Thanks for another great trip down memory lane. AMC was a case study of a company that did more with less. Very telling when most AMC engineers were retained when their Chrysler counterparts were pink-slipped.
Most of Chrysler's well known engineers had started retiring by the late 70's and early eighties . Many of the engines that were used by Chrysler in the 90's were AMC designs , like the 2.7 V6 , and 3.7 and 4.7 V6 and V8's used in the trucks , and all of those engines were pure garbage . The LH cars were based on a Renault design , and they were pretty fragile , they had a lot of suspension problems among other things .
My Dad was an AMC "Rambler" guy. I can remember our little Red '60 Wagon with a white top. Then Dad bought a slightly used (dealer Demo) '65 Ambassador 880 4 door sedan in late 1965. We went on a lot of vacations in that car from Colorado to Connecticut, to Los Angeles, and multiple trips to Ohio and Arkansas to visit relatives. It never let us down. In the mid 70's I learned to drive on that car with it's 3 speed column shift. Last Friday I purchased a '65 Ambassador 990 (kind of as a tribute to my parents). It's only got 80,000 miles on it, and minimal rust (less than my 2000 Chevy Pickup). I had the car out at the end of my driveway to take some photo's for insurance purposes. Someone walking by stopped and asked me if it was a Lincoln! Lol.
I've been a big supporter of AMC since the early 1970's. Been fortunate to have owned several and participated in a number of AMC clubs and shows. You have done a really superlative job with the history of AMC. There have only been a handful of people documenting AMC that get it right. You, sir, are one of them. I am VERY impressed. AMC was much better during their 33 year life span than they were given credit for at the time. Most (even my father) made fun of their cars. But consider what they gave us: unit body construction, filtered ventilation, self contained air conditioning, seat belts, dual master cylinder braking as well as the way they developed, designed and built cars. Thank you for the video. Keep them coming.
For me as a German, the Gremlin and much more the Pacer are absolut masterpieces of design. Gremlins c-pillar shape you find on many many cars of today and of the last 2 decades. And the Pacer still looks kind of futuristic. And I very miss that idea, to have a compact car with the (front) space, ride, convenience and luxury of a big car. (Today you only can choose between harsh sportiness and truck... :-( )
I had a AMC hornet fastback and I had a couple Gremlins and I think the Gremlins were the best there was and also had an AMC eagle 4 wheel drive and I thought they were of well-built
In Mexico I remember a mechanic once asking me: Do you know why the Pacer has so many windows? His answer: So that everyone can see the idiot who bought it.
You nailed it! Gremlin and Pacer were unfairly branded as ugly but were actually a bit ahead of their time, even if their designs were a bit compromised by the company's often poor finances. Gremlin may have been the most comfortable subcompact at that time for its driver and front passenger. And the Pacer's width and heft made it a stable cornering car. The huge glass areas on all sides elevated visibility above all else then on the market. I had both of those cars and an AMC-Renault Encore, which was a pleasant, if uninspiring car.
@@johnerwin9024 Yes, it was too heavy for the 232 and 258 CID 6 cylinders. A base Pacer weighed just about 3000 lbs. and a Pacer X could top 3400 lbs. A V8 was added later but fuel economy in all wasn't good. My '75 base model with a 258 CID Six and automatic got only 17 MPG overall and only 21 MPG on a long highway trip.
Thanks for the walk down memory lane. I grew in the Grand Rapids, MI area and my dad was both a Kelvinator and AMC fan. Family had Kelvinator appliances and a Kelvinator plant was beside our HS football field. Before I was born my family had an early 1960s Rambler. We then had a 1967 Ambassador and a 1973 Ambassador. Quality decline during the 1970s caused my dad to switch loyalties to Ford. My first car was a high mileage 1973 AMX Javelin. Have very good memories of AMC.
Your presentation of automotive history is outstanding. Very professionally presented. My first car was an AMC Gremlin that I purchased in Grand Rapids, Michigan. A $25.00 payment held it while I checked with my wife. We bought the Gremlin X in a metallic metal flake brown with gold flecks. Three-speed on the floor and all available options at the time. We took the Gremlin up to my wife’s parents in Gladwin, Michigan where my father-in-law said “Why did you buy half a car! When are you going to get the other half!” But it turned out to be a very reliable car that saw us drive it out west to the Rockie moun-rains. At the time Coors beer wasn’t sold east of the Mississippi & we end-ed up bringing back multiple cases of canned Coors. No tinted windows led to several ‘popped’ cans from the heat. But all-in-all, a memorable car!
My family had an AMC dealership that dated back to Hudson. Sadly when Chrysler took over it was too expensive to convert. I remember the conversation about the specific Benjamin Moore paint they required alone being unreasonable. It was sold to a larger dealer and the historic building was abandoned. I had cousins racing them up to the Renault Alliance Cup series.
Thank you for sharing this bit of history with me. I found it very interesting. I worked as a mechanic at the Ford dealer in my home town from 1983 - 2006. I started working there right out of high school. It was a small town of about 3000 people in the middle of the California desert without many job opportunities. It ended up working out well for me. About 30 miles south is a large town with several dealerships including a Ford dealer that was about four times larger than the dealer I worked for. I got to know several of their mechanics because we attended Ford training classes together. We would call each other for ideas on those stubborn cars we couldn't diagnose. That Ford dealer grew so large they built a bigger dealership in 1985 in another part of the city. I continued toiling away at my small dealer. After their Ford dealership moved, an AMC, Jeep, Renault dealership opened in the old Ford dealer. There had never been an AMC dealer anywhere remotely close. That AMC dealership crushed every other dealership in the area. They grew so quickly, the had to rent a closed transmission shop down the street just to accomodate the number of mechanics working at the AMC dealer. About half the mechanics I knew at the Ford dealer quit their jobs at their dealer to go to work at the new AMC dealership. It was insane! That went on for a few years before that city ended up building an auto mall where all the dealerships moved into. I stayed in my old run down dealership for 23 years resisting the temptation to move into the state of the art auto mall a 30 minute drive from home. I finally gave up the dealership life and became a fleet mechanic for a public utility. But I will never forget how a humble AMC, Jeep, Renault dealer came to the desert and crushed the competition without even trying.
My grandfather was an AMC man. Before I was born he was a rambler man, but in the 1980s once I was around he had a gremlin, which I still have the little Gremlin emblems from. Then he had a Pacer in the late 80s, then in the early nineties he bought a beautiful golden brown Eagle wagon with the fake wood paneling on the side. It ate a valve in the late 90s and handed up junking it. Looking back I wish I took that damn thing. The body was in excellent condition even though it was a Northeast car. Now these damn things have a following, I really wish I took it
I happened upon a 1972 Matador Sedan as my first car at 16, back in 2020, paid $350 for it and spend $500 to get it back to fully functional order. But the memories made in those last two years, priceless
This video is one of the very best analytical histories of any business I've ever seen. Clearly you stuck to a classic storytelling structure with a defined beginning, middle and end that allowed you to communicate important historical facts in a way that didn't confuse your audience. I hope you'll consider this presentation as an ideal template for any of your future presentations!
