classic car

On a never-ending search for a project car (before I found my Datsun, of course), I ran across an ad for a car you don't see often from a brand that always seemed to change names, and decided to check it out. If for some reason you haven't read the title of this post, the car was a 1961 Rambler American Custom Convertible, part of the second generation of the American series. This car was noted for its quirky styling and its economy, mopping up the Compact class of the Mobil Gas Economy Run in late 1960 with an average of 28.35 MPG over a 2,000-mile course. At a NASCAR-sponsored event called the Pure Oil Economy Trial the car managed an amazing 51 MPG, which is still a very good number today, not that you'd get that in daily driving, though. This generation had a run from 1961 to 1963 and included sedans, wagons, coupes and convertibles in four trim levels: Deluxe, Super, Custom, and the top-end Custom 400, which was only available as a convertible and for some reason, instead of a coupe, a four-door sedan.

Anyways, when I got to the place with the car at it, an abandoned radiator shop in Green Bay, I couldn't tell what trim level it was at the time because A: It was under quite a few tarps, B: It was deteriorated beyond any hope, and C: Who in the world actually can tell the trim levels apart on a 1961 Rambler American? The car had too much rust for my liking and was lacking a motor, so I didn't consider it much. The cost of parts would have bankrupted me for such a relatively rare and worthless car.

Though it wasn't for me, I hope somebody bought it, as I saw it loaded onto a trailer a few weeks later. Hopefully it was headed to a heated garage somewhere, not a scrapyard. Remember, if you want to see any of your personal finds on The Car Blog, just email us at carnut1blogspot.com@gmail.com and we'll post it if it's worthy.