I saw a 61 Rambler wagon yesterday being driven. In Osage Beach, Missouri.
7G-Q1 49 2R12 10G-F5 56B-D4 56B-F2
Studebaker Diners Club
7G-Q1 49 2R12 10G-F5 56B-D4 56B-F2
Studebaker Diners Club
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Back in the early 1960s, my Dad and uncle chose Rambler Station wagons for their automotive parts/accessory salesmen to drive around NC & SC. The wagons were easy on gas and allowed the guys to carry a lot of parts with them. The man reason they bought the Ramblers was that their single best customer was an Rambler/AMC dealer. I don't think they ever even considered Studebakers. My Dad never owned a Stude. He was a Pontiac, Olds, Caddy and Lincoln man. And, although he helped me buy my first one, a '53 Coupe back in early '73, he generally laughed at it.
edp/NC
'63 Avanti
'66 Commanderedp/NC
\'63 Avanti
\'66 Commander -
My dad bought a '62 Rambler American after his first tour in Viet Nam, in 1966. It was a fine little car, until it puked its transmission all over the street in front of the house. That stain marred the asphalt for nearly 20 years
[img=left]http://members.cox.net/clarknovak/lark.gif[/img=left]
Clark in San Diego
'63 F2/Lark Standard
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In 1968 I made my worst automotive deal ever when I sold a '59 Lark Regal 4 door V-8 for $125 and bought a used '61 Rambler Classic wagon for $275. The Rambler was a 6 with pushbutton "Flash-o-Matic" transmission. Baby blue and white and bottom of the line. What a piece of crap! No power even when running well, which was seldom. Problems included a cracked head, burnt valves, and worn trunnions in the front suspension that were barely holding the wheels on. I worked in Camden, NJ and parked in a bad neighborhood with it unlocked and windows open but no one would even steal it. Eventually got $50 for it on a trade for a new Ford Torino. There are some very good reasons why you seldom see these gems either at shows or on the road.Comment
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My first car was a 62 Rambler Classic, bought for a few hundred and a few hundred more got me a year's insurance, back in '68 when I was 16. Dad wouldn't let me buy a 60 Buick hearse I really wanted because he didn't want it in front of our house. The guy who sold me the Rambler, also with the push button tranny (neutral pushed in all the way was the starter) probably loaded the crankcase with STP because shortly after buying it, I began seeing a cloud of blue smoke behind me. This was in FL and I killed all the mosquitoes for miles with that car. A quart of oil every few days. Wound up driving it to a wrecking yard and they gave me $25 for it!
Fast forward to now and I LOVE driving my 60 Lark with a 259 and 3-sp OD. I'm almost glad I didn't have it then as I wouldn't have appreciated it as I do now.Comment
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My first car was a 62 Rambler Classic, bought for a few hundred and a few hundred more got me a year's insurance, back in '68 when I was 16. Dad wouldn't let me buy a 60 Buick hearse I really wanted because he didn't want it in front of our house. The guy who sold me the Rambler, also with the push button tranny (neutral pushed in all the way was the starter) probably loaded the crankcase with STP because shortly after buying it, I began seeing a cloud of blue smoke behind me. This was in FL and I killed all the mosquitoes for miles with that car. A quart of oil every few days. Wound up driving it to a wrecking yard and they gave me $25 for it!
Fast forward to now and I LOVE driving my 60 Lark with a 259 and 3-sp OD. I'm almost glad I didn't have it then as I wouldn't have appreciated it as I do now.Comment
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I bought a '59 6cyl Rambler wagon to get more economy than our '56 Ford club sedan. It also had factory A/C and 3spd with O/D. It was a tough little car and I pulled a small camper trailer to New Mexico and Colorado. I was paid mileage in my first sales job in '58 and it served us well. I then traded it for a '61 V8 Rambler wagon with A/C and 3spd O/D that was better than the'59. I did look at Studebaker wagons but the nearest dealer was many miles from where we lived. We kept the '61 until I secured a sales job in late '62 that furnished company cars. Didn't buy my first Studebaker until the late '60's and it was a '53 Starlight Coupe for $55. I have owned 10 Studebakers and currently own 3.
Jim Caldwell
"The view don't change if you ain't the lead dog"
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