By Antti Kautonen
By all accounts, it’s been a pretty terrible week. With Boston getting messed up beyond comprehension and Waco getting blown to smithereens, I feel it’s my duty to post some good old American metal to help alleviate the stress of whatever it is that has been going on.
This 1969 Rebel SST stands proud, with its chrome shining and orange paint luminating everything in the close vicinity. It kind of makes everything better just by existing. Take it all in.
I shot the car during the Easter weekend, and you can see that from the fact there’s still snow on the ground. It had a scribbled number on its window, probably due to having been to the American Car Show held in Helsinki recently.
By definition, in my opinion every car bearing any AMC-related badge has somehow had weird dimensions or proportions – except the Rebel here. It’s somehow just right, and a nice change from the Galaxies that look a touch similar at a glance. But the weird thing is that it most reminds me of an Opel Commodore Coupé.
The engine here, according to the badge and confirmed by the plates, is the 290 cu in Typhoon V8.
I believe the Rebel here has been skillfully restored to the condition it’s in, as it appears to be in nice, useable shape. The vinyl top looks like it’s been replaced at some point, and it’s all good. The seats have also been reupholstered.
It’s also somehow fitting the Rebel’s parked next to a Caliber of all things. Where the Caliber wants to appear chunky and contrivedly masculine, it overdoes it all and nothing on it works. The Rebel is a far simpler design effort, and manages to exude laid-back cool. The Rebel abides.
[Images: Copyright 2013 Hooniverse/Antti Kautonen]
Antti, did you look at the instruments? Wondering about the speedometer – is it the US one?
Sadly no, I didn't peer inside too close. My gut instinct says it's been imported into the country second-hand as the plates are six-digit and the car's a 1969 (plates were shorter then), and way back when we got Ramblers and AMC:s new they were absolutely standard base models – unless some managing director managed to get himself an Ambassador.
Yes.I am also glad you didn't say "banana".
Park it next to this one: <a href="http://wap.ebay.de/Pages/ViewItem.aspx?nborh=http%3A%2F%2 Fwww.motor-talk.de%2Fcockpit%2Fpms%2FPrivateMessageList.html%3FmessageList%26folderId%3D0%26orderBy%3Ddate%26direction%3Ddesc%26messageId%3D1831011442%26page%3D0%26d%3D125%26t%3D1366406626&emvAD=420×440&nbpr=1&nbcol=1%7Cunknown&ebayref=/itm/Volvo-245-L-Kombi-100-original-nur-1-Vorbesitzer-/221215708176″ target=”_blank”>http://wap.ebay.de/Pages/ViewItem.aspx?nborh=http…” target=”_blank”>Fwww.motor-talk.de%2Fcockpit%2Fpms%2FPrivateMessageList.html%3FmessageList%26folderId%3D0%26orderBy%3Ddate%26direction%3Ddesc%26messageId%3D1831011442%26page%3D0%26d%3D125%26t%3D1366406626&emvAD=420×440&nbpr=1&nbcol=1%7Cunknown&ebayref=/itm/Volvo-245-L-Kombi-100-original-nur-1-Vorbesitzer-/221215708176
…and I will be in orange heaven.
Born a Rebel.
[youtube OoV-awiHpuM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoV-awiHpuM youtube]
"It kind of makes everything better just by existing."
Right you are!
That's the most beautiful thing I've seen this week that didn't have tits.
Late 60's Detroit – they did it all right back then
I'll bet you didn't know this car is an ultra rare 1969 Rebel "Raider" in Tangerine color, later called Big Bad Orange. It was the first mod colored car ever produced by AMC, and only 100 were made in this color. There are only about 4 or 5 still surviving including this one. It is a base level Rebel, with SST grille, hubcaps, and side trim. They were sold during the New York International Auto show in 1969.
Fantastic info, thanks!