My older brother and I both had Pacers at one point, great cars, tough, comfortable, fun to drive, and everywhere you go they make people smile and people always want to take pictures of it. We got more attention in them then in my fully restored 1931 Pontiac!
I agree. Incredible visibility - not a good car to go parking in 😁. Turns like it's on rails. Roomy interior space for a car of its size. One of AMC coolest cars.
My parents bought a Pacer wagon new in 1977. My dad was in the military and we traveled cross country in it several times. The large windows offered a great view. Sadly the Pacer was not very reliable and they were stuck with it till it was paid off.
That was my first car out of college. Lots of comments on the futuristic styling. Only wished they had engineered it better. But my next car was the Honda Civic CVCC 5-SPEED, and @44mi/gal in ran like a top, but you never forget your first!
Everyone's a critic! This car was as Unique and Innovative as Ford's Edsel, another misunderstood nice car. This "wide small car" was a great idea! They sold well until its last year, in 1980! Remeber, Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder!
This is a prime example of a car built using ideas that sounded great in the executive boardroom but in fact did not work so well once the final product went to market. "Wide small car" sounded like a great idea in the '70's when everybody wanted comfort but needed economy. Seriously, can anyone tell me how ANY wide small car would not look wierd? The Pacer was also originally intended to have a rotary engine. Thank goodness AMC went with their standard in-line six.
Car companys discontinued the vent windows due to cost-they were expensive to install. On larger cars full sized cars like Cadillacs, Pontiacs, Chryslers you could order power vent windows. GM started to dropped them in 1969 with Ford being the last to offer them in the 1980s.
I think everyone was brainwashed by all the jokes etc. in the 70's into thinking it was "the ugliest car ever made" at a time when cars were square shaped, and so it's reputation as "ugly" has stuck, but I think the Pacer was just ahead of it's time. I like the way it looks.
There was nothing cab-forward about this car. It was originally supposed to use a rotary engine, but that never happened. So AMC was forced to shoe-horn in one of their straight six engines. In order to fit it in the engine bay, the dashboard was pushed into the passenger side a lot further that would have been otherwise necessary. For such a huge heavy car, it was a tight fit. Also, if you didn't buy air conditioning, that thing would cook you to death in summer.
a reminder of how important drug testing is in the work place, I am sure that failure to do drug testing led to disgraceful fiasco's like this its amazing what kind of ugliness one can produce while under the influence
Oh yes, lots of interior room, and enough window use to cook you to a crisp on a hot summers day. Funny, it is unique as can be, and yet so many people call it ugly.
AMC was supposed to have a new engine series for the Pacer, developed in partnership with GM. But then GM puled out. AMC then adapted their old Nash-originated 6 cylinder- and it was a fiasco.
Well they have a certain appeal like most orphan cars, but they are also relatively recent and common enough that you can still find parts for them. For example the second generation AMC V8s all used the same block and had interchangeable cylinder heads. The 6 cylinders were in production for so long that parts are also easily found. With a Renault, or any other French car, you would need to develop a list of contacts for spares or import parts directly from Europe.
+itsmegp46 No worse than my dad's 1962 Impala. Those '60s cars with metal steering wheels were nasty! You needed potholders to drive them on a hot day!
Even though I always thought the Pacer was so ugly at the time, I have to agree with your comment completely. Unfortunately automotive styling has only deteriorated over time, despite improvements in cars in other areas.
In terms of the Pacer they actually sold a lot of them,100s of 1000s in fact, the problem was is that they only looked like an economy subcompact car, in fact they were almost the size and weight of an intermediate. The problem was that it was too much of an innovative design,so much so that the tooling was expensive, and they could not be restyled very easily. Contrast that with Gremlin it mostly used parts from the AMC Hornet line, not the best looking but cheap to build.
Consider yourself lucky. Do you know what it's like to see Toyota Yaris every second of the day?! What's worse, some people actually try to modify those things! As if they have potential!
AMC had a similar problem with the Matador coupe, it was a unique design and a sales hit when it came out, but it did not share any sheet metal with the Matador sedans, wagons, or any other AMC car. Being a relatively small car company AMC did not have the sales volume to be able to afford to do this sort of thing, nor did they have the money to restyle, so they got stuck with a fleet of cars with an increasingly dated looking design being only able to afford minor tweaks like to trim parts.
