Welcome to the CarDomain Obscure Muscle Car Parking Lot, a regular feature which aims to expand the notion of what a muscle car is, and to expand your mind while doing so. After the success of the Hurst SC/Rambler for 1969, and with the continuing popularity of the Javelin, the product management team at the smallest of the US based automakers decided to put into production a car that has been lurking around in prototype form for at least two years. It was also a car that carried a nameplate steeped in American Motors history, as the first model to carry the “Rebel” name in 1956 surprised everyone with it’s performance. Introducing the 1970 Rebel Machine by AMC.
The 1970 AMC Rebel Machine took American Motors into the midsize muscle car field. It wasn’t the quiet entry it might have been, because there is some history of a rather sinister looking midsized muscle car proposal, with a photo of the car buried in what was once the AMC historical archives. The photo is of a black coupe with unadorned black wheels and fat tires. There were no stripes, no hood scoops, or no outlandish spoilers. Its body rakes forward in an stance that was popular during the late 60’s and early 70’s, a sort of a street-fighting stance. The only identifier as to the purpose of this car is on the fender with a decal that shows two gears chewing out the name of this overtly macho prototype: “The Machine.”
It has been noted that the prototype was based on the 1969 Rebel. However, AMC’s high-performance sedan efforts for ‘69 were focused on the Rogue-based Hurst SC/Rambler, a brashly decorated compact as outlandish as the black Rebel concept was stealthy. The SC/Rambler didn’t survive into ‘70, being replaced by “The Machine.” It was not the malevolent rebel promised by the prototype, but a red, white, and blue jukebox of a car, clearly in the spirit of the SC/Rambler.
The Machine was a pretty good performer. Like the SC/Rambler, it used the AMX’s ram-air 390-cid V-8, with a performance upgrade to 340HP. The Machine did not survive intact on it’s long road from from concept to reality. The Machine gained a big hood scoop that served the engine via a vacuum-controlled butterfly valve. A Hurst-shifted four-speed was mandatory and came with a 3.54:1 axle. AMC’s limited-slip diff was a $43 option, with a genuine Detroit Locker and ratios up to 5.00:1 available.
The Machine was one of Detroit’s most stiffly sprung muscle cars. Its extra-heavy-duty suspension included firm station wagon rear springs, which elevated the tail and helped account for the raked look. With 60 series tires (considered wide for their time), the Machine’s handling was top-notch, but rear-axle hop when coming off the line prevented the willing, lightweight V-8 from propelling the car into the low-14-second range.
The Machine turned out to be a one-year-only model, and after building the first 1,000 or so in the Red/White/Blue color scheme, AMC began offering it sans stripes and in any factory color available, even offering the car with an optional vinyl roof. It still wasn’t the menacing machine of that ‘69 photo, but buyers could at least get the performance without the garish paint treatment. A total of 2326 examples were produced, and it did not survive into 1971. The Rebel nameplate was about to be retired again, replaced by the Matador.
I’m a bit surprised that there are no AMC Rebel Machines in the CarDomain community. If you know of someone who owns one of these wildly decorated “Machines” have then create a ride page, so that we can all appreciate one of the last Muscle Cars from AMC. Well, there you have it, another one year wonder from American Motors. But is it really an obscure Muscle Car, and does it belong in the parking lot? As always, I look forward to reading your comments.
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