1959 (AMC) rambler super cross country wagon six 

I live in the UK, in the mid 1960's I worked for a local antique dealer who had 1959 Rambler Cross Country Custom. My parents did not have a car so the Rambler was the first car that I had any experience of. It was RHD and originally made for a German customer living in the west of Ireland. I used to get the job of washing it, which took ages given its size and chrome work and the interior. The main body colour was black with a bright red roof and side stripe, the interior trim was, black, red with horizontal white stripe. It was ideal for moving large, heavy Victorian furniture, from the auction rooms to the shop etc. When lightly loaded it floated along and smoothed out all the bad spots on country roads. Happy memories.

Wow, memories! In 1973, my buddy and I were looking for a clutch linkage part for my girlfriend’s green 1959 Rambler wagon. We went to Ray’s Auto Wrecking in Silver Lake, WA. Ray was funny, would come up with prices off the top of his head. Ask what he wanted for that Chevy rear window and he’d instantly say “$11.23 if I take it out, $7.77 if you pull it.” It was pouring rain, we hit every Rambler in the yard. Finally, last try in far back corner of the yard, we found our part. When we came into the office looking like two large drowned rats and asked Ray the price, he looked at us and the spreading puddles around us, then said “I was going to charge you 50 cents. But you can have it. You look like you earned it.” Yes, Rambler, king of the drive-in movies with those reclining seats.😁

Great review! We had two Rambler station wagons, a '56 with air conditioning and a '59. I remember the vent windows well. I was prone to car sickness as a kid, and would sit next to the door, with my mother, with the open vent blowing on my face. Throw in parents smoking to add to my queasiness. Great memories. I do want to comment on the assumed cost of living increase. This car cost $2,500.00, and most people apply the 10 X factor. In reality, there are no 2022 models of this size as cheap as $25,000.00. The most-expensive car in the world, the Eldorado Brougham, was $13,500.00, fully-loaded. That car, today, would be comparable to a Rolls Royce or Bentley, @ 20-30 X. On the opposite side, almost all of today's cars have AC. The optional AC on my mother's 1958 Buick Roadmaster was $800.00. I don't see adding $8,000.00 to one of today's cars for air conditioning.

I had two Rambler Americans from the early 60's, the squared off ones. On the reclining seats, the cars came with two "hook" supports, with rubber covering that were inserted into two slots (on each side) for the backrest to "land" on when folded down. The hooks made the seat backs rest even with the front of the back seat, to make it more "level." I'm sure the hooks on this model were lost ages ago, and the current owner wonders why the four slots (two on each side) are in the metal part of the car below the seat cushion. We als had a 63 Rambler wagon WITH the three speed and overdrive. At interstate highway speeds, 70+ MPH, it got around 30 MPG. Those cars were SO ahead of their time. One of the secrets was the engines in the sixes had a 4.25" stroke. That. long stroke gave them lots of torque, at low RPM, so the engines didn't need to operate at higher RPM's to keep the car moving. So at 70 MPH with overdrive, the engine was barely turning at 2,000 RPM's. Competitors engines, even with overdrive had to turn faster. Also they all had separate frame and bolted body construction which was up to 1,000 pounds heavier than the Rambler "Unibody" construction. The first Unibody automobile made in the US was the Nash 600. It came out in 1940, using the flathead six cylinder engine (that was in most of the Rambler Americans until 1966). It was called the 600 because it could go 600 miles on a 20 gallon tank of gasoline.

