instrument pack for all model years. Some UK models were additionally fitted with a locally-built plywood instrument cluster fascia with a walnut veneer which included a hinged door for the cavity where otherwise the "Rambler" plate was affixed. The remaining stock woodgrain dash parts were also replaced with a walnut veneer. Externally, all U.K. models corresponded to those of the U.S. model years. Name change After evaluating the situation of social unrest within the U.S. and the model name's associated connotations of rebellion, "American Motors officials decided that it was no time to be selling a car called Rebel." The automaker's marketing department conducted consumer research and determined a name change for the 1971 model year to 'Matador Collectibility According to automotive historian James C. Mays, the 1967 limited edition regional Rambler Rebel station wagons became a collectible before their time. Among the 1968 through 1970 models, the 1968 Rebel convertible should gain in importance as the last of AMC's ragtops, and although station wagons and sedans later joined the SST hardtop, only the two-door models have collector appeal. The Rebel's "clean but mundane styling" is a minus for collector appeal, but Carl Cameron, an automobile designer at Chrysler and developer of the original Dodge Charger fastback, mentioned that the best competitors during the late 1960s were the AMCs with new engines and the Rambler Rebels were "really nice, very hot cars", but the company just did not have much of a presence in the marketplace. Today, surviving models of the Rebel Machine are bold reminders that tiny AMC once took on the big boys on the streets and strips of America – and won. According to Motor Trend magazine, "The Machine is the collectible muscle car for people who laugh at collectible muscle cars." The radical Rebel Machine with its hood scoop "larger than the corner mailbox" places it among the most controversially styled cars of that era, and the cars have a strong following today with their owners being rewarded with climbing prices. Notes References External links The Rebel Machine Scrapbook AMC Rambler Club encourages and promotes the preservation, restoration, and collection of automobiles produced by American Motors Corporation as well as collecting information and printed matter relating to these cars The American Motors Owners Association aiding and encouraging the use, enjoyment, preservation, and restoration of vehicles built by American Motors Corporation between 1954 and 1988 model years