(first posted 9/27/2015) Every car company has released a special edition or limited-run model at some point. These range from mundane gold-badged anniversary editions to models that were originally intended to run for much longer but failed spectacularly. In this series, we are going to look at a wide variety of short-lived models that were launched to arrest flagging sales and/or generate interest, but have been almost entirely forgotten due to low production volumes and, in some cases, scant publicity.
To start, let’s take a look at American Motors. While some websites will treat AMC’s quirky oddball cars like the Pacer and Matador coupe as almost alien curiosities, Curbsiders are an informed and eclectic bunch and know all about such cars and their special editions. So, to clear the air: this AMC instalment will feature (gasp!) zero Pacers and Matador coupes. So, what’s in the Top 10?
Rebel Mariner wagon
Production years: 1967
Total production: 600 units
First up is a dashing, nautical-themed station wagon. “Rebel Mariner” is such an oddly specific name. Was there to be a mutiny against the skipper? It sounded as specific as the Mercury Park Lane Marauder, which in my mind conjured up visions of a prolific local rapist. Name aside, the Mariner does make one wonder why manufacturers didn’t dabble in the waters of themed models more often.
The Mariner was actually one of three regional 1967 Rebel wagons: the red/black Briarcliff was sold in various eastern and southern states, while the white/brown Westerner was available where its name suggests. Both were distinctive, sure, but none were as striking as the Mariner.
Mariner wagons, sold in coastal areas like Miami and San Francisco, featured Barbados Blue paint and simulated bleached teak wood paneling with black striping. Nautical insignia featured on the exterior and inside the cabin, which was upholstered in dark blue suede and vinyl with white piping. The special edition wagons featured a 290 cubic-inch V8 (a 343 V8 was optional), and came standard with automatic transmission, power steering, power brakes, power tailgate window, power mirrors, electric clock and even a heavy-duty suspension. These were stylish and well-equipped wagons, so it’s a pity that only 600 Mariners were made.
Matador Barcelona Sedan
Years Produced: 1978
Total production: ?
The 1974 Matador Coupe was an expensive boondoggle for AMC, with styling that missed the mark and sales that declined rapidly despite option packages like the X, Barcelona and Barcelona II. The sedan received no such option packages until its final year, when AMC made available the Barcelona package.
Barcelona sedans were distinguished externally by color-keyed slot wheels in 15-inch whitewall tires, vinyl roof and two-tone metallic paint in either Golden Ginger with Sand Tan, or Autumn Red with Claret. Inside, there was velveteen crush fabric with woven accent stripes, custom door trim panels, unique headliner, individually reclining front seats and deep carpeting. Underneath the hood were the standard Matador engines, a 258 cubic-inch six or a 360 cu.-in. V8, mated to a three-speed automatic. Whatever the rationale was for AMC to release the Barcelona sedan, it was a rather fruitless endeavor as 1978 would be the last year for AMC’s intermediate.
Gremlin GT
Years Produced: 1978
Total Production: Fewer than 2000
The GT package represented the last hurrah for the venerable Gremlin line, although the 1970-vintage platform would live on in spirit (and in the Spirit). Almost perversely for a subcompact hatchback, the Gremlin had offered a fairly slow-selling V8 option from 1972-76. By 1978, the Gremlin had received an attractive front-end redesign and the more upscale Concord’s instrument panel. The long-running, sporty X model remained available but AMC also introduced the GT model at mid-year.
GT Gremlins all came with the 258 cubic-inch (4.2) inline six only. The interior was decorated with brushed aluminum trim in the GT, and there was also a sport steering wheel, full instrumentation and extra insulation. Outside, changes were even more dramatic with body-color bumpers, fender flares and front air dam, as well as bold tape striping, DR 70 x 14 raised-white letter radial tires and unique wheels. Performance modifications were limited to a front stabilizer bar, although you could option the heavy-duty suspension as on other Gremlins. The GT wasn’t the sportiest Gremlin, but it sure looked it.
Hornet SC360
Years Produced: 1971
Total Production: 784
If the Gremlin GT was all hat and no cattle, the rare Hornet SC360 was the opposite. Released in the waning days of the muscle car era, the SC360 was pitched as an inexpensive alternative to muscle cars whose insurance rates had become prohibitively expensive.
Instead of wedging the largest possible engine from their menagerie into the compact Hornet, AMC opted for the Javelin AMX’s 360 cubic-inch V8 to enhance the Hornet’s insurance cost and price advantage (it was priced almost identically to the Plymouth Duster 340). The 360 produced 245 gross horsepower with its standard 2-bbl carb, but you could option the $199 “Go” package with a 4-bbl carb and ram-air induction, good for an extra 40 hp. Standard was a three-speed manual but one could option a Hurst-shifted four-speed manual or a three-speed automatic; optional also was AMC’s Twin-Grip limited slip differential. For all that performance hardware, visual tweaks were comparatively restrained and limited to a hood scoop, unique wheels and some tape stripes.
