Print Page | Close Window

1956 Nash-Rambler sells for $528,000

Printed From: TheAMCForum.com
Category: American Motors Corp., its history and more.
Forum Name: The Member Companies and Products of AMC
Forum Description: What AMC produced, when, production numbers, companies owned, bought, sold.....
URL: https://theamcforum.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=71826
Printed Date: Mar/28/2024 at 6:48pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.03 - http://www.webwizforums.com


Topic: 1956 Nash-Rambler sells for $528,000
Posted By: AMXFSTBK390
Subject: 1956 Nash-Rambler sells for $528,000
Date Posted: Jul/17/2015 at 1:42pm
Found this surfing the internet. In 1956 AMC asked Pinin Farina to design a Rambler-based 2-seat coup. This fully functioning production prototype was owned by the president of Nash Motor Car Company. It was named "Palm Beach." Specs: Rambler 196 CID 6 cyl, single Weber carburetor, 3 speed manual gear box, 4 wheel drum brakes. It has appeared at several concourse d'Elegance shows: Pebble Beach, Palm Beach, to name a couple. Sold at 2011 Gooding & Company Auction, Amelia Island, Florida, for $528,000.

-------------
Questions are powerful tools...what's in your toolbox?



Replies:
Posted By: rocklandrambler
Date Posted: Jul/17/2015 at 4:08pm
Kool looking car. One small technicality though. There was NO AMC in '56. That didn't come about until 1958. So, the car was a Nash.

-------------
Past AMC's
1974 Hornet X (new)
1975 Gremlin X (new)
1964 Classic 660 Cross Country
1965 American 440-H


Posted By: davester304
Date Posted: Jul/17/2015 at 4:19pm
Cool car...wonder why it hasn't been on 'Mystery Cars' on the HIFI network? They show a lot of prototypes and one-offs like this. Last one I saw was the Buick Y-Job.

-------------
1970 Javelin SST
If you don't look back at it when you park it, you bought the wrong car


Posted By: bikerfox
Date Posted: Jul/17/2015 at 4:37pm
Originally posted by rocklandrambler rocklandrambler wrote:

Kool looking car. One small technicality though. There was NO AMC in '56. That didn't come about until 1958. So, the car was a Nash.

I don't believe everything I read, but:   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Motors" rel="nofollow - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Motors  says differently.


-------------
1969 Rebel SST (1970-1987)
1968 AMX (2005-2011)
1969 SC/Rambler (2011-2019)
1970 Javelin (2019 to ?)"Jane"


Posted By: Buzzman72
Date Posted: Jul/17/2015 at 8:55pm
Originally posted by rocklandrambler rocklandrambler wrote:

Kool looking car. One small technicality though. There was NO AMC in '56. That didn't come about until 1958. So, the car was a Nash.

AMC was formed when Hudson merged with Nash.  So there was an AMC ever since May 1, 1954.

In 1956, cars from AMC still came with Hudson or Nash emblems.  It was '57 when the Rambler came with its own logo and no Hudson or Nash badges.

If the Palm Beach has neither Hudson or Nash emblems, then it might be that the "Rambler Palm Beach" designation I've seen for this model--which includes the '69 American Motors Family Album--may just be correct.


-------------
Buzzman72...void where prohibited, your mileage may vary, objects in mirror may be closer than they appear, and alcohol may intensify any side effects.


Posted By: AMXFSTBK390
Date Posted: Jul/17/2015 at 9:23pm
It should be noted George Romney was Chairman and President of AMC from 1954-1962. Here is a picture of the Palm Beach's front end with a Rambler emblem.

-------------
Questions are powerful tools...what's in your toolbox?


Posted By: rocklandrambler
Date Posted: Jul/18/2015 at 1:37am
OOPS, I was wrong    I misread my info source. AMC was formed in '54 and in '58 dropped the Hudson and Nash nameplates. My apologies BTW, is there any picture of the rear of the car?

-------------
Past AMC's
1974 Hornet X (new)
1975 Gremlin X (new)
1964 Classic 660 Cross Country
1965 American 440-H


Posted By: AMXFSTBK390
Date Posted: Jul/18/2015 at 1:47am
BTW: Rumor has it more then two were built.

-------------
Questions are powerful tools...what's in your toolbox?


Posted By: Buzzman72
Date Posted: Jul/18/2015 at 12:34pm
By the Rambler "R" emblem used, that would seem to confirm the Rambler Palm Beach name commonly associated with the car.

-------------
Buzzman72...void where prohibited, your mileage may vary, objects in mirror may be closer than they appear, and alcohol may intensify any side effects.


