AMC Automobiles?

What kind of acid do you think the designers at AMC were taking? The Gremlin? The Matador? The Javelin? The Hornet? The AMX? And the king of all freakish automotive oddities...The Pacer!!! I love 'em all!

They started out with Sandoz in the mid '60's but by the early '70's the design team switched to Owsley (a far superior product that enabled them to envision the Gremlin & Pacer). What I wanna know is what kind of acid my dad was on when he traded in his 1971 Chevelle on an AMC Matador!

ergh. Even worse than the designers thinking they looked cool is the bean counters and managers who decided to sell the damn things. again ergh

Thanks to my father's penchant for cheapness and crappy cars,I reluctantly can tell you we had a gremlin AND a pacer,though not at the same time.Talk about shame.

The Pride of Kenosha Wisc.

Don't forget the Rambler Scrambler, and the Nash Metropolitan in the list of curiosities.

The Javilin tho (means pig if said in spanish) was considered quite stylish...and the Gremlin while odd, was superior in every way to the Pintos and Vegas.

AMC was a conglomerate that included other cool car companies that ran into financial problems too.

This included, I believe Hudson, Packard and Studebaker and Nash, and later Jeep. (All part of Chrysler Diamler now)

Studebaker was originally partners with Conestoga Wagon company...the drivers of whom smoked cigars constant to keep bugs away...hence the term "Stogie" for a cigar.

I liked those odd cars.

Oh cripes, except the Matador, and Ambassador.

In the mid eighties my car was in dire need of engine repairs which I could not afford. A good friend of mine loaned me his spare car, an AMC Hornet (his other car was a Gremlin!). This rickety rusty lopsided Hornet was in very poor shape and was referred to as "The Hornet Death Trap" by anyone that road in it. Three weeks later the Hornet Death Trap tried to live up to its name by catching on fire. Apparently the fuel line sprang a major leak. Fortunately I was able to coast the car to the side of the road. The whole engine compartment was engulfed in flames. After a 911 call, the fire department was able to quickly snuff out the fire before it spread further. Nevertheless the Hornet Death Trap was no more and I felt a strange sense of relief that I would not be driving in it anymore.

I always thought Javelins were great looking cars.

A=ameican M=meth X=exporters?

On 2005-08-14 17:48, martiki wrote:
I always thought Javelins were great looking cars.

I second that emotion. Distinctive muscle cars. Evil looking at any speed.

TikiGardener wrote:
Distinctive muscle cars. Evil looking at any speed.

I totally agree with you there. I still dont think they looked good :)

On 2005-08-14 10:23, Gigantalope wrote:
The Pride of Kenosha Wisc.

The Javilin tho (means pig if said in spanish)

I always liked the story about how the Spanish community would have nothing to do with the "Nova" which means "No Go" in spanish.

On 2005-08-14 10:23, Gigantalope wrote:
The Pride of Kenosha Wisc.

AMC was a conglomerate that included other cool car companies that ran into financial problems too.

This included, I believe Hudson, Packard and Studebaker and Nash, and later Jeep. (All part of Chrysler Diamler now)

Don't forget Harley Davidson was also owned by AMC for a while to the chagrin of millions of bikers. I remember how stoked my uncle, who is a long time Harely rider, was when Harley-Davidson was bought back. Isn't the original plant in Wisconsin?

I always thought the Gremlin had the coolest gas cap ever made. THe little Gremlin was an inspiration for many a childhood doodle.

Chongolio

-- I believe that our Heavenly Father invented the monkey because he was disappointed in man."
... Mark Twain

Come explore http://www.lost-isle.com
Kamapua'a the Hawaiian Pig God http://www.piggod.com

Didn't AMC own bowling alleys or Brunswick too? Wonder if that's why the Pacer looked like a bowling ball. Wasn't the AMX supposed to be their "muscle car"? I gotta be honest tho, I hated those cars then but I dig 'em now.

I learned to drive in my moms old Hornet. It steered like a Mack truck!
Saw a rusted out Pacer in a parking lot the other day, they must have set the record for largest amount of glass on a car. Like your driving a fishbowl!

