The Pacer wasn't chintzy as she says. It was very durable like all AMC's. It also wasn't scary at 100 mph, either. They were a wide, stable platform, and were one of the first American cars with rack and pinion steering. It didn't "LOOK" like a Porsche 928. The Pacer was first, and the 928 "LOOKED" like IT. The Pacer "6" was one of the best 6 cylinder engines ever made(forerunner of the 4.0 Jeep motor). The Pacer's style and packaging was decades ahead of its time.
I drove m3's, mustang's, and big 4x4 and then I drove the pacer and let me just tell u that the pacer actually had a personality, it always made me smile when I drove it :)
I used to have a 77 Pacer, it was a very comfortable car, you just sank into the seat and it was like driving a comfortable recliner. It handled nicely and it had decent power for a little car. I also had two Gremlins, a Javelin and a Hornet. The Javelin was my favorite of the bunch though, I really miss that car.
Top Gear needed to do a bit more research. The rotary engine was to be outsourced from GM which cancelled that project late into the Pacer's development. AMC had no choice but to squeeze in their own straight six or be out millions of dollars.
They sold 280,000, how is that not successful in 5 years? "Upside down bathtub"....er....that were the Nash's of the 40's and 50's. They referred to these as "Fish Bowls". As a owner of one, can tell you how popular it was everywhere I went. This car was designed before the 928. Anatole Lapine, Porsche's design director of the 928 specifically said in 2001,he copied the Pacer, he was a friend of Designer Dick Teague.
American Motors 232 and 258 were an amazing 6 cylinder engine as everyone knows Jeep used it and that engine 1 endurance durability and fuel mileage Awards in its day. Jeep used that engine for years and years and it was better when it was redesigned into the 4.0 they took a hundred pounds off of that engine design that is the best 6 cylinder in the world in my opinion the 258 AMC
the pacer was never know as the upside down bathtub. That was the 1949 thru 1951 Nash. These never had electrical problems! It had a roll bar for safety and the engine was still being used in the Jeep in the 2000s. Not bad for a car you describe as trouble prone.
My Mom & Dad, loved the car, to them it's styling was so a beautiful, unique, and the 360 degrees view made it an easier car to drive. So they bought it for the beauty, & of course there were so many detractors who thought it was an ugly guttersnipe. They loved their "water chestnut shaped" Pacer.
@theamcman1 right on! People forget that they sold almost 300,000 of these cars between Feb 28 1975 and December 1979 a short model year in 75 and 80. That was a lot of cars, they use to be everywhere on the road in the late 70's
What I found interesting about the Pacer, after looking at it closely, it actually more resembles a first generation Ford Probe (1989-1992). Two things in common were the shapes, and contours of the turn signals on both cars. Both the Probe, and the Pacer, had a lot of glass around the cabin. I remember both quite well. I was a kid in the seventies, when the pacer debuted in 1975, and they really were a hit back then, at first. I owned three 1990 Ford Probes when I was in college, military, and early working years. The general design is aerodynamic and aesthetically attractive, being different. It would be nice if Chrysler, or Dodge, reintroduced the Pacer. I could own an original AMC version, and the new one.
ive owned 3 pacers. very reliable and fun... big snow tires, cherry bomb muffler, back windows painted black from the inside and a camo paintjob... great for offroad adventures...
It is often said one knocks and puts down what they envy because of their own failings at doing something.Criticism is the easy way out versus looking in your own back yard, and improving on what you got.The honest truth is,while I really like the charm and personality of British vehicles,they could not be relied upon in most circumstances for longevity and operating in the local climate here.The American cars, and yes, the VW's and Asian cars started in the bitter cold, the Brits froze solid!
The Pacer wasn't chintzy as she says. It was very durable like all AMC's. It also wasn't scary at 100 mph, either. They were a wide, stable platform, and were one of the first American cars with rack and pinion steering. It didn't "LOOK" like a Porsche 928. The Pacer was first, and the 928 "LOOKED" like IT. The Pacer "6" was one of the best 6 cylinder engines ever made(forerunner of the 4.0 Jeep motor). The Pacer's style and packaging was decades ahead of its time.