The SC360 may have held its own performance-wise, but its rivals absolutely creamed it in sales: in 1971, Dodge shifted more than ten times as many Dart Sport 340s. Those that went for the more left-field AMC found a car that had gutsy performance (0-60 in 6.7 seconds) and excellent handling. However, such buyers were likely the kind to really take advantage of that performance, and thus the SC360’s survival rate was low. Undoubtedly, those buyers enjoyed their powerful little compact, which was truly one of the hidden gems of the 1970s.
Javelin Pierre Cardin
Years Produced: 1972-73
Total Production: 4,152
AMC made a lot of crucial strategic errors in the 1970s – over-investing in the Pacer and Matador Coupe, for example – but in some respects, the littlest of the big 4 had a good handle on what buyers wanted and did the best with what they had. This was demonstrated by their focus on subcompact and compact offerings but also by their emphasis on fancy trim. The Pierre Cardin Javelin was one such offering.
Available for just $84.95 on both the Javelin and Javelin AMX, the Pierre Cardin edition was nothing spectacularly different from the outside, Pierre Cardin crests on the fender being the main distinguisher, but inside it had one of the boldest interiors of the 1970s. Nylon stripes of red, purple, white and silver crisscrossed the black seats, headliner and doors. It was certainly a polarizing interior treatment – very much a product of its era – but it was bold and unique. In the interests of taste, exterior colors on Pierre Cardin models were limited to red, white, silver, blue and purple.
The option package could be had on any Javelin, including the performance flagship AMX, so Pierre Cardin Javelins could be powered by 232 and 258 cubic-inch six-cylinder engines, or V8s of 304, 360 and 401 cubic inches. Either it wasn’t heavily publicized or people found it off-putting, because the Pierre Cardin edition represented just a small fraction of Javelin volume.
Hornet Gucci Sportabout
Years Produced: 1972-73
Total Production: 4835
AMC again offered a special edition station wagon in 1972 and introduced to North Americans an alluring concept: the fashion designer special edition. Although AMC didn’t stick with it for long (the Pierre Cardin Javelin, Gucci Hornet and Oleg Cassini Matador were all gone by 1975), Lincoln would seize the idea and use it to great success. However, Lincoln was offering designer packages on very expensive personal luxury coupes, while AMC was offering a Gucci edition of its humble compact wagon.
Available only on the rakish Hornet Sportabout wagon for $141.80, the Gucci edition featured Gucci logos, a choice of four exterior colors (Snow White, Hunter Green, Grasshopper Green and Yuca Tan) and a special green interior with ivory seats featuring bold red and green striping. There was also a unique ivory and green headliner on models without a sunroof. While total production represented a mere fraction of Hornet wagon sales (around 35,000 were manufactured in 1972 alone), sales were encouraging enough for AMC to offer luxuriously trimmed wagons throughout the 1970s including the Concord D/L and Pacer Limited.
Hornet AMX
Years Produced: 1977
Total Production: 5,300 (est.)
The AMX name had first appeared on a two-seat version of the Javelin pony car, but by 1971 “AMX” simply meant the top-spec Javelin. After AMC’s pony car was axed in 1974, the AMX nameplate also disappeared. However, it had strong equity so AMC dusted it off for 1977 to use on a sporty version of the Hornet hatchback.
By 1977, the 360 and 401 V8s were no longer available in AMC’s passenger car range as EPA standards strangled performance in the name of lower emissions and greater economy. The Hornet AMX package, available as a $799 option on the Hornet hatch, instead made do with the regular 304 cubic-inch V8 and 258 cu.-in. six. Performance wasn’t exactly sparkling: the 258 mustered 114 hp and 210 ft-lbs, the 304 just six more horsepower. Both featured a floor-shifter, but only the six was available with a manual transmission. While power output was nothing to write home about – the Hornet SC360 was a distant memory by now – the Hornet AMX did receive performance modifications in the form of a front anti-roll bar and, as an option in the V8, a 3.15:1 ratio rear axle.
To justify the cost of the AMX package, various exterior modifications were made. These included blacked-out trim, a brushed aluminum targa band and body color bumpers, fender flares, chin spoiler and rear window louvers, while colors were limited to white, lime green, yellow and red. There was even an available hood graphic featuring a giant hornet. Inside, there was an engine-turned instrument panel and full instrumentation. All in all, the basic Hornet package was competitive with its hatchback versatility, relatively spacious cabin and competent handling. The AMX package didn’t really add much more except for questionable styling touches and a higher pricetag. Why not just buy a Hornet hatchback with the optional heavy-duty suspension and save a few hundred?
