Rambler - "The Kenosha Cadillac"

I was on my way to Weston, about to head over the Broadway Bridge, when I saw this Rambler. I am far from an expert on older American cars, so out of curiosity I had to snap a few pictures to look it up when I got home. 

Turns out that what I spotted was a (or close to) a 1965 Rambler Classic 770 Convertible. You don't see many on the roads in and around KC making it something of a rarity. I imagine the owner was pretty pleased with himself driving this super cool car, the kind you could imagine Don Draper driving in Madmen.

When I googled the name of the car the first entry that turned up were the lyrics to a funny song about a Cadillac and a Nash Rambler. Which made me think of the video I shot here when I caught the Rambler further up the road. I listened to the song on Youtube and it was so bad that I can't post it here out of consideration for your ears. Look it up at your peril.

I love seeing cars like this being driven out on the road. They don't want to be kept in a garage under a cover, they want to breath air on the open road and show-off their stuff. So to you Mr. Rambler driver, I salute you. Happy Motoring.

1976 AMC Matador - Tim's Work in Progress

Tim got the Matador (Maddy) a little over a year ago and has been patiently bringing her back to life. He's been scouring Internet forums for advice, asking old-guy mechanics what they think he should do for this and that part and Maddy has been into a garage or two for more than a little TLC. To watch Tim nurture the Matador is to see the ultimate example of; a labor of love.

I drove him down to KCK when he had a new exhaust put on her last Spring. Cornetto was on blocker duty, playing Smoky to Tim's Bandit, when he was trying to taker her up the road without the old Po-Po catching up with him. People see the 70s relic and smile, instantly seduced and just can't help offering to help. Maddy's like a Siren singing us to our death upon the automotive-rocks in a sea of thick motor-oil.

Maddy has become a permanent fixture now and we love seeing that sun-burnt orange boat at the side of their house when we pull up for some good BBQ at chez Klein-Roy. I catch myself staring at her, looking at those lines and they amaze me every time. In comparison to their 70s ancestors, modern cars have become numb and desynthesized. Apart from Bangle when he was at BMW, who is going to put their design career on the line and produce a body with such lines and textures? There is something we car people love about impracticability and the 1976 AMC Matador hits a lot of those points. 

When helping Tim's lady friend clean up some crud for the estate sale this week, I actually found the original set of keys for the Matador and gave them to Tim. He looked like a kid who got exactly what he wanted for Christmas when I gave him that old set of keys.

The Matador has been in the family since new and with the care and attention Tim lashed upon her, I'd say it will be in the family for years to come. We can't wait to see Maddy when she's all finished and on the road and I know I'll want to go for a ride, sitting up front, three abreast in the giant bench seat.

In the meantime here's a quick video and some pic's of the old girl.