It wasn’t the kind of call I usually get, but one that I was very glad to receive.
- Hey Ric, I need a place to store my ailing AMX for a few weeks. Would it be possible to keep it with your Beetle?
Would I take an ailing AMX for a few weeks? Talk about a question where thinking was not needed, just a Pavlovian-conditioned response.
An AMX! I had barely if ever, seen a Javelin. And I had certainly never seen the unusual, off-beat, and bold AMX. It was a situation that hasn’t happened much at CC; instead of me finding the car, the car had somehow found me. A bit of a cheat, I guess. But should I turn the offer on that minor ethical quibble? Heck no! Bring it over!
The plea came from Cesar, my Mustang-loving friend whom I briefly mentioned in a post last year. Now, it’s true he mostly lusts for Mustangs; but it’s a love that stems from a rooted passion for American muscle cars. And that is one tree with multiple branches to fall in love with. When this particular AMX came for sale a decade ago, there was no way he was going to turn down those mighty 8 cylinders away. No sir.
So, what was the matter with the car, and why the sudden cry for help? Turns out that the AMX had been one more victim of the COVID pandemic. No, this is no weird conspiracy theory I’m about to spew. Rather, during the strict lockdowns placed in El Salvador, Cesar’s AMX remained out of his sight for months, stored away in a lonely family property. Unbeknownst to everyone, the site flooded during winter, and as it often happens with calamities, they piled on: Chemicals and containers fell from toppled shelves, and mice made home inside its now decaying interior.
Regardless of damage, expectations were high in my head. A muscle car next to my Beetle? And no money was spent on my part? What fun! To paraphrase those old MasterCard ads; an old classic delivered, cost-free to your front yard? Priceless!
As with most flood-damaged vehicles, getting the AMX moved proved to be quite an operation. Amazingly, the engine runs, but most mechanicals are out of whack in one way or another. Driveability, even if limited, was out of the question. The car arrived, with its stubby profile looking better in person than it ever did in photos.
Steering and braking were precarious, the AMX’s mushy tires turning with difficulty as it rolled down the tow truck’s ramp. Additional instructions were shouted, as the car was pushed and moved slowly around. Finally, as the last resort, plain manpower got it into its current location.
With the operation over and with everyone gone, it was now my chance to sit and admire the AMX’s clean lines and chunky proportions. Sadly, Cesar’s AMX was now in troubled condition. The damage didn’t seem terminal, but it was clear the car would need all the dedication it could get.
Trouble and dedication; two words that define the quarter century of American Motor’s history. Adjectives well known by AMC’s VP of design, Dick Teague; here (before he became chief designer/VP), at top center with hand and pencil on chin. Is he really thinking about that clay, or already contemplating a sexy 2-seater car?
Sticking to the troubled part, AMC was certainly finding some by the mid-’60s; with the Rambler facing strong competition, the Ambassador finding little interest, and the Marlin DOA. By ’66 the company started to hemorrhage money ($12.3 million), and prospects looked dim. While the rest of Detroit was riding the youth wave, AMC was selling the convoluted message ‘Sensible Spectaculars.’
AMC’s CEO Roy Abernethy found much frustration in turning the company’s stodgy image around, but product and advertising didn’t help matters. Before leaving to become governor in 1962, George Romney had picked Abernethy to be his successor, mainly for his experience in retail and close relationship with AMC’s dealers. Whatever dealers wanted, Abernethy knew about. And by the mid-’60s, if dealers were clamoring for something it was pony cars, with the Marlin not being the answer to their pleas.
Thus, work on an AMC pony car was started in ’64 under the guidance of Bob Nixon, Teague’s underling. But with AMC’s 1965 profits coming at a low $5 million and its future looking gloomy, Teague found more leeway to play around with lofty ideas. Trouble? What trouble? Time to create a few concepts and get the buzz going! The sensibles were finally going to turn spectacular.
Thus, AMC’s stylists got the Ok to create a series of concepts to debut in ’66. First of all, the 2-seat AMX, with the X being for ‘experimental.’ As an executive told Teague, ‘Experimental means we’re not going to build it.’ Words probably told before the balance sheets arrived.
Teague drew some early sketches and further work was done by Erick Kugler. Clay work was to be performed under the guidance of stylist Chuck Mashigan, with a team of 20 artists. An American chassis was chosen as a basis for the AMX’s mock-up, expediting the process, although creating proportion issues of some concern.
