Vehicle Description
1965 Rambler Marlin
The original concept for the Marlin came in the aerodynamic form of
the Rambler Tarpon that debuted at the 1964 Chicago Auto Show,
where Richard Teague's design marked a radical departure from the
normally conservative look of Rambler's and AMC's offerings. While
a bit smaller and lacking some of the refinement of the production
Marlin, the Tarpon was essentially the same basic concept: a
pillarless coupe that fell somewhere near the personal luxury coupe
market. The most striking feature is the sloped fastback roofline
that terminates at the rear bumper. That long aerodynamic
"teardrop" shape harkened back to mid-century designs like AMC's
predecessor, the Nash Airflyte.
We have many cars, (up to 750 at any one given time), in our
Hallowed Halls and I can see that despite it being a real old
classic, or interesting Corvette, or some off the wall British car
from the early 50's, the Rambler Marlin attracts the most eyeballs.
Our consignment, garnering all this attention, is sporting its
original paint, badging and a new reproduced original interior. It
has had much recent work to rectify any problems that may have
existed, as it was put in a barn in 1987 preserved in time until
2021 for your present enjoyment and potential purchase.
Exterior
Designers and engineers came up with the fastback concept to
actually solve a problem, that being rear headroom. What would be a
nice way to extend the headroom for these passengers without
ruining the overall design..VIOLA! Similar to some of the airflow
cars of yore, it has a fastback with a flattened boat tail and
horizontal rear quarters on either side. The two tone paint, (which
is original and shows some faults, BUT its ORIGINAL!), is showing
in Seaside Aqua, (light blue) with a Classic Black center on the
roof and tail. The grille of the car appears as decidedly Rambler
with a shaver style, dual headlights and in bumper turn signals.
This is where the Rambler aspect ends and from the slightly wrapped
around windscreen to the boomerang styled B pillar and beyond it
becomes the Marlin. Nice trimmings for the window surrounds,
badging, and thin trimming at the belt line accentuate the lines of
this early 2+2 pony car if you will. Worth the price of admission
is the Marlin badge circular in nature with a glass Marlin fish
jumping out of the water in its center. Raised white letter tires
have shiny faux knockoff style hubs with the iconic R badge in red
in their centers. Lots of eye candy chum for this exterior.
Interior
Black vinyl with some tight tuck and roll panels and smooth edges
along with an aluminum center make up the door panels. These have a
clean contemporary look not typical of the Rambler styling of the
time. Inside we slip into a wide split back bench in front with
tuck and roll inserts, white piping and smooth bolsters on the
edges. A back wide 2+2 rear bench is in and will easily accommodate
3 passengers. These chairs float in black carpeting which
presentsin very clean condition. The dash has a black painted top
dash front, and on the bottom is a machined swirl pattern aluminum
trimming that runs the length of the dash. Deep inset round gauges
peer at the driver and all is clean,like new, and original looking
in its presentation. An aftermarket FM receiver hangs below the
dash, and an aftermarket central plastic cupholder and storage bin
is planted firmly in the hump between the driver and front
passenger. The headliner is a 1 piece smooth black vinyl and is
nice and tight. From the inside one really notices the extreme of
the B pillar rear glass design and it looks just fab. Restored to
original, and I'm hooked.
Drivetrain
Under the hood in the unrestored engine bay is the factory original
287ci V8. It peaks out at 198hp thanks to the 2 barrel carburetor
on top. Bolted to the back of the mill is a Borg Warner, (wait for
it..), Flash-O-Matic 3 speed automatic transmission. Overall
condition is original with patina, surface rust and some extra
grease here and there. All original. The rear axle weighs in at
2.87. It's giving me a fight, turn the boat to the west!
Undercarriage
More patina, and surface rust on the usual suspects, however nicely
preserved, structurally sound unibody construction, and solid
stamped steel floor pans with undercoating that's done its job.
Independent coil springs on front, and a 3 link with coil springs
on back, with power disc braking upfront and power drums for the
rear. A stock exhaust is on and looking solid. My arms are
beginning to hurt, but she's gettin' closer to the boat Cap'n, grab
the grappling hook!
Drive-Ability
I found this car to be one of the easiest cars to drive, and the
quietest of many I've had the pleasure to drive. It steers with one
finger, has a great smooth ride, and save for the tire noise, it
runs silently. The consignor has done extensive mechanical upgrades
while keeping everything original and there is something to be said
on this front. It pulled slightly to the left while driving, but
bring her on the boat and take the hook out, I'm sold!
This is one of those rare barn finds that was worth doing the
mechanical work, however given its present great original
condition, I would not touch this car and just drive and show it as
is. Not often seen, and in all original condition, a full on
restoration will probably only yield you an additional 2-3 K more
on its value, so why spend 20K to yield that? Keep it as is, and
enjoy the heck out of it... I did and it's quite a catch.
3100637
3-287ci V8
100637-Sequential Unit Number
BODY PLATE
BODY R031895-Production Sequence
MODEL 6559 7-Marlin 2 Door Fastback
TRIM 591R-Black Vinyl
PAINT 7A 1A-Seaside Aqua, Classic Black
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special
interest automobile showroom, featuring over 500 vehicles for sale
with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle
barn find collection is on display.
This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia
on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is
www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914.
Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the
vehicle in person.