Posted By: mramc
Date Posted: Jul/21/2015 at 6:24pm
Ok, I'm going to make some corrections to the comments here. The Rambler "Palm Beach "factory prototype show car was owned by the president of AMC, Roy Chapin Jr. not George Romney.  Kind of an interesting story on how this happened from what I've pieced together. Roy Chapin Jr. Roy Jr. graduated college , joined the board of directors of Hudson Motors and started working for Hudson. How do you graduate college and get on the board of directors of automaker, by having your father found the company and your family own a large amount of stock in the company. When Hudson and Nash merged a couple or three years latter Roy Chapin Jr. was now on the merged AMC board of directors even thou at that time he only held a minor sales department position due to his family still owning a significant amount of stock in the new American Motors Corporation .Some how the Chapin family in the form of Roy Chapin Jr. got a hold of the Palm Beach show car after it car show days were done and it sat in there garage for decades until surprise Joe Bortz who collects all the factory show cars found it and bought off the Chapin family. For what ever reason Bortz never fixed the Palm Beach up after buying it , as it came up on EBAY around 2003 or 2004 for sale in very sad shape. It was bid to around 76 K at that time ,  It was in gray primer, had a bent tail fin , and the red leather interior falling off the inside of the car. Not sure who bought it and fixed the car up. But I though 76K or so was reasonable considering it needed a very expensive custom parts ground up restoration , but Bortz's agent  was asking 125K. How would  I know, because I called about the car. Never thought restored it would go over 500K ! LRDaum


-------------
LRDaum


Posted By: mramc
Date Posted: Jul/21/2015 at 6:40pm
Admen-um to my comments on the Palm Beach. It was designed by Pininfarina for Nash . The reason being Nash had hired Pininfarina as design consultants for the 1952 Nash Ambassador and Statesman Golden anniversary cars (1902 to 1952) 50 years in business. The Pininfarina design logo stayed on the big Nash s from 1952 to 1957. Part of the consulting deal  was for for several factory show car prototypes. I think 3 or 4 were considered but only two made, the Palm Beach and a 1956 Ambassador prototype. Also part of the deal was the 1952 to 1954 Nash Healeys where built in Italy at the Pininfarina coach works . Nash shipped the engine and drive line to England where Donald Healys  company built the chassis and then shipped that to Italy where the body was build by Pininfarina and then shipped  back to the USA . There 402 Nash Healeys listed as having having bodies built in Italy with another 102 with bodied made in England.

An Irony here is Cadillac did just about  the same thing with Cadillac Allante including having Pininfarina make the bodies in Italy. LRDaum

Below should be a photo of the other Pininfarina 1956 Nash Ambassador prototype. I nice looking car still today but too plain for it time. LRD

  http://s183.photobucket.com/user/mramc/media/Ambassador1956-300dpi_zpshoyudx6y.jpg.html" rel="nofollow">


-------------
LRDaum


Posted By: 348AMX
Date Posted: Jul/21/2015 at 7:53pm
Still not even close to a record for an AMC...one of the trans Am Javelins (a 71 If I recall correctly) sold for North of $750,000.

Still for a 54 model year car before AMC really started pumping out serious performance/collectibles that is a very cool sale, and very very strong pricing for a very very nice car.


Posted By: junk yard dog
Date Posted: Oct/14/2015 at 1:31pm
The mark Donahue race car penski car sold for like $847000.00 if i remember right and if i were roger i would be owing that car. I think a foreman mustang bid to like $700000.00 and didn't sell at same action. I heard roomer that a early amx just sold for $75000.00 and i don't think it was an ss car. I have in the past try to sell a couple  rust free 68 amxs projects for $5000.00 each and been run out of the amc forum for tooo high of price.lol. I have decided to keep them because in a couple years they will be worth twice that amount and i have always loved the two seater and a ss clone is looking real possible to go with the black 69 amx and the bbg 69 sst javelin and the sc rambler all 390 cars and my dream to have them at a show all finished next to each other.We can all dream. I saw once a 1954 rambler two seater that the doors slid forward and back at one time. What is it? Dog.Attached is picture of ac hornet hatch back clone look a like that is almost done.A year ago it was at the wrecking yard almost crushed


-------------
69 sc rambler              
69 bbg javelin 390 mod pack    
68 javelin custom
68 amx 343 4 sale
76 hornet
1963 1/2 mercury super maraude


Posted By: Cricket
Date Posted: Jan/02/2016 at 9:19pm
I know the Kaiser-Darrin had the sliding doors like you describe.
http://www.americansportscars.com/darrin.html


Posted By: SEdmonds
Date Posted: Jan/02/2016 at 10:50pm


The 1955 Nash Pinin Farina Special at the Rambler Ranch is another of these very special cars.


Posted By: AMXRWB
Date Posted: Jan/02/2016 at 11:30pm
The Rambler Ranch is the only ranch my wife will let me visit when I go out west...


Posted By: SEdmonds
Date Posted: Jan/02/2016 at 11:58pm
Originally posted by AMXRWB AMXRWB wrote:

The Rambler Ranch is the only ranch my wife will let me visit when I go out west...


It IS a fabulous place!


Posted By: Ruby loye
Date Posted: Jan/09/2016 at 7:26am
There is a Rambler ranch? My 550 wagon and I must go!


