[1] He began his automotive industry career in 1926 as an apprentice mechanic at luxury automaker, Packard, earning 18 cents per hour.

[2] He then moved up establishing success in auto sales, reaching US$1,000,000 in Packard vehicles in a single year from his dealership in Hartford, Connecticut.

Abernethy became responsible for day-to-day operations as president, while Richard E. Cross, the automaker's legal counsel and new chairman, was now called AMC's chief executive officer.

[2] Abernethy predicted a total of 450,000 Ramblers to be delivered for the 1962 year, despite increasing competition from the new domestic-made compact cars offered by the Big Three.

[9] He made AMC observe both the letter and spirit of AMA's resolution, and was against a renewal of the auto industry's horsepower race by offering ever more powerful engines, as well as corporate sponsorship of activities that glamorize speed and performance.

[10] AMC's market performance reached record levels in 1964, placing the Rambler brand in third-place position in the domestic sales race.

"[12][13] The "messianic fervor with which both former AMC president George Romney and his successor, Roy Abernethy, spread the message of fundamental motoring" helped solidify the image of the "Rambler driver" - a market segment that finds "any forms of performance repugnant.

In contrast to Romney, who thought only of compacts, as the automaker's new head, "Abernethy looked at the company's volume and decided it meant that AMC should go toe-to-toe with Ford, Chevy & Plymouth.

"[18] Abernethy said repeatedly that AMC's "main problem was its image lag — the fact that too many people still thought of American Motors as the builder of plain Jane compacts.

Offering larger, and often more prestigious or "halo cars", can also help make the firm's smaller models look more attractive to consumers.

[21] The strategy shift at first seemed to be working, because sales of the redesigned 1965 and 1966 Ambassadors improved, even as AMC's overall production decreased from the record level achieved in 1963.

[21] Investors received a message of the changing fortune of the automaker when the company's 1966 annual financial report was delivered in a plain brown wrapper, instead of the previous year's glossy cover.

The objective was to position the 1967 AMC Rebel and Ambassador designs on an equal basis with competitive models marketed by the Big Three Economy Brands, Ford, Chevy, and Plymouth.

The media was positive in covering the new models, with experts such as Tom McCahill highly praising the new car's performance and ride comfort.

[23][24] The evidence suggests that Abernethy was correct in making the Ambassadors more upscale with the new models that combined luxurious packaging and reasonable size; sales jumped from 18,647 in 1964 to over 64,000 in 1965.

[26] The situation was so bad that Robert B. Evans invested more than US$2 million because AMC's stock was selling for only 60 percent of the company's net worth; thus he became its largest stockholder and was named its chairman.

[1] After the departure of Abernethy, AMC's new management team decided to enter motorsports to gain exposure, publicity, and develop a "performance" image.

[15] A new position, Performance Activities Director, with Carl Chamakian, was established to get AMC automobiles into racing and attract a younger customer base during the height of the muscle car era.

He was recognized for his work at Packard and Willys-Overland as well as his "valuable qualities that led him to top management and leadership at American Motors Corporation.