AMC Rebel Machine
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- Опубліковано 18 лис 2012
- Muscle car fans: this is required viewing.
AMC fans: here's some incredible footage that you never knew existed.
Here comes 49 seconds of the only known factory film footage of the 1970 AMC Rebel Machine. The outrageous red/white/blue monster that is as much an icon of muscle car excess as the Dodge Daytona/Plymouth Super Bee.
I bought this 35mm film several years ago off of eBay. The vendor had purchased it from a film company that had gone out of business. That company had been storing films and bits of film for the past 40 years or more.
The rest of this film is the entire AMC product introduction film for 1970. It's one of only two 35mm film prints that I own. I'm sorry that I don't have the soundtrack. Back in the day, films were assembled from pieces. The other piece to this film would have been a 35mm soundtrack. (That's all. Just the sound.) These two pieces would have been mixed together to create a master. Maybe the soundtrack will surface someday, and maybe we'll get to hear what AMC had to say about this classic, low-volume muscle car.
Until then, enjoy shots of the Rebel Machine doing donuts on a live airstrip! (I can only imagine what Homeland Security would do to this guy. I'm sure they have some room at Guantanamo.)
-----Todd Ruel - Авто та транспорт
My favorite muscle car of all time. Never owned one. Big AMC fan. From what I understand these were very under rated at 340HP. This was common practice back in my day. This car was very street competitive. Could meet or beat most of them. Unusually high torque at lower RPMs, wind her up tight and she screams. Or so I have read. Something called the white stripe cam and dog leg ports. All developed by AMC from racing.
Thank you so much for posting, I witnessed my first rebel machine tonight, at the dead man's curve farm event in Montville, New Jersey. Beautiful car
Glad you liked it! The 1970 Rebel Machine has all the trademark outrageousness of the first muscle car era: wild graphics, monster engine in a midsize body, no frills interior, etc. (If only I had the soundtrack!!)
I attended the dealer intro for the 70 AMC models as the guest of a dealer friend. If memory serves, this film was shown at that introduction although the Machine was not yet available for retail sale.
I looked forward to seeing the car and was disappointed when I learned that AMC had, again, built such a special car in the last year of the a model. First Sc/Rambler followed by Rebel Machine.
Mike, keep in mind that AMC had two different companies making their films. Wells, Rich, Green was their advertising agency from 1968-72. The Tom Thomas Organization did their marketing films for internal audiences like dealers. For instance, Tom Thomas produced "Texas Takeover", the AMX film. Wells, Rich, Greene made TV commercials. (BTW, the short Monkee was Davey Jones. The guy driving the Machine kinda looked like Peter Tork.)----Todd
Me, too. Back in the day, professional productions like this were created with one film containing the visuals and the other film containing the soundtrack. Somehow, the soundtrack has been lost over time. I would love to have a 16mm duplication print of this film, but what I have is the only thing I've ever seen. If any of you ever find AMC films like this, let me know. ---Todd Ruel
sounds great!!!
Mike, you're right. I'm not a Rebel Machine expert, but I have read about that introduction. I collect AMC films, commercials, etc., and I've never encountered very much film that was shot without intent. In other words, if AMC shot something at an event, they intended to use it in marketing, advertising, or training. The NHRA event you mentioned doesn't sound like something AMC could use later. Just my $.02 based on the films I have.---Todd
Thanks, Mike!
Honestly, the only way we'll ever find the audio is if someone stumbles across a 16mm print of this film. That's how a lot of this stuff ends up on eBay. It's fun to discover, though!
I have product intros for 1969, 1970, 1971, 1973, and 1977. Some of them are whole. Others are fragments. But they're all fascinating for AMC fans.
----Todd Ruel
Yes Todd,
I think you are correct on all the early promo stuff (decals, etc.). It would all be easy to change the promo stuff on the car. There was a good AMC article out years ago that shows several early Machine incarnations (Collector Car?). With some other early design ideas (little gears, etc.). I noticed the car sways a lot on one tight turn...Machines have heavy sway bars front and rear. It was more likely to spin out, then sway IMO. But who knows...
303, see my running discussion with Mike McCarthy. AMC shot this film during Summer 1969. There were probably several minor changes made before they started shipping these cars to dealers. But I'm sure none of them were changes that couldn't be made at the last minute. Like most creative endeavors, this car was a work in progress. This film probably catches The Machine in an almost-ready-to-ship stage.
Todd, AMC also introduced the Machine in Dallas at the NHRA (Winter Nationals?) drag race near the end of '69. I have never heard/seen of any promo pix/video/or anything from that factory demo to the race fans and the world.....by anyone I always thought that was strange nothing popped up..........
