Those Reliable Ramblers

Rambler has meant a variety of things to the motorist over the decades. Most familiar to modern folks is the Rambler compact car introduced by Nash for the 1950 model year—a model that would spawn an entire brand.

The Nash Rambler was small for its time, with a 100-inch wheelbase and only 176 inches overall. The compact featured stiff, unit-body construction of the type pioneered in this country by Nash. Power came from a 172-cu.in, 82-hp flathead straight-six. The result was both thrifty and relatively peppy, especially when paired with overdrive and a lower rear gear. Though small, the little Nash offered good value. The initial run consisted mostly of convertibles with distinctive fixed side-window frames.

Nash sold 26,000 Ramblers for the 1950 model year, which contributed to an all-time production record for Nash. These were significant numbers for Nash and the Rambler looked like it might be a trend setter. On May 1, 1954, Nash merged with struggling competitor Hudson, and the result was called American Motors Corporation. One of the first moves of the new company was to discontinue production of Hudson’s troubled Jet