page_title: Rambler Six and V8
section_title: 1956
hierarchical_section_title: Rambler Six and V8 / Model years / 1956
caption_attribution_description: English: 1956 Hudson Rambler 4-door sedan, "Custom" trim model - built by the American Motors Corporation (AMC). Front right side view. This four-door sedan features the popular two-tone exterior finish for the era, as well as the factory "Weather Eye" heating and air conditioning system. It has the "airliner" individually adjustable and reclining front seats that can be used as a bed. The dealer accessory window insect screens as also installed on the car's right side. The "compact" 108-inch wheelbase Rambler line was marketed by both Hudson and Nash dealerships during the introductory 1956 model year. The cars were nearly identical, except for hubcaps with an 'H' in the center, as well as the Hudson logo on the hood and the 'H' grille inserts. Total production of 1956 Hudson Ramblers was 20,496 in three levels of trim in four-door station wagon and sedan body styles. Picture taken on the show field of the Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) 2012 Hershey meet that is held every October in Pennsylvania.
context_page_description: The Rambler Six and the Rambler V8 are intermediate sized automobiles that were built and marketed by American Motors Corporation from 1956 to 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 in 1957.
context_section_description: 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 used upward-hinged 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 rear window." According to automobile journalist Floyd Clymer, "economy and high-performance do not go hand in hand, but in the Rambler, the owner will find a happy medium ... though smaller, is safer than many cars. The welded, unitized body-frame construction offers above-average protection in collisions." The single-unit construction that was used by AMC on all of its models provided a marketing advantage by offering buyers a $25,000 personal automobile injury insurance policy at no extra cost.
  The Typhoon straight-six for the new Rambler was based on the previous 195.6 cu in (3.2 L) block, but was improved and featured overhead valves and produced 120 bhp (89 kW; 122 PS). It was the only engine available in the 1956 Rambler because the automaker was still developing its own V8. This engine was said to deliver 33% more power than the 1955 version, and - at up to 30 miles per US gallon (7.8 L/100 km; 36 mpg‑imp) - provided better fuel economy than the competition. The new Rambler also changed to a 12-volt electrical system. The automatic transmission was the GM-produced Hydramatic (called Flashaway by AMC). A torque tube drive system was used with a four-wheel coil spring suspension instead of the previous Hotchkiss drive setup.
  The interiors were offered in fifteen colors, and offered "genuine leather" (in six colors) as an option. The station wagons were popular with buyers, and in addition to power brakes (standard on Custom models), frequently ordered options included power steering, two- and three-tone exterior color schemes, a continental tire, Weather Eye heating and air conditioning system, as well as dealer accessory window insect screens to use with the individually adjustable and reclining front seats that could be used as a bed.
  The new Rambler model became the replacement for the large-sized Nash and Hudson "legacy" models that were now suffering from dwindling sales. On the other hand, the Rambler was the only completely new "popular-priced" car in 1956. Consumer reaction to the 1956 Rambler was very positive. Advertising for the new car urged potential buyers to "Drive the Rambler - You'll Make the Smart Switch for 1956." Almost 74 percent of surveyed Rambler owners by Popular Mechanics described their cars as small and roomy, as well as easy to park and operate.
  Sales for the inaugural year tot
caption: 1956 Hudson Rambler Custom sedan, with dealer accessory window insect screens
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