FYI: I live only a few miles from the NHRA corporate headquarters located in Glendora, Ca.
CincyRoy, you're totally right. As much as we idolized muscle cars from the Late 60s/Early 70s, the truth is that they were straight line rockets. Woe be it to the fool who tried to turn or corner them at speed.
Thanks for this. I had never seen it before... my only wish... would be for sound.
Cheers, David
I have a machine. Non-production things I notice: Ill fitting RWB decal on the grille (usually runs flush with the chrome trim), BC character on the fenders/decklid in lieu of THE MACHINE decals. Center armrest delete (all RWB cars I've ever seen have it). Blue interior (usually black on an RWB car). Trim rings appear to be clip-on, which was not the case with production cars. Rearview mirror is the 1970 style (mine came with the 69). Great footage. I would guess this is a prototype.
real quiet car
The interior shot is fast....but most Machines had a black interior, not blue. But interior Colors was an option.
Everything else looks spot on from this video.
Mike
Very Neat Todd,
There are some things I can note.
This Machine is missing "The Machine" decals on the fenders just in front of the doors below the stripes. In it's place it looks like the promo decals by AMC, the hippy guy, "up with the Rebel Machine". I can't tell for sure. But they look too large for the original promo decals...
If you can enlarge the picture this might be easier to determine.
The Machine decal is missing from the truck lid on the right side.
Mike
I keep saying I'm going to stop at the NHRA and ask....They have an archive department.
I can't believe someone hasn't done it before....
Hmm.
One more thing for the bucket list.
It is an UP WITH THE REBEL MACHINE sticker on the top of the deck lid.
That looks like a smaller version of the "hippie on the gear" decal on the trunk lid.
I agree. I don't know what became of that NHRA Rebel Machine intro stuff..
But there has to be some record of it, somewhere. Jezz. It was a National Pro
drag race event..... They recorded everything. It was Marketing 101 for those guys even back then.....I'm sure Hot Rod gets half their material from NHRA to this day.
Funny! I thought the driver looked a little Craig Breedlove-ish, but he was gone from AMC by 1970.
As for locations, I can tell you this: I've identified the shooting location for the Javelin sequence in this film: San Diego. Tom Thomas (AMC's marketing film producer) might have shot the whole film in that same area. But I'm not sure. There aren't enough signs or other objects in the film to identify every location.
-----Todd
Mike,
Keep in mind that AMC probably shot this film in early Summer 1969. If AMC introduced its cars on September 25, 1969, then AMC would have to prepare its marketing materials far in advance.
I'm guessing that there were running cosmetic changes that were made between the time the film was shot and the time the cars were sold.
The details you mentioned seem like things that could be changed quickly at almost no expense to AMC. Possible?
----Todd Ruel
Mike: here's the problem. Blowing up the digitized version of this film won't help. I would have to go back to the film print and have that digitized in HD. Even then, there's no guarantee that there's enough resolution and detail to clearly show what you're looking for. But I could be wrong about the resolution. It MIGHT be there.
Pretty mean right out the door. Didn't take much to shake out even more ponies on these bad-boys...
Todd,
I also see a strange not so little mark (sticker, bird dropping, stratch!) What?
on the rear truck lid above where the Machine decal would be...
Just below the large RWB lid strips on the right....what is that??? If you can enlarge that section for a close up, you might be able to tell.
Mike
Oops.....my bad.
American Airlines is the sign on the hanger . Which one is still in business? ;)
I saw the United Airlines sign on the hanger as the Rebel zipped by.
Can you speculate which air port this was filmed? It has to be still around... with commercial jets and all. I wonder if United was in on this? and if the airport has archived any info on film shoots? The FAA would still have to be notified im sure, even in 69 or 70. Maybe airline traffic was rerouted as part ot the shoot.
Who is the driver??? or did those guys all look like Peter Tork of the Monkeys in those days. :)
this specific car is just about impossible to find for sale
i think the 69 hurst sc/ rambler is an easier find
you'd probably have to take a 1970 rebel make a machine clone
but then you run into another issue where does one find parts
Sure was a quiet car!!!!!!!!!! What happened to the sound?
Somebody, please find the soundtrack to this film!
Yasssss!
they put one on Forza Motorsport 6... its great
Pretty cool. I could hear the car in my head. :) UPDATE! I just bought FORZA 6 and this car is in the game! Someone put up a video. ua-cam.com/video/dsA7vPU6wXc/v-deo.html I will test drive this beast tonight!
Sir, please get off of the runway.