What does that have to do with quality? It's a feature of the design, whether it was a good feature is another story but it is not a sign of bad quality.
@Navdan87 I agree with you. I saw someone driving a black Pontiac Aztec today and thought of this post. I said to myself, how in the world would anyone with half a brain be caught dead driving one of these god awlful cars. LMAO
These were quirky cars! I always thought it was cool how the right door could open more than the left one! Very subtle too! Just like the Gremlin these also get a corny rep today unfortunatly
the car was somewhat ahead of its time, its a shame that the car has such a bad public image. it is better looking thab some of the cars out to day, some of the cars are hothing but rolling cubes.
What was such a mistake is to make the car so big and wide. If the car had been small like a Mini Cooper and economical it might have sold decently instead of selling well the first year, savaging sales from the other AMC cars, then crashing in sales. Building a car as wide as a Chevy Impala, with considerable weight, too much glass for comfort and not having an economical engine made no sense whatsoever and the car eventually led to the ruination of AMC as a company.
My older brother and I both had Pacers at one point, great cars, tough, comfortable, fun to drive, and everywhere you go they make people smile and people always want to take pictures of it. We got more attention in them then in my fully restored 1931 Pontiac!
QuanticChaos1000 yes the Pacer is very nice 👍
I always liked Pacers. They still look cool today!
I agree. Incredible visibility - not a good car to go parking in 😁. Turns like it's on rails. Roomy interior space for a car of its size. One of AMC coolest cars.
@ConsciousRobot remember there was a blue Pacer in the movie Wayne's World????....I hope you will reply to this
Looks a lot better than a Cube, Prius,Element,or anything for that matter on the roads today.
I remember when these came out in 1975. I thought they were cool!
If Toyota came out with this car today, the public would soil their tighty whities getting all over it. AMC was 50 years ahead of its time.
I know, old comment, but you're right. An AMC Pacer would modern Toyota technology would be quite a car.
Would love to own one of these classics. Shalom
My parents bought a Pacer wagon new in 1977. My dad was in the military and we traveled cross country in it several times. The large windows offered a great view. Sadly the Pacer was not very reliable and they were stuck with it till it was paid off.
We all called it "THE AQUARIUM CAR" in High School, back when AMC Pacer's were brand new.
The Pacer is cool
AMC Pacer Fan yeah I think it looks good don't get why people hate on the look of the car
FEE LYNN yeah on eBay there are lots of parts 😀
I miss American Motors cars
I love the pacer my favorite car! Fan pacer
All that glass made the interior a greenhouse in the summer.
Hey, I like this car! My uncle has owned a few; they're comfortable to ride in and pretty fun to drive.
AutoFox1 yeah I like it too
AutoFox1 Show me the carfox!
I actually plan to buy one
That was my first car out of college. Lots of comments on the futuristic styling. Only wished they had engineered it better. But my next car was the Honda Civic CVCC 5-SPEED, and @44mi/gal in ran like a top, but you never forget your first!
Oh boy, I've been waiting for someone to upload this commercial. I remember it so clearly from 1975
Perfect car for the "Don't Laugh It's Paid For" license plate frame.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder... I think it is a pretty cool. America was better off when it had many car companies.
WE'RE NOT WORTHY! WE'RE NOT WORTHY!
Everyone's a critic! This car was as Unique and Innovative as Ford's Edsel, another misunderstood nice car. This "wide small car" was a great idea! They sold well until its last year, in 1980! Remeber, Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder!
This is a prime example of a car built using ideas that sounded great in the executive boardroom but in fact did not work so well once the final product went to market. "Wide small car" sounded like a great idea in the '70's when everybody wanted comfort but needed economy. Seriously, can anyone tell me how ANY wide small car would not look wierd? The Pacer was also originally intended to have a rotary engine. Thank goodness AMC went with their standard in-line six.
Reminds me of Waynes World. I wish I had a pacer, they are cool ol cars man.
@CRXspeedshift did you like Wayne's World?????....it was a funny movie..I hope you will reply to this
Remember, Gremlin and Pacer were popular among college students.
