May

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Rambler By The Month

Rambler Milestones for May...

On May 1, 1915, Charles T. Jeffery, son of Rambler originator Thomas B. Jeffery, and heir to the line, set sail From New York City for Europe on a fact-finding tour.

However, there was a slight hitch in his plans a week later, when on May 7, the ship on which he was sailing, the R.M.S. Lusitania, was torpedoed and sunk by a German U-boat, precipitating America's entry into World War I. Charles Jeffery himself, managed to survive the devastation.

This defining event changed Charles' life forever, and directly resulted in his decision to lead the stockholders to sell out to Charles W. Nash, former president of General Motors, and giving birth to the Nash Motor Company...

A Memorial Day tradition is the running of the Indianapolis 500 Memorial Day Classic. American Motors and its ancestors have played their part there, too...

1931 saw Hudson placing 10th in the Classic with this Marr Special Straight 8, driven by the immortal Chet Miller.

In 1947, Nash-Kelvinator Corporation provided this Ambassador as the Pace Car, driven by none other than N-K President George W. Mason

In 1967, Barney Navarro's team attempted to qualify a turbocharged 199 CID American Motors six-cylinder at Indy, driven by Dave Strickland. These efforts went on for a couple of years, but met with little success. There are limits to what you can do with a cast-iron passenger car motor...

I got this picture from The Javelin Home Pages, by John Rosa, at:

http://www.JavelinAMX.com

You can't miss this site if you're into American Motors... a must see for every AMC freak.

Dave Carrillo fielded this awesome car at the Classic in 1976 and 1977...

In 1978, Roger McCluskey qualified 11th in the Warner-Hodgden AMC Experimental Special. This car featured an aluminum block and heads, but inferior castings killed hopes for that year...

Jimmy Thrall, Dick Simon, and John Martin working on the Vollstedt/AMC fielded at Indy in 1979.

From The Tribute to Jimmy Thrall Website

http://home.earthlink.net/%7Ejimmythralltribute/

On May 1, 1954, Nash-Kelvinator Corporation and Hudson Motor Car Company, after merging in a January 14 stock deal, incorporated as American Motors Corporation.

On the left is A. E. Barrit, CEO of Hudson, in the middle is George W. Mason, head of Nash-Kelvinator and on the right is George Romney, Mason's protege', and later, governor of Michigan.
Romney is seen holding a representation of the new corporate logo.

Picture from the 1969 American Motors Family Album by John Conde