Rambler Milestones for January
Some January AMC Happenings:
Here are a few items from the
1969 American Motors Family Album:
January 1900 marked the first New York Auto Show. Thomas B. Jeffery & Company was there, showing off at least two early cars, the Rambler Experimentals, in Runabout and Stanhope.
In January of 1942, Nash-Kelvinator ceased production of automobiles to focus on military production for World War II. During the war, Nash produced 600 million dollars worth of aircraft engines, propellers, helicopters, bomb fuses, cargo trailers, binocular cases, and flying boat sub-assemblies, among other supplies, at plants located in Detroit, Grand Rapids, and Lansing in Michigan, and Milwaukee, Racine, and Kenosha in Wisconsin.
The Nash eXperimental International, or NXI, was first shown to the public in January of 1950. Over 250,000 people were surveyed to determine if the car that became the Metropolitan warranted production.
This looks like a Jeep, but it is actually a miniature version known as the Mighty Mite. These vehicles began production by American Motors in January 1960, ten years before AMC acquired Kaiser Jeep. These were a special version of the Jeep for the Airborne Corps and the Marines.
In January of 1964, the public was shown the Rambler Tarpon concept. Whenever Rambler fans gather, there is always much lamenting of the fact that this car was not produced, as it is commonly believed that the little fastback would have stolen the thunder of the Mustang and Barracuda. AMC instead chose to produce the much-criticized 1965 Marlin, a mid-size fastback. Sales of that car were a disaster.
January 1972:
Voyageur with GremBin
Somebody was taking
the Kaiser-Frazer heritage
a little too seriously...
Not sure when this is, but it has the old-style window latch... probably 72 or 73. Large bumpers suggest 73...
NOTE -- After seeing my confusion on this little matter, previous contributor John Mahoney wrote a note on the AMC-List about this car:
"...Thanks, Mike, for putting that "Hornet-by-Cash" photo online. You can put a "1972"
in your "Grembin" caption also, for the Gremlin "Voyageur*" debuted at
http://www.montrealautoshow.com/
in January and toured the NA auto show circuit throughout the 1972 year..."
Thanks for contributing this information, John. All of us who loved American Motors ARE now AMC,
and it will only be remembered,
as we choose to remember it...
mike
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