Thank you for putting this together! I'm sad I only just found it now. I grew up in an AMC town: Bramalea. Bramalea was right beside Brampton. AMC had an assembly plant in Brampton and then they built the new modern on in Bramalea beside because Bramalea was less developed and had lots of open space for building while their original site was pretty well developed as much as it could be. (Sadly, it's a Walmart, Lowes, and a few other big box stores now.... ahhhh progress). The point is, I grew up with every third house on the street having AMCs and people working with or connected to AMC. It was like an AMC showroom driving by every day and there's still a few of the old AMC crowd driving around in Javelins and others. My sister even had an AMC Gremlin with the Levis interior: denim upholstery with Levis seams and brass buttons. It was truly awesome. They don't get the credit they deserve when it comes to innovation and bringing many of the things we take for granted today to the market (cross-overs, AWD passenger vehicles, etc..etc..). Interestingly, the Bramalea plant built the hugely successful LH (as you mention) and later, the LX (Chrysler 300, Charger, Challener)...
When I was a kid my uncle Roy had a used '54(?) Nash 'Ambassador'(?): it was HUGE inside & I loved riding in it. Then in '60 another uncle, Eddie, bought a new Rambler Station Wagon. And in 1970-71 one of the regular guys at the good old neighborhood tavern, Huey, had one of those AMC 'Muscle/Pony Cars' -- he was routinely mocked.😂
The Brampton plant that was at Queen and Kennedy built the last Eagle in Dec 87 as an 88 making it the end of AMC cars and is now a Lowe's. The new in this video Brampton/Bramalea plant on Williams Parkway builds the 300, Charger and Challenger. Also built the Premier and all the LH's.
Let us not forget their computer based file-sharing which was carried over and ultimately made Chrysler better. Another AMC innovation. Another interesting side note the AMC designed Jeep 4.0 was manufactured in the Kenosha plant and used until 2006
My uncle bought a Robin egg blue Pacer when it was brand new. Our neighbor purchased a couple Concord AWD wagons. There was a Rebel Machine ,Javelin in our town and a friend of mine drove a Levi edition Gremlin to high school.These are my childhood memories of AMC. I rode several times in the Pacer
My parents owned several Hornets in the 70's, including one Hornet station wagon I believe. Dad always liked AMC's and passed that appreciation onto me. I also tend to cheer for the underdog.
My dad had a 1960 Rambler Wagon - he really loved that car. He kept it into the 70s. The engine remained strong but the problem was rust, which was a common problem in that era.
Having a long association with AMC, I have to say this is the best and most accurate history of AMC that I have seen. You only missed one item of AMC, their commitment to keeping customers. They would warranty car repairs long after cars were out of warranty. The most amazing thing I saw, was at a dealership that sold Chevrolet and Rambler cars in the mid-sixties. A very overweight person bought a new Impala. After 3 seats on the car broke because of his obese frame, Chevrolet refused to repair any more seats, citing his weight as being over the design specs for the seats. The man had paid a premium price for the Impala and was very angry. The Dealership bought back the Impala and sold him an Ambassador. Like the Impala the seats began to break with excessive frequency. AMC's response was to build a special frame for the seat in his car designed to handle his weight, apologizing to the customer for the inconvenience and the fact that his seat would no longer recline. They also gave him a code to present to the salesman whenever he made a future purchase of an AMC car, so ahat a revised frame for his new car could be made that would bear his weight. I have never seen any car company before or after that would do that for a customer.
My dad bought a brand new Cherry Red 1965 Rambler American, smallest engine possible. He shipped it to Germany as he was serving in the US Air Force. We rode that car all over the autobahn from Netherlands to Italy. Darn near got run over by all the Mercedes while trying to pass huge US Army convoys on the autobahn. He had that car for over six years and not only did it go overseas on two different tours of duty, but drove across the US from the east coast to the Rockies twice. Finally had to trade it in when the fuel pump died on it's third and last transcontinental attempt. It was easier to get another used car to finish the trip than to wait 3 days to get a fuel pump. Loved that car!
I've had two AMC cars. I had a 1964 Rambler Classic with a V8 and 3 speed with overdrive. It got amazing fuel mileage for the time and was surprisingly peppy. Those fold down front seats made this a great drive-in theater car! I followed that with my first ever new car: a 1970 AMC Hornet SST.
Born, raised, and still live in Kenosha. My great grandfather, grandparents, and my dad worked for Chrysler. We all still love seeing a Gremlin rollin down the road. Great job!
My 1st experience with AMC was when my friend's mom got an AMC Hornet, we thought it was pretty cool backnthen because it looked so different due to it's hatchback.
Your presentation was excellent, much better than the AMC line deserves. The reason for there not being much information on AMC cars is that they were junk cars. They lacked the engineering that the Big Three had and the cars did not last. My father purchased a used late 60’s Rebel and after I got out of the Army I replaced the starter in it. Junk! The stater was a GM and did not bolt in well. The bolts were hard to reach. Once you got it loose, it was a maze to get it out of the tierods and steering components. It took me two hours to snake the starter out. Obviously no engineer had forseen the need to replace a starter. I had a coworker who I carpooled with who had a Grimlin. Junk. Noisy and hard riding, but I will admit, better than a Pinto, but the Grimlin did not provide the excitment of impending exposion by someone tapping you in the rear end. My wife and I had a running joke, every time we drove passed a junk yard we would say, “Oh look, another Rambler Center”.
In Australia around 1973, my school history teacher had a Rambler Hornet in the early 1970.s lovely looking car, also a cousin bought a Rambler Rebel which was stylish for its time. AMI cars are collectors items in Australia. great video, well presented and interesting history.
AMC was always called Rambler in Australia till the end of 1978 when AMC pulled out of Australia! You didn’t mentioned legendary AMC designer Dick Teague! Performed miracles on a shoestring budget! His last design was the ground breaking Jeep XJ
Thanks for the comment, I didn't know that about AMC in Australia. When doing these history videos, sometimes I mention designers but that can end up down a rabbit hole so in this case I didn't bring him up. Besides, he deserves his own video. :)
A lot of people made fun of Pacers and Gremlins (I can't remember which comedian called the Gremlin "Detroit's way of saying you have nothing left to lose), but I've always liked them. A buddy had a Gremlin when we were in the Air Force in the late '80s and I loved that car.
Gremlins are great for dirt track & drag strip racing. The Rebel Machine was another great one but few produced . I had a 1970 Mark Donahue SST Javelin (factory race car) which was an absolute rocket that handled corners. All of their cars were quality fit & finish. Never had a Lemon with AMC/Rambler products.
As a young boy growing up on a sharecroppers farm in central rural Arkansas in the late 60s and early 70s, my foster family had at least four Ramblers, but only two were actually running, so I have a special place in my heart for AMC's Rambler. Last weekend I was driving through Southern Wisconsin, and spotted a 1961 Rambler Classic Cross Country Wagon on dealer's lot. They were asking 30k?! My hopes of owning a Rambling Classic Cross Country Wagon were dashed. That is not a 30k classic car. Max $12k on a perfect day. I swear I think the managers at that dealership are on Crack! LOL! 🤣
I had a Gremlin and a friend of mine had a Pacer. I still remember the day the glass hatch in the back exploded in my hands as I was closing it. One of the struts got stuck and it was just, "BOOM," safety glass all over the parking lot. As for my friend, her Pacer it looked like a goldfish bowl on wheels. Her car got recalled because the windshield was concaved in such a way that it acted like a magnifying glass and was melting the dashboards. But I used to like the old "Hey Jaguar, wanna drag?" commercials.