1978 AMX (Concord AMX)
Years Produced: 1978
Total Production: 2,500 (est.)
The Hornet nameplate may have been retired for 1978, but AMC wasn’t content to shelve the AMX package. It reappeared on the new Concord – a lightly revised Hornet – and was marketed as a separate model. There may have been new front and rear end styling and a handsome new interior, but the powertrains were the same.
Again, the AMX represented a $800 increase in price over AMC’s compact hatchback and again, there was a limited range of colors (this time white, silver, yellow and red, as well as a Trans Am-copying black/gold combination). You could also still get a handling package in the standard Concord hatchback and save some coin, or head over to a Dodge or Plymouth dealership and get a more powerful Aspen R/T or Volaré Roadrunner. Although the Concord hatchback would return for 1979, the AMX package shifted to AMC’s smallest offering, the “new’” Spirit.
Spirit AMX
Years Produced: 1979-80
Total Production: 3,657 in 1979, ? in 1980
Much like the AMX-ized Hornet and Concord had featured a tuned suspension and a racy bodykit on a humble hatchback body, so too did the 1979 Spirit AMX. Spirit liftbacks were available in a GT trim level, but it was quite plain. The AMX package was anything but, with the usual AMX addenda like flared wheel arches and tape striping looking a little better suited to the smaller body.
The big news was underneath, as you could now option the 304 V8 with a four-speed stick (a three-speed auto was optional, and the 258 cu.-in. six was the standard engine). The V8 would prove to be a one-year only affair, as V8 subcompacts rapidly became extinct in the light of tougher Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards. Unlike the more pedestrian Spirit GT, the AMX trim came standard with the “rally-tuned” suspension featuring Gabriel shock absorbers and tuned front and rear sway bars, among other enhancements.
It took a loyal AMC buyer to take the company’s newest sports compact over the new-for-1979 Fox-body Mustang, considering the latter’s more modern underpinnings, attractive styling, superior performance and similar price. After 1980, the AMX nameplate was finally retired although the GT option would remain.
Hornet and Gremlin Levi’s
Years Produced: 1973-78
Total Production: ?
The Levi’s special edition of the Gremlin and Hornet (and Jeep CJ-5) were a cheaper, all-American alternative to the designer special editions gracing AMC’s showrooms. Despite their appearance, though, the seats were actually upholstered in nylon as denim didn’t meet flammability standards. The seats did however feature orange stitching and copper buttons like a real pair of Levi’s.
The Levi’s package proved much longer-lived than AMC’s other fashion editions. The option was priced at $134.95, and it is unknown exactly how many Levi’s Gremlins and Hornets were manufactured but it must have been a popular option to warrant such a long life.
All together, these limited-run models accounted for several thousand cars but one wonders how many survive today. Not many of these rare AMCs are especially valuable to collectors but they are wonderful time capsules from a very different era.
Which rare AMC would you want in your garage?
Related Reading:
Car Show Classic: 1972 AMC Javelin Pierre Cardin
Curbside Classic: 1972 AMC Hornet Gucci Sportabout
As usual nobody thought to send us any of these but for some reason some of them are familiar, print ads back in the day probably. Gremlins with stripes yeah nar not for me and a boat themed Rebel wagon? not really but some of those Hornets could have tempted me or a Pierre Cardin Javelin maybe.
The Hornet SC-360’s are becoming very collectable these days. There are a few of them running in the Pure Stock Musclecar drag racing series and they are quite capable of upsetting some of the most popular big block muscle cars. Low 13’s at 105+ mph is not too shabby. Shame they weren’t more popular on the sales floor. Check out “Pure Stock Musclecar Drag’s” on YouTube and watch one blast through the 1/4 mile. Anyone interested in a high performance classic without the high pricetag should definitely consider an SC-360 Hornet.
In the UK we had the Austin Allegro ‘Equipe’ with similar day-glo funk added. Now collectible and rare – but a very rarefied taste.
As a current high schooler I will gladly take a Levi gremlin any day.
Sounds to me John Goss’ especial betwen all especial edition, of Ford Falcon XB, in Australia.
Garish interior, phony exterior, no changes on running gear… Total seventies!!
I’d forgotten about those, Ford pulled the same trick with 400 unsaleable Falcon coupe bodies of the XC model stripe em up call em Cobra and number them as special editions they eventually sold them all and now collectors fall over themselves to buy them.
Mason and Romney understood that the whole point of AMC was to defend the territory of Squares against the Cool bullies.
