1955 Hudson Rambler cross country wagon 

Robert Plant - Sea Of Love 1985

Love the coral paint color, very popular color in the 50's, I believe most brands offer that color back then.

Thanks for a great Hudson & Rambler video! This must have been the perfect family car in 1955. 👍

That Orange wagon has a Hudson Emblem upfront, and then comes the Nash Hub Caps, and then the Rambler Script on the front fenders! lol, 💋 you get all three in one package!

That 55 Cross Country Wagon is a real beauty!

My grandfather had a 55 cross country he called “the pink lady.” When he died, my mother got it and gave it to me. I was only 12, but she taught me how to drive it in our long driveway. It developed overheating issues, and I eventually sold it for $50, without ever driving it on the road. Between my grandfather’s and my ownership, I have memories to spare of that odd and interesting car. Thanks for your review.

Love this "Cross Country" The badging was interesting in '55. The Nash "Cross Country" wagon was advertised as the lowest priced wagon with air conditioning. For WYR, I think the '54 is my first pick because it is my birth year. 💁🏼‍♂️

1956 cross country on both, really like that little car.

Nash commissioned a Pininfarina design, which was delivered over the objection of their in-house designers. In-house took what they wanted and came up with their own sedans, but Nash wanted the Farina connection. They paid Farina to use the EMBLEM on cars that had little to do with the PF design.

Got to love those vintage ads, describing the "swanky" roof rack!😊 Given the choice, I would take the Ford wagon, to me the design is really beautiful, in the second scenario though, I would take the '55 Cross County, I mean it is really is so darn cute! 😎

The older small Rambler design was brought back with a few minor changes (mostly opening up the rear wheels and turning the tail lights over) in 1959 as the American, and then rebodied with a squared off version (using the same platform and a lot of internal structure) that went until the new American came out in 1964.

In the first choices, I would like the Rambler, in the second choice, the 56 model.

The real Airflyte touch by Nash till 1954. Love it !

Great job Jay!...The historical background that you’re providing on these cars and manufacturers is exceptional!!...Including the period AMC commercial was just too cool!!! 😎

Nice 🥰

back in the 1970's I drove a 1949 Dodge Cornet, 4 door while I was in college and got16mpg around town and 19-20 mpg on the highway it weighed 3400 lbs. before that I drove a 1959 Jaguar Mk I w/ overdrive while I was in the service. It weighed 3200 lbs, around town it got17-18 mph and on the road astonishingly while crossing Ill (flat country) it got almost 30 mpg in overdrive. They need to bring both of these back to life, wonderful automobiles and all without a single cup holder!!!

I like the Nash and Hudson gravestones at 1:51. Very appropriate I would say. Hudson remarkably sold 5,000 more models in 1955 than they did the previous year but half of them were rebadged Ramblers just like the one featured above. There was also an extremely rare but very impressive looking Hudson Rambler Custom Sedan that came out that year which was desinged by Pinn Farina. It was virtually identical to the Nash version of the same car. The limited production was I once read built in their El Segundo, Ca plant that would close later that year when it was bought by Hughes Aircraft for $3 million upon which it was converted into a missile assembly and test facility. The top of the line Hudson/Nash Custom Cross Country station wagon may also have been designed by Pinn Farina as it has the same type of chrome side trim styling. The egg crate grille that was used on all Hudsons as well as the Nash Station wagons. plus the custom sedans, had originally been planned for the Detroit made 1955 Hudson model which due to Hudson moving to Kenosha, Wisconsin never came to be. Some dealers refused to sell the new Hudsons when they saw them and either swtiched to another brand or decided to leave the new car dealer business entirely.

Brings back memories for me, my father and grandfather operated a Hudson Rambler dealership named "Palm Swede Motors" in Wichita, Kansas in 1950's and early 60's. I always loved these cars, knew about the Packard Studebaker merger, and imagined what AMC could have been. My father after the dealership closed worked for AMC until it was bought out by Chrysler.

