page_title: Rambler Marlin
section_title: 1966
hierarchical_section_title: Rambler Marlin / 1966
caption_attribution_description: English: 1966 Marlin two-door fastback made by American Motors Corporation (AMC) finished in tan - side view
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 part of Roy Abernethy's remake of AMC's corporate identity, divorcing the larger car lines from the historic Rambler brand that had "become synonymous with frugality" and the economy compact car image. The Rambler Marlin became known as the AMC Marlin starting with the 1966 model year. All references to "Rambler" were removed from the car and promotional materials. The other changes were minor (e.g. a slight modification to the extruded aluminum grille, a front sway bar made standard on six-cylinder models, and an optional black vinyl roof cover that continued over the trunk opening). New was an electronic tach on the top of the dash.
  The year also saw the introduction of the fastback Dodge Charger, a derivative of the intermediate-sized Dodge Coronet, and a sporty model in direct response to the Marlin. The Charger "was immediately paired up in the automotive press with American Motors' year-old Marlin, another fastback specialty machine." "The fastback Charger had been introduced in mid-season of 1966 in retaliation to the AMC Marlin, Mustang, and Plymouth's Barracuda". Together, the intermediate-sized Charger and Marlin were "unusual, distinctive and in a class by themselves." General Motors and Ford also positioned products similar to the Marlin as specialized "personal luxury" coupes and introduced 2-door fastback versions of their full- and intermediate-sized car lines.
  AMC broadened the car's market appeal by lowering the base price to US$2,601 (US$20,496 in 2019 dollars) and offering more options. For example: high-level trim packages that had previously been standard, as well optional floor or center console mounted 4-speed manual transmission and a dash-mounted tachometer, affected small changes in pricing and equipment that paralleled the competition. By comparison, Chrysler did a similar thing with the pricing and content of its Dodge Charger from the 1966 to the 1967 model years. Despite these changes, Marlin production fell to 4,547 in 1966.
  Popular Science magazine road test comparison of three 1966 sporty fastbacks (Ford Mustang, Plymouth Valiant, and AMC Marlin) highlighted the Marlin's quiet interior, high quality upholstery and positioned seats with adjustable backrests that "permit almost any driver to find an ideal seat-to-wheel-to-pedal relationship", as well as the "best-balanced ride on good roads and bad". The 287 cu in (4.7 L) two-barrel V8 engine with the three-speed automatic achieved 0 to 60 mph in 11.7 seconds, and was the quietest, but least responsive of the group. The test Marlin's standard drum brakes were criticized as inadequate, with the authors recommending the optional disk brakes.
caption: 1966 AMC Marlin two-tone trim
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