Later executives forgot this, with results like the ad above:
“If you don’t like being the center of attention, drive something a bit more tame.”
People who liked being non-tame already had better choices available. They didn’t need to even glance at AMC. By trying to attract the Cool Ones, AMC lost its loyal Squares.
I never quite understood why the Gucci people would allow their name to be used on a “budget-priced” car. This certainly clashes with their image. I’m wondering how many AMC Hornet Sportabout buyers even knew who or what Gucci was. The brand really wasn’t well known in the US in the early seventies.
Out of all the above, the Hornet Sportabout with the Gucci package would be my choice.
AMC made a special edition Gucci Sportabout for Dr. Aldo Gucci, the then-CEO of the Gucci company. His of course had leather seats and a custom made dash. As well as other accoutremonts which the “consumer” edition did not.
Also, the AMX Hornet/Concord hatchback always looked odd/forced to me. It’s as if it was trying too hard.
You answered your own question. Gucci like the Sportabout and had AMC trim one to his taste. That says more about the design of the car than it does about a relatively unknown designer [at the time].
This was the era right before the US went designer label mad, so his offering to allow is name was a marketing move and a good one.
Ooo Lala Sassoon !
LOL! A “Sasson Spirit” with the “A-OK” emblem and embroidered headrests might have been interesting, but of course by ’79, AMC was out of cash flow.
There’s now a Gucci edition of the Fiat 500, sold by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles… whose corporate predecessors include AMC. 🙂
I just saw a Gucci edition FIAT 500 the other day, so apparently the idea is still making money for somebody.
A buddy of mine had a Javelin AMX with the Pierre Cardin interior. I remember it as having a 401. This was back in the mid-80s. The paint was mostly primer by then, but the striped interior was in very good shape, and it was not a slow car by any means. He was a college freshman when he got it, after he got bored with his previous car, a first-generation Honda Civic Yeah, a young guy and his fixer-upper muscle car. He was living the dream! I’d love to know what happened to that car, but I lost track of the guy a long time ago. Of all the cars shown here, it would be the one to have, except for maybe the SC/360.
I love the special edition Rebel wagons, is it known whether ANY of them survived? (BTW I pity the poor model who had to put on an eyepatch for the ad.)
There was a collector profiled a few years back in Hemmings Classic who had managed to procure and restore one of each Rebel special edition wagon! A tall order, but he pulled it off. And the cars were stunning.
I think one of those Mariners would be my choice, especially if they could be had with the 390. Though a 343-4V would be a decent consolation prize.
Ahoy.
The 390 came out mid 1968 so at the time the 343-4v was the largest, most powerful engine. With 10.25:1 compression it made a respectable
280 horse
We could add some honorable mentions with their Mexican counterpart like the Classic AMX (a Matador X and they used the AMX name for the Spirit aka Rally until 1983) http://www.arcticboy.com/Pages/arcticboysvam.html http://www.arcticboy.com/Pages/arcticboysvam2.html and these cars who was a blend of Concord and Spirit like the Lerma https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/cross-an-amc-concord-with-a-spirit-the-lerma/
Then there are the unintentional limited-run AMC models such as the Ambassador convertibles: 1965: 3,499; 1966: 1,798; 1967; 1,260 and ’67 Marlin: 2,545.
The really unintentional limited-run AMC’s are the Ambassador four door hardtop station wagons: 1958: 294; 1959: 578; 1960: 435.
Anyone want to add their favorites?
Of the 1958 ambassador 4dr HT SW’s only 2 are known to exist and one of them was stolen a while back. I never heard if was recovered. They are a stunning beautiful car IMO. A lot better than the ’58 Chevrolet.
If we’re gonna go that far back, then the ’56 and ’57 Rambler Cross Country hardtop wagons need to be included. There was a short article on them on CC a long time ago, blew my freaking mind that such a thing existed. 402 built in 1956, 162 in ’57. Do any survive? Probably somewhere… but not on the internet.
Wonder if anyone ever switched over a Gucci interior to a Eagle wagon?
I’m appalled that the citizens of the great US of A would accept such crap on their roads. My Mother had a saying when confronted by someone dressed in an inappropriate way…..”mutton dressed as lamb”.
I took my driver’s test in Nov. of 1986 in my Grandmother’s 1977 AMC Hornet as my V8 Pinto was not going to impress the Examiner. I still have the Hornet, having inherited it on her passing, and wish that I still had that Pinto.
AMC made such an odd collection of cars; so different, yet interesting in that way that odd can be. Pity they ended, would like to see what they might have done today.
Your remark about the Mercury Park Lane Marauder sounding like the name of a prolific local rapist absolutely cracked me up! That is the funniest thing I’ve read in a while!