The fiberglass AMX was unveiled at the Society of Automotive Engineers convention in January of 1966, and made its public debut a month later, at the 58th annual Chicago Automobile Show. The 2-seat AMX dutifully wowed attendees, and more importantly, impressed favorably the bankers behind AMC’s future cash needs.
With the AMX mock-up doing wonders, and with red ink now appearing inevitable, AMC’s accounting agreed to further AMXs, now to be done in running form. The concepts were now called Project IV, with most work to be performed at AMC’s headquarters.
One exception was the 2-seater AMX, to be built by Italy’s Vignale. Teague must have been beside himself, as it was his favorite of the lot, and quickly took to correspondence with the Italians. The Vignale concept was meant as the showstopper, and it featured some fantastic and not-for-production features: a cantilevered roof, a heavily detailed fascia, and a ‘Rambleseat’ (instead of ‘rumble’, get it?) in the trunk area. In June of ’66, the Project IV AMXs made their public debut at the New York Auto Show.
Teague had a preference for clean and flowing lines, attributes that showed in the Project IV AMXs. From top to bottom: The AMX II, the oddly symmetrical Cavalier, and the Vixen. The Cavalier and Vixen anticipated the ’70 Hornet, with the latter also providing hints of the Gremlin/Javelin chunky detailing. In the public’s eye, the foursome proved that if the company wanted, they could let their stuffy image down.
To complete the image changeover, the AMC production pony car was approved, now christened Javelin. Additionally, a new advertising agency would take over the company’s account. Stodgy AMC was now officially after the youth market.
Abernethy and management knew they had fumbled the Marlin, and stayed out of Teague’s way while working on the Javelin. To speed matters, the 2-seat AMX-show car was used as a starting point for AMC’s first pony car, with some details coming from other AMXs. While the fantastic aspects of the show car were justifiably dismissed, the Javelin’s shape was clean, attractive, and purposeful in a way no other AMC product was. When released, critics complained about the loss of the attractive show car fascia and prosaic interior, but buyers didn’t care. Production for ’68 surpassed AMC’s expectations, with 56,000 units sold.
Javelin SST from the Cohort, by Johnh875.
No design is ever perfect. Instead, talented designers choose ‘defects’ they’re willing to live with. Teague himself admitted the Javelin suffered from a ‘dash-axle’ look, partly due to the American’s original chassis; and partly due to Teague’s wish for the Javelin to offer more leg room than a Mustang. So, AMC was now concerned about rear passengers in pony cars? Yes, Teague was a talented designer, and he may have chosen the ‘defects’ he preferred. Yet, he made such odd compromises.
Abernethy may have acquiesced to dealers’ desires, but he wasn’t going to give in to Teague’s 2-seater wishes. Period. That is until a new and unexpected actor got involved, thanks to a wild card that appears every so often in US corporate culture; the investor. In mid ’66 Robert Evans acquired 202,000 AMC shares, and by June, he had propelled himself to chairman. Not that Evans was a nut case, as he stood away from product planning for the most part.
There was but one notable exception: the AMX. No official notes on his words exist; but mainly, as the design of the ’68 Javelin was advancing, seeing it next to the Vignale concept, Evans thought it essential for the AMX to reach production if AMC was to capture the youth market. All as long as it could be done on the cheap.
Cheap? That was Teague’s mantle! After brief planning and number crunching, the idea sprouted: Let’s take the AMX-inspired Javelin, blow torch a foot out of the wheelbase, and create a Javelin-based AMX! And voila! And now I also have an idea for a ‘subcompact’! Wait until I sketch it later during tonight’s flight!
Talking about the famous ‘Gremlin’ sketch; along the Javelin and AMX, an additional AMX GT show car debuted in ’68, with much Gremlin in its lines. AMC’s purchase director Gerald Meyers has confirmed the often-told story of Teague’s sketch on a barf bag made during a flight, as they discussed a possible subcompact model. If so, it looks more like Teague had a bunch of those ideas already in place after the recent AMX experience, and used the impromptu meeting to either polish them or sell them to a superior. Bob Nixon would take the concept, and use the Hornet -instead of the Javelin- as the basis for AMC’s future ‘subcompact.’
