Rambler
Rebel (1957)

Why it matters

The 1957 Rebel was American Motors' first Rambler with a V8 and was marketed as a performance model; Motor Trend rated it the fastest stock American sedan of 1957. It was an early example of putting a large engine in a light unitized-body car, and only about 1,500 were built.

How rare is it?

Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.

Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.

Photos

Exterior, interior and detail photos with their licences.

• Rambler Rebel (Wikipedia article: Rambler Rebel)
  Photo: CZmarlin — Christopher Ziemnowicz, releases all rights but a photo credit would be appreciated if this image is used anywhere other than Wikipedia. Please leave a note at Wikipedia here. Thank you! · Public domain
• Rambler Rebel (Wikipedia article: Rambler Rebel)
  Photo: CZmarlin — Christopher Ziemnowicz, releases all rights but a photo credit would be appreciated if this image is used anywhere other than Wikipedia. Please leave a note at Wikipedia here. Thank you! · Public domain

Production

Every figure says what it counts.

Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.

History

George Romney, who became chairman of American Motors in October 1954, wanted Rambler to be a make of its own, and brought the all-new Rambler forward a year. Since Chevrolet and Plymouth already offered V8s, AMC added a V8 programme and the engine appeared in the 1957 Rambler. The Rebel was announced in December 1956 as a third Rambler series.

The Rebel was sold only as a four-door hardtop with the large 327 cu in V8. A Bendix electronic fuel injection option, priced at $395 and rated at 288 hp, was announced but never reached customers; AMC stated that none of the 1,500 Rebels built had it. For 1958 the Rebel name moved to a more ordinary Rambler V8 with a different engine.

Technical specifications

Engine

Transmission & drivetrain

Chassis, body & dimensions

Performance

“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.

Identification guide

How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.

The 1957 Rebel is a four-door hardtop in special silver paint with a gold-anodized side spear and custom interior trim. It carries the 327 cu in AMC V8 with mechanical lifters, a four-barrel carburettor and 9.5:1 compression. Standard equipment included wheel discs, wide whitewalls, reclining seats, a Weather-Eye heater, back-up lights and a decklid radio antenna instead of the front-fender antenna of other Ramblers. All manual cars had overdrive. A fuel-injected Rebel does not exist as a production car.

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

1. 1
   Rebel with a cause: 1957 Rambler blazed a trail – Old Cars Weekly Level B

   • 1500 1957 Rebels built with the Carter 4-bbl 327

   Accessed 2026-11-12
2. 2
   1957-1960 Rambler Rebel (page 1) Level C Auto Editors of Consumer Guide · HowStuffWorks / Consumer Guide (web archive copy)

   • the big AMC four-barrel 327-cubic-inch V-8
   • 327-cubic-inch V-8
   • compression boost to 9.5:1
   • fitted with mechanical lifters
   • big AMC four-barrel 327-cubic-inch V-8
   • producing 255 horsepower and 345 pound-feet of torque
   • 255 horsepower and 345 pound-feet of torque

   Accessed 2026-11-13
3. 3
   Excerpts from 1957 Rambler Rebel owner's manual (archived 2002-06-20) Level A AMXFiles (manufacturer manual excerpt) · 2002-06-20

   • 255 @4700 RPM
   • 345 @2600 RPM

   Accessed 2026-11-13
4. 4
   1957-1960 Rambler Rebel (page 2) Level C Auto Editors of Consumer Guide · HowStuffWorks / Consumer Guide (web archive copy)

   • standard equipment was a three-speed manual ... Optional was General Motors's Hydra-Matic
   • standard rear-axle ratio with the stick was 4.10:1
   • Rambler Rebel (w/ manual transmission) 7.5

   Accessed 2026-11-13