In 1966, American Motors was cautiously dipping a toe into the youth market with modest yet sporty offerings like the Rambler Rogue. See the tongue-in-cheek marketing campaign here.

This 1966 commercial spot from American Motors returns to a continuing theme in the automaker’s marketing campaigns, both playing into and playing against the stereotype of AMC products as nerd and granny vehicles. The company was proud of its reputation for value and economy, and rightly so, but it was also keenly aware that the model line was badly in need of an image makeover.

And so it was that AMC was cautiously testing the waters of the performance car market that year with offerings like the Rambler Rouge. Not a muscle car by any stretch, the Rogue was more of a sporty, kicky compact in the mold of the Falcon Sprint. An extension of the deluxe American 440 line, the Rogue featured an upgraded interior with vinyl bucket seats and a snazzy center console. AMC’s newly redesigned 290 CID V8 was under the hood, a first for the Rambler platform, and 1,700 special editions sported distinctive two-tone paint and a four-speed manual transmission. Attractively priced at just $2,370, the two-door hardtops found nearly 9,000 buyers in ’66.

In the original ’66 commercial below, dweebish college professor James Terwilliger offers a lift across campus to a lady colleague, who is startled yet intrigued by his flashy new ride. “You went and bought an expensive sports car!” Helen exclaims. Well, not really. But for Professor Terwilliger, it was exciting enough. Enjoy the video.