Our family had a 1965 Rambler American with the OHV 232 inline 6, bought used in about 1977. It had a couple of features that we never had before, vacuum powered wipers and fully reclining seats. It blew a head gasket at about 60,000 miles, disabling the engine. This was the worst engine failure we had seen with such low mileage. I fixed it myself.
Late 1971....our local AMC dealer was clearing out the 71s for the 72 model years. My Dad, was a grad student and his old Chevy Impala wouldn't pass state inspection without a ton of work...so he needed an inexpensive new car...and something that could transport a family....so he got a deal on a 1971 AMC Hornet SST coupe. The next year, we moved to the midwest from the East Coast and the Hornet would spend its winters with studded rear snow tires and sand bags in the trunk for ballast...and never got stuck. Eventually, my older brother got his permit and license and learned how to drive in that car. It was almost totaled in a car accident when it was rear ended by a 1970 Cadillac towing a travel trailer in 1977. I got my permit in 1981 and thought I would get a chance to drive it but it was starting to rust and Dad thought it best to sell it. My driving career started with a VW Rabbit that took the Hornet's place. So we managed to get 10 years out of the Hornet and it was a well used car....the driveline was durable but the interior trim and plastics were not. The doors wouldn't hold alignment and being in a serious accident didn't help matters. I remember quirky things like a hood that would constantly pop open to its secondary catch on bumpy roads...and alternator light that would stay on even thought the charging system was functioning and door window glass that would fall out of the tracks. But it never stranded us......
I'm SO relieved that I'm no longer the only person who associates the word, "Scrappy" with AMC! I've always felt that way (and in the most positive manner, as I truly loved them!). Here's a "what if" for you: What if AMC leadership at that time, didn't put all of their eggs in one basket; trusting GM to provide a Wankel Rotary Engine for their fishbowl-on-wheels Pacer? Wayne's World aside, I would have been much happier with a redesigned, 4-cylinder Javelin hatchback coupe and a Matador sedan or wagon, without a coffin rammed into it's front end for a grille, myself. 🐰
My dad bought a 1988 AMC era Jeep Cherokee. I bought it a few years later. Awesome car. My 2017 Wrangler Unlimited is so similar. I sold that Cherokee with the factory clutch still working. It had almost 200,000 miles on it. The 4.0 liter straight 6 engine was bulletproof.
Correction: the Cherokee was discontinued in the US in 2001, not 2006. I'm sure it was produced longer in other countries, but I just wanted to point that out. Great video, as always!
My first car was a 82 AMC Concord. it was chosen for me, maybe it chose me... anyway, I loved that car. It took me all the way through HS and into early adulthood.
I had a neighbor who had 2 Metropolitans back in the mid 1980s. I know a family that owns 3 running and driving AMC Gremlins. As a high schooler in the 1970s, I always wanted the 1970 AMC AMX with the 390 engine. We never owned an American Motors vehicle but I did own a 1974 International Harvester Scout II. Built like a tank.
Always loved the “American Underdog!” Over the years had several AMX two seaters, two Javelins, a Hornet & Levy’s Gremlin. After 25 years just bought 4 AMX & Javelin project cars. Long live AMC!
I had several ramblers when I was in high school and college. They were cheep as well. I had a 1959, 60, 63, and a 65, all classics. My father put in the 327 V8 made by Rambler into the 59 and it got 20 miles per gallon consistently. I really liked these cars.
This is one of your best videos. I grew up in the 70s and lots of people that I knew owned a gremlin or hornet. One spinoff of the chrysler buyout was the eagle vision. I looked at one and didn't want to buy an orphan or explain what an eagle was. So I ordered a 1993 dodge intrepid. Last - when my brother was in 4th grade in 1964; he did a stand up report in front of the class. Topic of essay - why would anybody in their right mind own a rambler? He was sent home from school - his teacher owned one. My mother marched him right back to school ! Apparently nobody was laughing that day. By the way. We owned a 1962 ford ranch wagon.
I drove a Rambler my first year in college, 1971. It was well used by the time I got it but it had the best design under the hood of any car I have owned. I wanted a Gremlin when I first saw one. I bought a used 72 in 1974 and drove it for many years. When AMCs quality fell that was the end of the company. Thanks for the history.
Great analysis, thank you. My dad helped a preschool teacher by driving her to the local AMC dealership. Cars like the Vega, Pinto and Pacer were seen as ways to profit from small vehicles by the Big Three whereas the Japanese focused on quality. In the 80s is when the battle played out and the rest is history.
The first car I bought was a used 1973 Gremlin. I paid $1500.00 for it with a straight six, bench seat and rubber floor mats with 30,000 miles on the odometer. I installed carpet, bucket seats and a custom console. Loved that little car! I then bought a 1979 Spirit GT. Loved that one too! Sorry to see the brand go away!
I remember in 1974 my aunt bought a bright orange AMC Javelin with the small V8 and a half black vinyl top. What impressed me so much about that car was how the dash curved over to the driver, and I was only in 5th grade but I could still tell good ergonomics when I saw them. And as a kid I really thought the houndstooth seats we're very cool and modern for the time. She had it until 1979 when she sold it for a Chevy Nova. And she has said she still misses that Javelin. She is now 78.
My dad bought a demo 1969 Ambassador DPL wagon in 1970. It was my first car memory, and he kept it for way too long.....until 1980. First car he bought w AC.
In 1974 I bought a AMC Gremlin, it was the most fun car to drive I ever owned. Had the big six, and ran very well. Stationed in the Air Force in FT. Worth Texas, I made a lot of money Saturday nights street racing.
Your history series is great and a wonderful education on the backgrounds of these companies! Nice work! I'd love to see you do Auburn-Cord. '37 Cord is my dream machine. Worked with a guy that had a Gremlin, plenty of room back there for a sound system, and another that had a Javelin. At the time they were just another car. Never took much notice.
In spring of 1975 my dad decided we were going to swap the Buick for a brand new AMC Pacer, first generation. We ordered our car and had to wait six weeks for it to arrive, which is tremendously exciting when you're a 10 year old. The car had serious build quality issues. We got stared at a lot, that was fun, but it was not a well car. By 1982 at only 68,000 it leaked, needed new rings and a valve job after getting passed around as all 3 of us kids learned to drive in it. 3 on the tree at Burger King, we were styin'!
My mom had a Pacer when I was a little boy. Bought it slightly used, They didn't call these things fishbowls for nothing it was nothing but windows and would get HOT in warm weather. But to this day that car had one of the strongest AC systems I've ever experienced in any car including modern ones from GM which have in my opinion the best AC systems around. You could literally freeze to death in the middle of a 95 degree and 100% humidity day it was really awesome. It was green with a tan-ish interior. We moved to Florida so she sold it before we did but I'll always remember that car. Hard to find nowadays but it wasn't a bad car. Rock-solid reliable and good on fuel. It never let her down and as a single mother that was always important. I have fond memories of the Pacer. Very fond.
