Super Rare 1967 Rambler American Rogue 343 V8 Hides Even Rarer Surprise Inside the Cabin

Sadly, AMC was fighting a losing struggle against the Big Three in the sixties with no corporate leverage to balance the books. That didn’t stop American from giving its absolute best every time, and sometimes take everyone by surprise.

In 1966, the traditionally cheap AMC switched toward compact performance –relatively unpopular until then – by introducing the Rogue as a trim level for the Rambler. The following year, the carmaker spiced things up with the 343-cubic-inch V8. The 5.6-liter mill was not explicitly addressed to the general public, so only 58 examples left the factory with the big motor.

For a more thorough understanding, the 343-incher was the biggest of AMC’s engines in 1967, but it didn’t catch on and was shelved in 1969. At its debut, the 343 eight-cylinder motor was dropped into the 58 Rogues mentioned earlier and 55 Ambassadors. Considering the total production of the two models for that year (5,050 for the Rogue – out of the total 62,680 Ramblers - and 62,615 Ambassador), the top-tier engine is rare.

Out of the 58 343 Rogues, seven came with a ragtop –the only year a Rogue would offer two body styles – while the others wore hardtop garments. Coincidence or not, the 58 cars also have some rarities among them, too. Around that time, Hurst Performance and American Motors were shaking hands over retrofitting a limited number of Rogues with the famous T-handle, among other go-fast parts.

Naturally, the chosen ones were the 343-equipped cars, all armed with a four-speed manual (mandated by the engine). Since the elusive Rogues would be used at the drag strip anyway, it made more sense for Hurst to install their trusty shifter in the cars that benefitted the most from the upgrade. One of them –the test mule – made a guest star appearance at the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals last fall.

It caught the attention of Lou Costabile, and there it is, in all its splendor, featured in the video below this story. According to its owner – who knew about the car’s special status since its original caretaker bought it – this Rogue is the first to install the Hurst stick, not through a twist of fate but by a special request from a customer.

Larry Blatt, the 1967 buyer of the car, was an avid racer - the first trip of the fresh-off-the-showroom-floor Rogue was to the drag strip on the same day. Literally breaking it in one quarter-mile at a time, Larry noticed the gearshifts were slow and imprecise, so he asked Hurst for a helping hand. The T-handle was the answer, and the Rogue eventually dropped into the 14-second range, quite a serious jump from the original 15.70 seconds scored during the car’s maiden voyage.

The odometer shows 48,367 miles, but rest assured that it has rolled over: ten years ago, this car was already 107,000 miles (172,000 kilometers) down the road. The current owner (who bought it in 2021) knows the car’s past well since it knew it from day one. As it happened, his father was a mechanic and a friend of Larry Blatt, who paid regular visits for engine check-ups.

One thing led to another, and the car is here today, looking as sharp as ever and proudly displaying the rare Hurst Performance emblems on the trunk panel and the dashboard. The 343 cubic inches inside this elusive Rogue might not sound like much now, and it probably didn't impress too many gearheads back in '67.

It was a 280-hp, 365-pound-feet (283 PS, 495 Nm) small-class pounder that wouldn't have wriggled the tarmac at the drag strip. But, with only minor tweaks here and there and a bit of practice, this example's first owner (who had the car for some four decades) gained over one second in the ETs at the 440-yard trials.

After fitting the Hurst add-on, rejetting the four-barrel carburetor, installing a dual-exhaust system, tuning the ignition, and putting on a set of traction bars, the car began to act like a drag-strip entitled regular. 14.70 ETs were all in a day's work for the small Rambler, and its personal best was a 14.61-second sprint (at 97.82 mph / 157.39 kph).

Put it like this: until the SC/Rambler stepped up the muscle game in 1969, this Sun Gold sleeper was the fastest street-legal AMC product in the compact section. The ‘Scrambler’ was only marginally faster, with a factory-advertised ET of 14.3 seconds.

The most radical of all Rogues, the SC/Rambler Hurst sported a 390-cube V8 (6.5-liter) with 315 hp and 425 lb-ft (319 PS, 576 Nm), a functional hood scoop, and 3.54:1 rear. That’s the same differential gearing found on the car starring in the video – and this one does have some stories to tell.