I drove m3's, mustang's, and big 4x4 and then I drove the pacer and let me just tell u that the pacer actually had a personality, it always made me smile when I drove it :)
I used to have a 77 Pacer, it was a very comfortable car, you just sank into the seat and it was like driving a comfortable recliner. It handled nicely and it had decent power for a little car. I also had two Gremlins, a Javelin and a Hornet. The Javelin was my favorite of the bunch though, I really miss that car.
0:31 That's the first time I have heard someone call a pacer, cute.
Top Gear needed to do a bit more research. The rotary engine was to be outsourced from GM which cancelled that project late into the Pacer's development. AMC had no choice but to squeeze in their own straight six or be out millions of dollars.
They sold 280,000, how is that not successful in 5 years? "Upside down bathtub"....er....that were the Nash's of the 40's and 50's. They referred to these as "Fish Bowls". As a owner of one, can tell you how popular it was everywhere I went. This car was designed before the 928. Anatole Lapine, Porsche's design director of the 928 specifically said in 2001,he copied the Pacer, he was a friend of Designer Dick Teague.
American Motors 232 and 258 were an amazing 6 cylinder engine as everyone knows Jeep used it and that engine 1 endurance durability and fuel mileage Awards in its day. Jeep used that engine for years and years and it was better when it was redesigned into the 4.0 they took a hundred pounds off of that engine design that is the best 6 cylinder in the world in my opinion the 258 AMC
the pacer was never know as the upside down bathtub. That was the 1949 thru 1951 Nash. These never had electrical problems! It had a roll bar for safety and the engine was still being used in the Jeep in the 2000s. Not bad for a car you describe as trouble prone.
Damn, is that her real accent? Imagine hearing that all day.
My Mom & Dad, loved the car, to them it's styling was so a beautiful, unique, and the 360 degrees view made it an easier car to drive. So they bought it for the beauty, & of course there were so many detractors who thought it was an ugly guttersnipe. They loved their "water chestnut shaped" Pacer.
Ah, the pregnant roller skate. My mom had one when I was a kid and shoved me in the hatch for a ride to DisneyWorld....happy times.
My left ear enjoyed that.
I had a 1977 yellow pacer it it was great
It's funny how the Brits make fun of the Pacer and the Brits made a 3 wheel plastic heap that would tip over like a one legged chair.
Luv'n those raised headlight buckets and it has real metal bumpers.
@theamcman1 right on! People forget that they sold almost 300,000 of these cars between Feb 28 1975 and December 1979 a short model year in 75 and 80. That was a lot of cars, they use to be everywhere on the road in the late 70's
What I found interesting about the Pacer, after looking at it closely, it actually more resembles a first generation Ford Probe (1989-1992). Two things in common were the shapes, and contours of the turn signals on both cars. Both the Probe, and the Pacer, had a lot of glass around the cabin. I remember both quite well. I was a kid in the seventies, when the pacer debuted in 1975, and they really were a hit back then, at first. I owned three 1990 Ford Probes when I was in college, military, and early working years. The general design is aerodynamic and aesthetically attractive, being different. It would be nice if Chrysler, or Dodge, reintroduced the Pacer. I could own an original AMC version, and the new one.
Here in mexico, the TV commercials said with robotic voices:"The Next Step... a Spatial ship". Was funny and i ever wanted this car.
ive owned 3 pacers. very reliable and fun... big snow tires, cherry bomb muffler, back windows painted black from the inside and a camo paintjob... great for offroad adventures...
It is often said one knocks and puts down what they envy because of their own failings at doing something.Criticism is the easy way out versus looking in your own back yard, and improving on what you got.The honest truth is,while I really like the charm and personality of British vehicles,they could not be relied upon in most circumstances for longevity and operating in the local climate here.The American cars, and yes, the VW's and Asian cars started in the bitter cold, the Brits froze solid!