Posted By: mramc
Date Posted: Jan/09/2016 at 2:31pm
Elizabeth , Colorado. I'll let you do the web search for Rambler Ranch. They do have a web site, but the museum was pretty by event or invitation only, although I think is now generally do keep it open on a regular basis. LRDaum


-------------
LRDaum


Posted By: amcenthusiast
Date Posted: Jan/19/2016 at 10:37pm
Thank you LDaum for posting the info on '56 Rambler Palm Beach.

I appreciate your kindness and generosity by sharing what you know about the history of the car.

Apparently the youngers don't know about Nash-Healey, Hudson Italia or Rambler Palm Beach.

...or Kelvinator? ...and we're all sitting around taking for granted the automatic resetting circuit breakers in our homes?

The '55 LeMans Disaster (a Nash Healey was in that race? don't want to start another lie though/this is partly why the NH was ended and the PB was much more of classy cruiser 'girls car' like the Tbird?) + the '57 Mercury Meteor crash caused AMA to ban factory supported racing.

And Rambler Palm Beach image was cast by AMC showing woman driver?

Rambler Palm Beach does wear similar rear styling to Studebaker's Hawk, and shows what might be argued to be re-interpreted front grille areas of that car also > evidencing AMC-Studebaker/Packard rivalry and competitiveness.

When we incorporate the reality of '57-'62 AMA ban into AMC history, it makes AMC's Rambler Days much more understandable.

This was when AMC finalized timespan of Nash and Hudson (those names having the racier image than Rambler name, whereas Nash seemed to intend Nash Rambler as urban runabout portion of product line?)

This helps to understand why Rebel fuel injection was stillborn and the car got neutered in '58, only to have the 250 CID V8.

This helps to understand the reintroduction of Nash Rambler in '58 = not racy, but obedient reaction to disasters and AMA ban.

This also helps to understand timespan of Metropolitan; sporty to drive, yet not racy.

"Other make' automotive writers, whose sayings typically get quoted or re-worded in AMC history articles, have perhaps only naturally told portions of AMC history that make AMC look overly prudish (typically biased against AMC to make their favorite cars look good by comparison) but when we include the AMA ban, AMC history told that way gives a realistic explanation and makes AMC's decision to wander aimlessly named Rambler without the former clear cut racing goals look better I think.

Marlin name suggests AMC's apex-success through trans-Atlantic Kelvinator connection.

When I was a kid, 'going for a Sunday drive' was common behavior in USA (to ramble about)


Posted By: Slate
Date Posted: Jan/25/2016 at 11:39am
Originally posted by amcenthusiast amcenthusiast wrote:

Thank you LDaum for posting the info on '56 Rambler Palm Beach.

I appreciate your kindness and generosity by sharing what you know about the history of the car.

Apparently the youngers don't know about Nash-Healey, Hudson Italia or Rambler Palm Beach.

...or Kelvinator? ...and we're all sitting around taking for granted the automatic resetting circuit breakers in our homes?

The '55 LeMans Disaster (a Nash Healey was in that race? don't want to start another lie though/this is partly why the NH was ended and the PB was much more of classy cruiser 'girls car' like the Tbird?) + the '57 Mercury Meteor crash caused AMA to ban factory supported racing.

And Rambler Palm Beach image was cast by AMC showing woman driver?

Rambler Palm Beach does wear similar rear styling to Studebaker's Hawk, and shows what might be argued to be re-interpreted front grille areas of that car also > evidencing AMC-Studebaker/Packard rivalry and competitiveness.

When we incorporate the reality of '57-'62 AMA ban into AMC history, it makes AMC's Rambler Days much more understandable.

This was when AMC finalized timespan of Nash and Hudson (those names having the racier image than Rambler name, whereas Nash seemed to intend Nash Rambler as urban runabout portion of product line?)

This helps to understand why Rebel fuel injection was stillborn and the car got neutered in '58, only to have the 250 CID V8.

This helps to understand the reintroduction of Nash Rambler in '58 = not racy, but obedient reaction to disasters and AMA ban.

This also helps to understand timespan of Metropolitan; sporty to drive, yet not racy.

"Other make' automotive writers, whose sayings typically get quoted or re-worded in AMC history articles, have perhaps only naturally told portions of AMC history that make AMC look overly prudish (typically biased against AMC to make their favorite cars look good by comparison) but when we include the AMA ban, AMC history told that way gives a realistic explanation and makes AMC's decision to wander aimlessly named Rambler without the former clear cut racing goals look better I think.

Marlin name suggests AMC's apex-success through trans-Atlantic Kelvinator connection.

When I was a kid, 'going for a Sunday drive' was common behavior in USA (to ramble about)


On this page some Monte Carlo fans discuss just the thing you mention about the racing environment for mainstream manufacturers in the early sixties: http://montecarloforum.com/forum/nascar-racing-27/classic-nascar-photo-day-40276/page4/" rel="nofollow - http://montecarloforum.com/forum/nascar-racing-27/classic-nascar-photo-day-40276/page4/  



Print Page | Close Window

Forum Software by Web Wiz Forums® version 12.03 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Copyright ©2001-2019 Web Wiz Ltd. - https://www.webwiz.net