I had a 59 Rambler with the 196 engine. It was the first engine I rebuilt and the most reliable engine i ever owned. I would drive from Los Angeles to San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, Vegas, Arizona and even to Mexico and would never overheat. I now own a 57 Rambler and I hope this will be the same type of quality. I am in the process of restoring it. Thanks for the video. I enjoy it very much.

I like the 55 headlights but I like everything else in the 56.

Yes, Great Job Jay!

A very sweet 1955 Rambler wagon is featured in Highway Patrol's episode 68 intitled "HOSTAGE".

Great vid cool wagon! 😍👍

Don't miss The Rambler Ranch if you're ever near Colorado Springs or Denver. Hope you can make it there sometime, Jay! Would you rather '55 Rambler wagon in both cases.

I had a 58 American 2 dr. 196 with 3 sp. & OD - got 25 + mpg doing 65 to 70 - about the same as my 2005 Toyota Camry !! This engine definitely had head gasket issues - needing to be retorqued frequently and even that didn't eliminate the need for occasional replacement. The car was very quiet and the OD is a dream, almost as good as an automatic but has no slippage as with a torque converter. Torque tube drive line is a pain in the butt for removing the transmission. Rear axel splines(outer ends) wear out - had to find used replacements(this was in 1985 so fairly impossible now).

What a rare girl indeed ...saw one years ago at Gilmore Museum (Michigan) during their CONCOURSE DE ELEGANCE show, can't be too many around! Wish I had one!

I had a friend that had a Rambler that I drove a couple of times. It was in mint condition as of 1983, when I drove it. Unusual feature was the push button shifter for the automatic that automatically released from park when the parking brake was disengaged. By today’s standards, the car was small, underpowered; but the steering was light and precise for a car without modern technology.

Great job on this...I used to have a 1959 sedan. Same mechanicals. Easy to drive and maintain. Miss it. I vote for the 1955 rambler wagon...best looking of the bunch for me!

I rode in a two-tone Coral and White '55 Cross Country Wagon. I have a thing for the "Peter Rabbit" lines of these Nash wagons.

I love it Justin, its such a beautiful wagon 💯

7:05 - The 195.6 was produced in OHV and flathead versions until 1964. For 1965, an all-new OHV six was introduced and it was variations of this engine, not the 195.6, that was produced for AMC cars and Jeeps until 2006.

Thumbs up for the Ford Wagon

Loved watching your video, nice job! Coincidentally, I just purchased the silver w/maroon top 1955 Nash Rambler Cross Country wagon you used pictures of for comparison in your video (gets delivered to me this Saturday). Love old Nash/AMC vehicles!

We had a 1953 Nash Rambler 4 door wagon. We got this in late 1962. As kids we hated the styling and the green/blue color. As a car it was reliable enough for the time. Only broke down once that I remember. One interesting feature was that the starter button was under the clutch pedal. So to start the engine you had to push the clutch all the way down hard. For a quick get away you could put it in first gear, push down the clutch to start up and then pop it out to go! Note very fast. It had overdrive but we never used that. No radio

“Beep Beep “ A song in 1958 about a Cadillac and a Little Nash Rambler by the Playmates . Check it out! 😊

1955 like one with the opt a/c and the cloth / leather trim int

From a 2023 perspective most people don’t realize that Hudson, Nash, Studebaker & Packard were fairly common and popular. Even Frasier and Kaiser had some good years. Too bad they couldn’t have combined as you mentioned & formed something like GM. After all that’s essentially why GM came to be. Personally I think the “bathtub” design is still kind of smooth and futuristic. The ‘57 looks a little clunky compared to the Ford and Chevy. Maybe Pininfarina should have designed the’58 😉. Including the ad video is wonderful. It would be helpful to see a sales number comparison with Chevy, Ford, Dodge, etc. From my observation styling and price gets people into the car, the dashboard, engine and interior appointments are what gets you to sign the papers. Plain dash and instruments, tough sell. Eye popping dash and powerful engine sells the car. Any comments? Arguments?