I have lived in Kenosha all my life, and have a ton of AMC experience. My wife even had a Pacer as her first car. My father in law worked there from 59-till almost the end of the engine plant. AMC had a world class press stamping room and their sheet metal was really top notch. When Chrysler started building the M body, I had a friend at a dealership that stated that the new cars from Kenosha were so superior to the ones built at the old plant that the had a hard time getting rid of them. There was a lot of scuttlebutt at the time that the M body was killed by internal fighting in Chrysler and not due to it not selling. They built a ton of taxi and police packages in the M body that left that platform market to GM or Crown Vics. Chrysler spent huge dollars rebuilding the Kenosha Lakefront plant only to run for less than a year and pull the plug. The 4 liter inline 6 was a fantastic motor and Jeeps equipped with it still are in high demand. I was able to tour the main plant back in 1979 with a explorer scout group that was a very indepth tour. I was flat foot amazed. Very sad to see it go. AMC was good and bad for Kenosha. The high and low of the company kept a pall over the city. Having so many eggs in one basket kept the city economy hopelessly linked. Kenosha is flourishing now, but the loss of the AMC plant was a huge blow to our city at the time.
I live in Racine and bought a Jeep cherokee from a former Chrysler kenosha plant employee. He built the 4 liter engine that went into my jeep. You are right about how much Kenosha depended on AMC and later Chrysler. When I started working for the railroad, the older guys used to tell me about how important the Kenosha auto plant was to the railroad.
My grandparents drove a Rambler American when my dad was a kid. He speaks very fondly of that car. When I was a kid, my dad had a Jeep Grand Wagoneer which was an AMC vehicle. It has the good old 360 V8. That SUV was a tank. It ate up whatever terrain you pointed it towards. Personally, I had a 1984 Jeep CJ7 in my late 20s that I loved. I wish I still had it. I've also had a couple of Cherokees which were AMC designed. The 4.2 straight 6 which later became the 4.0 straight 6, is one of the greatest engine designs of all time. AMC was a special company.
AMC = ALL MAKES COMBINED We mechanics in the day knew AMC cars were made of a collection of components made by Chrysler Ford GM and others. We coined the term ALL MAKES COMBINED
I had a 77 Pacer. It was a Yellow Wagon. I got it very used and very cheap back in the 80's when no one wanted them. It was my first car that had AC and to this day one of the best cars I've ever owned. Many people would laugh at them calling them "Fishbowls" but ask anyone who owned one and its almost the same story of how much they loved the car. Also at that time my neighbor had a Gremlin and loved that car too. Ive known a few folks who owned other AMC cars.
I am old enough(70)to remember when many of these cars were still on the road. A friend of mine bought and restored a '38 Studebaker in the early '70s.
Growing up in the late 60's to late 70's; my family had 6 Ramblers, a Gremlin (my first car) and a Pacer (my little sister's first car). My Dad was a mechanic and said that AMC's were the easiest cars to work on and the most reliable cars on the road at that time. Plus he was REALLY cheap and we got them all used. Great cars, great memories...
In 1980 I rented one of these. Adjusting the knobs when the car was turned off still engaged the target; the radio, heater, dome light, but without turning them on. It drained the battery overnight and on several occasions. I swore in my anger never to purchase any car or product made by AMC as long as I lived. And I will never accept any car donated by them. I have kept my word, unless by mistake.
My brother had a 1974 Gremlin in yellow with the 'x' package hockey stick contrasting stripe. It had oversized tires (the guy worked at a nearby warehouse for Perelli tire), and 3 sp on the floor. He had a lot of fun with that car, it was quite reliable too. I would also note the AMC straight 6 engine with updates to the fuel and ignition systems were used on some Jeep models into the 2000's.
Many a police department across the USA utilized the Matador model. It was even featured in Adam-12. When I was a teenager in the 70's my good buddy drove an AMC hornet that was white with a red interior. AMC cars were everywhere at that time. You couldn't swing a cat without hitting an AMC car.
AMC Eagle was an amazing car and I wish I could get my hands on one again. 1988 Eagle Wagon was my 1st car and my mom and dad had a number of them when I was growing up.
The very first brand new car I ever owned was a 1979 AMC Concord. I purchased it while serving in Germany and picked it at Fort Dix in New Jersey when I returned to the states in Sept of '79.
Same here! A 1979 baby blue Concord - except mine was a hand me down from my parents. It replaced our huge gas guzzler Buick station wagon. My mom said she called the dealership a few days after they originally bought it - she thought the gas gauge was broken because the needle hadn’t moved yet.
Ok, my former girlfriends Dad had a Rambler American. Another girlfriend's Mother drove an Ambassador. My current wife's best friend had a Gremlin in High School. My best friend's Dad, my Dad, and Grandad all had Hornets. There were 2 AMC dealers within 5 miles of where I grew up. They both took care of service more than sales. Both of them would let you order an AMC but neither carried an inventory.
AMC has to be the most underrated and underappreciated car company.
Thanks for another great trip down memory lane. AMC was a case study of a company that did more with less. Very telling when most AMC engineers were retained when their Chrysler counterparts were pink-slipped.
Thanks!
Yep, AMC was a great company with horrible management… After Romney left.
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Most of Chrysler's well known engineers had started retiring by the late 70's and early eighties . Many of the engines that were used by Chrysler in the 90's were AMC designs , like the 2.7 V6 , and 3.7 and 4.7 V6 and V8's used in the trucks , and all of those engines were pure garbage . The LH cars were based on a Renault design , and they were pretty fragile , they had a lot of suspension problems among other things .
My Dad was an AMC "Rambler" guy. I can remember our little Red '60 Wagon with a white top. Then Dad bought a slightly used (dealer Demo) '65 Ambassador 880 4 door sedan in late 1965. We went on a lot of vacations in that car from Colorado to Connecticut, to Los Angeles, and multiple trips to Ohio and Arkansas to visit relatives. It never let us down. In the mid 70's I learned to drive on that car with it's 3 speed column shift. Last Friday I purchased a '65 Ambassador 990 (kind of as a tribute to my parents). It's only got 80,000 miles on it, and minimal rust (less than my 2000 Chevy Pickup). I had the car out at the end of my driveway to take some photo's for insurance purposes. Someone walking by stopped and asked me if it was a Lincoln! Lol.
80k miles on a '65? That's fantastic! Hope you love the car!!
30 years employee of AMC. I still own a 1979 , AMC Spirit. 38K original miles. We made fantastic cars. Period.
I've been a big supporter of AMC since the early 1970's. Been fortunate to have owned several and participated in a number of AMC clubs and shows.
You have done a really superlative job with the history of AMC.
There have only been a handful of people documenting AMC that get it right. You, sir, are one of them. I am VERY impressed.
AMC was much better during their 33 year life span than they were given credit for at the time. Most (even my father) made fun of their cars. But consider what they gave us: unit body construction, filtered ventilation, self contained air conditioning, seat belts, dual master cylinder braking as well as the way they developed, designed and built cars.
Thank you for the video. Keep them coming.
Thanks for the kind words!
