Cohort poster monteverde3 (Gene Herman) has been documenting the CCs he encounters with his 1949 (first series) Dodge coupe. We saw a few of them here a couple of weeks ago, and there have been some others that I didn’t post here. But how can I not post this encounter with a Rambler American two-door wagon? As you know, I have a thing about two-door wagons, as well as two door sedans, and I will never resist any of them posted at the Cohort. Let’s take a closer look.
And not just any two door wagon either, but what has to be the homeliest one ever made. These Americans from 1961-1963 were a mighty sad attempt to add a bit of updated skin to a car that was a decade old, which was more like a century back than. But in their dumpy, Tonka-Toy way, these are of course madly cool again, and a popular hipster-mobile. I’m not to keen on the wheels, but that’s easily rectified. Otherwise, it’s…perfect.
It’s not often that you can make an immediate postwar Mopar look positively sleek and racy, but the American 2 door wagon does it beautifully. 🙂
I don’t think I have ever seen one of these, or at least I never noticed one before. This has to be the ugliest thing AMC ever made. A Lark wagon is positively elegant in comparison. Just wow.
HA, jp! Well put.
Yes, that’s a slick-looking Dodge club coupe. I wouldn’t mind seeing more shots of that. The homely little AMC station wagon, well, for that I can wait until it emerges from the body shop with Coddington wheels, lowered to the max, covered with the latest color of kustom kar paint.
The different slants on the B and C pillar give off a homemade look. I do like the hood ornament, shows off the high trim model and allows this Rambler buyer to escape the cheapskate charge.
Thought you and the Cohort would enjoy seeing this Rambler, Paul. I might add that it was parked outside a body shop, so this might very well be the “before” picture. It’s apparently rust-free nature and sun baked paint make me think that it’s a recent arrival in New England from warmer climes and the racy looking aftermarket wheels have to be one of the greatest automotive visual non sequiturs of all time.
Wow. I don’t believe I have ever seen a Rambler American TWO-DOOR wagon! That’s fascinating, and would love to see one up close and personal!
I’d take the blue whatchamacallit coupe next to it, though.
Here is mine. Just bought it in Wyoming and brought it home.
I always liked Ramblers-even when they were considered “uncool”,and this chunky little American two door is no exception.Sure, it ain`t a Nomad, but thats missing the point.This beauty has something thats sadly missing in most of today`s look alike cars. Character.
It would have been cool looking if they had made it like the Chevy Nomad wagon, with a slanted rear end, and similar side windows. AMC didn’t have a sporty wagon until the Hornet Sportabout. Cut the rear section off the Rambler and weld on a Sportabout rear. Wonder if the width is the same ? Probably not.
Again Monteverde makes the Dodge look infinitely more graceful and lively than it does in real life, but he couldn’t save the American. The sedan was awful enough. The mis-angled C pillar on this wagon is beyond the pale.
Anderson should have left well enough alone and waited for the ’64. The ’55/’58 Americans, sedan and wagon, were pretty when new and even prettier now. Timeless.
His ’61 is timeless in the opposite sense… there was never a time for it.
I like these Plain Jane funky little old cars, even better as a wagon.
I like the wheels. Makes it look even more like a chunky toy car. If I had to pick, I’d definitely take the Rambler over the Dodge.
At least by this time they had lost their round “pod” instrument panel.
While not a great looking car by any stretch, this Rambler proves once again that the wagon version of a car is sometimes the best looking body style.
That Rambler estate looks, in profile, even more Volvo 145 like than the saloon counterparts
I’d take both cars. I like Mopars of any year and the Rambler is a good project car.
Let’s see, take the engine out of my wife’s 300 SRT and ………….