Neal Johns
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Baja Rambler Racing with Spencer Murray
Spencer Murray and the Rambler
Mexico hosted a grueling mostly off-road race, the Baja 500. In July 1967, a Rambler American in the passenger-car category was driven by Spencer
Murray and Ralph Poole and finished the run in a record 31 hours.[67]
Feature Article from Hemmings Muscle Machines
July, 2005 - Pat Foster
It was 1969, and AMC was eager to get its cars involved in racing in all sorts of venues. They agreed to sponsor actor James Garner, who apparently
thought there was a decent chance the Ramblers could run competitively. But even so, the affable actor probably couldn't have imagined how things
would turn out. After all, even though American Motors had spent nearly two years focused on racing, it certainly wasn't making the most noise in the
performance world. Sure, AMC cars were doing pretty well in Trans-Am racing, but running a Javelin pony car in the prestigious Trans-Am series was one
thing; entering a Rambler in Mexico's grueling Baja 500 was quite another.
But that's exactly what the American actor, famous for playing Bret Maverick in the popular TV series Maverick and later as Jim Rockford in The
Rockford Files, was determined to do. Aside from TV and film stardom, Garner also was known as a competitive racer. He had formed his own team, and
off-road racing was one of his specialties. His team ran a squad of four-wheel-drive vehicles in the 1968 Mexican 1000 race, and had done well. How
successful they would be running Ramblers as off-road racers was subject to speculation, though.
The whole "passenger car on an off-road racer" idea wasn't entirely without precedent for AMC. Back in December 1966, a band of intrepid souls
(Spencer Murray, et al) drove a brand-new, box-stock Rambler Rebel hardtop through Baja (to La Paz) just to see how it would do. Despite conditions
that could have broken a Land Rover, they managed to make it back to civilization, where they bragged about their adventure. That got others
interested in Baja. By 1967, racers were flocking to Baja to try to beat established times for driving from Tijuana to La Paz. A 39 1/2-hour record
was soon beaten by a 34.45-hour run. Then, in July 1967, a Rambler American driven by Spencer Murray and Ralph Poole did the run in 31 hours, flat!
So American Motors signed a three-year contract with Garner and his American International Racers (AIR) to field a team of Ramblers modified for
off-road racing. Their first showing would be in the June 10, 1969, running of the Baja 500.
The cars chosen for the race would be specially modified versions of the limited-production 1969 SC/Rambler two-door hardtop. The Hurst-prepared
Ramblers already were fast street cars, equipped with 390-cu.in., 315hp AMC V-8s. AMC shipped ten new SC/Ramblers to Garner's shops, where the AIR
team disassembled the engines to check for defects, then reassembled them to blueprint tolerances. Horsepower was increased to 410 at the flywheel,
and the cars were capable of speeds as high as 140 mph along smooth straights at about 7,000 rpm in fourth gear.
Lift kits were used to raise the front suspensions, and the rear springs were re-arched for better ground clearance. Huge Goodyear 10x15-inch tires
were fitted on plain steel wheels. For safety reasons, all window glass was removed and massive roll cages were installed. Enormous 44-gallon fuel
cells were added, and the undercarriages were beefed up with heavy-duty skid plates. Eight of the Ramblers were entered into the passenger-car
category. The other two Ramblers had been fitted with four-wheel drive and were entered in the Experimental class.
Wearing AMC's trademark tri-tone red, white and blue racing colors, the prepared SC/Ramblers reportedly tipped the scales at 3,140 pounds, same as
stock-apparently, the removal of most of the trim and the glass offset the increased weight of the roll cages and skid plates.
The Baja 500 race began on June 11th, 1969. Jim Garner wasn't able to be there to drive in the race, due to a film commitment in Spain. However, some
of the top drivers in the business were on the AIR team including Bob Bondurant, Hunter Floyd and Davey Jordan.
The Ramblers tore off across the Baja desert churning up great clouds of dust in their wake. The rugged Baja course ran through hills, stones, sand,
shale and worse. Leaping from rock to rock and pothole to pothole, the ten cars raced along the 558-mile route, a punishing run that was sheer torture
for both man and machine.
A 30-hour race meant driving part of the way at night, with only headlamps and big roof-mounted rally lights to show the way. The entire course wasn't
off-road; in fact, nearly 100 miles was on pavement, though anyone who has driven in Mexico knows that even the paved roads can be treacherous. When
paved sections were under the wheels, the cars were driven flat out.
The race ended back in Ensenada the following day, June 12th. It had been a tough competition. Of the 134 assorted vehicles (cars, motorcycles, sand
buggies, etc.) that set out on June 11, only 73 made it across the finish line within the required 30 hours. Among the finishers were seven of
Garner's 10 Ramblers.
What they accomplished was nothing short of amazing. The car driven by Bob Bondurant and Tony Murphy took first place. In fact, the tough little
Ramblers took three of the top five places in the sedan class, including 1st, 3rd and 5th. AIR drivers Ed Orr and J.W. Wright were the third-place
finishers, while teammates Don Simpson and Walker Evans drove the Rambler that came in fifth. In the Experimental class, the four-wheel-drive Rambler
driven by Carl Jackson and Jim Fricker managed to come in fourth. It was a stunning success for everyone involved. AMC showed the world what its cars
were capable of.