If I had to choose of the first group, as much as I Love AMC, I would have to choose the Ford. My parents had a ‘56 Country Squire ( the first of 3) so I know the car. As to the second group, I would choose the ‘56 Cross Country hopefully with the Excellent 327 4 barrel and Borg Warner automatic. I had a ‘64 cross Country and it was a good car, but had astronomical miles on it and it burned oil like crazy! I had 5 AMC cars all together and each was a great car! The BEST was my ‘69 Ambassador SST (super sport) with the 343 Typhoon 4 barrel and the excellent Borg Warner 3 speed automatic. It had every option available! Even AM-FM STEREO WITH 8 track. It was totaled in 1975. We had it “fixed” but it wasn’t the same. My other AMC’s were a’72 Ambassador Brougham 2 door hard top. A ‘76 Pacer, a ‘76 Hornet. Each had it’s good points I miss. AMC

Tough choices. If I were economy-minded, I'd take the Hudson. Otherwise I'd go with the '55 Chevrolet. Which is interesting because I'm usually a Ford guy. If it's a choice between the '54, '55, or '56 Rambler, I'd probably go for the '55. I never cared much for the front wheel wells that went as far down as they did on the '54. I think the '55 has a simpler, cleaner look than the '56. At any rate, I like the look of this car. I hope you can find one in which you can get in to!

Hi. I am busy restoring a 55 Hudson Cross Coutry here in South Africa. Probably the only one on the continent! Right hand drive. Im the second owner. Its nearly finished. Original paint etc. Except water pump and converted to 12v. Interesting exhaust and inlet design. Wonderfull that you did a piece onn them. Not alot around probably and notmuch info.

Jay, the first video of yours that I ever watched was of the 1956 Rambler Cross Country. It’s been a treat watching you develop your style. I love the 1955 Cross Country. I would pick it in both scenarios. But I was so disappointed that you didn’t sit inside. I was dying to know how tight the interior was. Great video!!!

My mother owned and loved a base model 1961 Rambler wagon with an L-Head 6. She loved the car for its gas mileage. However, I thought it was a tin can with an engine that should have been powering something on a farm. The upholstery used the kind of old plastic that shocked you in the winter time. There appeared to be no sound deadener at all in the car, and you could hear the tiny 1-barrel carburetor wheezing for air when you tried to "accelerate." I have no fond memories of that car, but the people who liked them loved them. Go figure.

I remember seeing these driving around when I was a little kid. I always thought that the taillights looked 'sleepy'. I think they would have looked better upside down. I also remember seeing 53 and 54 Chevies where the owners had switched them upside down. Whatever. You really seem to be fascinated by AMC cars, Jay!

I'd take a 55 Chevy wagon in a flash! 265 V-8, or a 235 straight 6. These cars had numerous quality issues as you stated and then some including poor fit and finish of the body panels. Ford had some problems as well but I'd take a Ford over one of these. Now, if I was forced to own one, I'd take the 56 Rambler. Only because of the improvements over 55's. This IS a rare example and should be put in museum rather than driven. Nice presentation!

It is really a shame that Hudson got swallowed up by Nash. Hudson was a much more "competition" directed company and had a reputation for building fast cars. My Grandfather owned a Hudson Terraplane and he always swore it was the fastest car on the road. When Romney took over "stodgy" became the by-word for American Motors and their cars were known for being "grandma" cars. Even later when they began building cars like the Rambler American with the 290, 343, and 390 motors, and later the Marlin, the Rambler Rebel "Machine" and the Javelin and AMX they couldn't shake the stigma George Romney saddled them with.

Thanks for your attention to detail! Unibody was a Hudson innovation I do believe.

This was fun to watch, and I learned a lot! Greetings from Querétaro, México. :-)

another enjoyable vid, thank-you....I'd pick the '55 Ford and the '56 Rambler

It's kind of cute little car. The styling isn't that bad and is actually rather contemporary. Mileage sounded great. Then again, who in the 50s worried about mileage when gas was so cheap?

Pretty impressive vehicle for 55. In my country, despite the insane and oppressive heat, air-con was not commonly available available until the mid 60s, on American imports. Locally made vehicles were usually unavailable with air-con till the 70s commonly, which I think is strange.

