Rare Rambler replica

TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE… Guests at the National Show and Shine in Euroa this October will have the opportunity to view this stunning replica of an original 1902 Rambler. Photos: Supplied.

Given the opportunity to take the covers off and put on the polish usually means veteran car owners are given the chance to put their much loved vehicles on display. The National Show and Shine at Euroa on October 6th is one such occasion.

To be included in the display is a fabulous replica of an original 1902 Rambler, one of the first mass produced cars on the American market, owned by Gordon Pendlebury from New South Wales.

Ahead of its time, later versions of the Rambler incorporated a number of innovative technical features such as a steering wheel instead of a tiller. It was also one of the first companies to equip vehicles with a spare tyre and wheel.

The company behind the early Rambler eventually became the American Motor Corporation (AMC). Some time during the late 1950s, three engineers from AMC found the early designs and faithfully reconstructed this particular replica.

Gordon said, “It is of extremely simple design using a composite wood and metal body as was the original, it had chain drive, single cylinder with the engine under the seat, bicycle wheels and tiller steering. When the car arrived in Australia, it first came to Melbourne, which meant we had to pull it apart to get it back to Sydney to fit the trailer we had hired. I can now honestly say I built this vehicle from the ground up.”

So, whilst it is certainly not an original, folk at the Euroa Show and Shine they don’t think that it can really be called a replica, either. Perhaps it is best referred to as a “re-creation.”