Joie Vaughan, President 1512 HURST SC/Rambler Registry
Email: joievaughan@amazingmusclecars.com

I owned my car for almost 20 years , but as many long time owners will tell you, it was a lonely 20 years, these cars just weren't popular like they are today. To say that I stuck up for the underdog, was a mild understatement. Although I now look forward to my 69 Rogue street car, I will never forget the experiance of ownthis My Scrambler and driving it, I have nevert driven suck an incredible muscle car and those of you reading who have driven one are already smiling becasue you know exactly what I mean!

Kevin Mcgown now ones this piece of AMC history and the car that would spark the creation of the 1512 HURST SC/Rambler Registry. Keven has owned this car for only a few years now and I am pleased to know the car she once called Russell will soon be tearing up the streets again, not here in Canada, but far away in Dalas Texas.

Joie Vaughan Story

I look back on the last 18 years and I am truly grateful to have enjoyed as much performance driving as one little AMC car could give. This car often performed in the line of duty to extreme measures and kept on doing it for all those years. It has also been rumored that I was single handedly responsible for Chevron Supreme shortages. I had fuel bills as high as $800 a month during the summer months. Foolish spending, or wise investment in my memory banks for when I am too old to drive? Thanks AMC and HURST for making 110,000 miles of pure street performance driving the best there is and for the most reliable, dependable and durable car I have ever owned. After 18 years, I can honestly say that the car still looks spectacular and I have completely wore it out. There is no way I could tell you about every mile, but anyone who has driven on of these cars can tell you, you do apperciate every mile. I have gone so many places and done so many different things with this car. This is a totally irreplaceable monument in my life! No amount of money could replace what Russell has meant to me and my son!

I have been what I call a natural born, hot-rodder for as long as I can remember. My best friends, Larry & Pauline, have been largely responsible for my continued dedication in keeping this particular car alive and running. Although they have not always agreed with the things I have done with it, they stood up for me in the beginning years when I first owned it. I was the ridicule of most of my friends and peers as I had switched from being a die hard Princess of Pontiacs (owning only 1969 GTO’s) over to an AMC admirer that one day and never looked back. That was about 18 years ago now.

At the age of 27, I was on my 8th GTO. My long time, good friends, Gordie, Rick and Tim were always very supportive of my interest in cars and largely responsible for getting me hooked into this hot rod stuff. My son’s father, Randy, was a die hard AMC dude that myself and friends usually made fun of, but more often we noticed that he hardly ever broke his SC/360 Hornet despite the severe abuse he would dish out while driving it, not to mention that I don't think he ever lost to anything down at our famous Latimier Road. He had been trying for years to convert me from Pontiac to AMC and eventually I started searching for an AMC to buy. I had chosen to try finding a Scrambler because of one simple fact I had learned about them. They never made one with an automatic. I was a die hard, 4 gear girl and to own a car that was never offered as a sissy automatic ruled big time. Little did I know that these cars were so rare they would be so hard to find. I searched high and low to find one. The few I found were not for sale and no amount of money was going to change that. Why did these people have such a dedication to these cars? They were just freaking Ramblers! Heck, my high school janitor had one. I remember the kids plugging the exhaust up with a potato and hearing the muffler explode in the school parking lot.

My Scrambler is the first American Motors product that I ever bought… that was July 4th, 1987. I drove it for 2 years with the original 390 in it before starting to take things into my own hands. I bought it in excellent running condition. The drive home took 12 hours from Grangeville, Idaho, back to Langley, BC, Canada. Alternating drivers, 2 friends accompanied me on the trip there and back. In a brand new T/A with long legs, the trip there was a lot shorter than the trip home and the Rambler… well, it had small tires and no carpets with a constant 3500 rpm @ 55 mph drone, was pleasantly recorded in my head and I could hear it for weeks… HA, like we could drive 55… what a ride it was!

This car has probably had more daily driven miles on it than any other muscle car in history. I say that rather boldly, but if there has been someone else with as much passion for performance, then I'd like to compare stories, because this wasn't easy. I personally logged over 110,000 miles on this Scrambler driving it everyday for about 15 years. I am blessed to have had such good fortune with the car as well as luck when it came to breakdowns. I broke it 3 times bad enough that left me strained and calling for a tow truck. The first one was self inflicted. After 11 years of constant 7500 rpm shifts, one day, I was showing off in front of the gym and completely scattered a T-10. It felt like a fire cracker had gone off in my hand while grabbing second gear. My first reaction was “Hey, I finally broke something.” :( That was my favorite tranny too (2.64 first gear). The second time was when I dropped the factory oil sump in the bottom of the pan due to vibrations caused by the solid motor mounts. The third time, I was showing off again and exploded a clutch disc. Showing off was child's play for this car and breaking parts was a very rare occurrence. Oh, don't get me wrong… I blew stuff up all the time but not usually in this car.

Thanks for reading!
Joie Vaughan

Email: joievaughan@amazingmusclecars.com