I was always fascinated by AMC
For me as a German, the Gremlin and much more the Pacer are absolut masterpieces of design. Gremlins c-pillar shape you find on many many cars of today and of the last 2 decades. And the Pacer still looks kind of futuristic. And I very miss that idea, to have a compact car with the (front) space, ride, convenience and luxury of a big car. (Today you only can choose between harsh sportiness and truck... :-( )
I had a AMC hornet fastback and I had a couple Gremlins and I think the Gremlins were the best there was and also had an AMC eagle 4 wheel drive and I thought they were of well-built
Dad, car business, had a AMC Pacer he was selling, loved the room, riding in a bubble, but didn't have good horse power-
In Mexico I remember a mechanic once asking me: Do you know why the Pacer has so many windows? His answer: So that everyone can see the idiot who bought it.
You nailed it! Gremlin and Pacer were unfairly branded as ugly but were actually a bit ahead of their time, even if their designs were a bit compromised by the company's often poor finances. Gremlin may have been the most comfortable subcompact at that time for its driver and front passenger. And the Pacer's width and heft made it a stable cornering car. The huge glass areas on all sides elevated visibility above all else then on the market. I had both of those cars and an AMC-Renault Encore, which was a pleasant, if uninspiring car.
@@johnerwin9024 Yes, it was too heavy for the 232 and 258 CID 6 cylinders. A base Pacer weighed just about 3000 lbs. and a Pacer X could top 3400 lbs. A V8 was added later but fuel economy in all wasn't good. My '75 base model with a 258 CID Six and automatic got only 17 MPG overall and only 21 MPG on a long highway trip.
Thanks for the walk down memory lane. I grew in the Grand Rapids, MI area and my dad was both a Kelvinator and AMC fan. Family had Kelvinator appliances and a Kelvinator plant was beside our HS football field. Before I was born my family had an early 1960s Rambler. We then had a 1967 Ambassador and a 1973 Ambassador. Quality decline during the 1970s caused my dad to switch loyalties to Ford. My first car was a high mileage 1973 AMX Javelin. Have very good memories of AMC.
Thanks for being here!
I'm really enjoying these history videos.. Keep up the great work Jon!!
Thanks, will do!
Your presentation of automotive history is outstanding. Very professionally presented. My first car was an AMC Gremlin that I purchased in Grand Rapids, Michigan. A $25.00 payment held it while I checked with my wife. We bought the Gremlin X in a metallic metal flake brown with gold flecks. Three-speed on the floor and all available options at the time. We took the Gremlin up to my wife’s parents in Gladwin, Michigan where my father-in-law said “Why did you buy half a car! When are you going to get the other half!” But it turned out to be a very reliable car that saw us drive it out west to the Rockie moun-rains. At the time Coors beer wasn’t sold east of the Mississippi & we end-ed up bringing back multiple cases of canned Coors. No tinted windows led to several ‘popped’ cans from the heat. But all-in-all, a memorable car!
My family had an AMC dealership that dated back to Hudson. Sadly when Chrysler took over it was too expensive to convert. I remember the conversation about the specific Benjamin Moore paint they required alone being unreasonable. It was sold to a larger dealer and the historic building was abandoned. I had cousins racing them up to the Renault Alliance Cup series.
What was the name and location of the dealership?
I liked my 1969 AMX with a 390 cu.in. Engine and 4 speed transmission very much!
That was a nice car. I don’t see many around at the cruises or car shows anymore.
Thank you for sharing this bit of history with me. I found it very interesting.
I worked as a mechanic at the Ford dealer in my home town from 1983 - 2006. I started working there right out of high school. It was a small town of about 3000 people in the middle of the California desert without many job opportunities. It ended up working out well for me.
About 30 miles south is a large town with several dealerships including a Ford dealer that was about four times larger than the dealer I worked for. I got to know several of their mechanics because we attended Ford training classes together. We would call each other for ideas on those stubborn cars we couldn't diagnose. That Ford dealer grew so large they built a bigger dealership in 1985 in another part of the city. I continued toiling away at my small dealer.
After their Ford dealership moved, an AMC, Jeep, Renault dealership opened in the old Ford dealer. There had never been an AMC dealer anywhere remotely close. That AMC dealership crushed every other dealership in the area. They grew so quickly, the had to rent a closed transmission shop down the street just to accomodate the number of mechanics working at the AMC dealer. About half the mechanics I knew at the Ford dealer quit their jobs at their dealer to go to work at the new AMC dealership. It was insane! That went on for a few years before that city ended up building an auto mall where all the dealerships moved into.
I stayed in my old run down dealership for 23 years resisting the temptation to move into the state of the art auto mall a 30 minute drive from home. I finally gave up the dealership life and became a fleet mechanic for a public utility. But I will never forget how a humble AMC, Jeep, Renault dealer came to the desert and crushed the competition without even trying.
Thanks for sharing some memories!
My grandfather was an AMC man. Before I was born he was a rambler man, but in the 1980s once I was around he had a gremlin, which I still have the little Gremlin emblems from. Then he had a Pacer in the late 80s, then in the early nineties he bought a beautiful golden brown Eagle wagon with the fake wood paneling on the side. It ate a valve in the late 90s and handed up junking it. Looking back I wish I took that damn thing. The body was in excellent condition even though it was a Northeast car. Now these damn things have a following, I really wish I took it
I happened upon a 1972 Matador Sedan as my first car at 16, back in 2020, paid $350 for it and spend $500 to get it back to fully functional order. But the memories made in those last two years, priceless
Damn dude. It’s virtually impossible to find someone like that now.
@@mopedman666 bought it from a guy and hour away in Ortonville, Michigan. Luckiest find I'll ever have in my life
This video is one of the very best analytical histories of any business I've ever seen. Clearly you stuck to a classic storytelling structure with a defined beginning, middle and end that allowed you to communicate important historical facts in a way that didn't confuse your audience. I hope you'll consider this presentation as an ideal template for any of your future presentations!
Wow, thank you!
Really enjoyed the AMC history
Thank you!
Thank you for putting this together! I'm sad I only just found it now. I grew up in an AMC town: Bramalea. Bramalea was right beside Brampton. AMC had an assembly plant in Brampton and then they built the new modern on in Bramalea beside because Bramalea was less developed and had lots of open space for building while their original site was pretty well developed as much as it could be. (Sadly, it's a Walmart, Lowes, and a few other big box stores now.... ahhhh progress). The point is, I grew up with every third house on the street having AMCs and people working with or connected to AMC. It was like an AMC showroom driving by every day and there's still a few of the old AMC crowd driving around in Javelins and others. My sister even had an AMC Gremlin with the Levis interior: denim upholstery with Levis seams and brass buttons. It was truly awesome. They don't get the credit they deserve when it comes to innovation and bringing many of the things we take for granted today to the market (cross-overs, AWD passenger vehicles, etc..etc..). Interestingly, the Bramalea plant built the hugely successful LH (as you mention) and later, the LX (Chrysler 300, Charger, Challener)...
We need more car companies in the USA to encourage more competition & innovation.
My buddy had an AMX in high school. Nice car. He was right at home with us guys with muscle cars. I had a ‘70 Buick GS. I loved that car.
