classic-ramblers

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1960 Rambler Six wagon that recently sold for $31,900 at a Barrett Jackson auction

#barrett jackson #1960 #rambler #wagon

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1970 AMC Javelin SST

#1970 #amc #javelin #sst

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If you had to choose one, what’s your pick?

#amc #AMX #javelin #sc/rambler #rebel #rebel the machine #hornet #sc/360

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1984 AMC Eagle 4WD Wagon as a prize on “The Price Is Right”

#amc #Eagle #wagon #1984 #the price is right

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1973 AMC Hornet GT concept car

#sort of a Hornet and Gremlin mixed together #AMC #Hornet #concept car #1973 #vintage cars

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Mark Donohue with AMC AMX/3 chassis #3, 1970

(AMC Photo/1970 with image restoration by Rich Truesdell/2023)

#amc #amx/3 #mark donohue #1970 #concept car

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#1967 #amc #rebel #rebel mariner #station wagon #wagons

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1977 AMC Matador Barcelona coupe

#amc #1977 #matador #coupe #classic cars

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1977 AMC Matador wagon

#amc #matador #station wagon #1977

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Grand opening of AMC dealership in West Allis, Wisconsin, 1973

#amc #rambler #javelin #gremlim #west allis #Wisconsin #milwaukee #car dealership #1973

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(Reposted from Kenosha History Center page on Facebook)

Battery Powered Rambler American, c. 1970.

AMC started working on battery-powered cars in the 1950s already, with a hybrid car project run jointly between AMC and Sonotone (the hearing aid manufacturer). This wasn't exactly new. Electric cars are older than internal combustion engines, and hybrid power sources were used in small warships in the 1890s already. But the auto industry is infamously resistant to change.

In the 60s, AMC partnered with Victor Wouk (considered to be the father of modern hybrids) to figure out how to use lithium in batteries to power a car. It didn't happen: lithium ion batteries wouldn't be figured out for some time, despite everyone and NASA trying to figure them out. Instead, they produced a 1969 Rambler American Station Wagon with a trunk full of Ni-Cad cells.

That is not this car. It IS a 1969 American, but clearly a two door.

Globe Electric (of Milwaukee) made a deal with Sears to sell automotive and radio batteries through the Sears Catalog in 1924. Rising demand convinced one of the owners of Globe to start the Union Battery Company (in Chicago) a year later. The two companies were merged in 1929. And rapidly became the largest manufacturer of replacement car batteries in the country. They remained the largest when they merged with Johnson Controls in 1978. Globe-Union was also, after a 1961 deal, the OEM supplier for AMC.

This photo was taken at the entrance to Globe-Union's headquarters (currently one of Johnson Controls' headquarters campuses) at 5757 N. Green Bay Ave in Glendale.

It's unclear what role AMC had in this car, but it set the Milwaukee Mile lap record for an electric car in October 1970.

Loaded down with 1200 pounds of standard car batteries in two banks, powering a 27 horsepower electric motor, shot the car around the track at the blistering speed of...

46.73 mph.

As configured the car could go about 50 miles on six hours of charging.

Which really isn't bad. Seriously.

Even though electric cars were going 100 kph (62 mph, considered an unattainable goal for cars at the time) at the end of the 19th century, those were flimsy little things with a lot more power to weight. Plus we have to consider the state of technology in 1970. Battery power hadn't changed much since those early electric cars. The type of chip we use for a wide array of power controls was only just developed and the microprocessor was a year in the future, so there was no fast charging and no digital power management. The illusive Li-ion batteries, which cut down on battery weight over lead acid or Ni-Cads, wouldn't be commercially available until 1991 after being in the R&D phase for 30 years, so it carried an additional car's weight in batteries.

Not bad, all things considered.

It's more surprising that with the ubiquity of electric cars in the early 20th century that one hadn't set a higher Milwaukee Mile track speed record, given that it opened in 1903

#KenoshaHistory

#amc #rambler American #electric cars #vintage cars #Kenosha #rambler #1970

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Posted yesterday by Team Penske on Facebook

#amc #mark donohue #nascar #team penske

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1962 Rambler Classic wagon advertisement

#1962 #rambler #classic #advert #wagon #station wagon

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#jeep #Wagoneer

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Big Bad Green 1969 AMC AMX California 500 Special. The car was owned by actor and wrestler John Cena!

I had no idea Cena was such an AMC fan, because he’s also had a ‘70 Rebel The Machine and a ‘71 Hornet SC/360 in his collection

#amc #AMX #john cena #1969

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An apocalypse-ready AMC Eagle SX4

#amc #eagle #sx4 #offroad #Jeep