Actually, not only have I never seen the elusive Rambler Country Club coupe, I can honestly say that I forgot it existed. Yes, the original little Rambler with the fold back roof sedan from the early fifties was unforgettable,
especially since Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane drove one in the Superman TV series. But a year after it came out (1950), it also got this hardtop coupe version. I’ll take their word for it, because I sure never saw one. But then that goes for a lot of early-mid fifties Nash and Ramblers.
I arrived in the US in 1960, and Ramblers were quite hot then, but mostly they were 1958s and later. I know cars didn’t last as long, but there were plenty of old Chevies and Plymouths from the early fifties still plying the roads of Iowa then. But old Nashes and Ramblers? Pretty rare birds indeed.
And frankly, I find myself having to grab my Encyclopedia of American cars more often for old AMC cars from the pre-1958 or so era than even for Studebakers. The transition from big Nashes to Ramblers, but with Ambassadors in the mix was a bit complicated, and having never really focused on them as a kid, I still struggle with them now. That’s why we do AMC week; a chance to learn something new, or re-learn what I long forgot.
I would have loved to do a more comprehensive history of AMC, but I’m too crunched right now. But another time, for sure. I still need more brushing up!
The hardtop coupe (dubbed Country Club) was actually introduced before the facelift — it arrived for MY1951, right after the little wagon. It was initially offered only in Custom trim, like the landau, and cost something like $30 less than the Custom wagon.
As I recall, the wagon was the most popular of the early Ramblers, presumably because it was the most useful body style from a utility standpoint.
You’re correct about the Country Club Hardtop. Also, I believe the one in the ads that appear here is actually a ’55 or newer, by the exposed front wheels. I’ve seen a few of them in person, with and without continental kits.
But an original Rambler Landau with the “sardine can” roof is something I would give almost anything to own — what a perfect work of art! If I had that car plus a Mark 1 Golf GTI (Rabbit GTI), I think I’d be set for life.
Uh, the Country Club Coupe is neat and all, but the real story is the wild sorta-Targa model in the 2nd picture!
The Custom Landau was the first Rambler model. Nash wanted to make it clear that just because the Rambler was a small car didn’t mean it was a cheap car for people who couldn’t afford better (which was the image Kaiser-Frazer’s Henry J ended up having).
The Landau was a compromise, because there were concerns about the unibody structure being strong enough for a full convertible. The window frames are fixed, but the roof rolls down, not unlike the new Fiat 500C. It’s not a targa, because there’s no crossover bar; it is more or less an actual landau.
A cabriolet top like VW or Morris Minor quite common back then never seen these early Ramblers out here probably not imported it looks slightly like a Nash Metropolitan
The 2CV Citroen also had a roof like this.
Paul, will we see a Matador coupe? I believe it has the distinction of being the last Colonnade-style two-door sedan with roll-down back windows! That certainly deserves an article all by itself!
Absolutely; when I find one. Not this AMC Week, I’m sorry to say. But, hey; we need something to live for, right?
In the meantime:
http://ateupwithmotor.com/luxury-and-personal-luxury-cars/214-amc-matador.html
Thank you! I needed that. I knew someone who had one of these, but never did find out how far down the windows actually went! For some reason, I’m really fixated on openable back windows on coupes, because they should, at least on cars where passengers are expected to occupy the back seat!
A fellow college student in 1958 had one of the earlier models, a 2-door hardtop, with the two-bar grille and low front wheel cutouts. It was in nice shape, and was loud because he’d split the manifold and put dual pipes on it. This was in Iowa, he was from Chicago and the car didn’t have any rust, so he must have either taken really good care of it or bought it from someone who did.
My father bought a 1952 Nash Rambler Hardtop same yellow as in your 2nd picture and a black roof in 1957 as a 2nd car when my mom went back to work. He paid $225 for it though it had only thirty some thousand miles on the clock. The reason it was so cheap was that there was a foot square rust hole in the middle of the right rear fender and the tops of the rear fenders were totally eaten away with rust. Engine ran great and it was quite a peppy little car. Drivers and passengers sat very low with chin about level with the bottom of the window frames I recall. And I mean adults sat that low, not real comfortable in that respect. We were waiting for Big Joe’s Car Lot to open and this other guy was there with the Rambler wanting to sell it to Big Joe. Big Joe didn’t want it and my dad didn’t really want a second car (pressure from mom you know) so he agreed to buy the Rambler for the $225. We took it home and started working on the rust with fiberglass repair kits. Our repairs were totally solid but looked awful. Then I painted over the yellow with light grey Dupont Duco enamel using a brush but only using downward strokes – a technique I had perfected touching up our 56 Ford Ranch Wagon. The end result looked fairly respectable and actually brought me more rust repair work – not bad for a 13 year old kid. The Rambler stayed around for 2 or 3 years until Dad tried to tune it up himself. He got disgusted and sold it to a mechanic.
That Custom Landau (2nd photo) looks familiar — Henry Ford Museum, right?
The urbane models don’t match the frumpy cars in these Rambler ads.