When I was a kid my uncle Roy had a used '54(?) Nash 'Ambassador'(?): it was HUGE inside & I loved riding in it. Then in '60 another uncle, Eddie, bought a new Rambler Station Wagon. And in 1970-71 one of the regular guys at the good old neighborhood tavern, Huey, had one of those AMC 'Muscle/Pony Cars' -- he was routinely mocked.😂
The Brampton plant that was at Queen and Kennedy built the last Eagle in Dec 87 as an 88 making it the end of AMC cars and is now a Lowe's. The new in this video Brampton/Bramalea plant on Williams Parkway builds the 300, Charger and Challenger. Also built the Premier and all the LH's.
Lived in Peel Village and had a great view of the gremlins being loaded on the rails, always wanted to tour the plant as a kid
Let us not forget their computer based file-sharing which was carried over and ultimately made Chrysler better. Another AMC innovation. Another interesting side note the AMC designed Jeep 4.0 was manufactured in the Kenosha plant and used until 2006
My uncle bought a Robin egg blue Pacer when it was brand new. Our neighbor purchased a couple Concord AWD wagons. There was a Rebel Machine ,Javelin in our town and a friend of mine drove a Levi edition Gremlin to high school.These are my childhood memories of AMC. I rode several times in the Pacer
My parents owned several Hornets in the 70's, including one Hornet station wagon I believe. Dad always liked AMC's and passed that appreciation onto me. I also tend to cheer for the underdog.
My Grand Father owned an Ambassador, my Aunt an Eagle Wagon, my father the Concord and my brother in law a Gremlin among other well known U.S. makes
I had a 1969 AMC ambassador with the 390
My dad had a 1960 Rambler Wagon - he really loved that car. He kept it into the 70s. The engine remained strong but the problem was rust, which was a common problem in that era.
The Jeep XJ I’ve been driving for 320, 000 miles has(apart from some updates) is an AMC at heart
Gremlin with a shoe-horned 403 chewed up my home town and the 78-9 AMX still gives me needs.
Having a long association with AMC, I have to say this is the best and most accurate history of AMC that I have seen. You only missed one item of AMC, their commitment to keeping customers. They would warranty car repairs long after cars were out of warranty. The most amazing thing I saw, was at a dealership that sold Chevrolet and Rambler cars in the mid-sixties. A very overweight person bought a new Impala. After 3 seats on the car broke because of his obese frame, Chevrolet refused to repair any more seats, citing his weight as being over the design specs for the seats. The man had paid a premium price for the Impala and was very angry. The Dealership bought back the Impala and sold him an Ambassador. Like the Impala the seats began to break with excessive frequency. AMC's response was to build a special frame for the seat in his car designed to handle his weight, apologizing to the customer for the inconvenience and the fact that his seat would no longer recline. They also gave him a code to present to the salesman whenever he made a future purchase of an AMC car, so ahat a revised frame for his new car could be made that would bear his weight. I have never seen any car company before or after that would do that for a customer.
Super cool recap. My first car in 1987 was a ‘69 Rebel. Just a kickass ride.
My dad bought a brand new Cherry Red 1965 Rambler American, smallest engine possible. He shipped it to Germany as he was serving in the US Air Force. We rode that car all over the autobahn from Netherlands to Italy. Darn near got run over by all the Mercedes while trying to pass huge US Army convoys on the autobahn.
He had that car for over six years and not only did it go overseas on two different tours of duty, but drove across the US from the east coast to the Rockies twice.
Finally had to trade it in when the fuel pump died on it's third and last transcontinental attempt. It was easier to get another used car to finish the trip than to wait 3 days to get a fuel pump.
Loved that car!
I've had two AMC cars. I had a 1964 Rambler Classic with a V8 and 3 speed with overdrive. It got amazing fuel mileage for the time and was surprisingly peppy. Those fold down front seats made this a great drive-in theater car! I followed that with my first ever new car: a 1970 AMC Hornet SST.
My dad had a 64 Classic with a V8 - we towed a 16 ft trailer with it, and dad drove it for well over 300,000
My best friend in high school had a Neapolitan that his dad gave him (who drove 1960 red Corvette) We went all over in that cool little car.
Born, raised, and still live in Kenosha. My great grandfather, grandparents, and my dad worked for Chrysler. We all still love seeing a Gremlin rollin down the road. Great job!
Thanks!
My 1st experience with AMC was when my friend's mom got an AMC Hornet, we thought it was pretty cool backnthen because it looked so different due to it's hatchback.
Your presentation was excellent, much better than the AMC line deserves. The reason for there not being much information on AMC cars is that they were junk cars. They lacked the engineering that the Big Three had and the cars did not last. My father purchased a used late 60’s Rebel and after I got out of the Army I replaced the starter in it. Junk! The stater was a GM and did not bolt in well. The bolts were hard to reach. Once you got it loose, it was a maze to get it out of the tierods and steering components. It took me two hours to snake the starter out. Obviously no engineer had forseen the need to replace a starter.
I had a coworker who I carpooled with who had a Grimlin. Junk. Noisy and hard riding, but I will admit, better than a Pinto, but the Grimlin did not provide the excitment of impending exposion by someone tapping you in the rear end.
My wife and I had a running joke, every time we drove passed a junk yard we would say, “Oh look, another Rambler Center”.
*¡this is an excellent post!* - 7:39 pm Pacific Standard Time on Thursday, 26 January 2023
Thank you!
In Australia around 1973, my school history teacher had a Rambler Hornet in the early 1970.s lovely looking car, also a cousin bought a Rambler Rebel which was stylish for its time. AMI cars are collectors items in Australia. great video, well presented and interesting history.
An excellent history! My father and I both owned Many AMC and Rambler models.
Glad you enjoyed it
AMC was always called Rambler in Australia till the end of 1978 when AMC pulled out of Australia!
You didn’t mentioned legendary AMC designer Dick Teague! Performed miracles on a shoestring budget!
His last design was the ground breaking Jeep XJ
Thanks for the comment, I didn't know that about AMC in Australia.
When doing these history videos, sometimes I mention designers but that can end up down a rabbit hole so in this case I didn't bring him up.
Besides, he deserves his own video. :)
I owned an AMC Eagle. It was a great car and never let me down or stranded.
My first car was a AMC spirit. It was a amazing car. I didn't realize what I had back then. I miss that car.
Simple, but well researched stories such as this, is why I have a premium membership of UA-cam. Thanks for the great stories.
A lot of people made fun of Pacers and Gremlins (I can't remember which comedian called the Gremlin "Detroit's way of saying you have nothing left to lose), but I've always liked them. A buddy had a Gremlin when we were in the Air Force in the late '80s and I loved that car.
Gremlins are great for dirt track & drag strip racing. The Rebel Machine was another great one but few produced . I had a 1970 Mark Donahue SST Javelin (factory race car) which was an absolute rocket that handled corners. All of their cars were quality fit & finish. Never had a Lemon with AMC/Rambler products.
As a young boy growing up on a sharecroppers farm in central rural Arkansas in the late 60s and early 70s, my foster family had at least four Ramblers, but only two were actually running, so I have a special place in my heart for AMC's Rambler. Last weekend I was driving through Southern Wisconsin, and spotted a 1961 Rambler Classic Cross Country Wagon on dealer's lot. They were asking 30k?! My hopes of owning a Rambling Classic Cross Country Wagon were dashed. That is not a 30k classic car. Max $12k on a perfect day. I swear I think the managers at that dealership are on Crack! LOL! 🤣
I had a Gremlin and a friend of mine had a Pacer. I still remember the day the glass hatch in the back exploded in my hands as I was closing it. One of the struts got stuck and it was just, "BOOM," safety glass all over the parking lot. As for my friend, her Pacer it looked like a goldfish bowl on wheels. Her car got recalled because the windshield was concaved in such a way that it acted like a magnifying glass and was melting the dashboards. But I used to like the old "Hey Jaguar, wanna drag?" commercials.
