page_title: Rambler Marlin
section_title: Origin
hierarchical_section_title: Rambler Marlin / Origin
caption_attribution_description: English: Nameplate on the hood of a 1966 Marlin by American Motors (AMC), a mid-sized two-door hardtop (pillarless) fastback personal luxury car. Finished in two-tone tan and has the original AMC 327 ci. in. (5.4 L) V8 4-bbl engine with 4-speed manual transmission on a full length floor console. Picture taken at the AMCRC car show that was held in Somerset, New Jersey held in Somerset, New Jersey
context_page_description: The Rambler Marlin is a two-door fastback automobile produced in the United States by American Motors Corporation from 1965 to 1967. A halo car for the company, it was marketed as a personal luxury car.
  In 1965, the car was marketed as "Rambler Marlin". For 1966, the car featured "Marlin" identification only and was officially named "AMC Marlin", as was the 1967 model.
  Its fastback roof design was previewed on the 1964 Rambler Tarpon show car, based on the compact Rambler American. 1965 and 1966 model year production Marlins were fastback versions of the mid-sized two-door hardtop Rambler Classic, and 1967 brought a major redesign in which the car was given the new, longer AMC Ambassador full-size chassis. This version had a longer hood and numerous improvements including more interior room and new V8 engines.
context_section_description: As consumer per capita income increased in the early 1960s, the U.S. automobile market expanded. Whereas American Motors’ profitable marketing strategy under George W. Romney had concentrated on compact, economical cars, Romney's successor as CEO, Roy Abernethy, saw larger, more prestigious and luxurious models as a new profit opportunity. The objective was to compete with the "Big Three" automobile manufacturers (General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler) by expanding AMC's model lines into additional market segments; particularly by developing a sporty, roomy, 6-passenger sedan that would occupy a unique niche in the market. The idea was that the new car would be a distinctive, low-volume model symbolizing a new Rambler look and spearheading a full product line. To be a distinctive competitor in the big league with the Big Three, it was decided that it should be flashy and intermediate-sized, and in an era when other automakers were stressing the power of muscle cars for their intermediate-sized image vehicles, the new model—the Marlin—was to feature comfort and spaciousness.
  Initially, in response to a proposal for a sporty youth-oriented car, a four-seat fastback design study, the Rambler Tarpon, had been built on the compact-sized Rambler American platform. This was shown as a concept car at various auto shows but AMC's current "GEN-1" V8 engine would not fit in the comparatively small Rambler chassis; also the new "GEN-II" V8 designs were still in development, and market research showed that a six-cylinder engine alone would not satisfy potential customers. Management at the small automaker wanted to change "its tune" with "a reasonably sporty 'upsized' response of sorts to Ford's Mustang." The "fastback" appearance was a revival of sedans built after World War II, as demonstrated by the 1940s Nash Ambassador.
  Ultimately, and in line with Roy Abernethy's new marketing strategy, the decision was made to build the new fastback model on AMC's intermediate-sized Rambler Classic platform. The development team, under distinguished American designer Dick Teague, had to work with considerably smaller budgets than their counterparts at Detroit's Big Three to create the new Marlin. They created a large, roomy and luxurious fastback which incorporated a number of design features from the Tarpon show car. The signature roof line from the windshield with the Marlin's "skylight permits carrying through the true fastback line in an unbroken sweep." However, the roof was raised over the rear passenger area when Abernethy, who was six-foot-four (193 cm tall), insisted on being able to sit in the back seat of the design studies. Teague worked for Chrysler as a stylist during the mid-1950s and the fastback-styling of the lost 1956 Chrysler Norseman concept car's "resemblance to (that of) the 1965 Rambler Marlin fastback coupe, or vice versa, was (said to be) uncanny."
  As the car was targeted at the evolving "personal luxury" segment, its long list of standard equipment was supplemented by numerous options that enabled buyers to personalize their Marlins.
caption: Marlin nameplate
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