This is the single greatest honor in the motor vehicle industry, intended to honor a career and/or lifetime achievement. To become a "Hall of Famer" the nominee must be either retired or deceased. Recipients must have significantly impacted the development of the automobile or the motor vehicle industry. Typically, four to eight individuals are inducted each year.
Organized a company to produce Rambler bicycles and motorcycles in 1879
Designed and manufactured the Rambler automobile in 1902
Founded a company that became part of American Motors Corporation, which retained the Rambler name
Thomas Jeffery brought the name ?€œRambler?€? to fame...twice.
Bicycles were all the rage in the 1890s, and Jeffery's Rambler was among the most popular. But Jeffery was not thinking about bicycles on Thanksgiving day, 1895, as he excitedly watched auto manufacturer Frank Duryea win the Chicago Times-Herald automobile race. Jeffery decided it was time to become a manufacturer of automobiles. He sold his bicycle business and used the proceeds to establish a company that produced1,500 Rambler autos in 1902. The company had switched from the name ?€œRambler?€? to ?€œJeffery?€? by the time it was purchased by Nash in 1916.
Nash brought back the Rambler nameplate on a product line that eventually was integrated into American Motors Corporation, which retained the Rambler name into the 1970s.
