29K Mile Survivor: 1964 Rambler Classic 770
The seller refers to this 1964 Rambler Classic 770 as a weekend princess rather than a trailer queen. Given its condition, it could be either one of those things. This beautiful 29,000-mile Rambler Classic can be found here on eBay in Dunkirk, Maryland and there is no reserve with a current bid price of $6,600!
This car appears to be in amazing condition. Original, low-mile cars in this sort of condition aren’t exactly falling off of trees, but they obviously are still out there. Most of us dream about finding original cars in this condition and the seller says that they are the second owner and they bought it in 2014. They don’t mention rust at all but the body sure looks solid – the underside does, too.
The second-generation Rambler Classic was made for only two years, 1963 and 1964, and they were Motor Trend’s Car of the Year in 1963. Most of us think of the big-three automakers as having made most of the innovations but AMC had a winner on their hands with the new Rambler, it was one of the first cars to have curved side glass. This example has to be the nicest one that I have ever seen, at least for an original car. I don’t see a flaw really anywhere inside or out. A two-door hardtop version was available beginning in 1964.
The interior is truly amazing. The seller says that shortly after they bought it in 2014, they had it judged (I’m assuming at a car show) and it received a “Bronze” award for both the exterior and interior. The level of preservation in this car is spectacular, from the original sparkle floor mats to the carpet and seats both front the rear. I doubt if a person could find a nicer one for sale anywhere on the globe.
A 287 cubic-inch V8 was available halfway through the 1963 model year but this car has the tried and true Typhoon 195.6 cubic-inch overhead-valve inline-six which had around 125 hp. This car has the Flash-O-Matic three-speed automatic transmission which I’m assuming works as good as the engine and rest of this beautiful top-of-the-line Rambler Classic looks. Have any of you owned a 1964 Rambler Classic?
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Comments
I’d imagine Mitt Romney would like this.
Her did drive either a 63 or 64 Rambler Classic as his dad was CEO of AMC/ Rambler before becoming Governor of Michigan.
One of the first cars Mitt had as a kid was a `63. What else is he going to drive when his Dad ran AMC?
I keep checking all of my trees for classic cars falling out, but all I get is the odd squirrel 🐿.
In the late 70’s, I had a Tahiti Turquoise 4 door 64’ 770. The 287 went bad so for $150 a local junk yard put the sweetest 327 in it. Silent, smooth and a torque beast! It also had bucket seats and a console. And a vibra-tone sound system. Great car!!
I’d be surprised if this sells under $10K. Good thing I don’t have room or this would be a restomod in the making!
I wish I could bid on this one. I’d love to have it!
Great find, unusual find, 2 doors were not very common. Growing up in Milwaukee, it seemed everyone worked for AMC and drove ’63 or ’64 Ramblers. I thought the Car of the Year thing was a bit hoaky, Rambler must have paid MT well, as I thought there were much nicer cars. ( The ’63 Riviera or Grand Prix) It did help sell a lot of Ramblers, though. Aside from that pesky war looming in the distance, it was a great time to live in Milwaukee. I think it would be a shame to alter it in any way, they were fully capable of freeway speeds, and delivered good gas mileage to boot. This is an outstanding example, and the even the front suspension looks intact. The steering trunnions were a bad spot for these. My grandfathers ’61 had 41K miles, looked just like this, but the steering had rusted, and nobody would fix it, and he junked the car. Fantastic find.
The ’63 and ’64 Classics were the first nice-looking Ramblers to my eyes. I prefer the notched-out front-end styling of the ’63, but with a hardtop and V8 both finally available in the ’64, probably worth waiting a year. This is a sharp car, the weird instrument panel not withstanding. Low-mileage and stock; two things that are always high on my list. Someone is going to get a very nice car here.
The instrument panel is funky-looking but if you take a closer look you’ll see that everything is grouped in front of the driver, with all major controls a short reach from the steering wheel. There’s something to be said for that kind of design in comparison to today’s cars where you frequently have to wade through layers of menus on a touch-screen.
The dashboard and instruments were redesigned for 1965 to be more conventional-looking, but right-hand-drive export models continued to use the old setup through ’66. (The small volume did not justify the expense of tooling up a RHD version of the new dash.)
