" Our web and worldly wanders sometime shore up a real gem. This weekend, spotted in the city, was an immaculate example of a car I had never heard of. It was obviously American - but its pristine condition made me "
Nash Rambler Rebel
the original muscle car?
The Intermediate-Sized Performance Car. Doesn’t sound as Sexy as ‘Muscle Car’ does it?
But even though the original Mad Men of the US advertising industry missed a neat moniker trick initially, the Nash Rambler Rebel is considered by many to be the first Muscle Car.
Launched in 1957, the Rebel could apparently pull away to 60 in 7.5 seconds – which, back when Elvis was making a name for himself, was an incredibly impressive fraction.
AMC built the car in Wisconsin and equipped the model with a 327 cubic inch V8 lump. Relatively small car – big powerful engine. Always a winning formula.
The car’s looks aren’t to everyone’s tastes – but with that raked laminate trim, pillar-less windows and characterful visage, it’s one of the more interestingly wrought cars of the era from a design point of view.
Super rare now, too – with an estimated 50 in existence.
We’d still prefer the ‘Cuda.
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