Historically, either Indiana or Ohio can be considered #2 after Michigan in terms of automotive impact in the United States. However, Wisconsin was the final holdout for an independent manufacturer outside of the Big Three. Located in Kenosha, the former headquarters for Nash, American Motors Corporation managed to survive through 1987. Several of Kenosha’s hottest were on display at the 2025 Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals.
After the Nash and Hudson merger, AMC first produced a performance car beginning with the 1957 Rambler Rebel, but the manufacturer’s dedication to the performance segment (in a bid to compete toe-to-toe with the Big Three) arguably began with the 1965 Rambler Marlin, to be followed by the 1966 Rambler American with the 290. That was upgraded to a 343 (with mandatory four-speed) in 1967, which would then be followed by the 1968 Javelin and AMX, 1969 Hurst SC/Rambler, and 1970 Rebel Machine. Through 1974, AMC produced the Javelin and Javelin AMX, upon which it seems AMC reverted to being a more practical producer of automobiles.
The NashNutz display at the 2025 MCACN gives us a taste of most of the above. Though not a meaty display this year, I am sure you will agree they all nicely competed with equivalents from the Big Three.
Click here to check out other displays from the 2025 Muscle Cars and Corvette Nationals.