In 1959, my Mom drove a pink Rambler with a Continental kit on the back, looked like a full sized Metropolitan, Metros were English cars imported first by Hudson and then by Nash. They were mostly made by what became the Roots Group who made Hillmans and Sunbeams. My Dad loved the idea of Ramblers because they were cheap, (He's a Scot) He used to get a new Classic every two years, no heater or radio. The only options were freight and keys.

On 2005-08-14 18:51, hewey wrote:

TikiGardener wrote:
Distinctive muscle cars. Evil looking at any speed.

I totally agree with you there. I still dont think they looked good :)

Just be glad you didn't say that in Alabama in the early '70's!

My first car was a 1980 AMC "Spirit". You would have thought I was a mechanic the way I worked on that car: 3 alternators, water pump, valve cover gasket, blower motor, carburator and tuneups. Next car was a 1991 Ford Escort and there wasn't one thing under the hood I was brave enough to work on! Still, it was a great car. I remember almost getting killed in the Escort the day I bought it because it didn't have the passing power of the AMC.

On 2005-08-14 20:20, tikitortured wrote:
Didn't AMC own bowling alleys or Brunswick too?

No, that was AMF.

On 2005-08-14 17:48, martiki wrote:
I always thought Javelins were great looking cars.

I spotted an old Javelin in a parking lot yesterday and, having just read this post, pulled in to take a closer look. The black paint (I think) was totally oxidized, the trim and mags (slots) were slightly corroded but not beyond resurrection. The car was complete, original and appeared to have never suffered any serious damage. For a collector or restorer it's what's known as an "unmolested car". A real score for the right person.

In "The Man With The Golden Gun" James Bond goes on a car chase with a stolen Hornet and the bad guy (Scaramanga - Christopher Lee) drives a Javelin on which he puts wings and flies away.

I had a '62 Rambler American. Inline 6, three on the tree and bench seats. Doesn't get better than that.

Here's a site with a bunch of pics of AMC cars:

http://www.matadorcoupe.com/amcpictures.htm

Not too many pics of the Javelin though. Don't get tricked by the AMX/2. It was only a mock up for car shows. The AMX/3 is quite the hotty but only 6 were made. Looks a lot like a Mangusta.

When I was a kid I had a Hot Wheels Javelin that looked just like this purple one:

Another site with pics of AMC over the years (don't bother if you're on dial up).

http://oldcarandtruckpictures.com/AmericanMotors/AmericanMotors.html

Another Javelin pic (WARNING - vintage nudity!):

http://www.woresort.com/misc/cin-back.JPG

Hewey, can't believe you're dissing the Javelin! Nice and clean muscular design:

Pics courtesy of google.

One of the options available on Gremlins was a 340 CID V8. Even in the 1970s detuned smog-dog years, that's quite a bit of engine for a small car.

I think there was a few years where they also had Levi's denim intreiors with the little pockets (complete with red Levi's tag)

All you really needed was your John Denver 8-track and a Huffy 10-speed to be a suburban hippy.

I watched a show on the SPEED channel a few days ago about AMC muscle cars. I totally forgot about the AMC Rebel. It only came in Red, White & Blue and was basically a Rambler American with a hot 390 motor, mags, a super sport interior (buckets and a TACH!!) and 4 speed that was intended to go up against the Charger, GTO, Roadrunner and Malibu SS 396. I think it only came out in limited numbers for 2 years. If you blinked you missed it.

My second car as a kid was a 1955 Studebaker Commander Coupe. Super car and I really loved it. When I was in my early 20's I drove a Gremlin for a few months. It was an Avis rental car and at the time I was the customer service manager for a private airplane operation in Pompano Bch Florida. We were an Avis agent and the Gremlin was "Lost" in the system. I kept trying to return it to them and they would not take it, saying there was no paper work in it. So I just drove it. It was Loads of fun to drive and I was really sad when they finally found the papers nad took it back. It was a Fun car. Those were the days.

