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It accounted for nearly 39 percent of assemblies, surpassing the two-door as the most popular American. The corporation reported a net profit of $48 million on revenues that exceeded $1 billion! AMC’s total sales for the fiscal year 1960 were 478,249 cars. The former underdog was now riding high, and Rambler had an enviable image as a “David” against the “Goliath” of the Big Three. That same year, AMC reported a pre-tax profit of $105 million, and the $60 million it got to keep after taxes was still well more than double 1958’s figure. The cleverly recycled Rambler American had certainly done its part to help make that happen.
The Ramblers were restyled for 1958 and new larger Rambler-based Ambassadors made their debut. Thus came the decision to resurrect the 100-inch-wheelbase Rambler as the Rambler American. To see how the American was styled, continue to the next page. According to Chapin, they expedited this by buying a second-hand 1955 Rambler from a local dealer to serve as a concept car. To get an idea of how the 1958 Rambler American styling would look, engineers produced a mock-up. To build on AMC’s growing momentum, Romney wanted to add a third car line.
Engineers and stylists were able to come up with a good-looking design that allowed a large enough rear-door opening. Internal memos show that as early as May 1957, AMC executives knew Ford was working on a compact car. In March 1960 came the new Custom series. It’s probable that the four-door sedan was added to counter Ford’s new Falcon. Its features included color-keyed upholstery, custom steering wheel, full wheel discs, carpeted floor mats, dual horns, and bigger tires. No four-door wagon was planned; with a complete restyling due for the following year the cost of tooling up a new roof panel couldn’t be justified.
Manual transmission with overdrive was also available. To demonstrate 1958 Rambler American performance, specifically its remarkable fuel economy, AMC engineers Carl Chakmakian and Les Viland drove an overdrive-equipped American from Los Angeles to Miami. Other options included a custom steering wheel, two-tone paint, wheel discs, radio, outside mirror, electric clock, tinted glass, windshield washers, oil-bath air cleaner, partial-flow oil filter, Weather Eye heater, and, of course, AMC’s famed Airliner reclining front seat, a favorite at Lover’s Lane. Driving at an average speed of 40 mph and under National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) supervision, the Rambler achieved 35.4 mpg — better than many foreign cars. To see how the 1958 Rambler American performed, continue to the next page.
