Big Al Intro to Nostalgia Funny Cars from Ralph Riccardi on Vimeo.

Frantic Ford from Ralph Riccardi on Vimeo.

Nostalgia Funny Cars Atco Raceway 2010 from Ralph Riccardi on Vimeo.

Big Al and owner Cris Mirabella take a look at the Kenny Goodell car. Recently purchased by Cris, the car is in the process of being restored.

Nitro Funny Cars from Ralph Riccardi on Vimeo.

Chris Mazarella at the Nostalgia Funny Car meet at Atco Raceway. Interviewed by Big Al.

Chris Mazarella Nostalgia Funny Cars from Ralph Riccardi on Vimeo.

Chris Mazarella Nostalgia Funny Cars from Ralph Riccardi on Vimeo.

Toronto, Ontario: May, 2010: Rev up your engines! Coming-of-age film “American Graffiti” is the theme of the 7th annual Fleetwood Country Cruize-In that returns to London, Ontario on June 4th and 5th, 2010. Between 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM on Saturday June 5th, cruise on in to Mel’s Diner with Candy Clark, Bo Hopkins, Cindy Williams, Lynne Stewart, Paul Le Mat, Charles Martin Smith, and possibly a surprise appearance or two.

via American Graffiti – The Largest Reunion Ever to be Held in London, Ontario, this June at the Country Cruize-In Show | Travel Video News.

The Car Room TV

Collectors now have an additional online resource for die-cast model information with the launch of the all new Car Room Magazine website. The site’s initial set of features offer information by scale and brand, a photo gallery, die-cast oriented videos and the ability to subscribe to the print version of magazine.
The site has launched with content that can be found in previous issues of the print magazine. Moving forward, collectors can expect to see a great deal of new information that goes beyond the printed page. In addition, a good deal of exciting new functionality is already in the works, and will be rolled out during the first half of the year.
This new site along with some “yet to be announced” surprises are just a part of what is looking to be a banner year for The Car Room Magazine.

The great folks at Old Cars Weekly have done it again. Take a look at this 1969 AMC SC Rambler/28

1969 AMC SC Rambler

Every muscle car lover knows the name of Hurst Performance Products. So, in 1969, American Motors hooked up with the Pennsylvania performance parts company to surprise everyone with the SC/Rambler (or “Scrambler” as some folks call it). Hurst actually thought up the idea and AMC bought it.

1969 AMC SC Rambler

The AMC factory estimated low 14-second quarter-miles at 98 mph. Road Test magazine clocked 14.4 at 100.44 mph and managed to hit 109 mph without topping out. Modified SC/Ramblers have run the quarter-mile in the 9-second bracket.

In addition to the power team, the SC/Rambler included a long list of extra-cost goodies like a big hood scoop for Ram-Air induction, fat dual exhaust pipes, a column-mounted Sun tachometer and Bendix front disc brakes. Blue-finished five-spoke mag-style wheels, 14 x 6-inch rims, wheel trim rings and fat red-striped Goodyear tires were also standard. The SC/Rambler interior was done in plain-looking gray vinyl, but it had red-white-and-blue headrests. This color scheme was carried onto the body, in several variations. Full carpeting was another selling feature.

1969 AMC SC Rambler

When the cars sold quickly, another batch was made with new “B” type trim. These had a mostly white exterior with narrow red and blue stripes. Then, a third batch of cars was made, reverting to the type “A” trim, but lacking all of the elements. The A-finished cars seem to be the more common of the 1,512 SC/Ramblers built.

The SC Ramblers created certainly livened up showrooms, but not all dealers carried them. They certainly appealed to street racers, and a big block with 315 horses stuffed into a small car was a formidable machine on the street or strip, and that’s where many of the cars wound up. A registry of some of the surviving cars exists and can be found online here.

Rambler chart

BASE V-8: Overhead valves. Cast-iron block. Displacement: 390 cid. Bore and stroke: 4.17 x 3.57 inches. Compression ratio: 10.2:1. Advertised hp: 315 at 4600 rpm. Advertised torque: 425 at 3200 rpm. Recommended idle speed: 650 rpm. Five main bearings. Forged crank and rods. Forged crank and rods. Hydraulic valve lifters (non-adjustable). Carburetor: Carter AFB four-barrel. Exhaust system: duals standard on all models with 390 engine.

OPTIONS

Automatic transmission. Heavy-duty 70-amp battery ($8). Heavy-duty battery and 55-amp generator ($26). Heavy-duty cooling system ($53). Positive traction rear axle ($42). Available rear axle gear ratios ($5). Power steering ($90). Front and rear bumper guards ($25). Tinted glass, all windows ($32), windshield only ($23). Push-button radio and antenna ($61). Undercoating and underhood insulation pad ($21). Electric windshield wipers, required in V-8 Ramblers ($15). Code 56-4 Appearance group with sill moldings and wheel discs ($39). Code 70-1 Handling package with heavy-duty sway bar, shocks and springs ($17). Light group, includes door switches, trunk, courtesy, glovebox and other lamps ($23). Visibility Group with outside rearview remote control mirror, electric window/washer etc. ($29). (NOTE: Some options may have been standard in the SC/Rambler.)

COLLECTIBILITY

When you talk muscle cars, an AMC product probably does not come racing to the front of the mind. That’s been a problem for AMC as far as fair
market value is concerned, as the Big Three’s Chevelle SS, Boss 429 and Superbird reign supreme in the performance world, leaving AMC in the dust.
Even within AMC’s performance menu, the Javelin and AMX top the list, but this is a slight to the maker’s other potent performance cars such as the
Hurst Edition 1969 SC/Rambler. This model has all the muscle goodies, a compact body with a big-block 390-cid V-8 stuffed in, Hurst-shifted
syncromesh four-speed, Twin-Grip differential and patriotic red, white and blue finish.

All that, and a No. 1 condition example can still be had for mid five figures. A muscle devotee looking for a fun machine with lots of investment potential can’t miss with a SC/Rambler.

COLLECTOR VALUES

1969 AMC SC Rambler
No. 1 condition: $38,900
No. 2: $27,230
No. 3: $17,510
No. 4: $7,780

69 hurst scrambler ad