This article originally appeared in the July, 2005 issue of Hemmings Muscle Machines.
My motto:
Never let a Dragon pass by without pulling its tail!
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wessongroup
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Thanks ... had forgotten all about that car... 
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Barry A.
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I had a '65 Rambler Wagon with big tires that I drove all over the desert-----it was one tough little car, and I loved it.
I too had forgotten that AMC got involved in Baja Racing--------thanks for the article, Neal-------it was great!!!
Barry
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desertcpl
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I didnt remember that at all
I was a AMC dealer
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TMW
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That is amazing thanks, Neal.
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edm1
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Awesome, Neal. I'd like to see one of those experimentals that were converted to 4x4 . . . Now you know what my next project is :-) . . . But wait
till you see what I'll be towing behind my motorhome soon, it's almost ready for primetime (Baja).
[Edited on 3-14-2012 by edm1]
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Heather
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I remember our Rambler station wagon from the 60's. It was a really pretty light blue color. It never made it to Baja (my big Marine dad was afraid
of Mexico), but it did come from Hawaii by boat (us too) to California, and then made a trek across the United States to Massachusetts where my dad
was assigned to recruiting duty.
I think all 4 of us slept in the back on that camping trip across our beautiful country....think we side-tracked across Canada, too! Drove it all
around the Boston area for about 6 years, but sold it instead of making the drive back to Camp Pendleton.
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bufeo
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| Quote: | Originally posted by David K
James Garner's Rambler made ready for the NORRA Mexican 1000... Photos from the 2009 Off Road Expo... |
That's Garner's Cutlass "Banshee".
Allen R
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David K
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| Quote: | Originally posted by bufeo
| Quote: | Originally posted by David K
James Garner's Rambler made ready for the NORRA Mexican 1000... Photos from the 2009 Off Road Expo... |
That's Garner's Cutlass "Banshee".
Allen R |
Oh? Okay, I didn't now he raced another brand of sedan in Baja... Thanks for the correction... and I will remove the Cutless photos.
Great post Neal!
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Neal Johns
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Gee, I did not know we had so many Rambler fans.
I talked to Spencer Murray yesterday and he is doing fine at 85, writing for Rod and Custom magazine.
My motto:
Never let a Dragon pass by without pulling its tail!
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bufeo
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Neal Johns
Gee, I did not know we had so many Rambler fans..... |
Oh yeah... There's a station wagon just a few blocks away from me that's been in my eye for months. Looks like a late '5os. I haven't approached it
yet for an "up close and personal look".
I have many regrets about vehicles that I've sold...always to get something better, right? An MGTC, a '53 1300S Porsche, an MGA Twin Cam, a Jaguar
XK120 Drop Head Coupe, and others. One of those "others" was a '52 Nash Healey. That one went on to win prizes at several Concours around the west.
Ramblers, as well as other marques like Crosley (remember the Hotshot?) and Kaiser were ahead of their times.
Allen R.
P.S. Oh, Neal, thanks for the OP. Great read. I haven't seen SM for nearly thirty years. Glad to hear he's doing well. His 'handbook' (with JC) is
still one of my favorites to show these Young Turks who think they know everything.
[Edited on 3-15-2012 by bufeo]
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J.P.
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In high school I had a 1953 Hudson Super Jet. What a awesom little car It was a true Sleeper.
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Neal Johns
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bufeo,
You mentioned the Off-Roader's Handbook by Spencer Murray and Jim Crow. I was with Spencer when he was getting "stuck" pictures for the book at Soda
Lake and volunteered my FJ-40 Land Cruiser for pulling his Jeep pickup out with a snatch strap. I was fairly new to 4x4s then and decided that since
he was just barely stuck, I would just tow him out rather than snatch him. Wrong!
I gently let the clutch out, the FJ moved forward, the slack came out of the strap, and ....nothing moved anymore. My bias ply BFG's were spinning but
they were on a half inch of slimy clay. Woe, woe, woe!
If I remember right, I am on page 97. Stuck! a half inch down.
No problem, said the innocent in the FJ, I'll just back up and give it a sharp yank.
Uh, it isn't moving backwards either! OK, I'll take the strap off and start all over.
Oops, the strap is too tight to remove! Now what?
Help came to me in the form of one of those Ken Cooke things, a nearby J***. The shame, the shame! 
Neal Johns
My motto:
Never let a Dragon pass by without pulling its tail!
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bufeo
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That's pretty funny, Neal.
I have the 1986 edition in front of me and page 97 is the beginning of Chapter 13 on skidplates.
But....on page 118 there's a photo at the top of a nice little LC and the caption reads: "Mud filled tread grooves of this Land Cruiser and while it
doesn't appear to be stuck, it took winch on CJ in background to literally slide it to drier ground".
Could that be the photo???  You're saved a bit by the fact that
on the next page are two photos of a J. Cherokee buried.
Allen R
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