Hey. You nailed this one! You show enthusiasm. That's good. You show interest. That's good. You show passion for AMC and Ramblers. That'll earn you extra stars! I have an enormous love for all things AMC, and have, fortunately, owned several throughout the years. I hope that the following will be of interest. The Ambassador series was, indeed, the senior series of the Rambler line. It was actually marketed as "The Ambassador, by Rambler". It was not a "Rambler Ambassador". It rode a 117" wheelbase vs 108" for the Rambler Six/Rebel V8 and had an overall length of 200" vs 191" for the Rambler Six/Rebel V8. The Ambassador Custom Hardtop Cross Country station wagon was the sole hardtop wagon in the lineup. The top-of-the line Rambler Six/Rebel V8 Custom Cross Country wagon was not a hardtop. Only 578 Ambassador Custom Hardtop Cross Country wagons were produced for 1959. The Rambler Six Super wagon you showcased had a production run of 66,739 units. Four-door hardtop sedans (Rambler Super Six, Rambler Custom Rebel V8 and Ambassador Custom) were called Country Club models. Although period sales literature from AMC does NOT refer to the Ambassador hardtop Custom wagon as a "Country Club", the Standard Catalogue of American Motors (1902-1987) does refer to the hardtop Ambassador wagon as the Ambassador Country Club Hardtop wagon. So, playing with words, one might call the body style the Ambassador Custom Country Club Cross Country wagon. 😀 Although not presented in any AMC Rambler literature for 1959, the Ambassador by Rambler offered a Deluxe 4-door sedan. Only 155 were made. I've yet to see a photo of one, and I doubt if noted AMC historian, author, collector and expert Pat Foster has either. For the record: 1-The Rambler American could have reclining seats as an option. 2-You mention Weather Eye. That was the Nash (then AMC) trade name for their heating, ventilating system. It did not include air conditioning. Air was a separate option, but was integrated with the Weather Eye system. Nash/AMC was the first to integrate all components of the AC system under the hood; nothing in the trunk. It was copied by all other car companies. 3-The Deluxe Rambler Six came standard with dual headlights! For $23 and change, you could equip your Deluxe Rambler Six with quad headlights. Finally, you taught me something that I never knew about my favorite year Rambler. I did not know the rear door vent panes were operational only on the Rambler Custom series. I appreciate you pointing that out. While I have several favorite AMC cars (please find a nice AMC Hornet Sportabout wagon to showcase), the 1959 Rambler Six/Rebel V8 is my favorite Rambler of the 1950's. Once again, great job!

My mom drove a 1959 rambler super cross country six. I know it was a six cylinder because I watched the garage across the street perform a valve job on it (quite an experience for a 12 year old boy). We were four children and two adults, it was a very practical family car.

My grandfather own a 1958 Cross Country with the 3 speed and overdrive. He claimed on the road he got 28 mpg and that would be with a vacation trip with the car loaded down. So, yes I believe you could easily get 30 plus mpg in the day with the straight 6 and not a heavy foot. My uncle from the time I am able to remember owned Ambassadors till they were no longer made. There son born in 1956 had a heart condition and Nash was the first to have a really great AC. They developed the clutch for the compressor before ALL the other auto makers in 1955. One of the reasons they bought Kelvinator was because of making refrigerators. My dad had a 1955 American wagon and later had a 1957 bear bones Cross Country. He drove that 57 for about 14 years. That was a great car.

I had this car, not a wagon but it was my first car passed down from my grandfather to my mother to me. I can remember every nook and cranny. It was almost 50 years ago now. You did a great job on this

When I was about 5 or 6 yrs old our neighbor across the street bought a brand new Rambler Cross Country wagon. It was tu tone white with light green. I’m thinking it was a 1960. I always thought it was a cool car. Thanks for sharing this car. Brought back memories.

Parents had a '60 Rambler Rebel (sedan, not wagon) and it was a very good, solid car. Push button A/T, light blue with a dark blue roof. Some say the V8 Rebels were the first sport sedans of its day. I became a Javelin/AMX fan because of the Rebel. It had "plasticy" floor covering - no carpet. Got holes in it if women wore high heels! Body started rusting just behind the front wheels on the lower portion of the front fender. Took my driver's test in it - passed on first try. Thanks for the memories.

I grew up in one of those. My mother drove one up to 1963. I was born in 1957 but I certainly remember that car.

HI Justin, Thank you so much for showing my car. Sorry I didn't reply sooner, a crazy month. You took such wonderful closeups and angles. Yes, the 4-door hardtop was available in this mid series, in a sedan or station wagon. Both came in the Super and Custom levels as well as the Rebel. This front seat is correct for and, came from another 1959 Rambler. With the question of rust. Having lived then, all cars of that era were prone to excessive rust. Cars that lived outside of the rust belt generally survived just as well as any other make. There are still plenty of these 1959 Ramblers out west. Thanks again. hope to see you again soon. I noticed this came up under my daughter's name. Crazy, Take Care, Rick

My dad had one of those cars. I remember us going on vacation and it was the first car I remember in life.

I concur with You on the styling of this 1959 AMC Rambler Super Cross Country Wagon , I like everything on the styling of these ! from the front end with the quad headlamps ,The side profile , Along with the roof line , & of course the rear end ! & nothing was missed on the interior , I even like the styling of the 59 Rambler American wagon ! AMC had a very nice line up of wagons for 59 , & that was a tough market with all the other offerings for 59 ! But the Cross Country will always be remembered as the Norman Rockwell of wagons ! A true American Icon . Thanks for the video ! & I did notice that 2nd gen. Corvair 4 door hardtop in the background. Thanks again for the video.

I grew up in a Rambler family and still have a special love for these cars.