Great article. One point worth noting is that the 360 was still optional in the Matador all the way through the end of its run in 1978. I believe by then it was so emissions choked that it had all of 129 hp.
Very nice article William.
It should be noted that the Levis interior was also available on CJ5s in these years.
A few years ago, a Mariner showed up at a local independent repair shop. It was sitting out on their lot for about a month, then disappeared. I don’t know if it was for sale or if someone was having work done on it.
Being a Kenosha boy I have seen all of these special editions, with the possible exception of the Gucci Sportabout. These cars show up with surprising regularity at car shows and cruise-ins around here. A pretty large percentage of the Cardin Javelins seem to have survived.
I’ve also seen a Jeep J-10 with Levi’s interior. It may have been swapped in but it had the red Levi’s sticker below the J-10 badge, so I tend to believe it was stock. It also had a 401, 4spd, 4×4 with a lift but it was too rough for me to buy.
A friend of my dad’s had a Levi’s Gremlin back around 1973. I always lied the Gremlin – I wouldn’t mind finding one with a solid body and dropping a 4.0 liter six from a Jeep YJ or TJ into it.
Ok, now that I can form a few words after seeing all of these amazing limited edition AMC cars, let’s start with that Levi’s jeans car. You also mentioned that there was a Jeep in that limited package too, I recall a few weeks ago a pick up truck also in that scheme that was discussed on CC and I just did a back search and spotted others with this as well, so exactly how amass did the Levi’s jean interior and exterior packages cover and how many brands?
Now on to the wagons, all three of those color schemes look amazing with the blue and fire engine red wagons being my favorite two. The Barcelona interior is jaw dropping in my opinion.
Thanks for writing about these as you have made my morning.
FWIU the Levi’s CJs had “denim-textured vinyl” upholstery, not sure if the pickups and Cherokees had that or the car cloth.
Those interior shots remind me that although AMC inherited the famous Nash reclining seats, the pivot point was wrong. While the seat reclined, it did so a few inches forward and above where it should have been, so as to be virtually useless.
It’s also worth noting that those Levi’s edition AMC cars are sometimes listed on Worst Cars of All Time lists due to the copper buttons effectively becoming branding irons on bare skin in the hot summer sun.
“It’s also worth noting that those Levi’s edition AMC cars are sometimes listed on Worst Cars of All Time lists due to the copper buttons effectively becoming branding irons on bare skin in the hot summer sun.”
You think that is bad, try the all vinyl covered seats of the 50’s & 60’s. Or the clear vinyl seat covers that people had installed over their cloth upholstery to keep it new.
In this regard, vinyl (or leather) = bad; metal = worse.
I guess you aren’t an AMC fan, eh? C’mon, just say it!
Wonderfully informative article, many thanks! I love all these AMC special editions. The strangeness of American Motors cars, amplified. What could be better?
Poor poor AMC, always trying but never quite hitting the mainstream target. I’ll take a ’78 Matador Barcelona sedan, in Autumn Red and Claret, just because it’s so brougham-tastic.
I saw 1 of the Rebel Mariners in the late 70s while living in California. I remember thinking at the time that Mercury should switch to a more nautical finish for their “woody” wagons to further distance them from Ford’s wagons. (Didn’t Mercury once have a wagon model called the Voyager?) I’ve also seen one of the red/black Mariners. Since these cars sold in near miniscule numbers I can understand AMC not expanding on the theme. But the blue Mariner would have looked better as a chestnut instead of blue and the red/black as black/silver.
The other cars here? I’ve seen three or four of the other “special editions” in the metal. All were good ideas but unfortunately years late or early. The Barcelona Matador was years late, and the Gucci Hornet was nearly a decade early.
Imagine if AMC had been able to pitch their “designer series” cars in the late 70s early 80s….during the heydey of yuppie consumerism? Though, I guess it would be like a previous poster said, as soon as AMC consciously persued the “cool crowd” it lost it’s….edge.
“Didn’t Mercury once have a wagon model called the Voyager?”
Yes. For many years, full-size FoMoCo wagons had special model names (for example, the Ford brand’s were Ranch Wagon, Country Sedan, and Country Squire). Mercury’s full-size wagons typically came in two trim levels, Commuter and Colony Park. But for a few years in the late ’50s, during the period when Ford was attempting to move Mercury upmarket, there was a third trim level in between. That trim level was called the Voyager.
When I was 18 I had a summer job where I assisted in doing a traffic survey. This was in 1971, and one time I was stationed on a corner where the house had a Mariner in the driveway. It was there for several years after, and every time I drove by after it disappeared, I still thought of it, even decades later. I had no idea so few were made. One thing, though, this Mariner was the Sungold Amber rather than Barbados Blue. And it looked good, too.
