What's a Rambler?


Ever have someone ask you "What the heck is a Rambler" or have you just wondered where our mascot came from?
According to Wikipedia, Rambler was an automobile brand name used by the Thomas B. Jeffery Company between 1900 and 1914, then by its successor, Nash Motors in 1950, and finally by Nash's successor, American Motors Corporation from 1954 to 1969.

Rambler automobile advertisement, scanned from a copy of the "Missouri Valley Farmer" newspaper, June, 1908, p. 5 (Retrieved from Wikipedia) Notice "The Car For Country Roads"? Must have been a tough little car! Rambler experimented such early technical innovations as a steering wheel (as opposed to a tiller), but it was decided that such features were too advanced for the motoring public of the day, so the first production Ramblers were tiller-steered. Rambler innovated various design features and was the first to equip cars with a spare wheel-and-tire assembly. The full page advertisment mentions the Rambler as "The Car of Steady Service" So if anyone asks you "What is a Rambler?", you can tell them that Ramblers are tough, dependable, and made for taking charge of this country! Links
Picture Gallery		1902 Ad
Runabout (1907)	One Armed Operation (1905)
1920 LaFayette Motors Ad		A Car of Steady Service
Trivia & Speculations The LaFayette Ramblers are listed on Marc's Distinctive Mascot Collection. The description states "the school uses an old black car trimmed with orange as its mascot. The car blows fire as it makes its way to home games." The original Rambler car was manufactured by the Thomas B. Jeffery Company which was bought out by the Nash Motor Company who manufactured a Rambler auto in the 1950s. The Nash Motor Company also purchased the LaFayette Motors Corporation. A coincidence? From the George Tech website: The first reference to a Rambling Wreck vehicle on campus was applied to a 1914 Ford owned by Floyd Field, Dean of Men.