WTB 1957 Rambler Rebel

[Restorer32]

Must be complete with original engine and drive train. Prefer minimal rust. Reply to PennDutchRestore@aol.com

[West Peterson]

I'd love to drive one of those to see what they're like.

[Restorer32]

Yea, me too. Have a customer who wants to restore one but we can't seem to find any.

[TerryB]

With only 1500 produced, according to a Hemmings review of that car, it's going to take a lot of looking for sure!

[Restorer32]

Found one maybe a year ago but it was missing its original engine, trans, rear, steering column etc.

[29 franklin]

there is an ad saying 2 american motors cars  for sale . It does not give anything else. I doubt it but you never know. Call  Wendall Spreadury  936 552 1658

[Buffalowed Bill]

In the mid 90's a friend found a decent original, low mileage, NW car, which he bought to take a trip down to the National Studebaker meet in Long Beach Ca. I never quite got the reasoning behind buying  the Rambler to take to a Studebaker meet, other then the price was right, and it was a rather rare 30 year old car.  We had several months to play with the car before he made the trip.

 

My personal characterization of the car was of a rather awkward looking, seemingly heavy car, whose handling was about what I expected for a mid 50's car. The car had an automatic trans, and what seemed to be, pretty tall gearing. The car was definitely not as fast as a friend's 1957 Corvette (283, dual fours, close ratio three speed and 4:10 gears). The Corvette probably was not a good car to compare it to, because of how it was equipped.  The Rambler seemed decidedly slower then the supercharged 57/58 Studebaker Golden Hawks that I have driven, but it's tall gearing had to be a detriment here. To me the most interesting thing about the car was that a car that looked like that, had the level of performance that it had. In it's time it definitely would have been a real sleeper.

 

My friend, and several mutual friends, made the trip without any problems, at the end of which he put the car up for sale. It was not a car that I was willing to make room for in my own collection, but in retrospect I should have given it more consideration. He sold it to a young lady in Seattle, and for a number of years we would occasionally see it on the street. It is still the only one that I have ever seen, and I hope that it still survives today.