Interesting cars, that’s what I love about this site seeing cars I’d never heard of for the first time.I love the Mariner wagons and the Hornet SC360
How come AMC never made a Hornet SC401? I’m sure some Arfur Daley type must have brewed one up in his garage by now
no Hornet 401 but there was a Gremlin, sold thru “super dealer” Randell Motors with semi-official AMC support
as the XR-401 (in the vein of Yenko Chevies and Spaulding Dodges)
BTW, Paul, there is a video ad that runs at the end of every post just above the comments section, making reading and posting comments almost impossible. The ad redirects me to its view no matter where I am in the post. I’m happy to turn off the ad block, but this is almost to the point where I turn on ad block or don’t visit the site. I’ve been redirected 2 times in just the time it’s taken to compose this comment. It’s really annoying. Sorry for the rant.
Click on the video, and copy the url (web address), and then I’ll get it blocked. It’s a PIA. Never had that before, ever.
Unfortunately, my cyber skills are limited. All I got right clicking on it was HIRO tzuk 107.8.5, no URL. There’s an Arco ad, then sometimes an Amazon ad, and it ends with a still for A Taste of Austria. I regret any inconvenience on your part. Thanks.
The Levi and Gucci editions were very visible around Davenport IA during that period. There were a lot of Levis Gremlins around my high school parking lot, the mall and around town.
I hope the Gucci and Levi editions had better seat frame hardware than our Gremlin had. They poked through the vinyl [same grain as the Gucci it appears] on it within weeks of purchase.
The aluminum trim on the arm rests was loose on every on every one of them on the 72 Ambassador my parents traded it for as well.
In 72 I drug my Dad in to an AMC dealer. He ended up buying an AMX (401, auto, 3.91 rear end). His favorite car of all time.
I remember the Pierre Cardin Javelin, Gaudy, but curiously attractive. The folks at the local dealership, none of whom could pronounce the designer’s name anyway, all called it the Cardin Can.
I count #7 and #8 as one in the same.
The SC360 is the most appealing to me, problem is for it’s gutsy performance and excellent handling the aeformentioned Dart Sport 340 would still probably cream it, and to my eye the hardtop A body is far more attractive than the overly symmetric sedan Hornets(a later hatch OTOH…)
I’m also pretty fond of the Spirit AMX, less the hood decal, it’s chopped but sleek proportions are truer to the AMX name than any AMX since 1971. Plus the lines of that body managed to remain contemporary for a surprisingly long time, especially with the rectangular quads, so much so that next to the all new 1979 Mustang, it doesn’t *look* dated at all, it’s just it’s underpinnings and powertrains that ultimately let it down.
Agree that the Spirit AMX is quite attractive, just as much so as the new-for-’79 Mustang. The fender flares and spoilers work really well with the body shape. Take one of those and swap an earlier AMX 390 into it, and *then* you have a car worthy of the name!
The small AMC models had one advantage over Ford and GM. All of their V8’s shared the same external dimensions (though there were differences inside). The 304 V8 was available in Hornets, Gremlins, Concords and Spirits. Pull the 304 out, and a 343, 360, 390 or 401 would bolt right in with zero modifications. Meanwhile, Pinto and Vega owners were spending a lot of time and money modifying their rides to accept a V8. I had a 1972 Gremlin X for a while, into which the previous owner had dropped a 4-barrel 360 with headers. Another guy in town still has a 1974 Gremlin with a 360 and 4-speed, but in addition to headers, his also has a hot cam and a dual-quad manifold, all of which could be purchased from AMC’s Group 19 catalog. I knew a guy back in the 70’s who bought a brand new Spirit with a 304, drove it home, and swapped in a 401. (Who needs a warranty when you can have 325 hp in a roller skate?) A very limited number of 401 Pacers were built by an AMC dealer in Arizona with AMC’s blessing and a full warranty. But I digress . . . I liked the Fox Mustangs (and I just happen to own an 86 convertible), but they were butt-ugly compared to the Spirit (without all the tacky graphics.) Both could be ordered with a 5-litre V8, and I would have chosen a Spirit over a Fox Mustang, without even having to think about it. I don’t know if the Mustang could accomodate a larger Ford V8 without any modifications, but I do know that swapping a 360 or 401into a Spirit was a Saturday afternoon project in a much nicer overall package.
Love those Mariner wagons. Back in the early 80’s I loved going to the car dealers after hours, walking straight to the back row- to see all the sad sacks on display. One time I spotted a Pierre Cardin Javelin. I thought it was kinda neat, but wouldn’t want be seen in it. Besides, it had a lot of rust, as was typical.
