page_title: Rambler American
section_title: Legacy
hierarchical_section_title: Rambler American / Legacy
caption_attribution_description: English: Display panel about the 1962 Rambler American 400 convertible that was used in the TV series "3rd Rock from the Sun". The car was donated by the show's creators and producers: Bonnie and Terry Turner. Picture taken in The Rambler Legacy Gallery of the The Kenosha History Center.
context_page_description: The Rambler American is a compact car that was manufactured by the American Motors Corporation between 1958 and 1969. The American was the second incarnation of AMC's forerunner Nash Motors second-generation Rambler compact that was sold under the Nash and Hudson Motors marques from 1954 and 1955.
  The American can be classified in three distinct model year generations: 1958 to 1960, 1961 to 1963, and 1964 to 1969. During the entire length of its production, the car was sold under the Rambler brand name, and was the last Rambler named automobile marketed in the Canadian and United States markets.
  The compact Rambler American was most often the lowest priced car built in the U.S. It was popular for its economy in ownership, as was proven by numerous Mobilgas Economy Run championships. After an optional second-generation AMC V8 engine was added in 1966, it also became known as a powerful compact performance model that also included the 390 cu in version built in conjunction with Hurst, the 1969 SC/Rambler.
context_section_description: American Motors used the compact Rambler American chassis as the basis for the 1968 Javelin, a two-door hardtop marketed as a "hip", dashing, and affordable pony car, as well as available in several muscle car performance versions.
  In 1988 Ben Vaughn, a musician and a longtime Rambler automobile fan, released El Rambler Dorado on his Blows Your Mind album. He later recorded an entire album in his 1965 Rambler American. Released in 1997 by Rhino Records and titled Rambler '65, Vaughn turned his car into a makeshift studio. Putting the recording equipment inside his Rambler was a gimmick or an act of showmanship, but according to most reviews, the music he created inside his car is "timeless" rock roll. The Rambler '65 24-minute music video also includes vintage AMC TV advertising clips.
  Vaughn also achieved success in Hollywood as the composer for the hit NBC television series 3rd Rock from the Sun in which the main characters use a 1962 Rambler American convertible. The car is featured in posters and in the 100th episode (during season 5) entitled "The Fifth Solomon", the space aliens "learn that it's possible to get emotionally attached to a car" after they crash their Rambler and have no insurance.
  During his 2006–2007 campaign for U.S. president, Mitt Romney sat in a Rambler American at fund-raising events as a way to emphasize the need for more efficient cars. He also stated that his father (George W. Romney) "was a man ahead of his time," at campaign stops and that "He also coined the term 'gas-guzzling dinosaurs.' That's what we're driving today and that's got to change."
caption: 3rd Rock from the Sun museum display
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