This Is Why The 1970’s AMC Rebel Machine Is An Underrated Muscle Car - HotCars

jokbanga.blogspot.com

In 1967, there was the Rambler Rebel, soon renamed the AMC Rebel and available till 1970. It was America’s favorite economy car at the time and sold in droves till it was replaced by the AMC Matador in 1971.

The latter was certainly not even half as exciting as the Rebel, but before the Rebel rested its riding boots it did so with a product so outrageous and so badass, it still gives gearheads the goosebumps. And AMC managed to do it despite far smaller than any of the Detroit Three, which makes all of us want to give this classic car a standing ovation.

Need we remind you that this was also the time of the AMX and the Javelin, and both were going great guns. It seemed but natural that the AMC Rebel went out with a bang with a car they called The Machine and seemed to bring to life all that American Motors stood for.

Here’s why the 1970 AMC Rebel Machine is an underrated muscle car, and why it still blows the socks off our feet!

AMC’s Competitors Were Tough

AMC, as in American Motor Corporation had to stand up to three massive bullies, the Detroit Three: Ford, Chrysler, and GM. Most of the ‘60s saw AMC lagging in the newly founded muscle and horsepower wars and it was only at the end of that decade that the AMC Javelin and the AMC AMX managed to save face for the company.

Far smaller in stature, sales, and even monies, AMC nonetheless did jet out cool cars for its time, giving consumers a break from having to buy from the Big Three, or look to Japan for more inspiration.

In 1967, the most powerful engine offered in the Rebel was a 5.6-liter quad-barrel V8 that made 280 horses. Not bad, but there were certainly better figures in other cars. In 1968, the 6.3-liter double-barrel V8 made only 235 horses.

It seemed the end of the Rebel, with 1971 seeing the emergence of the AMC Matador, replacing this short-lived nameplate. But before the end, there was the bang, in the form of the tri-colored AMC Rebel Machine, a car so cool and so gutsy, it gave sleepless nights to the Mustangs, Camaros, and even Roadrunners of the time.

The 1970 AMC Rebel Machine

The AMC Rebel Machine came out as a 1970 model, launched in October 1969 and it was as American as it could be, coming in red, white, and blue coloring with plenty of stripes and swoops to make even the most sedate of all drivers feel like a race jockey.

But let’s talk engine. The 6.3-liter V8 in the AMC Rebel Machine paired itself with a very unique exhaust as well as intake and jetted a massive 340 horses and a very astounding 430 ft-lb torque. It came with a four-speed manual transmission as a standard, with automatic transmission available as an option.

Gear ratios in the rear differential were 3.91:1 or 5.00:1, and you could get in a limited-slip setup as well. Standard disc brakes went in the front to be able to take all that beefy suspension and that front-heavy cooling system to be able to bear that hefty engine.

The Machine could go 0-60 mph in 6.8 seconds, and the quarter-mile was achieved in 14.4 seconds, rather quick if pitted against even the Roadrunner and the various Chevy SS models. Further upgrades available from AMC dealers took the output to over 400 horses and the quarter-mile fell below 12 seconds.

The AMC Rebel Machine was one zippy and feisty drive and came in a rather bold color combination of red, white, and blue. Earlier models bespoke a white body with red stripes that traversed the length of the body, starting from the front fender. The hood was blue and had a functional hood scoop with the air intake as well as a tachometer.

Later models, available from January 1, 1970, came in solid body-color, with no side stripes, and wore black hood stripes instead of blue. An optional vinyl top was also on offer.

Just A One-Off Wonder

The one reason why the AMC Rebel Machine did not go down as the most capable muscle car of all was that it came for just a single year. And in that single year, it made slightly more than 2,300 models. The time was too little for the car to be marketed to the masses, and the production numbers were too little to make this car anything more than a one-off fad.

Pricing wise, at about $3475, The Machine was slightly more expensive than the base trim of the Pontiac GTO, which puts it at a fairly affordable bracket.

Later, to keep a ghostly aura of The Machine alive, the AMC Matador came with a Machine trim, but it didn’t take all that well. When it came to performance cars from AMC, the baton was passed on from The Machine to the Javelin and the AMX with the AMC Rebel Machine going down the annals of automobile history as a wonderful but underrated American muscle car.

Sources: Hemmings, autoevolution

NEXT: Looking Back At The Pontiac Trans Am WS6

Check Out This Insane Roofless Lamborghini Huracan

Related Topics

About The Author

Arun Singh Pundir (119 Articles Published)

Arun Singh Pundir has been a longtime media crackerjack and worked most of his life in sales and marketing. In 2018, he officially flipped and switched sides to the editorial. He lives with his wife, two rascally sons, and is a car and motorcycle nut in his free time. Not that he has too much free time. He currently writes for HotCars on anything that has any number or kind of wheels. He considers his Isuzu D-Max V-Cross, Suzuki Ciaz, and Royal Enfield Classic 500, the three current flames of his life. His dream is to drive around the world; even if it takes more than eighty days.