American · 1956–1960

Rambler Six

The Rambler Six and the Rambler V8 are intermediate sized automobiles that were built and marketed by American Motors Corporation (AMC) for model years 1956 through 1960. Launched on 15 December 1955, the 1956 model year Rambler Six ushered a "new era in motoring has begun" according to George W. Romney, President of AMC. In 1956, the Rambler was sold through both Nash and Hudson networks of dealerships. This resulted from the merger of the two companies to form AMC in 1954. The new Rambler line created and defined a new market segment, the "compact car" as the automobile classification was called at that time. A V8 engine powered model, the Rambler V8, was added for the 1957 model year.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Predecessor: Hudson Hornet · Successor: Rambler Classic

All American Rambler Six data: UK builds, safety, recalls, model years →

Background

The full-size cars made by Nash and Hudson were experiencing declining sales. The newly-organized American Motors focused its resources on introducing a line of smaller cars compared to those then available from the domestic Big Three (General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler) for the 1956 model year. The designs were developed by AMC's styling director, Edmund E. Anderson, and they were aimed at a new market segment. Although conventional business thinking states that bigger profits were made from sales of bigger cars, American Motors lacked the resources to develop a full range of models targeting different market segments. As the chairman and president of AMC, George W. Romney also avoided a head-to-head battle with the U.S. automakers by focusing the company on the compact car. He "felt that with the Rambler I had the car of the future" and Romney "bet the farm on the Rambler" by spending US$5.4 million on a "crash program to bring the 1957 Rambler to market a year earlier." The redesigned Rambler line for the 1956 model year was bigger, about 8 inches (203 millimetres) longer overall, but still positioned in the compact car classification of the time. The new for 1956 Rambler was arguably "the most important car American Motors ever built" in that it not only created and defined a new market segment, emphasized the virtues of compact design, but also enabled the automaker to prosper in the post-World War II marketplace that shifted from a seller's to a buyer's market. The sales war between Ford and Chevrolet conducted during 1953 and 1954 had left little business for the much smaller "independent" automakers trying to compete against the standard models offered by the domestic Big Three (General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler). Imported vehicles from Europe (Volkswagen in 19

Model years

=== 1956 === The four-door Ramblers for the 1956 model year were completely redesigned, with a characteristic swept-back C-pillars (the Fashion Safety Arch), unusual wing windows on the rear doors, inboard, grille-mounted headlamps, as well as "the widest windshield" of any car. The short-wheelbase two-door (Nash Rambler) versions were no longer available. The new line retained the 108-inch (2,743 mm) wheelbase that was used for the previous four-door versions of the Nash Rambler, but the overall length was increased by 5 inches (127 mm), to 191.14 in (4,855 mm). The Rambler was substantially smaller outside compared to the other popular domestic cars of the era, but its interior room was equal to the top-selling "low-priced" field. Construction was also unusual, being unit body (what Nash called Double Safe Single Unit). The 1956 Rambler models were marketed under both the Nash and Hudson brand names. The cars were almost identical except for minor badge engineering that included different logos on the hubcaps, grille insert, and hood emblem. The new Ramblers came only as four-door models. Along with the usual four-door sedan and station wagon was a new four-door hardtop sedan. Rambler also introduced the industry's first four-door hardtop station wagon in 1956. The station wagons used the same rear doors as the sedans with the back roof dipped lower over the cargo area and featured a standard roof rack. The wagon models were called Cross Country. An innovation for station wagons was Rambler's roll-down tailgate window; competitors' models continued to use upward-hinged rear windows. The new car was described as "distinct and different .... can be recognized at any angle from its wide-open competition-type grille to the pronounced arch over the rear window." According

Overseas assembly

=== Canada === The former Nash plant on Danforth Avenue in Toronto produced the Rambler Six from 1955 until 1957. Production ended as subsequent models were imported from the United States. Mexico. Midsize Rambler models were assembled from CKD kits in Mexico during two different periods. The first was under Armadora Mexicana based in Mexico City, between 1956 and 1957, and the second was under Planta REO based in Monterrey, from late 1959. Because of the low sales volume, American Motors terminated its contract with Armadora Mexicana that originally began with AMC's predecessor company in 1950. Complete Rambler models were again imported from the United States (between 1957 and 1958) and sold through a limited network of dealerships, most of which were located in Mexico City. The agreement with Planta REO was formalized in 1959, becoming AMC's second partner in the country and resuming local assembly. Between 1958 and 1959, the Mexican midsize Rambler line consisted of a four-door sedan in Super trim, a four-door hardtop in Super trim, and a four-door pillared wagon in Cross Country trim. All three versions were powered by the one-barrel OHV 127 hp (95 kW; 129 PS) 195.6 cu in (3.2 L) I6 engines. A three-speed manual transmission was standard with the three-speed automatic as an option, including the push-button version. The problem of low sales volume continued under Planta REO and AMC also canceled this contract. The company signed an agreement with Toyota in 1960. Planta REO did not focus on the Rambler brand in favor of the Japanese one, being allegedly an important or the main cause of the low commercial success of this second venture of AMC in Mexico. By March 1964, the relationship with Toyota was also terminated because the Mexican government increased the domes

Legacy

American Motors began the process of differentiating the Rambler brand name from its various sizes and similar model names. New nameplates were introduced; the Rambler Six and Rambler Rebel V8 were both renamed the Rambler Classic in 1961.

Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.

Specifications

name: Rambler Six and Rambler V8
aka: Nash Rambler, Hudson Rambler
Manufacturer: American Motors Corporation (AMC)
Production: 1956–1960
Layout: FR layout
Body style: 4-door sedan, 4-door wagon, 4-door hardtop sedan, 4-door hardtop station wagon
Assembly: United States: Kenosha, Wisconsin, Belgium: Haren (Vilvoorde Renault Factory), Mexico: Mexico City and Monterrey
Wheelbase: 108 in
Engine: 195.6 CID Typhoon I6, 250 CID AMC 250 V8
Successor: Rambler Classic
Designer: Edmund E. Anderson

Specification summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Check the linked sources for citations.

More photos

Sources

Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4048007CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rambler_Six_and_V8CC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1370920425 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1960_Ramber_Six_1_--_10-23-2009.jpgPublic domain · Photo: IFCAR · retrieved 2026-10-01
Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.