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 presents in 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.