The 1961 Rambler American sported radically new sheetmetal, but under the skin it was essentially the original Nash Rambler introduced back in 1950.
While folks may love the styling of the 1961-63 Rambler American or not, everyone can agree it was unusual. But while the tall, narrow, boxy design was distinctive, it wasn’t entirely a choice. In developing a new compact for ’61, American Motors styling chief Ed Anderson and his team were stuck with the aged 1950 Nash Rambler unit-construction platform (above) with its tall spring towers and stubby 100-inch wheelbase, and they largely dictated the package. Tiny AMC, with a fraction of the sales volume of the Detroit three, had no cash for a new platform.
So while the ’61 American was bold and fresh on the outside, drawing praise from the automotive press, underneath it was essentially unchanged with the same aged chassis and driveline. However, by dodging the design and tooling costs, AMC was able to offer its compact for a very competitive price. At $1,831 for a base two-door sedan, the Rambler American undercut the Ford Falcon by nearly a hundred bucks.
The new body shell did support a four-door station wagon, so now there were both two-door and four-door wagons in the lineup (above) along with two-door and four-door sedans and a cute converible. For the ’61 introduction, there were two available engines, both 195.6 CID inline sixes: an L-head with 90 hp and an overhead-valve job with 125 hp. For ’63, the 138 hp six with two-barrel carb became an extra-cost option.
The usual three-speed manual, overdrive, and automative transmissions were offered. Also available, we have to mention, was AMC’s novel E-Stick setup, a manual transmission with an automatic clutch, marketed as a low-cost alternative to a fully automatic transmission. And for 1963, AMC’s nifty Twin-Stick transmission was added to the option list (see our Twin-Stick story here.)
At $2,369, the ’61 Rambler American Custom Convertible was the lowest-priced American convertible on the market that year. (Falcon and Corvair didn’t offer convertibles until ’62, while the Studebaker Lark ragtop cost hundreds more.) Thanks in part to its unique market position, we suppose, it sold in respectable numbers, despite one charming quirk. As we can see in the overhead photo above, the rear seat was remarkably narrow, cramped by the top mechanism and 1950 Nash body structure.
Arguably the most glamorous of the ’61-’63 Americans was the ’63-only Hardtop Coupe, below. As the pillarless hardtop was closely based on the convertible’s architecture, it shared the same cozy rear seat. The hardtop was produced in two trim levels, 440 and 440H, with the H offering bucket seats, a console, and the 138 hp six. These were the first compact hardtops offered by the automaker since the Rambler Country Club of 1955.
AMC sold more than 136,000 Rambler Americans in 1961, which was not just a sizable jump over the 1960 numbers, but it also provided nearly 36 percent of the corporation’s total volume that year. The automaker was briefly launched to third in U.S. sales, knocking Plymouth from its traditional perch. In total, more than 367,000 Americans were produced in ’61 through ’63, and for 1964 the AMC compact finally received a much-needed, much-deserved new platform. (You can read about it here.)
“The usual three-speed manual, overdrive, and automative transmissions were offered. Also available, we have to mention, was AMC’s novel E-Stick setup, a manual transmission with an automatic clutch, marketed as a low-cost alternative to a fully automatic transmission. And for 1963, AMC’s nifty Twin-Stick transmission was added to the option list (see our Twin-Stick story here.)”
No. The Twin-Stick was a fully-manual 3-speed box with a mechanical overdrive bolted to the back. The main stick was the basic 3-speed pattern, and the shorter stick (both floor-mounted) engaged or disengaged the OD. A little white button on the main shifter would cut off the OD for passing as long as it was held down.
I only know this because I owned a 1964 Ambassador 990H with this transmission setup behind the 327 V8. The OD never worked and if I pushed the little white button on the gearshift, the engine would die.
The paragraph is correct as written. Your understanding of English might be different than mine.
Your paragraph describes an automatic clutch. I cannot find any evidence, English or not, which supports this claim.
Good, we’ll do a story on it.
I think you are both essentially correct, as I just read your article on the twin stick transmission. There is a clutch pedal, so it isn’t really an automatic clutch. The white button does undo the overdrive so that it drops down a gear, although it’s not dropping down a gear really, the overdrive has just been dis-engaged.
“It’s a breath mint, no, it’s a floor wax, Wait, you’re both right!”
Brian, I appreciate your comment but I think you are just adding confusion. Overdrive, E-Stick, and Twin-Stick are all different setups.
Actually, there shouldn’t be any confusion at all if people take the time to read the story before they comment.
I believe you are correct!
SallyB,
The B-W overdrive units were designed to momentarily disrupt the ignition system to take the load off the internal OD sprag clutch so it could disengage. If the engine would die when the button was pressed, I am pretty sure there was an electrical short or the OD relay was defective or burned out. This is also why the OD didn’t work!
SaltyB, you are confusing the overdrive and Twin-Stick. Two different options. BobT, E-Stick is an automatic clutch system. Brian Addley, the E-Stick is not the Twin-Stick. I do take some time to research and prepare these articles. Please take the time to READ them before you comment. Thank you!
You are correct, I didn’t read it thoroughly. Sorry.
Stay tuned. We will soon have a story on the American Motors E-Stick automatic clutch. Interesting setup — hydraulic operation and vacuum control.
My folks purchased a new 1959 Rambler Rebel…4 door. It was a very roomy car even without being overly large and it had the best ride with coil springs all around. The thing was, it looked like a sleeper because of its “stodgy” styling but, many stoplight to stoplight drags were not a problem for the Rebel as it was powered by a 327 cu.in. with Holley 4 bbl. and push-button automatic trans. My folks didn’t know what they had bought and I had some real good “bragging” times with that fine automobile.
Excellent article, great insight on the styling.
The boxy body had slightly more rear headroom than the “bathtub” Ramblers and more trunk space despite being shorter in length. They were a full 3″ narrower than the ’60 American with unchanged track and passenger compartment width, owing to the extra width built into the old sheetmetal to allow the front wheels to cut within the pre-1955 skirted fenders, which meant the ’61 had a slight gain in absolute space utlization and a huge one in space efficiency as a coefficient of interior volume to footprint.