I’ll go with the 1955 Chevy wagon. I grew up riding in 1955 and 1957 Chevy wagons, not because they were cool, but because they were affordable used cars.

And keep it clean

Rather? Ford. 56 Wagon. Prefer the 56 Dash So Jay, why didn't we see you inside this one like usual? Back in the day? We use to install a 160 thermostat, the factory thermostat was a 180. With a 160? The issue went away. Another "trick" was to add depth to the radiator, good radiator shops (most no longer exist, we simply replace) problem also solved. The radiator cap was only 7 lbs which could raise the boiling point roughly about 21 degrees, so max boiling temp? 233 Degrees from the factory. Hint? The damage that happened was not "irreversible". Something else, during these years most folks did not use anitfreeze/coolant year round - it was straight water and many added alcohol to stop freezing. ( cars made in the 1950s and earlier with cast iron blocks and brass radiators were designed for nothing but water, except in the winter, at which time you added antifreeze that you then removed in spring.) As to head bolt torque? The recomendation was check every 4,000 miles retorque every 8,000 miles.Keep in mind the overhead needed valve adjustment every 8,000 miles per factory manual. Trunion suspension, most manufacturers had switched to ball joints by the 1950's, Rambler hung on to them for a long time; Sort of similar to a U joint Good info at RamblerLore.com. Ps. These were a reasonably nice vehicle.

great narrative! you do a nice job of keeping us hooked! Good on you!

The L head engine was re-introduced in 1958 in the American to keep the price low. The L head was not offered in the Classic Dodge and Plymouth sixes were still L heads at that time.. In 1960, Chrysler introduced their famous Slant Six and AMC offered their overhead valve six in the American Custom.

Sea of Love and Id rather have a 57 Rambler wagon.

Cool little car and another great video. Thanks Jay.

Robert Plant. Sea of Love

Of the three Cross Country wagons, I choose the '55. Of the three different brands, I pick the '55 Ford.

It's sad that Hudson & Rambler are no longer with us!!! 🙄

While comparing the Rambler wagons my pick would be the 1956 model. I would also choose Rambler over Ford or Chevy for the 1955 model year.

Jay, a great feature on a wonderful little wagon. And I'll take the Ford Country Sedan and the ''56.

i drove a 53 nash 2 door station wagon .in high school. my parents bought it new. after playing with timing and leaning the carb for higher altitudes (lubbock) it constantly got 27 to 30 mpg. i you babied it and drove 60mph. it would eek out 35 mpg. 3speed w/od. thecae died with 250kmiles on it. no rust.

The song from 1955 is " Down at Smokey Joe`s" by The Robins.

2:39.merely 26 Italia models issued by Hudson.. good luck on that.

Song: Name of the group is really The Honeydrippers - yes Plant sang it, but it was to distinguish this music from Zepplin, you know - just in case it wasn't obvious, lol.

No rear fender skirt so you have to use a bumper jack allowing the wheel to drop far enough to get the tire out.

Good job. The photo you show depicting the 1956 Rambler is actually a 1957.

The 1956-57 were the poor man's Rolls-Royce!

The roofline for the 4 door Cross Country Wagon is design with the dip in it, because the wagon shares the rear doors with the 4 door sedan.

the Ramblers got better milage than ford, chevy and Chrysler. my 53 had a 25 gallon tank. I could fill it with $5 and unit out of gas a month and a half later. had a 660 mile range. My dad drove it from san fransico to Okc in 1955 in18hrs with 2 stops.

I think that the styling of the 55 was much cleaner, functional and more pleasing to the eye. My friend’s Rambler was a few years newer but the late 50s styling looks dated and peculiar with chrome and bulges all in the wrong places, and seats less functional and comfortable. Unfortunately, as virtually all cars approached the 60s I think the boxy and chrome slathered slab look infected car design across many brands. As to which vehicle I would rather have, the styling and practicality of the Rambler draws me the most.

1 & 2: 1955 Rambler Cross Country Wagon. Tune: Don't have a guess, but it is a love song.