My brother had a black ’79 AMX, one of 1500 to come with the 304. Unfortunately it was auto, but it was a quick little car that handled better than any AMC I ever drove. This was about 10 years ago so it was pretty rough when he got it, but he did some work on it; rebuilt the 304 but had to sell it. I would have bought it but sadly didn’t have the room at the time. The flaming “AMX” on the hood always made me laugh, what a blatant rip-off of the Firebird. I really wish that car was sitting in my drive way right now…
The AMX/3 mid-engine sports car doesn’t count? Rare and obscure for sure, only 6 being built before AMC management sobered-up and realized the car would be a financial disaster.
The AMC Pacer was also available for one year in a Levi’s package.
Very nice start to the series, and you’ve educated me with a few special editions I never cared to look into before. I completely forgot about the Rebel Mariner wagon. That di-noc and color combination are beautiful.
I actually LOLed 4 realz at this…
Rebel Mariner is a new one for me. Tough call between that and the equal parts terrible/equal parts awesome Gucci Sportwagon. One of those was featured on CC at some point, in 100% perfect condition. So much green. If I had that, I’d get this turned into a sticker and put it on the dashboard (GUCCI MAYNE – no relation to former Sportscenter anchor Kenny Mayne):
I like the Hornet SC360 the best. I would prefer no stripes, no hood scoop, limited slip, and a 4 speed.
I simply need a Mariner now.
So weird, so rae, so good looking.
The Levi’s Gremlins were fairly popular in Chicago-Kenosha area, not quite as obscure as the others in the list. Just my observations.
The Concord AMX conflicted with the name change for the line, with the others all being mini-Broughams. Was better as Hornet or Spirit.
I was hoping to find the CJ-5 Tuxedo Park on this list.
I know it was said ‘no Matador Coupes’. Still I was hoping to see something about the ’71 Matador ‘Machine’ which was more rare than a few of these and towards the top of my dream collection.
Our local AMC-Pontiac dealer had one 1979 Spirit AMX during the car’s introductory year, and it was bought by a football player who was two years ahead of me in high school. He got a job in construction after graduating from high school, and he bought that AMX after getting the job. He moved to Florida in the early 1980s. One wonders if he still has that car, as he always kept in very good condition, and didn’t modify it. It’s the only Spirit AMX I’ve ever seen since that time.
If I recall correctly, someone did bring a 1978 Gremlin GT to one of the Hershey AACA shows a few years ago. There is a gentlemen in the Ephrata, Pa., area who specializes in restoring Gremlins. He regularly brings one of his Gremlins to the show.
The Matador Barcelona Sedan. Gives new meaning to the Kenosha Cadillac.
+1
An observation on the Hornet SC360 and the non-Javelin AMXs…
There was a period of time in the early 1970’s when muscle car insurance rates were going through the roof, which lead to the compact muscle cars, such as the Nova SS, the 340 Dusters and Darts and the SC360.
In terms of the AMC strategy, so much effort/capital/mindshare was expended launching the new Javelin with the AMX package, that while the SC360 was offered to compete in the compact muscle car arena, but not out muscle the higher profit Javelin AMXs. The category died off pretty rapidly with the advent of the First Oil Embargo anyway.
But I believe that AMC saw the survival of the F-body GM cars (and the Mustang II) as a sign that the category still had life; plus it was a tried and true formula.
Add a few nice tape stripes, styled steel wheels and a few extra gauges here and there, et voila! Outside of the truly hard core F-body cars and Corvettes, most everything else sporty during the mid 1970’s was so CARB- and CAFE-ed to death the only thing they could do was to apply lipstick liberally to the pigs.
While the Hornet AMX seems like a blatant rip-off of the Trans Am (which it was), I think it was a masterstroke of marketing and strategy. They didn’t have a “real” sports car anymore and even if you stuffed a Hemi in the Gremlin it didn’t have the credibility to make it work. Why not dress up a Hornet as a Kenosha T/A and maybe make a few bucks on the edge?
I know the Concord AMX sounds like cognitive dissonance, but it was the D/L (bro-ham) package that sold like hot cakes, as the rest of the Concord line was carryover from the Hornet line. At least the Concord AMX had a few more original AMX styling cues applied to it, and in it’s less gaudy versions really didn’t look all that bad. Plus, you could buy a factory tent and sleep in your Concord AMX. (This too is a carryover from the Hornet AMX) Try that in your Trans Am!
Finally, just in time for the Iranian Oil Crisis, AMC releases the car that was the closest to the original AMX in size and Spirit (get it?). In it’s 1979 release, it came with a V8, a four speed and a Sure Grip diff. IIRC, AMC still offered the Group 19 factory speed parts packages for it also.
