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The Rambler Rebel V8 was an automobile produced by the American Motors Corporation (AMC) of Kenosha, Wisconsin from 1957-60, and again in 1966 and 1967.

Contents 1 1957 muscle 2 1958-1960 3 Later models 4 See also 5 Resources 6 External links

When introduced in 1957, the Rambler Rebel debuted as a high-performance vehicle that mated AMC's light weight 108" wheelbase Rambler four-door hardtop body with AMC's 327 in³ engine, making it the first-time that a large block V8 was mated to a mid-size car in the post World War II marketplace. (Note: this engine is often mistaken for the Chevrolet motor of the same displacement that was introduced by General Motors in 1962 -- it has nothing in common with the GM V-8, it is similar in bulk to a Chevy 396 or Ford 352/390). Although best known for their reliable economy cars, this special model came with a bigger engine than anything found at Chevrolet, Ford, or Plymouth - the Rambler's most popular competitors at that time. The Rebel's $2786 base price, however, was economical for the amount of power provided.

The Rebel was tested by Motor Trend, which found that when equipped with fuel injection, this sedan was faster from a standing start than the 1957 Chevrolet Corvette. The announced fuel injection option did not materialize, however, and all of the production Rebels used a four-barrel carburetor. All came with a manual (with overdrive unit) or an automatic transmission, as well as other performance enhancements such as a dual exhaust system and heavy-duty suspension. The Rebel was capable of 0-60 mph (0-97 kph) acceleration in just 7.5 seconds with its standard 255 horsepower carbureted engine. The car's light monocoque body resulted in a power-to-weight ratio of about 13 pounds/horsepower.

Power steering and power drum brakes were also standard, as on all Rambler Custom models. The car was available only in silver metallic accented with gold anodized aluminum inserts along the sides. 1,500 1957 Rambler Rebels were produced, many of which were returned to AMC dealers for repainting after several years of weather exposure caused premature breakdown of the lacquer paint. The Rebel is considered to be a precursor of the muscle cars that became so popular in the 1960s.

Note: AMC's 250 V-8 was available as an option in all 1957 Ramblers.

For 1958, the Rebel name returned, but rather than identifying a specialty model, the name was applied to all standard Ramblers powered by AMC's 250 cid V8. This lasted through the 1960 model year, after which all of the 108" wheelbase models took the Rambler Classic name. To get a 327 after 1957 one had to move up to the Rambler Ambassador.

The Rebel name reappeared in 1966 on a version of the Rambler Classic two-door hardtop with special interior trim and a revised roofline. For 1967, all of AMC's intermediates took the Rambler Rebel name. For 1968, the historic "Rambler" marque was dropped and the car was named AMC Rebel.

• Rambler Six - the companion models with I6 engines

The Standard Catalogue of American Cars 1946-1975, John Gunnell, Editor. Kraus Publications, 1987. ISBN 0-87341-096-3

• AMC Rambler Car Club
• Rambler & Rebel
• The Nash Car Club
• Ramblers History on amcrc.com
• AMCyclopedia AMC/Rambler History/Documentation Site

	American Motors Corporation
1954-1987 Historic:
Rambler:	Ambassador by Rambler | American | Classic | Marlin | Rambler Six | Rambler Rebel
AMC:	Ambassador | AMX | Concord | Eagle | Gremlin | Hornet | Javelin | Marlin | Matador | Mighty Mite | Metropolitan | Pacer | Rebel | Spirit
Renault:	LeCar | Alliance | Encore | Fuego | Medallion | Premier
AMC & Rambler Concept Cars:	Rambler Tarpon | AMC Cavalier | AMC AMX-GT | Amitron | Electron
Affiliated with:	American Motors Corporation | AM General | Chrysler | Hudson | Jeep | Kelvinator | Nash Motors | Nash-Kelvinator | Rambler | Renault | Australian Motor Industries | Vehiculos Automotores Mexicanos
People	Roy Abernethy | A.E. Barit | Roy D. Chapin Jr. | George W. Romney | Richard A. Teague | George W. Mason | Gerald C. Meyers | Edmund E. Anderson | François Castaing | Robert B. Evans | Richard E. Cross
[ edit ] Category

American Motors road car timeline, United States market, 1954—1988  v • d • e
Type	1950s						1960s										1970s										1980s
	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
Subcompact																	Gremlin									Spirit					Encore
Compact	Rambler American																Hornet								Concord
	Jet																					Pacer								Alliance
Mid-size			Rambler Six					Classic						Rebel				Matador
				Rebel V8								Marlin									Matador Coupe
Full-size	Nash				Ambassador																														Premier
	Hudson
Sports															AMX
															Javelin
Crossover																											Eagle
SUV																	see timeline of Jeep models
Import	Metropolitan																							LeCar
																												Renault 18							Medallion
																													Fuego

[ edit ] Category
	Nash Motors
	1916 - 1957 Historic:
	Nash:	| 600 | Airflyte | Advanced Six | Ambassador | Nash-Healey | La Fayette | Metropolitan | Rambler | Rebel | Statesman
	Affiliated:	| Ajax | American Motors | Hudson | Nash-Kelvinator | Rambler (AMC) Jeep