Our family had a 1965 Rambler American with the OHV 232 inline 6, bought used in about 1977. It had a couple of features that we never had before, vacuum powered wipers and fully reclining seats. It blew a head gasket at about 60,000 miles, disabling the engine. This was the worst engine failure we had seen with such low mileage. I fixed it myself.
Late 1971....our local AMC dealer was clearing out the 71s for the 72 model years. My Dad, was a grad student and his old Chevy Impala wouldn't pass state inspection without a ton of work...so he needed an inexpensive new car...and something that could transport a family....so he got a deal on a 1971 AMC Hornet SST coupe. The next year, we moved to the midwest from the East Coast and the Hornet would spend its winters with studded rear snow tires and sand bags in the trunk for ballast...and never got stuck. Eventually, my older brother got his permit and license and learned how to drive in that car. It was almost totaled in a car accident when it was rear ended by a 1970 Cadillac towing a travel trailer in 1977. I got my permit in 1981 and thought I would get a chance to drive it but it was starting to rust and Dad thought it best to sell it. My driving career started with a VW Rabbit that took the Hornet's place.
So we managed to get 10 years out of the Hornet and it was a well used car....the driveline was durable but the interior trim and plastics were not. The doors wouldn't hold alignment and being in a serious accident didn't help matters. I remember quirky things like a hood that would constantly pop open to its secondary catch on bumpy roads...and alternator light that would stay on even thought the charging system was functioning and door window glass that would fall out of the tracks. But it never stranded us......
Great video. I'd bet Jay Leno has a great AMC collection. Love the AMX still.
I owned several AMC products personally..I was always glad that that alternative choice was available
I'm SO relieved that I'm no longer the only person who associates the word, "Scrappy" with AMC! I've always felt that way (and in the most positive manner, as I truly loved them!).
Here's a "what if" for you: What if AMC leadership at that time, didn't put all of their eggs in one basket; trusting GM to provide a Wankel Rotary Engine for their fishbowl-on-wheels Pacer? Wayne's World aside, I would have been much happier with a redesigned, 4-cylinder Javelin hatchback coupe and a Matador sedan or wagon, without a coffin rammed into it's front end for a grille, myself. 🐰
My dad bought a 1988 AMC era Jeep Cherokee. I bought it a few years later. Awesome car. My 2017 Wrangler Unlimited is so similar. I sold that Cherokee with the factory clutch still working. It had almost 200,000 miles on it. The 4.0 liter straight 6 engine was bulletproof.
a lot of good information, and I loved my 1987 Jeep Wagoneer, great offroader and good street car too!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Correction: the Cherokee was discontinued in the US in 2001, not 2006. I'm sure it was produced longer in other countries, but I just wanted to point that out. Great video, as always!
Great video! I'm currently bringing back to life a 74 AMC Javelin.
Nice!
My first car was a 82 AMC Concord. it was chosen for me, maybe it chose me... anyway, I loved that car. It took me all the way through HS and into early adulthood.
Great video. My family had an AMC Spirit when I was a kid. I want to say it was 1979 or 80 model. It was a solid car.
Thanks for sharing!
I had a neighbor who had 2 Metropolitans back in the mid 1980s. I know a family that owns 3 running and driving AMC Gremlins. As a high schooler in the 1970s, I always wanted the 1970 AMC AMX with the 390 engine. We never owned an American Motors vehicle but I did own a 1974 International Harvester Scout II. Built like a tank.
Good job! I feel the same, I have a new appreciation for the company and cars.
Always loved the “American Underdog!” Over the years had several AMX two seaters, two Javelins, a Hornet & Levy’s Gremlin. After 25 years just bought 4 AMX & Javelin project cars. Long live AMC!
I had several ramblers when I was in high school and college. They were cheep as well. I had a 1959, 60, 63, and a 65, all classics. My father put in the 327 V8 made by Rambler into the 59 and it got 20 miles per gallon consistently. I really liked these cars.
I know you touched on both Hudson and Nash, but I hope in the future they both get there own dedicated episodes.
This is one of your best videos. I grew up in the 70s and lots of people that I knew owned a gremlin or hornet. One spinoff of the chrysler buyout was the eagle vision. I looked at one and didn't want to buy an orphan or explain what an eagle was. So I ordered a 1993 dodge intrepid. Last - when my brother was in 4th grade in 1964; he did a stand up report in front of the class. Topic of essay - why would anybody in their right mind own a rambler? He was sent home from school - his teacher owned one. My mother marched him right back to school ! Apparently nobody was laughing that day. By the way. We owned a 1962 ford ranch wagon.
Thanks for the kind words!
I drove a Rambler my first year in college, 1971. It was well used by the time I got it but it had the best design under the hood of any car I have owned. I wanted a Gremlin when I first saw one. I bought a used 72 in 1974 and drove it for many years. When AMCs quality fell that was the end of the company. Thanks for the history.
Great analysis, thank you. My dad helped a preschool teacher by driving her to the local AMC dealership. Cars like the Vega, Pinto and Pacer were seen as ways to profit from small vehicles by the Big Three whereas the Japanese focused on quality. In the 80s is when the battle played out and the rest is history.
We had an AMC Hornet. Great Car. Also, loved the Javelin.
We had a Jeep Wagoneer 1967 vintage, in Namibia and South Africa. It was REALLY good
The first car I bought was a used 1973 Gremlin. I paid $1500.00 for it with a straight six, bench seat and rubber floor mats with 30,000 miles on the odometer. I installed carpet, bucket seats and a custom console. Loved that little car! I then bought a 1979 Spirit GT. Loved that one too! Sorry to see the brand go away!
I remember in 1974 my aunt bought a bright orange AMC Javelin with the small V8 and a half black vinyl top. What impressed me so much about that car was how the dash curved over to the driver, and I was only in 5th grade but I could still tell good ergonomics when I saw them. And as a kid I really thought the houndstooth seats we're very cool and modern for the time. She had it until 1979 when she sold it for a Chevy Nova. And she has said she still misses that Javelin. She is now 78.
My dad bought a demo 1969 Ambassador DPL wagon in 1970. It was my first car memory, and he kept it for way too long.....until 1980. First car he bought w AC.
Thank you for posting - those weird cars were a big part of a lot of lives
In 1974 I bought a AMC Gremlin, it was the most fun car to drive I ever owned. Had the big six, and ran very well. Stationed in the Air Force in FT. Worth Texas, I made a lot of money Saturday nights street racing.
Your history series is great and a wonderful education on the backgrounds of these companies! Nice work!
I'd love to see you do Auburn-Cord. '37 Cord is my dream machine.
Worked with a guy that had a Gremlin, plenty of room back there for a sound system, and another that had a Javelin. At the time they were just another car. Never took much notice.
