Rambler - An interesting But Sad Story

Cheap and easy to repair, the new Rambler was a hit in the recession-racked year of 1958, when American Motors was the only domestic car manufacturer to show a profit. In 1960, Rambler produced over 450,000 cars, and became number three in sales among domestic brands.
Ramblers were the first cars to use Unibody construction throughout their model lineup. The primary advantage of this technology was a stronger structure without the need for a separate chassis. With less squeaks and rattles, the overwhelming majority of contemporary automobiles, with the exception of trucks and some SUV’s, owe their design to some form of this 1960s cars' original unitized body construction innovation.

In another safety milestone, Rambler was the first to offer seat belts as an option in 1950, and the first to provide them as standard equipment by the end of the decade.

By 1962, the introduction of compact cars by the big three automakers had decreased Rambler’s market share.
Rambler introduced some of the most attractive designs of any manufacturer during the mid 1960's. AMC Rambler Limited Edition Extra puts added emphasis on this period with tests of the again redesigned Classic and Ambassador series for 1966, and the introduction of the Classic-based Marlin for 1965.
The unsophisticated Marlin was an attempt to capture a piece of the “personal car” market dominated by the Ford Thunderbird, and Buick Riviera. Unfortunately, Rambler’s attempt to compete with the “Big Three” met with limited success. Their 1960s cars were not selling well. The Rambler name was falling out of favor in a market dominated by flashiness and horsepower. A new image was in the works, and by 1968 the Rambler name, for years a symbol of economy, was shown the door - ending a saga of 1960s cars known for gas saving.