This wagon make me think of elementary school. I used to see them around a lot.

Beautiful restoration, right down to what appears to be the factory-correct upholstery material and pattern. The '60 was arguably the last year of the most handsome body lines with the hooded browed headlights. While the '61 was the final year of the rear fins, the grille wasn't as stylish as the '60. Our dad did the unthinkable back in late 1961. He traded in our pristine iconic '57 Bel Air (w/283 V8 & auto trans) for a brand-new base-model '62 Rambler Cross Country wagon that had zero options. It was so basic and Spartan that it had no radio or clock and no chrome horn ring...just a lousy center button and a single horn; no dual horns. It was also a 3-speed column shift, with puny dog-dish hubcaps and no carpeting inside; just that crappy contoured-formed rubber matting (like you find in most trucks of that era). Compared to the Chevy, that Rambler was clunky and noisy. True to its model name, we did a "Cross-Country" road trip in that car from San Diego to Norfolk, VA, then back again 2 years later after Dad's Navy tour of duty was up.

Brought back a lot of memories with that review. My Dad (RIP) was a partner in a Nash (later AMC) dealership in Flint ,Mi. So, my family drove Nash and Rambler cars until the company closed it's doors. My first new car was a 1966 Ambassador two door hardtop with the 327 ci V8. Nice job on the review. I also remember when I was a kid, we tent camped on vacations. My parents slept in the tent, and my brother and I made a bed in the car. If I remember correctly, Nash was the first American automobile to fit their vehicles with seat belts in the early 50's.

Always had a weird fascination with station wagon. Almost bought a Plymouth early 60s one in HS (90s). Wish I had now.

Ahh, the Rambler wagon!!! My dad bought a brand new 1963 Rambler Classic Cross Country station wagon, it had air conditioning & the 3rd row rear facing seat!!! We used to ride in the back & stick out our tongues & make faces at the cars behind us!!! It was kind of gutless since it only had a six cylinder engine!!! Gotta love the Nash seats!!! Thanks for sharing this fun video!!! 👍👍🙂

That is a very nice wagon! I really enjoyed your detailed description of it too, thank you for sharing!

It’s cool that you came out with this outline so close to my purchasing a 57 rambler from a scrap yard . Fun to hear the specs of the later models too!

Another great car review! You add so much interest to these, which makes them so fun to watch! I’ve always thought that Ramblers have been overlooked. But they were truly ahead of their time and they were good looking cars!

I just went to my information source and there is not anything about it, but I did find out that Rambler Rebel in 57 had fuel injection optional on its V8 engine and that is the first time that I of this, I thought I knew a lot about Ramblers, learn something new every day

Great video you always cover the cars I like I love the orphan makes I get tired of Chevelle and mustang videos good job

I had a custom cross country 59 wagon. It was pink and we changed the paint to chartreuse and black two tone. It was a fun car to drive. We sold it to a young man who drove it back to Pennsylvania from our house in San Francisco in 1998. I often wonder what became of the car after that.

My grandfather had a used rambler 4 door maybe a 1965 he drove from red bluff ca to anderson ca in the early to mid 1970s. Said he saved $5 a day verses driving a mercury 1970 with a 428. It ended up needing a valve job and his mechanic said junk it

Jay, It seems the AMC videos are popular with viewers. Nash/Hudson/AMC is a unique American puzzle. Occasional success mixed with confounding struggles. Sometimes better but not necessarily ever getting the credit. There were years when AMC outsold some of the other Ford or Chrysler or GM brands. That would be an interesting addition to a video

The front of these remind me of the old yellow cabs of New York, but from there on, it gets strange. Not bad strange, I like it a lot. I forget when Jeep joined the Rambler circus, but I would like some of your time invested in testing those, if any have survived the long years of abuse.

You are still there with the excitement and enthusiasm you started with. That is nice. You mentioned the '58 Rambler and that would be my favorite '50s Rambler, Ambassador by Rambler that is. I do see your point about the paint and chrome styling of the '59 on the rear panels. I would have to have had a V8. Straight sixes (or 4s) never interested me although I agree that AMC/Rambler did make bullet proof sixes, I believe, until their demise. There are some '50s Nashes that I like as well. The '57 - '58 for two. Hollywood Hardtop you know. I love the 1961 Ambassador. There are many other 60's AMC Ambassadors I like as well. Who could top the '72-3 Ambassadors with the wood grain applique directly behind/in the speedometer. Really. I happen to like it.

Great content. Thank you for sharing 🐿

Great video favorite wagon thank you!

