[AMC-List] Remember to read...

["Mahoney, John" <jmahoney@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

If you don't drive a real Rambler, drive a Rave Raffle.  Meaning Tom J:

http://electricgiraffe.com/

(Meaning remember reports on his road trip to last year's Burning Man!)

>>
One minor thing John, after about 240 words, you never did say what the
sticker said...
<<

If you don't read all the way to the -end-, read again.  Meaning Arfon:

>>
http://faculty.concord.edu/chrisz/hobby/67-DataBook/DataBook-Eng/eng103.html

http://southtexasamc.tripod.com/osbdecal.htm
<<

(Meaning remember the words on engine stickers that AMC itself wrote!)

(Or meaning that sometimes looking can really be better than reading!)


>>You should contribute this information to the AMCArchives

Could or should, I still wait for some building to be erected that will prove an "American Center" for the AMC hobby.  Long lists of links seem like cottages under shadow of skyscrapers, individual pages (like Colin Brodsky's) seem to sink into those shadows, and clunky web designs (pro work included) seem to eclipse the best-intentioned content.  Who uses, who contributes, who cooperates, and who supports all matter.  What are AMC clubs for?  To preserve?  Yes.  To promote?  Of course.  To profit?  Fat chance.  For the most part, Nash-Hudson-American Motors still seems a labor of love --- for those who love being American, independent, and different --- but they can build a shining tower topped by an AMC logo.  They just need to aim higher, work harder, act smarter, and -cooperate-.      

There's so much to read, so much to remember, and yet so much to learn.

Arfon, while you're remembering, remember two things about RAT that Lamm forgot.  1) His final day was, as I hope I made time to write here this spring, not in "1983," but in 1985.  February 28th, if I remember right.

(And I do, I'm just acting low-key; not that anyone here seems to see.) 

2) He was not solely responsible for the Caribbean: he production-ized the show car assignment done by Henney that had been designed by Arbib and had cost Ferry $10,000-plus.  It was a six-week wonder (with 1930s wheels) and RAT readily acknowledged sources when asked.  That's right.

Who really designed the Monte Carlo (by Packard, not by Chevrolet) may also be misreported.  There's no dispute about sources of inspiration,             

http://www.bellesdantan.com/Stutz/Pages/Stutz06.htm

http://tinyurl.com/fdzog

http://www.rmauctions.com/Restorations/Awards.cfm?CarID=3#

(and, if you know the '70s, which AMCs it II inspired [after all these years, any clever stuff surely still goes over like that lead balloon])

but there is debate over what was done by which Dick.  Groundwork was laid, but Teague had been at Reinhart's desk for over a year when those two production '51 Mayfair hardtops were sent from Detroit to Freeport [IL] on 9/10/52 (they were shipped back on 10/22...), so the concept was one Dick's and execution was the other's.  Not that anyone here cares.      

Or that a few who do care have enough time to read or remember detail.

At least I still contribute "something" every day I have time to read.

A promise is "something" worth keeping --- even if it's but self-kept.

Don't get me started on who designed the Panther: I'd begin by asking, "Which one?" and meander (if -you- haven't yet, take a trip to Turkey 

http://www.livius.org/a/turkey/meander/meander.html

seriously, a fascinating place to visit and the people seem very nice)

in woody wagons and fiberglass boats facing Kaiser Dragons and end by asking, "Who built the Nash Corvette?"  I'm sure no one would read it without asking, "Who cares?"  That's too bad, since it's AMC history.

If I simply post a link, likely no one has time to click it or read: 

http://www.shiawasseehistory.com/panther.html

even if it's short, easy-to-read, and, as you should see, incomplete.

There were [at least] -three- Panthers over a period of -four- years.

Thus the Panther answer is: -three- different designers actually did.

(Which isn't what you may read in some of the routine RAT histories!)

I still can't understand why AMC doesn't care to see.   

But then, AMC still hasn't seen the '80s "baby" Jeep.

New "Complete Books" of AMCetera appear.  Incomplete.

Beats me.

Oh well.


Q1 - What Jeffery-Jordan history happened 80 years ago as we "speak"?

A1 - If a letter (like "e") counts (and it's not about spelling; it's about stubbornness, about refusal [of gifts given]; about respect [of self and others]; and about confusing "rights" with "wrongs" [in both senses of each word), then a number can really do a number on you.  I purposely put an "8" where a "9" should be.  It made no sense, right?

Right, because I wrote it wrong.  So I made myself look like an idiot.      

Ned Jordan's new car plant was half-finished -90- years ago this week.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jordan_Motor_Car_Company

And, as I've noted here before, Jordan had married Jeffery's daughter.

Q2 - What Najjar-Ford history happened in 1960s-1970s design for AMC?

A2 - If there's value in having a good name, then Nash, Chrysler, Ford, Chrysler, AMC, Chrysler, and ??? all knew one.  Najaar designed Ford's "Diplomat" and its X-models.  Of course, "X" marked the spot for many makers' ideas.

http://www.michiganlcoc.org/articles/diplomat/diplomat.html

http://www.sharonhollow.com/clayxm800.htm

http://www.sharonhollow.com/danscars/xm800file/color1asis.jpg

Q3 - What Najjar-Jordan history happened 'fore a Ford made -history-?

Najaar, in a phone call from Jordan, learned about -Chevy's- Mustang.

http://www.muscularmustangs.com/database2/stangbook.jpg

Before "pony car" and before Camaro, a horse galloped in GM's stable.

It can't be seen any longer, but still is in the eye of its designer.

It could have been called a "baby Corvette" --- or even been renamed.

Remember his next posting?  Maybe there's something to see after all.

http://tinyurl.com/lf9ct

Maybe or maybe not.  Maybe no AMC people care.  Maybe one or two did.

If they carefully count the numbers, watch the letters, and seek the secrets -outside- the still-too-small world of AMC, they may wonder whether the first production pony car was as much totally inspired by the 1962 -Ford- Mustang    

http://okmustangs.com/history/proto1.jpg

http://okmustangs.com/history/proto3.jpg

as by a "built-to-impress" 1962 named -Rambler- 

http://www.hfmgv.org/exhibits/pic/1999/buddb.jpg

http://www.hfmgv.org/exhibits/pic/1999/buddcar.jpg

that looked as ready to ride as a 1964.5 Mustang.

http://www.muscularmustangs.com/database/stang1clay2.jpg

http://home.pon.net/hunnicutt/images/MustangII_proto.gif

Too many words, too many numbers, too much history for AMC.


If anyone's still reading (Arfon may be) and ever had a dream of buying a "like-new" 1961 Rambler Ambassador, that dream may be hard to achieve.  Few built; fewer left; fewer "all-original" --- fewest in "It just left the factory!" condition.  Very, very few "never-restored and as-new" -top-of-the-line- AM cars seem to exist any more.  Got one?

Get one now!

No, I tease.

If you want a reasonable -facsimile- (by reason of Ex-by-Teague), a one-owner 44-year-new '62 Imperial Crown 4-door could be yours.  It might not be cheap (if it were a '64-'65, it might not be posted; it might be mine: I like Engel simplicity and I like last-offs, so a final full-frame, WPC-era quality Imperial looks like a future classic to me!) at $10,000, yet if you like it, it might be your cup of metallic green tea.  I haven't seen it (and won't have time to look), but it's here in WNY.  (585) 345-3016.

Funny, the year Ambassador wasn't a Cadillac, it was a Chrysler Imperial.

Once those names really meant something.

Even after one became "just an AMC."

Happy something.

I'm beat.

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