a sea of Camaros and Mustangs. I’m a Chevy/ GM guy, but would love to own this! The only drawback is, even if I won the lottery and could afford this, I couldn’t bring myself to drive it! It seems way to nice to risk getting hit by some nimrod in a Kia texting someone!
These with a bit a little headwork matching ports, tuning ,exhaust and tire/ suspension work were in the mid to high 13 second and very street friendly.
IMO in todays whacked out market 60K is a very decent price for a great Muscle car that not many can ever own.
Only ever seen one other example of a ,yes you could get headers with cut outs and even dual quads, cam and kit from
factory as Dealer installed options, was an asnordered Red White and Blue drag race AMX that was ordered by AMC dealers som in SW Wa. St.
Sad story on AMX but it still resides under sevond owner in Cali.
As for me. if I woulda coulda had the funds, 60- 70K, I would of gone for it and drove it to anywhere there was an AMC car meet.
This is another Rebel Machine raced back in day, 1/4 mile at time, The Invader from JJ Motors http://www.planethoustonamx.com/amc-dealerships/70-rebel-machine-dragcar-invader-j-j-motors.JPG
The 67 Banzai Bill Rebel Funny Car was pulling 1200+ horsepower and breaking records all over USA backed up with the Grant SST Hayden Proffitt Rebel Funny Car
http://www.planethoustonamx.com/press_photos/68-grant-rebel-sst-funnycar.jpg
The Grant car along with other drag AMCs, taken to LAX American Airlines tarmac at the AMC Dealers Mystery Trip (google that)
Of which the Rebel Machine evolved into going out with bang in last year of Rebel Series, shown here at the NHRA Finals in Dallas for it’s introduction by American Motors http://www.planethoustonamx.com/press_photos/70-rebel-machine-dallas-texas.jpg
Press received a Rebel Machine Press Kit of which I sell them for $25
The Rebel itself didn’t do great in sales, but AMC had huge strike early in production costing them 34,000 vehicles for 1970 Calendar Year. Not good! Rebel Machines are neat cars if you can find one, and really nice to see a low miler almost 50 years later. Up With The Rebel Machine! was the slogan! Eddie Stakes’ Planet Houston AMX
Saw one last weekend in these colors @ Purestock Drags. It was a very nice example. My former neighbor of 40 years ago had a grey one, made the mistake of trying to race me in my ’70 Cutlass Supreme SX. He lost badly.
Would Love to have this car… Find Another one this original!
I am totally blown away by this. I believe there is an old AMC “The Machine” commercial where a very knowledgeable sales person approaches a young buyer in the showroom who is looking at one of these. The salesperson hits on every performance aspect of the car and impresses the young buyer. Found it.
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?adlt=strict&q=amc+commercial+the+Machine&view=detail&mid=9285958550371475CB3B9285958550371475CB3B&FORM=VIRE
This AMC commercial is pretty funny.
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=amc+commercial+the+Machine&adlt=strict&view=detail&mid=F5B3B7AE6934807F9239F5B3B7AE6934807F9239&&FORM=VDRVRV
Wow. Very cool ride. But. The Interstate… I’ve had great service from Interstate batteries… everything I’ve got has one in it… but that car needs a black battery…
I sent an email to the seller and asked if there was any documentation showing that the car has a race history. Still have not received an answer.
Lovely car.
The cutouts… I remember the header plugs coming out in Graffiti… but how does that work, surely it would weaken the mixture?
Whenever I ran an engine with no exhaust, it ran like crap.
Drag raced with the air pump and manifold plumbing. Unlikely to be competitive … ? Without rear “ladder” bars (or whatever … )
Ended: Sep 24, 2018 , 11:15AM
Current bid:US $49,100.00
Reserve not met
[ 39 bids ]
THE BRUCE SMITH FACTORY RACE CAR – PART ONE
The feature car is the only FACTORY REBEL MACHINE RACE CAR in existence. It is not a fake.
