AMC SC/Rambler

SC/Rambler at a glance

The SC/Rambler is one of the golden-age cars in our American muscle car guide.

The last Rambler American

The third-generation Rambler American arrived for 1964, the only all-new design in the model's history, with a wheelbase six inches longer at 106 in. In the middle of 1966 the sporty Rogue hardtop received AMC's new 290 cu in "Typhoon" V8, rated 149 or 168 kW (200 or 225 hp). In 1969, the final year, AMC built 96,029 Ramblers, and the last American-built Rambler left Kenosha on 30 June 1969.

The SC was the most extreme car of that last season. American Motors wanted a car that customers would take racing, not just drive on the street. The NHRA stock classes demanded at least 500 identical cars, so AMC turned to Hurst Performance and built three times that number.

A 390 V8 in a compact car

Only one specification was available. The 390 V8 came from the AMX and was rated at 235 kW (315 hp). With the car's weight that gave 10.03 pounds per horsepower. This placed the SC in the NHRA F/Stock class. A box-type bonnet scoop with a vacuum-operated flap fed cooler, higher-pressure air to the Carter AFB carburettor; its sides read "390 CU. IN." and "AIR".

The drivetrain was prepared for hard launches. It had a close-ratio BorgWarner T-10 four-speed with a Hurst shifter and a big metal "T" handle, and a 10.5 in clutch. At the rear there was a Twin-Grip limited-slip axle with a 3.54:1 ratio and Dana internals, anti-hop links and staggered shock absorbers. Front disc brakes, a heavier anti-roll bar and stronger subframe connections were standard. A Sun tachometer was mounted on the steering column.

Paint schemes A and B

All cars were painted red, white and blue, in two different schemes called "A" and "B", which appeared in random order early in production. Historians disagree on the split. One version says 500 "A" cars were followed by 500 "B" and a final 512 "A"; the painter, Paul Hatton, said he painted 1,215 cars in scheme "A", which would leave 297 in scheme "B". The paint codes are the same for both, so the factory records cannot settle the question.

Inside, the cars had charcoal grey vinyl reclining seats and head restraints in red, white and blue stripes. The only factory option was an AM radio.

Performance

Prepared race cars later ran the quarter mile in the 9-second range. Its figures show what AMC achieved by putting a big engine in its lightest body. Plymouth used the same recipe with the Road Runner and Dodge with the Dart GTS.

Legacy

In 1970 AMC moved its muscle car effort to the mid-size Rebel, whose performance version used a stronger 390. The Rambler name left the American market after 1969. That makes this car the last and best-known performance Rambler. Compare it with the other compact muscle cars in our power ranking.

SC/Rambler against the other AMC muscle cars

AMC built three very different muscle cars in two years, all around the same 390 V8. The SC was the lightest and the rarest. From AMC's power-to-weight figure of 10.03 lb per hp, the car weighed about 3,160 lb (1,430 kg), or about 6.1 kg per kW.

The figures are our calculation from the published power and weight data. The SC is the choice for a buyer who wants the most unusual car of the three and a factory drag-racing specification; the AMX is the more refined road car.

Photo gallery