1960 Rambler American Custom [Down On The Street]

Published June 13, 2009 at 1:00 p.m.

Welcome to Down On The Street, where we admire old vehicles parked on the streets of the Island That Rust Forgot: Alameda, California. Here's a proto-AMC to remind us of the transience of car companies.

...Ramblers and AMCs haven't been particularly plentiful on the streets of Alameda, but we've seen a handful. This '61 American, this '65 American, this '69 Ambassador SST Wagon, and this '76 Pacer pretty much sums it up, though I could add a few more if we consider pre-Chrysler Jeeps to be members of the AMC family tree...
1960 was the last year for the upside-down-bathtub Rambler styling. A low sticker price was the main goal for this car, and AMC was quite successful; car shoppers could get a two-door 1960 Rambler Deluxe Business Coupe (back seat not included) for just $1,781. Compare that to the $1,912 price tag on the cheapest Ford Falcon, or the $1,984 Chevy Corvair sedan. Or, heck, even the $1,565 '60 Volkswagen Beetle- the extra couple hundred bucks got you a much more traditional-looking and substantial car than what Wolfsburg had to offer...The American's low price tag came with a few compromises, of course. Even this relatively high-zoot Custom (priced at $2,059) came with a flathead inline-six engine as standard equipment. That's right, you could still buy a new car with a flathead in the 1960s!...

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