This car raced undefeated for two years out of Vancouver, Canada. I knew the original owner, Bruce Smith. It is not quite in its as raced condition because Hal Hoover the second owner took the V Code option Doug Thorley Headers off and replaced the stock exhaust manifolds on it. I think he thought that would make it more valuable. I disagreed then and I disagree today. Anyway he did it and as it turns out, I’m extremely lucky he ignored me. The reason for that is because I’m writing a book about the unique story of how Rebel Machines came to exist. That car is the only RWB four speed Machine I’ve been able to find with the smog pump installed using all of its original parts. I needed the shot of the exhaust plumbing on each side of the engine. If Hal hadn’t done that I’d have been S.O.L. Luckily, Rick the current owner did take the shots for me.
In my opinion this car is worth north of $100,000 easily. The reason it hasn’t sold is entirely due to a lack of publicity and of an almost complete lack of knowledge in the marketplace of how good, or rather fantastic these cars were. The people who did buy them realized that and many have saved them hoping against hope that some day there would be money and parts available to restore them.
For a start, Rebel Machines were a lot faster than most of the magazine reviews gave them credit for.
Secondly, AMC did not buy into an American government scam that was perpetrated on the auto industry in 1969. It was an environmental certificate the manufacturers were required to buy that would permit them to build engines above a certain power to weight. The cost was prohibitively high. AMC knew they’d never sell enough to even break even on the certificate. So they didn’t buy, so no big blocks and no power options installed at the factory except for the ten you’ll read about shortly.
But AMC did provide a V Code option that enabled customers to order 472 horsepower Machines and quite a few of them were built. Two of them were tested on the track by Martynn Schorrs high performance magazines where they ran high 12s. But NHRA would not allow them to race without AMC paying for the certificate like everyone else. In other words – allow yourselves to be extorted like the good fellas we know you are or you can’t race.
This is all covered in Martynn’s book Day One.
How the Factory Machine Race cars got fast:
It might interest you to know that the stock Autolite carb could be re-jetted to perform like an 850 Holley with the the stock cam. That would overwhelm a stock cam in any other domestic but not a 1970 dog leg port head AMC V8. Those engines inhaled the extra gas and cranked out excessive horsepower.
The car did not need trac bars. The Rebel Machines only had wheel hop with the station wagon springs in them. After they found that out, normal Rebel springs were used and the wheel hop eliminated. That enabled the cars to launch perfectly flat like a bullet, no nose lift, virtually no wheel spin.
The other thing that most people missed was that when the first cars were built they all had defective gear shifters that hung up and cost a second e.t. between second and third. All the journalists that drove them noted the gear shifts cost them a second. With the defective gear shifts they ran 14.4s. Once the gear shifts were repaired by Hurst they ran 13.4s. That wasn’t recorded in the magazines because the testing had all been done by then. So it was an easy second to pick up without headers even.
I think Bruce said he ran in F stock. Where he ran he said was from Vancouver to L.A. but mostly in Seattle.
The Bruce Smith Machine at the drags on Vancouver Island.
Hugh Rider was the name of the AMC dealership in Vancouver this car raced out of. That’s Bruce behind the wheel launching the car. As you can see, no front wheel lift and no burnout. The car ran flat and didn’t waste time with excessive wheel spin.
I mentioned F stock before but you can clearly see the H on the windows.
This car was raced every sunny weekend for two years. UNDEFEATED.
John, Not sure how I missed this. Most impressive. Would like to PM you
You can email me at
gullyfourmyle@gmail.com
I wish I still had my machine got when I was 16 it wasn’t red white and blue it was gold tan interior functioning scoop .being young and stupid I sold it to buy a new z28 in 1984
I had one that was all white with a black vinyl roof. Bought in 1972 with only 4,000 miles on it. Automatic with trigger shift – was great for cruising.
I still have a 45 year old photo of it. Was my favorite muscle car along with my ’69 Roadrunner (my first car). Second was a GTO, Machine was my last.
Power steering with the rubber ring inside the steering wheel to honk the horn,
It did have an after market a/c – but this was Phoenix-so air was a good thing.
Kept it for about 3 years, got married and traded it off. BIG mistake to trade it off – apparently this car was very rare.