I am an old man now, and have owned over a dozen cars...but my favorite American-made car was my 1959 Rambler American!...three on the tree, flat six (90hp)....the turn signal lenses said "Nash" on them!..Indeed, the president of AMC in the late 50s, thought it would be a good idea to bring b ack the Nash look, give it a slight re-style, and make a car that would sell well during the resession days of the late 50s...and he was right!...The American was the least-expensive US car...and it was an mpg leader...The car temporarily saved the company from going under...I bought my car from the original owner, back in 1977, for $800. It had 90,000 miles on it, and had always been garaged--it looked perfect!...I put about 40,000 more miles on it, and loved it. But, those cars were not really well-made for durability, and after having to put several hundred bucks into it, I sold it...for $800. All in all, that car was a great purchase for me. I have not seen even one on the road in the Seattle area, for at least 30 years now.

Great car , gota love the fold down seats, Awesome. Thanx. P.S. Tx.

Beautiful car ! What a treat

It’s my dads car. I bet you’d have more room in the back if he wasn’t so tall. So neat! Thank you for featuring his car. He’s spent his life taking care of this and his 1959 ford galaxy.

Unique. Keep em coming!

Rambler had the most torque. In the 1960's that was the most powerful tow rig you could buy. Definitely the best "family truck'stirr" you could buy in 1960's and it had a higher quality radio and speakers although AM and a higher quality clock than the big 3. It had the best V8 really untill maybe GM in 1965 and the Hemi.

I enjoyed the video thanks for the work I got a 69 rambler hardtop myself and I like to see more info about Amc since it's not around anymore

❤ Should I consider myself as ‘having issues’ because I enjoyed this so very much?😂

Nash Airflyte construction is the term used by the company. Actually, it was more of a Nash takeover of the Hudson company. Nash Kelvinator was their official name. And since they were in much better financial shape at the time of the merger, they basically took control closed the Hudson plant and moved all operations to Kenosha Wisconsin.

Gorgeous car!

I always think of Louis Anderson talking about the family Rambler. There is a believe a 1960 Rambler @ Disney's California Adventure. Yes! I love these and have seen them at Houston Auto Rama. They are very unique. AMC was a 'scrappy' car company. The fought a good FIGHT!

great cars for sure

I remember a vacation trip to Yosemite in 1958 (with the family of 6, + camping gear, in our '56 Rambler. I was old enough to work numbers, and I remember that, while "gas war" pricing was 19.9 cents-per-gallon, my father filled up the tank at the station in the park, and gas there was $.40/gallon, and the total was $8.00. Today, that is European prices.

Luv that ol car

In 1956 there was a Rambler HT station wagon 6 cyl: the only engine avail for Rambler, as both a Nash Rambler and a Hudson Rambler- same car, only differences were in badging, including gas cap and wheel covers). In 1957 there was a Rambler HT station wagon only on the V-8 models. For 1958, 59 and 60, the HT station wagon was only available for the Ambassador. The AMC HT station wagons were available only on the top end cars each year it was offered (1956: Rambler 6 Custom, 1957 Rambler V-8 Custom), 1958, 59, and 60: Ambassador Custom)

Sorry you had to edit twice. What a drag, man. Anyway, great report on this 59. The body work is fantastic.

My first car was a 1959 Rambler sedan, 6-cyl, manual trans. The only thing I remember "getting" in that car was my wife of 50 years.

Jays dream car is a 59 rambler 6 with overdrive.Mine is a 72 AMC ambassador with the larger v8.

I owned 2 Ramblers a 1964 and 1965 Classic. Great old cars! Both had 6cyl engines and I noticed something interesting on the attached engine ID tag. It said "Briggs & Stratton". At that time all I recognized with that brand was lawn mowers. Do you have any info about how they came to be involved in an AMC engine? On another note you had to be careful of those rear door window point angles! Easy to pop yourself in the face when opening the rear doors! LoL Love your videos! Well done!!

How could I overlook the beds - and I stand corrected on design - so clean and real - and 32 mph - great presentation also.

Daddy had a 58, same color 258 /6cyl and 3 on the tree.

I am not sure on that question you asked, I know definitely the hardtop wagon was not available in the Rambler American ,but I think you might have been able to get it in the Rebel model and definitely in the Ambassador range. That is a great question, you are just the way I was when I was a teenager, always wanting to know everything you can about the Automobile, at 55 I am still learning, there are at least 25 subjects I self taught myself, I am going to look that one up.

First uni-body was on the Chrysler Airflow.

If you want obscure please check out Australian Fords from 1961 to 2015. Ford Australia built amazing rarities such as the Ford Landau with only 1385 units. Australia adopted the Cleveland 351 v8.

