Dodge Charger. Chevrolet Chevelle. Pontiac GTO. There are a few names that define the American Muscle Car segment and routinely reside at the top of dream car lists worldwide. But they cast a long shadow, too. A shadow that conceals some truly great front-engine, V8-powered, rear-wheel drive coupes and convertibles from the sort of fame bestowed on the Dodge Charger and Plymouth Road Runner. Even with loudness in multiple contexts, cars like the mighty 1970 AMC Rebel Machine simply can’t contend with the fame of the big names.
But it should. American Motors produced “The Machine” for just one year, meaning it’s rare. AMC gave the car a patriotic red, white, and blue color scheme. Pair that with a Hurst shifter rowing a four-speed manual connected to a 390-cubic-inch V8, and the Rebel Machine is a bona fide muscle machine before regulations choked the life out of the segment. And let’s face it: “The Machine” might be one of the sickest monikers you can bestow on a car. It’s right up there with “The Judge.”
The 1970 AMC Rebel Machine: One Year, Instant Classic
Back in 1970, it was impossible to know that the impending Malaise era was going to turn the horsepower taps off and leave us with anemic V8s struggling to power land yachts. At certain points in the mid 1970s, massive 8.2-liter V8s in full-size Cadillacs were pumping out a paltry 190 horsepower. Seriously. 190 ponies from 8.2 liters. It was a sad time for V8s. Just before the curtain closed on thunderous eight-cylinder mills, however, American Motors rolled out a rare, oft underappreciated great in the 1970 AMC Rebel Machine. AMC produced the Rebel Machine for just one year, stopping shy of 2,400 copies. What’s more, the not-so-subtle muscle car was born of a partnership between American Motors and Hurst Performance, not unlike the AMC AMX Super Stock and the SC/Rambler.
Under the hood, “The Machine” packed a 390 cubic-inch AMC V8 with a Motorcraft four-barrel carburetor, 10.0:1 compression, and a 4.165 x 3.574-inch bore and stroke. Add go-fast parts like a hotter camshaft and some borrowed kit from the AMX, and “The Machine” produced 340 horsepower. Not too shabby. In fact, it would go down in history as the most potent engine AMC ever made. In the center of the cabin, a Hurst-sourced shifter works a four-speed Borg-Warner T10 close-ratio manual transmission. Pair that with 3.54:1 gears and a limited-slip differential, and the Rebel Machine was a much more joyful proposition than the standard Rebel. Of course, you could get the Rebel Machine with an automatic transmission: a three-speed Borg-Warner Shift Command automatic gearbox. To each their own, I suppose.
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A Look That Screams America
In 1970, AMC produced the Rebel Machine in a red, white, and blue color combination. If the Rebel Machine wasn’t rare enough, American Motors limited the red, white, and blue color option to just 1,000 units. With the patriotic color scheme option, “The Machine” looks like something you might find Captain America driving from panel to panel in a classic comic book. If that’s not your bag, AMC offered the Rebel Machine in other colors and with a vinyl top.
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A Rare Collectible
Needless to say, American Motors didn’t make too many of these things. In its one year of production, AMC rolled out just 2,326 of the limited-run muscle car, though some sources say it may be as few as 1,938. As such, finding one for sale these days can be a bit, well, tricky. In fact, Classic.com is tracking just one successful sale of a 1970 AMC Rebel Machine in the last 12 months. A 1970 American Motors Rebel Machine went up for sale at the Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach Auction in April 2025. That car crossed the auction block at a final purchase price of $46,200, $23,100 less than the $69,300 it demanded at its previous sale. Don’t fret, though. At the time of this writing, there is a 39,617-mile Rebel Machine for sale in Cedar Rapids. That said, it’ll cost you $54,950 to take it home, and you won’t get the super-patriotic color palette.
1970 AMC Rebel Machine Average Pricing
Hagerty puts the value of a 1970 American Motors Rebel Machine at $53,300. That’s not for an immaculately preserved or carefully restored model, by the way. Instead, that $53,300 refers to the number-three, or “good,” condition. That said, values are fairly consistent. The average value of a Rebel Machine in good condition dropped six percent year over year. Not exactly a dramatic fall. It is, however, a screaming deal compared to some of the more sought-after muscle cars of the early 1970s. Take the 1970 Pontiac GTO Judge Ram Air IV, for example. Pontiac rolled out just 397 units in the Judge Ram Air IV spec, making it an incredibly rare chapter in the book of pre-Malaise muscle. As a result, getting one costs a pretty penny– around $120,000 on average.
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Still Quick By Today’s Standards
It’s a 56-year-old muscle car. How quick can it possibly be? You might be surprised. When launched just right, the AMC Rebel Machine was capable of a 6.6-second sprint to 60 mph from a standstill. It might not be as swift as a modern EV or sports car, but it’s not exactly driving in reverse, either. The quarter mile went by in just over 14 seconds. Again, not bad for a car old enough to qualify for an AARP membership.
1970 AMC Rebel Machine Specs
|
Engine |
Naturally Aspirated 390-CI V8 |
|
Transmission |
4-Speed Borg-Warner T10 Manual Transmission |
|
Horsepower, Torque |
340 HP At 5,100 RPM, 430 LB-FT At 3,600 RPM |
|
0-60 MPH |
6.6 Seconds |
|
Quarter Mile |
14.3 Seconds |
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So, Should You Buy The Machine?
Regardless of your personal (and opinionated) definition of a muscle car, “The Machine” represents a unique chapter in the book of big-attitude V8 American cars. AMC partnered with Hurst Performance to produce the limited-run Rebel Machine. At the mention of a limited run, the AMC Rebel Machine’s rarity makes it something of a unicorn in the classic American muscle car market. Throw in the most powerful engine American Motors produced in its nearly three-and-a-half decades, and “The Machine” is arguably worth every penny of its average auction price.
Sources: Classic.com, Hagerty, Mecum