Great suggestion! A-C-D is near the top of my list of histories to do... but it's a bit intimidating to take on. :)
In spring of 1975 my dad decided we were going to swap the Buick for a brand new AMC Pacer, first generation. We ordered our car and had to wait six weeks for it to arrive, which is tremendously exciting when you're a 10 year old. The car had serious build quality issues. We got stared at a lot, that was fun, but it was not a well car. By 1982 at only 68,000 it leaked, needed new rings and a valve job after getting passed around as all 3 of us kids learned to drive in it. 3 on the tree at Burger King, we were styin'!
Glad that I found your channel.
I hope that you are well rewarded financially for your contributions to the history of the automotive industry.
Welcome aboard! I appreciate your kind words!
My mom had a Pacer when I was a little boy. Bought it slightly used, They didn't call these things fishbowls for nothing it was nothing but windows and would get HOT in warm weather. But to this day that car had one of the strongest AC systems I've ever experienced in any car including modern ones from GM which have in my opinion the best AC systems around. You could literally freeze to death in the middle of a 95 degree and 100% humidity day it was really awesome. It was green with a tan-ish interior. We moved to Florida so she sold it before we did but I'll always remember that car. Hard to find nowadays but it wasn't a bad car. Rock-solid reliable and good on fuel. It never let her down and as a single mother that was always important. I have fond memories of the Pacer. Very fond.
I have lived in Kenosha all my life, and have a ton of AMC experience. My wife even had a Pacer as her first car. My father in law worked there from 59-till almost the end of the engine plant. AMC had a world class press stamping room and their sheet metal was really top notch. When Chrysler started building the M body, I had a friend at a dealership that stated that the new cars from Kenosha were so superior to the ones built at the old plant that the had a hard time getting rid of them. There was a lot of scuttlebutt at the time that the M body was killed by internal fighting in Chrysler and not due to it not selling. They built a ton of taxi and police packages in the M body that left that platform market to GM or Crown Vics. Chrysler spent huge dollars rebuilding the Kenosha Lakefront plant only to run for less than a year and pull the plug. The 4 liter inline 6 was a fantastic motor and Jeeps equipped with it still are in high demand. I was able to tour the main plant back in 1979 with a explorer scout group that was a very indepth tour. I was flat foot amazed. Very sad to see it go. AMC was good and bad for Kenosha. The high and low of the company kept a pall over the city. Having so many eggs in one basket kept the city economy hopelessly linked. Kenosha is flourishing now, but the loss of the AMC plant was a huge blow to our city at the time.
I live in Racine and bought a Jeep cherokee from a former Chrysler kenosha plant employee. He built the 4 liter engine that went into my jeep. You are right about how much Kenosha depended on AMC and later Chrysler. When I started working for the railroad, the older guys used to tell me about how important the Kenosha auto plant was to the railroad.
My brother and me both owned amc's. I have a sc/Hurst rambler very fast he had a 70 javelin. I miss that car.
My grandparents drove a Rambler American when my dad was a kid. He speaks very fondly of that car. When I was a kid, my dad had a Jeep Grand Wagoneer which was an AMC vehicle. It has the good old 360 V8. That SUV was a tank. It ate up whatever terrain you pointed it towards. Personally, I had a 1984 Jeep CJ7 in my late 20s that I loved. I wish I still had it. I've also had a couple of Cherokees which were AMC designed. The 4.2 straight 6 which later became the 4.0 straight 6, is one of the greatest engine designs of all time. AMC was a special company.
First time viewer and awesome video. Always wondered about this company and was exactly what I wanted to know about them.
Welcome aboard!
AMC = ALL MAKES COMBINED
We mechanics in the day knew AMC cars were made of a collection of components made by Chrysler Ford GM and others.
We coined the term ALL MAKES COMBINED
I had a 77 Pacer. It was a Yellow Wagon. I got it very used and very cheap back in the 80's when no one wanted them. It was my first car that had AC and to this day one of the best cars I've ever owned. Many people would laugh at them calling them "Fishbowls" but ask anyone who owned one and its almost the same story of how much they loved the car. Also at that time my neighbor had a Gremlin and loved that car too. Ive known a few folks who owned other AMC cars.
You could also cut diamonds in the back seat
I am old enough(70)to remember when many of these cars were still on the road.
A friend of mine bought and restored a '38 Studebaker in the early '70s.
Growing up in the late 60's to late 70's; my family had 6 Ramblers, a Gremlin (my first car) and a Pacer (my little sister's first car). My Dad was a mechanic and said that AMC's were the easiest cars to work on and the most reliable cars on the road at that time. Plus he was REALLY cheap and we got them all used. Great cars, great memories...
In 1980 I rented one of these. Adjusting the knobs when the car was turned off still engaged the target; the radio, heater, dome light, but without turning them on. It drained the battery overnight and on several occasions. I swore in my anger never to purchase any car or product made by AMC as long as I lived. And I will never accept any car donated by them. I have kept my word, unless by mistake.
My brother had a 1974 Gremlin in yellow with the 'x' package hockey stick contrasting stripe. It had oversized tires (the guy worked at a nearby warehouse for Perelli tire), and 3 sp on the floor. He had a lot of fun with that car, it was quite reliable too.
I would also note the AMC straight 6 engine with updates to the fuel and ignition systems were used on some Jeep models into the 2000's.
Barney Navarro used that engine in the car he raced at Indy!
Cool!!
My first car was a '73 gremlin x...good car - reliable, maneuverable, roomy for its size, good gas mileage and decent power and handling...
Many a police department across the USA utilized the Matador model. It was even featured in Adam-12. When I was a teenager in the 70's my good buddy drove an AMC hornet that was white with a red interior. AMC cars were everywhere at that time. You couldn't swing a cat without hitting an AMC car.
One of the ugliest cars ever.
A ' what's a Matador '
Very well done, learned a lot. Thank you.
A company ahead of its time...a scrappy competitor
AMC Eagle was an amazing car and I wish I could get my hands on one again. 1988 Eagle Wagon was my 1st car and my mom and dad had a number of them when I was growing up.
I owned several...always with great pride..🙂
My very first new car was a 1971 Gremlin X. It has a 258 cu. In.engine with a 3 speed synchromesh on the floor. I loved that car.
In Hayward WI, we had an American Motors dealer and were very popular. My family had several
The very first brand new car I ever owned was a 1979 AMC Concord. I purchased it while serving in Germany and picked it at Fort Dix in New Jersey when I returned to the states in Sept of '79.
Same here! A 1979 baby blue Concord - except mine was a hand me down from my parents. It replaced our huge gas guzzler Buick station wagon. My mom said she called the dealership a few days after they originally bought it - she thought the gas gauge was broken because the needle hadn’t moved yet.
Great job. You have a knack for organizing and presenting business history. 👍
I appreciate that!
You my friend are a car nerd, I love it so I subscribed, liked and shared. Keep it up.😊
Welcome aboard!
Ok, my former girlfriends Dad had a Rambler American. Another girlfriend's Mother drove an Ambassador. My current wife's best friend had a Gremlin in High School. My best friend's Dad, my Dad, and Grandad all had Hornets. There were 2 AMC dealers within 5 miles of where I grew up. They both took care of service more than sales. Both of them would let you order an AMC but neither carried an inventory.