By Jim Brennan

UDMan

Welcome to the year end wrap-up of the Obscure Muscle Car Parking Lot. If you recall, this series was all about uncovering obscure makes, and redefining what a Muscle Car could be. We have discovered that Muscle originated during the 1950s, blossomed during the 1960s, and continued on through the 70s and 80s in a somewhat de-tuned state only to find a re-birth we are enjoying today. My focus was not to highlight the already established Muscle Cars like the Chevelle SS, the Pontiac GTO, or the Hemi Chryslers, but to find hidden gems that you may not have known about.

So it is now up to you, the Car Domain reader, to vote on your favorites. There will be specific categories, like today’s example, the 1950s Cruisers. In the end, sometime after the New Years Holiday, there will be one car crowned as your favorite Obscure Muscle Car, and park it in the Parking Lot, with a few CarDomain Members rides highlighted.

So what was your favorite 50′s cruiser from the Series?
- The 1957 Rambler Rebel, defined as the one car that started the Muscle Car Period.
- The 1958 Packard Hawk, with it’s Supercharged V8, and were very rare.
- The 1957 Pontiac Bonneville, the car that ushered in Performance at Pontiac.
- The Studebaker Golden Hawk, with either a Packard Big Block, or a Supercharged Small Block.
- The Fabulous Hudson Hornet, a car that virtually dominated NASCAR during the first half of the 50s.
- The 1957 Supercharged Fords (Called the F-Series), which included the Thunderbird, and at least one Wagon!
- The Dual-Ghia, with Chrysler Power, and Movie Star Panache.
- The Dodge D-500, with rip snorting power, and huge tail fins!

By Jim Brennan

UDMan

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.

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By Rich Truesdell

Automotive Traveler

One of the great things about CarDomain is the number of unusual cars that get profiled here. I guess that’s due in part to the more than 600,000 ride pages, and it seems that I’m not the only one who has a thing for unusual AMC’s. There have been two Hornets in the blog just in the last week!

As part of a series we’ve just started over on Automotive Traveler on California “black plate” cars, we’ve posted a profile on this very rare 4-speed 1966 Rambler Rebel 2-door hardtop. This was a one-year-only body style, and with just 7,512 produced, you’re not likely to see one even at an all-AMC show. It’s a highly-optioned car–all that’s missing is power windows–and it’s powered by AMC’s (not Chevy’s) 327-vubic-inch V8. While it lacks true muscle-car cred, it was a very quick car for its time, able to sprint from 0 to 60 in less than 8 seconds with a top speed of nearly 120 mph–certainly competitive with other small-block intermediates from the mid-sixties. Got to love those optional Turbo Cast wheel covers!

By Jim Brennan

UDMan

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 have some fun in the process. In 1956, AMC was only two years old, the result of a merger between Nash and Hudson. They were known as a company that produced dependable, if somewhat lackluster cars. However, in the fall of ’56, they stunned the public and the automotive press by introducing a veritable rocket. Say hello to the 1957 Rambler Rebel.

Continue reading after the jump!

Photo courtesy of Automotive Traveller, Richard Truesdell

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