Absolutely stunning little Rambler, the original condition in and out is amazing. Back in the early ’80s, my drunken neighbor had a ’63 Rambler 4-door sedan. It was beige if I remember with an auto trans and it was a very clean little car. One day he asked me if I wanted the car but I told him I wasn’t interested. He said “Just gimme $5, I want to get a six-pack.” Couldn’t say no to that deal! I found out right off the trans was slipping so I sold it for $125 a few weeks later. Too bad, it was a nice little car in great shape but I was too young to appreciate it and it had 4 doors. Of course, nobody appreciated a 20 year-old Rambler back then.
I had one of these. It had a 287. I was going 90 in it and got pulled over. The cop let me go because there was no way a car that old could go 90. I did not volunteer that I had a lot of pedal left. Oh, and that V8 got 29 mpg consistently. I didn’t believe that and monitored it constantly, and sure enough! 29 mpg in a 30 year old V8 Rbler.
I had a friend that had fallen on hard times and needed a car back in 1990. I found a ’63 Rambler coupe like this with 53K miles and suggested he buy it. He looked at it and after a walk around he said he would never own a car with interchangeable front and rear bumpers. :) The next day I called the seller and offered him half his asking price (800.) and bought the car. The car was like new except the paint. I was restoring a ’68 SS 396 Chevelle convertible and as I had never painted a car, needed a practice car to paint before I painted the Chevelle. Loved SS, but it took 2 tanks of gas to drive from Houston to San Antonio. I let it go when gas almost hit 5 bucks a gallon.
These are fantastic little cars (considered little at the time). We had a 63 Classic wagon 550 and a 63 Ambassador 990. The Classic was a 3 speed the Ambassador was a twin stick. This one looks to be near perfect! Hope it goes to some one who will preserve it.
I had to look at the pictures a few times as I was sure this was a 4 door sedan. I prefer the 64 hardtop, but this is so rare I would not need my arm twisted to buy it.
As far as the “weird” instrument cluster, I seem to remember Plymouth…or some other make, having a similar arrangement about this time period.
For me, the sore point might be the unusual steering/front suspension.
Wonderfull find.
Interesting location for the oil filter.
It’s a partial-flow oil filter plumbed into the oil galleries with external lines.
You have to remember that this engine is a 1950s OHV adaptation of the old 1941 Nash “600” flathead six – essentially a 1930s design, and the oil filter was an option most of its years in production. (I think it was made standard the last few years.)
Kind of surprised it doesn’t have the more modern 232 six for this trim.
The 232 didn’t debut until midway through the 1964 model run, initially available only in the limited edition Rambler “Typhoon” (a Classic hardtop). So most 1964 Classics came with the old 195.6.
I have owned Classics of this vintage with that engine and automatic transmission. Acceleration is leisurely, to say the least. In comparison I also had a ’64 Ambassador (same body as the Classic) with 327 for a while and that thing was like a rocket.
Interesting find.
A well looked after Rambler. It’s currently at $8450.00 with just under eight days to go!
The remarkable thing about this eBay listing is that when it was first listed, it had a Buy It Now option of 7k dollars. I was tempted to pull the trigger, but it would have been just a “flip” car for me and I would’ve had nearly a grand into shipping. I knew the BIN price was too low. Someone could have gotten a steal witht he Buy It Now, instead we’ll see what it’s “market value” is. I like it, but would much prefer the 2 door hardtop version, which I think was the nicest looking Rambler ever made.
First car with curved side glass was the 1957 Imperial
The ’63 Classic/Ambassador and ’64 American, which used the same doors, were among the first low-priced cars to come with curved side glass. (Not sure if they were THE first in their price range and I’m too lazy to look it up.)
I’ve read that designer Edmund Anderson had to fight management tooth and nail to have this feature included since it was an expensive addition as automotive costs are figured. Anderson believed that the car would soon look stale if not included since curved side glass was becoming more popular. (Originally the ’63 Classic was intended to be in production until at least 1969, with an external midlife refresh. Those plans were thrown out when Roy Abernethy became head honcho.)
I own a ’64 Ambassador and a ’64 Classic Cross Country Station Wagon with a 287 and a lever overdrive and 3 on the tree. I love them both. To see this one so clean and being a two door makes this a good deal in my book.
Well, I own it now and it’s still basically stock with wheels and air ride added.
Love the car and quite a little cruiser.