1967 Rambler American Rogue convertible at 2015 AMO show

1967 Rambler Rogue

1967 Rambler Rogue

1967 RAMBLER ROUGE BACKGROUND
American Motors owned a big chunk of the small car market coming into the 1960s. Detroit’s Big 3 didn’t pay much attention…at first. But before long, they all started following suit, first Ford was first with its compact Falcon in 1959. As was the pattern, it took GM a few years to respond, which they did with the 1962 Chevy II. AMC was losing market share on its home turf, economy cars. In 1964, the Muscle Car Boom kicked off in earnest, GM leading the way with hot-sellers like the Pontiac GTO and the Chevy Chevelle. AMC was caught flat-footed and was still years away from the launch of the Javelin and AMX. They did the same thing Chrysler did. They worked with what they had. They stuffed big engines in smaller cars, beefed up the suspension, butched up the looks and created their own muscle car. The 1967 Rambler Rouge was their first attempt, and it came out pretty well.

1967 ONLY YEAR FOR RAMBLER ROGUE CONVERTIBLE
For whatever reason, even though the Rogue ran from 1966 through 1969, when it was replaced by the AMC Hornet, AMC only offered the convertible body style in the Rogue for one model year, 1967. At total of 921 1967 Rambler Rogue Convertibles were built.

1967 RAMBLER ROUGE IS AMC’s MUSCLE CAR
AMC started with the lowly Rambler American (fresh from a new facelift that added 3-1/2 inches in length up front to make room for an AC condenser), they dropped in a V8, made a wide variety of performance options available, and tarted-up the looks a bit. The overall package, while not overwhelming, was tastefully “muscular”, as a muscle car should be. Launched in 1966, the Rambler Rouge was available with AMC’s plebeian line of sixes, but the real action was at the other end of the option sheet, where three V8s were offered. The top-line engine for the 1967 Rambler Rouge, offered in ’67 only, was the 280-horsepower 343 V8, which with the optional 4-speed manual, made for a proper mid-60s compact muscle car, in the mold of the Dodge Dart GT with the 273 V8 or the Chevy Nova SS with a 283.


1967 Rambler Rogue INTERIORS

1967 RAMBLER ROGUE INTERIOR UPGRADES
In keeping with new safety standards, several significant safety upgrades appeared on the 1967 Rambler Rogue. An energy-absorbing collapsible steering column and steering wheel, more padding on interior contact surfaces, with fewer sharp edges and protrusions, 4-way hazard flashers and locking seat back latches were among them.


1967 Rambler Rogue ENGINES

1967 RAMBLER ROUGE ENGINE OPTIONS
The Rouge came standard with a 199 cubic inch OHV inline-six making 128 horsepower. Next up was the 232 six with 145 horses. Let’s not talk about them. Let’s move on to the V8s. The base V8 was the 290 small block V8 with single 2-barrel and 9.0:1 compression, making an even 200 horsepower. The 290 4-barrel engine had 10:1 compression and produced 225 horsepower. The top-dog engine for the 1967 Rambler Rouge was the 343 4-barrel with 10.2:1 compression making 280 horsepower and 365 pound-feet of torque. They only made this high-compression engine for one year, 1967, so it was bound to be rare already, right? Well, only 58 1967 Rambler Rogues were built with this engine. Not that’s rare!


1967 Rambler Rogue PRODUCTION NUMBERS

Total American production, all models

Rogue Production, not including Convertibles

Rogue Convertibles

Rogues w/290 V8

Rogues w/343 V8

Americans w/4-speed (includes Rogue)

Americans w/disk brakes (includes Rogue)

69,912

4,249

921

3,347

58

986

217


1967 Rambler Rogue SPECIFICATIONS

Wheelbase

Overall Length

Overall Width

Height

Track, front

Track, rear

Fuel capacity

Brakes, front

Brakes, rear

Final Drive ratio

290 V8 ENGINE SPECS        

Engine type

Displacement

Bore & Stroke

Compression ratio

Fuel system

Power output @ RPM

Torque output @ RPM

106.0 in / 2,692 mm

181.0 in / 4,597

70.8 in / 1,799 mm

54.4 in / 1,382 mm

56.0 in / 1,422 mm

55.0 in / 1,397 mm

16.0 US gal / 60.6 L

(disks optional) 10 in drum

10 in drum

3.15:1

OHV 90-degree V8

289.8 ci / 4749 cc (4.7L)

3.75″ X 3.28″ / 95.25mm X 83.31mm

10.0:1

1 X Carter AFB 4-barrel

225 hp @ 4,700 rpm

300 lb/ft @ 3,200 rpm