For 1963, American Motors threw aside the quirky, dated styling of its mid-sized Classic and introduced a far more conventional and contemporary design.
Introduced in 1956, American Motors’ intermediate-range cars—marketed under multiple names including Rambler, Rambler Six, Rambler Rebel, Rambler Classic, and Rambler Classic Six—sold reasonably well for the company. But by the early ’60s their oddball exterior styling had grown dated and out of step, triggering a complete redesign for 1963. The resulting ’63 Rambler Classic was the last product to be designed under the direction of AMC styling chief Edmund E. Anderson, who joined Nash in 1950. Upon his retirerment, his second in command, Richard A. Teague, rose to the top spot.
More than a simple restyling, the ’63 makeover included significant upgrades to AMC’s unit-construction platform. The wheelbase was stretched from 108 to 112 inches so that now the mid-size Classic and full-size Ambassador could share the same floorpan, reducing tooling and production costs.
Meanwhile, body shell construction was streamlined with an approach AMC called Uniside (above), echoing Budd’s Monoside developments of the late ’20s and similar to contemporary door-ring construction. By stamping the door surrounds in a single piece, component counts were reduced and door fits were greatly improved. Uniside construction was among the innovations cited by Motor Trend magazine in naming Rambler its 1963 Car of the Year.
For the official rollout on October 5, 1962, the new car was presented as the Classic SIx, as there was just one engine available, the 195.6 overhead-valve six (some of which were produced with aluminum blocks). However, it could be coupled to a variety of transmissions, including three-speed manual, overdrive, Flash-O-Matic supplied by Borg-Warner, and the new Twin-Stick manual-overdrive above. (More on Twin-Stick here.) But in February a Classic V8 was introduced, powered by a small-bore 287 cubic-inch version of the Ambassador 327 CID V8. Just as we would expect, penny-pinching AMC buyers most often chose the six-banger.
The ’63 Classic was offered in three trim levels (550, 660, and 770) and in the usual assortment of body styles: two-door and four-door sedans, six-passenger and eight-passenger wagons, There were no convertibles or hardtops, though a pillarless two-door would be added in ’64. True to the stereotype, practical Rambler buyers gravitated to the wagons. The six-passenger wagon was the next-best seller in the Classic lineup, second only to the four-door sedan.
Rambler had its biggest production year in history in the ’63 model year at more than 464,000 units, and the mid-sized Classic played a major role in the success, accounting for two-thirds of the volume. The Motor Trend award couldn’t have hurt, either. The Classic would undergo a few more makeovers before it was discontinued for 1967, replaced by the all-new American Motors Rebel.
My folks bought a new 1959 Rebel with that 327 cu. in. and a Holley 4 bbl. A push-button automatic, dash mounted. That car was a “sleeper” and my folks never knew the fun it gave me. A stoplight to stoplight contender, it blew them all away. It was a fine automobile….
Didn’t realize that Ramblers had curved side glass as early as ’63. GM, for instance, didn’t introduce curved door glass until later – ’66 maybe.
Even though I was and still am a Ford guy, I always liked the AMC’s from 1963-1967 and some later all wheel drive models. My friend had a 1985 Grand Wagoneer and it was the car from Hell, succumbing to a under dash fire when it was just a few years old.
Hailing from Beer City, I can confirm, the MT CotY award had a profound impact on sales. I had neighbors that worked at AMC, and those were banner years, all the workers put in overtime. It was one of the highest paying factory jobs in Milwaukee, and a waiting list to join. While 1963 may have been a good year for AMC, it was still very much a regional make, with most cars limited to a 4 state radius of Wisconsin, they weren’t very popular elsewhere. Not mentioned, the Classic morphed into the ill fated Marlin, and was a dismal failure. If only it had a hatchback. Ramblers were great cars, and AMC even better, kind of the Rodney Dangerfield of cars, they just can’t get any respect.
If you can find some Consumer Reports magazines of the day, they were not fans of the AMC cars.
I also recall in a Car & Driver article about the Joie Chitwood Show that when they did a show, they’d get cars from the backlots of the local Chevy dealers for the crash stunts, & they had a standing ban on AMC products because Joe said “they folded up like an accordion”.
My dad had a 62 Classic withy the three on the tree and eventually he moved up to a 67 Rebel 770, the car I learned to drive on. When I was a kid I wished my dad had a new Pontiac Parisienne, but you can’t afford that when you’re a Flight Sergeant in the Royal Canadian Air Force. Eventually I came to appreciate American motors for it’s unique innovations and I was a big fan of Dick Teague’s work. I especially loved the first gen Javelin and the Rebel, very clean with the matte black grill and flush door handles.
I bought a ’63 660 6cyl 3spd overdrive four door in 1970 for $55 when I was 17. Liked the reclining seats and that reliable 6cyl.
The ’63s had great styling, followed by a smaller version for the American in ’64. Ed Anderson was in charge of design, but I’d bet most of the new look came from the pen of Dick Teague.