Love at first sight, my second love was back in the sixties when the family piled into the two tone purple/pink Rambler Wagon! :)
Car companys discontinued the vent windows due to cost-they were expensive to install. On larger cars full sized cars like Cadillacs, Pontiacs, Chryslers you could order power vent windows. GM started to dropped them in 1969 with Ford being the last to offer them in the 1980s.
Wider would work for the US population because we're wider than we were in the 1970's
And pardon me. Would you have any Grey Poupon? :P
I think everyone was brainwashed by all the jokes etc. in the 70's into thinking it was "the ugliest car ever made" at a time when cars were square shaped, and so it's reputation as "ugly" has stuck, but I think the Pacer was just ahead of it's time. I like the way it looks.
Said the guy driving a Cube (or an Element, or a Soul, or a Juke, or a Yaris, or a Scion Xb (actually, any Scion), etc.
why were these cars production stopped?
Look at the 25 minute documentary about the amc pacer on youtube
There was nothing cab-forward about this car. It was originally supposed to use a rotary engine, but that never happened. So AMC was forced to shoe-horn in one of their straight six engines. In order to fit it in the engine bay, the dashboard was pushed into the passenger side a lot further that would have been otherwise necessary. For such a huge heavy car, it was a tight fit. Also, if you didn't buy air conditioning, that thing would cook you to death in summer.
@21leftcenter lol the Pacer Station Wagon was the perfect whoppin' lardie trawler!
"Hey fat grrl- are you ticklish?"
Can't believe they drove a Nova into the pacer😮
a reminder of how important drug testing is in the work place, I am sure that failure to do drug testing led to disgraceful fiasco's like this its amazing what kind of ugliness one can produce while under the influence
WAS A VERY NICE CAR
GM never built the pacer.
Oh jesus. I saw a Pacer back in 1989 that was hauling a horse trailer, with one horse. I died laughing.
Long Live Lemons!
It was a fish bowl on wheels.
If the world were populated by large gnomes, all cars would look something like this.
I heard they're not slower than most compact cars back in the day, especially vw beetle and civic.
i love this car
My Parents saw this as a UFO with the headlights and the shape.
Oh yes, lots of interior room, and enough window use to cook you to a crisp on a hot summers day. Funny, it is unique as can be, and yet so many people call it ugly.
I always wanted to fill one up with dirt and plant stuff back there.. viola! A rolling greenhouse!
AMC was supposed to have a new engine series for the Pacer, developed in partnership with GM. But then GM puled out. AMC then adapted their old Nash-originated 6 cylinder- and it was a fiasco.
Gremlin And Pacer Are In Cars 2
the doors are bigger than the other
@Navdan87 Totally!.....the Aztec was proof that nobody did ugly as well as GM.
Well they have a certain appeal like most orphan cars, but they are also relatively recent and common enough that you can still find parts for them. For example the second generation AMC V8s all used the same block and had interchangeable cylinder heads. The 6 cylinders were in production for so long that parts are also easily found. With a Renault, or any other French car, you would need to develop a list of contacts for spares or import parts directly from Europe.
I jumped 6 of those in 79 using a 125 Honda Elsinore with no second gear for used car commercial
Without a/c in summer, these cars were unbearable.
+itsmegp46 No worse than my dad's 1962 Impala. Those '60s cars with metal steering wheels were nasty! You needed potholders to drive them on a hot day!
No, they weren’t.
My dad always says that the Pacer has lot of glass just to look at the fool who bought it!
Even though I always thought the Pacer was so ugly at the time, I have to agree with your comment completely. Unfortunately automotive styling has only deteriorated over time, despite improvements in cars in other areas.
AMC getting on the "Pontiac Wide Track stick" abit too late. LOL
They did up a Pacer for a "pimp my ride" episode some ago. Actually looked pretty cool!
A wide stance, like a notorious Senator from Idaho.
In terms of the Pacer they actually sold a lot of them,100s of 1000s in fact, the problem was is that they only looked like an economy subcompact car, in fact they were almost the size and weight of an intermediate. The problem was that it was too much of an innovative design,so much so that the tooling was expensive, and they could not be restyled very easily. Contrast that with Gremlin it mostly used parts from the AMC Hornet line, not the best looking but cheap to build.