But, fuel prices go up, and suddenly everybody wanted a car that got 28 MPG.
AMC got nothin’.
CAFE rears it’s ugly head and the nouveau AMX gets castrated to a 6 cylinder/autobox wheezer that doesn’t go back to the Nürburgring to prove to the Krauts that the folks in Wisconsin, USA can still build a batshit-crazy tiny V8 powered car with carriage springs on the live rear axle that can run with the sechs-zylinder Porsches.
At least until the brake pads catch fire…
Well at least AMC went batshit-crazy again with the AMC Eagle SX-4. Outside of a few pot smoking hippies, who would have ever thought of a fast back all wheel drive hatchback coupe?
OK, besides Audi…
Sorry this is so late. I was enjoying a Saturday morning cup of coffee and enjoying this sight. I was checking my email and a friend sent me another possible candidate for this subject: http://southbend.craigslist.org/cto/5216561008.html
I brief internet search didn’t show anything. Anyone know about this car?
Bob
I would love to have it. I have always wanted a ’61 Ambassador, never seen one in a station wagon.
Had a chuckle at the picture of the ’78 red Concord AMX, with the African-American couple wearing matching casual suits. And who would ride a motocross bike in said suit without a helmet?
I’ve seen the Hornet Sportabout Gucci model. They are rare. And an 80 AMX inhabits the driveway. One of the incredibly rare base model of the some 840 or so made that year. They were actually well equipped yet saddled with the base I-6 engine which could have been FI had the Renault company which by that time had control of AMC so decided to make it happen.
I always thought AMC’s “special editions” were brilliant uses of limited resources, like dressing a donkey and passing it off as a thoroughbred race horse. One of the more on key and honest attempts was the 1967 Mariner/Westerner/Briarcliff Rebel wagons. I was surprised they didn’t reissue this on the Hornet Sportabout or the Cherokee/Wagoneer.To keep things simple and in line with other Hornet, standard interiors would be Levi editions in proper coordinating colors vinyl optional. I’ve always admired AMC and Studebaker in spite of some of their BIG blunders. There’s much more to admire.
One of the rarest AMC limited editions wqs the 401-XR Gremlin, produced by Randall AMC of Mesa, AZ. As the name suggests, the 401-XR was powered by the 401 ci/6.6-litre engine, and could run a quarter mile in 13.9 seconds at nearly 106 mph. Just 21 were built between 1972 and 1974.
It seems that a good thing for AMC to do for 1975 would have been to design a Javelin and AMX off the Hornet chassis with appropriate changes.
Though no Javelin badged Hornet derivatives were made, they did carry on with a Hornet, a Concord and a Spirit based AMX package. With muscle cars supposedly a dead market and no cash to develop a “real” model it was sadly mostly costmetic.
Levi’s interiors in AMC cars were extremely popular across the board in most of their vehicles for many years. I don’t consider it a special edition at all, but a popular interior option.
I saw the Levi’s cars both in ads and in person, but the others register a “zero” with me in both columns. Fun to see all these today—-I learned a lot!
A great post that I must have missed the first time around, so thanks for re-running it!
Those 1967 Rebel wagons are terrific, especially the Mariner (although the model in the ad probably didn’t think so given that she had to wear the eye patch – Arrrrrrgggggh Mateys! – for that one). Trying to find more info on those led me to:
https://pgrramblers.org/amc/index.html
and then that collector apparently sold his to this place:
https://www.ramblerranch.com/
where maybe it still is. Lord knows it looks like they have enough other AMC-related stuff. A Kelvinator Museum??!!! Has anyone been to this place (in CO)? I’m dying to go now.
AMC’s smallest car of all was the most radical of its limited editions. The M422 Mighty-Mite, produced for the military from 1959 to 1962. Total production 3000, in two sizes. Wheelbase 65″ on the standard edition, 71″ for the stretch limo. All aluminum body, synchronized 4WD, air-cooled V4 engine, IRS and IFS. Fully designed and built by AMC.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M422_Mighty_Mite
I saw a Hornet Sportabout in 1971 when they were first introduced; it was a very attractive vehicle. That was the only one I ever saw, thanks for bringing back a nice memory!
That Rebel Mariner’s my favourite too.
Those Levis interiors were a brilliant idea at the time, when everyone was into jeans. A denim interior just made so much sense – if it even was actually denim and not denim-look synthetic. Does any brand have the street cred nowadays that Levis had then?
Dodge had a jeans-based promo too in the ’70s for their trucks, this one a tie-in with the Gap.
In Magic Land I would take either a Pierre Cardin or Oleg Cassini Eagle, SX-4 and Wagon
respectively.