Yeah...don't diss the javelins. My family has an unmolested '68 javelin ('68 year, purchased in '67 - one of the first 1000 off the assembly line) that I drove all over massachusetts. She's still in great shape too. They're not as "collectable" as the older mustangs and other "muscle" cars, but I got offers all the time. They're a unique vehicle that you don't see much of.

A few years ago I purchased an ex-mail vehicle that I thought was a jeep...but turned out to be an AMC model. Looked exactly the same, except it didn't say "jeep" accross the back of the mail vehicle. I drove that thing all over LA. She was a bit more beat up, being an ex-government vehicle and RHD - which is a real trip to drive (in the states). I had a small rust hole in the ceiling directly above my legs, so when it rained I carried a cup with me to catch the drops. one hand on the wheel, the other on my rain collection device. good times!
I got pictures of them around here somewhere...I just need to find a scanner and I'll put them up

thanks for this thread, brings back a lot of good memories.

My Grandmother was sooo cool she owned a 1972 Javelin in Silver with the interior designed by top fashion designer Peirre Cardin!

She loved that car and it had great pick-up! That car was so boss!

I think she eventually traded it in for a Buick Century ...ugh!

Hoity-Toity Wanna Be

[ Edited by: tikimug 2005-08-28 12:45 ]

On 2005-08-28 12:43, tikimug wrote:

I think she eventually traded it in for a Buick Century ...ugh!

What's the deal with old people and Buicks (or to a lesser degree Oldsmobiles). My mom has owned two Chevelles, a Mustang, a T-Bird and a 280Z and when she turned 70 she went out and bought a Buick Park Ave. I know those cars were considered the hot ticket back when the Roadmasters and Rocket 88's were burnin' up the race tracks of Anytown, USA but Jeez...that was 50 years ago! If you want comfort, style and performance in the 21st century (at a reasonably affordable price) go buy a Lexus fer crisakes.

Buicks and the elderly...it's hard for car companies to shake those images once the establsih themselves too.

I think when people are at an age when they are interested in a number of different things, they decide what's "The Thing" then as they age, and usually become more conservative, they just hold on.

Until the last few years Cadillac (for example) went from being avant guard in style in the late '50s and early '60s to having no pulse...

There's one out now that's basically a Corvette.

On 2005-08-28 14:24, Shipwreckjoey wrote:

On 2005-08-28 12:43, tikimug wrote:

I think she eventually traded it in for a Buick Century ...ugh!

What's the deal with old people and Buicks (or to a lesser degree Oldsmobiles). My mom has owned two Chevelles, a Mustang, a T-Bird and a 280Z and when she turned 70 she went out and bought a Buick Park Ave. I know those cars were considered the hot ticket back when the Roadmasters and Rocket 88's were burnin' up the race tracks of Anytown, USA but Jeez...that was 50 years ago! If you want comfort, style and performance in the 21st century (at a reasonably affordable price) go buy a Lexus fer crisakes.

Hmmm...old people and Buicks...WWJD?

If you'd like to drive a Javelin convertible, check out this "Manta Ray" body modification kit for Mazda Miatas!

On 2005-08-28 14:24, Shipwreckjoey wrote:

On 2005-08-28 12:43, tikimug wrote:

I think she eventually traded it in for a Buick Century ...ugh!

What's the deal with old people and Buicks (or to a lesser degree Oldsmobiles). My mom has owned two Chevelles, a Mustang, a T-Bird and a 280Z and when she turned 70 she went out and bought a Buick Park Ave. I know those cars were considered the hot ticket back when the Roadmasters and Rocket 88's were burnin' up the race tracks of Anytown, USA but Jeez...that was 50 years ago! If you want comfort, style and performance in the 21st century (at a reasonably affordable price) go buy a Lexus fer crisakes.

I'm pretty sure those fancy imported Japanese cars are made of plastic and have too many buttons and nonsense. Nothing like an American car!

btw, my Grandfather was a Mercury man!

In 1976, after my mother had won $31,000 on "Name That Tune", she bought the Pacer X. It was red and white, and matched our house. Sad.

You must have photos!!!

Unfortunatley not, but I do see my mom on Gameshow Network from time to time("Password Plus","Let's Make a Deal").