The Rambler sixes of that era were very reliable indeed, but you weren't going to accelerate very fast in them. The automatic transmission shown was supplied to American Motors by Borg-Warner. It's 3-range unit using a torque converter. Selecting the D1 button allows the transmission to start in low gear and make all shifts. Selecting the D2 button causes the transmission to start in second range then upshift to third range. Back in the day, there were lots of salacious jokes made about the seats folding into a bed feature.

i drive a 59 rambler sedan it presently has a 327 with 3speed and overdrive. it only has 478, 000 miles. If driven modestly it gets 25 mpg. yes, it has some cancer underneath. waiting and linseed oil arrest the rust. too speed ever driven 135 mph. in west Texas. around 1985. A/C still works. necessary in Texas.

You didn’t mention the fact that the weird roof line was so that cash-strapped American motors could use the same doors as the sedans in the wagons.

Some advice if you want this channel to grow. Do your research and make sure you give honest accurate info to people.

AMC continued their basic flathead six well into the 1960's. AMC, like Studebaker made the mistake of killing the upper scale car lines after they merged with other car companies. The Hudson Jet was a better car than an AMC Ambassador. The Hudson could be had with the Twin-H six and HydraMatic, although with drab slab-sided styling. The Packard Clipper was every bit as luxurious as a Studebaker President. Both Studebaker and AMC shoveled Packard V8's into their flagship models. Although Studebaker had it's own V8's from 1951, AMC didn't have their own until 1957.

I Have seen this before !

There's not much old AMC's around and they're valuable. Unibody construction helped speed up the manufacturing process. But I remember busting my Shin getting into Dad's old Van.

Please in the near future consider doing a 1994 thru 1997 Chrysler LHS

🔥👍😎👍🔥

Good review. I was wondering if you could put a link to my Johan 1959 Rambler model kit unboxing in your video end screen. I will return the favor by putting this video link in mine. thanX.

I get high 20’s low 30’s with my 60 rambler 6 4dHT. 196 i6 3 spd w/od

I love your videos and i love cars so if you actually reply to me ill be impressed

I told that I would find out, Ambassador was the only Rambler model to have a hardtop wagon for 59 ,oh the added 6in was not to the front clip, the added 6ins was if the car had a Continental spare tire hanging from the rear bumper

Before giving Nash all the credit for unibody construction, please remember the Chrysler Airflow of 1934 that was too revolutionary for the masses who just wanted cheap and reliable transportation.

Seems that most of the folks that bought these in my early years went and bought another rambler the next time.

Do you have a review of a 1958 Chevrolet? (any model)

Where in Pa did you record this? I think it looks familiar but I don’t know for sure.

I’ve watched several of your videos and I’ve noticed you never drive the cars you’re reviewing or rarely start them up. Is there a reason why?

Your mileage may vary. I would be very surprised if that car cracked 20 MPG. I know that car manufacturers run these cars in optimal conditions to achieve those figures. I've heard that the American would do similar mileage which in my opinion a bit of a stretch, but more likely then the car shown here.

I always hear that tires were added as an accessory when you purchased the car. Is that true?

What auto museums have you visited?

Looked to buy a 4dr in 1997 in Fredericksburg, VA. I was disappointed at the level of rust, especially in the tailgate. A hard pass.

I know you could get a pillarless sedan, but I don’t know about the wagon…

First car with a fold down seat was built by the short lived Pan Motors Circa 1917/1918.

The Metropolitan was never available in Australia, but is famous in my mind, as an association with 'Zippy the Pinhead.' I can imagine its appeal to women of the era, much as women frequently consider small cars as 'cute.' which, predictably, does not hold the appeal for men generally. If that is so, then the option of an economical smaller car at a low price, would have made it the ideal second car in the driveway, for the middle classes at the time? The same one that has now disappeared.

Hudson Motor Car Company just so you know.

This car reminds me the wealth lost. American car made by Americans. Before the engineered globalization and environmentalist subversion

Too many words man

Those were terrible cars. My parents had a 1959 Rambler station wagon. In 1963 the driveshaft fell out.

tedious....

There are a few in craigslist . As a matter of fact, there is one now with a chevy engine in it. I saw it yesterday in the area of Los Angeles. Check the front suspension for cracks in the A frames in the trunion areas before you buy it

I would love to find a Rambler from the late 50's-very early 60's. My grandfather had a 1960 6 cylinder sedan. Are there any sources to find one. Also interested in a 64 Dodge Dart slant 6.

The best car I ever owned.