I would take the Ford over the others and the 56 Rambler over the other two. Both have that stout look that I like.

55' over 56'. But I also like the 55' Chevy more than the 57'.

Whata sharp, cute little wagon! Whata gawdawful color! LOL I've always wondered how difficult it would be to change tires on these. It's too bad cars aren't as easy to work on like these old cars were. It's also too bad no American car companies offer wagons anymore. 1stscenario, you know me and my FoMoCo's... 🙂... Ford wagon! 2nd scenario, hmmmm, gotta go with the '56.

This reminds me, Jay, let's do an AMX.

Pinin Farina did NOT build bodies for Nash. They did have SOME input to the styling of Nash, and then Hudson, cars beginning with the 1952 models. Nash had been building straight sixes since 1915 (Jeffery), and discontinued thier straight eight for the 1946 models. All post war Nash cars were sixes until the Packard V8 with Ultramatic drive became available during the 1955 model year. Interestingly, the 55 Nash and Hudson Ramblers were supposed to differ from each other. The egg crate grille and opened up front fenders was supposed to be Hudson exclusively. For economic reasons, all 55 Ramblers were Hudson in the front and Nash in the rear.

In this case, the 55 chev wagon wins hands down. Especially with the Mighty Mouse v8 motor. But I’d also consider the Nash/Hudson simply because of its now uncommon sight. But I would go for the overhead valve motor. It’s just better performing than the flathead. But at the end of the day, the Chevy is the superior car by a large margin.

1955 Rambler With 1954 or 55 Actually the American intro Ed in 1958 was the same as shorter 1955 Ramblers.

56 Rambler, 55 Rambler wagon, 56 Wagon

I would rather have a 1956 Rambler cross-country wagon

I had a 58 American come into my shop last year all I could think that this was 10 times a car more than a VW for only a few more dollars

The dash in the 1956 is better. 1955 Ford and the 1956 Cross Country. Please spend/show more of the interior for a longer time. I always like the roof line on these wagons. Didn't they us the roof line for years?

I heard it was lovingly called: Hash (Hudson and Nash)

While everyone had cool, cars to drive to high school, my nerd of a brother had a rambler. But on Saturday night he could get 30 bucks plus a tank of gas from guys who drove it to the drive-in movies with their gals. Sure made my brother popular until some of the parents found out why they wanted to borrow his car.

Wheel opening

When I was a kid, I hated these cars. Now that I'm 'ol, I love them! Funny thing is I remember old people driving these probably because of the economical aspect and cheap price.

Ramblers always looked stodgy and were either for growing families or tourists from Ohio who use to drive to Canada in the 50s.

I would take either the Rambler or the Chevrolet since we had a 1955 Ford Country Sedan wagon for 5 years until Dad traded it for the quiet & very reliable 1960 Chevrolet. He never bought another Ford again. Our '55 Ford (V-8; Fordomatic) was noisy, prone to overheating in the summer, & was sometimes difficult to start. Back then, you could hardly beat a small block Chevrolet V-8 with Powerglide.

It's a shame Nash Hudson is no longer with us

If one wanted a very reliable car , one bought a Rambler American.

Under "What would I rather have" I'd go for the results of the glovebox test.

You mention Kutztown in several videos. It’s pronounced Cootz town, soft c. That means you are.more or less local to me.?I live about 20 miles from Hershey in Pennsylvania Dutch Country.

That stepped down roof line was so the wagons could use the same doors as the sedan. Cost saving move.

How sad Mason passed and a romney tok over as I could see a Hudson - Nash - Packard actually competing with the big three who were notorious for squeezing out the little guy

Rambler wagon 1955,1954 rambler cross country

actually the "Honeydrippers "

Better known as"HASH".🤣🤣😂😂

i think if Toyota or even Ford was to make a new full size station wagon it would sell. Now they might want to add four wheel drive as an option . Still all those people driving around in full size four door pickup trucks with that tiny useless box at the back is just silly. I see people and they put most stuff in the back seat . Once in a blue moon they might bring something larger in the box but most of the boxes I have looked at look like nothing has ever been in the box