That's a matter of opinion, but I don't hate the Pacer.
8 Track Flashback!!
Best car ever made, PERIOD!!!
Consider yourself lucky. Do you know what it's like to see Toyota Yaris every second of the day?! What's worse, some people actually try to modify those things! As if they have potential!
AMC had a similar problem with the Matador coupe, it was a unique design and a sales hit when it came out, but it did not share any sheet metal with the Matador sedans, wagons, or any other AMC car. Being a relatively small car company AMC did not have the sales volume to be able to afford to do this sort of thing, nor did they have the money to restyle, so they got stuck with a fleet of cars with an increasingly dated looking design being only able to afford minor tweaks like to trim parts.
Dubbed... 'The Pregnant Roller Skate' by auto reviewers when the Pacer came out.
A M C.....Almost Made a Car!
What does that have to do with quality? It's a feature of the design, whether it was a good feature is another story but it is not a sign of bad quality.
These things are fucking HUGE inside. Its like sitting inside of a giant fishbowl or something...
bohemian rhapsody must play!
Death trap. We used to call my sister's Pacer the Pisser.
Ah! The Mirthmobile!
Remember Garth Algar played by Dana Carvey had a blue Pacer in Wayne's World?????...I hope y'all will reply to this
Welcome to Good Burger
The Leprechaun from Vigilante 8.
Ah, the Mirth Mobile
@Navdan87 I agree with you. I saw someone driving a black Pontiac Aztec today and thought of this post. I said to myself, how in the world would anyone with half a brain be caught dead driving one of these god awlful cars. LMAO
Maybe someone who likes them, just like a lot of people like Pacers or other kinds of cars... Everyone is different, with different tastes.
These were quirky cars! I always thought it was cool how the right door could open more than the left one! Very subtle too! Just like the Gremlin these also get a corny rep today unfortunatly
sad thing about the pacer. Is that it was designed to be front wheel drive ,but GM fucked them on the drivetrains
party on Garth.
+Davie Crockett Party on, Wayne!
I'm currently looking for one
What innovation - you had to remove one of the motor mounts and jack the engine up to change the spark plugs on one side...
First wide small car? Correct me if I am wrong, but I think Pontiac had the first wide small car. It was called the Tempest/LeMans back in 1961.
This is a very accurate commercial. The best thing you could do to a Pacer is to drive another car into it. Preferably at about 90 mph.
@Navdan87 ya i saw that. turned out yellow with shag carpet inside. i did turn out pretty cool looking.
the car was somewhat ahead of its time, its a shame that the car has such a bad public image. it is better looking thab some of the cars out to day, some of the cars are hothing but rolling cubes.
the pacer was so wide that parking the thing in small parking spaces is of course problematic as many a former owner will testify...
it really is a hipster car
Garth and Wayne's car.
@ebf1957 yes I love Wayne's World funny movie
What was the point of making the passenger door wider than the driver's door? Why not just make them both as wide as the passenger door?
Ça c’est de la voiture !
I remember it too!
Printing lyrics from "Greased Lightning"?
Classic car:-)
What was such a mistake is to make the car so big and wide. If the car had been small like a Mini Cooper and economical it might have sold decently instead of selling well the first year, savaging sales from the other AMC cars, then crashing in sales. Building a car as wide as a Chevy Impala, with considerable weight, too much glass for comfort and not having an economical engine made no sense whatsoever and the car eventually led to the ruination of AMC as a company.
Uhm.... everything???? The Gremlin shares NOTHING with the Pacer other than engines, transmissions and steering wheels. The Pacer was all new.
The fish bowl
No, La Regie kept poor AMC on life support until Chrysler stepped in, though they were only interested in Jeep.
there pointing out the flaws of the car like its the widest small car ever and that one of rh
Sorry, I meant to say that I would enjoy having an old AMC.
@videotrains EPIC! rofl Had me rollin dude. :D
an incredible, steady, and ugly ride.
How did those people fit with the other car inside?
🇫🇷AMC SPACER was for rich people in France.. The french commercial : they compare the car's rear like a booty.
what the f#@k were they smoking when they designed this little booger...lmao
best car ever
not really when paralell parking a wider car is easier to judge.