Teague was an ardent believer in creating products that called attention, to find niches the big three wouldn’t think of. And the AMX was certainly that. Yet, it was another peculiar Teague compromise; first, he worried about rear passengers, and now they were not important at all. Thus, the 2-seat pony car was created. Or the hefty and bulky American take on sports cars?
Don’t get me wrong. I actually like the AMX. As a child, AMC’s products always stood out when I saw them in magazines. Their lines always struck me as clean and attractive; with products that greatly contrasted Detroit’s baroque 1970s offerings. The Hornet was honest and straightforward, with a flowing and easy-on-the-eyes profile. The Javelin was a bit of a darling, looking sporty, modern, and ready for action. And the Gremlin… well, I think I negated that one, as I have no recollection of seeing it back then. All the same for AMC’s full sizers.
And much of my AMX fondness sprouts from my like of the Javelin. I find the AMX’s lines attractive and purposeful, as most of Teague’s better moments. My preferences may be too clinical, though. With the Javelin’s original length, despite its ‘dash-axle’ look, there’s a sense of movement even standing still. That’s something the AMX misses, with its stubby profile and shortened wheelbase making its proportions somewhat symmetrical. The sense of speed and movement gets lost to a degree.
Some of those concerns disappear in the metal, as one walks around the AMX and explores its better bits in three dimensions. I find it a rather friendly face, with generally unmolested flanks, and a neat backside. However, the AMX looks too proper and product-like for the pony car wars. The animal essence found in a Mustang or Charger is somewhat subdued on the AMX.
It’s also odd to reflect on what one is facing; it’s a shortened sporty car, with a heft and bulkiness that could only come from Detroit. A bit like coming near a modern gymnast; it’s short, but look at those muscles!
Did I say the AMX lacks animal essence? Not quite, as all came with rather brutal V-8 engines. And in Cesar’s AMX that brute is the 390 mill, with 315HP, and a low 5,000 RPM redline with tons of torque. Front brakes are gigantic disks, and shifting is through the AMX’s available 4-speed manual. What’s it like to drive? Cesar tells me the car is a beast, and period testing agrees; with the car sprinting from 0-60 in less than 7 seconds. All delivered with questionable handling.
If there’s one thing in the world that says AMC to me, it’s their distinctive aluminum handles.
The 390 badge and some wide gaps around the tail lights. The result of age (flooding, etc.)? Or typical assembly of the times?
The headlight and turn signal arrangement look like a spin on the Ambassador’s double-decked headlight theme. It’s a motif that would appear time and time again at AMC, even in the Cherokee XJ-derived Wagoneer.
The AMX’s previous re-spray left some to be desired on close inspection. I hope a much better result will be achieved next time.
It’s corny, but when turning over this piece, I felt I was holding a bit of history. AMC history nonetheless.
Yes, the COVID damage on Cesar’s AMX is regrettable. It looks worse in its current state, as paneling and soft bits were removed for reupholstery and electrical work. On the other hand, a Javelin-AMX novelty can be appreciated; the one-piece plastic dash. Period reviews criticized the interior as being somewhat drab against the competition’s, but some new technology was being applied and served as a prelude to what was to come. Regulations or not, plastics were coming!
Regarding the interior, period reviews had further quibbles, most rather common to the pony car segment. Ergonomics were poor in general, with the steering slightly off-center, and both seating and interior space being compromised. In all, a pony car!
Do I agree with such peeves? Most seemed spot on while I sat -in childlike impulse- in Cesar’s AMX. The window crank was hard to reach, the steering protruded oddly and was slightly off-center. The shifter sat high on my hand, and most controls (what few there were) seemed hard to reach. Finally, the AMX’s nose extended forever into the horizon, and rear vision was rather compromised.
Not that any of that would change Cesar’s mind, or pony car fans’ preferences. All the trouble is worth it to get some minutes gunning those powerful mills.
Buff magazines didn’t quite know what to think of the AMX, and even AMC seemed confused. The company sometimes referred to it as an ‘American muscle car’ (I’m down with that), and at others as a ‘true sports car’ (Mmm, not really…) Most said the closest thing in the market was the Corvette, others thought it was the long-gone 2-seat Thunderbird.
In truth, there was nothing like it. Like a good number of late AMCs, it was certainly a product in search of a niche, and somewhat half-finished. Working with outdated technology, the company gave the world interesting driveable-concepts that didn’t quite function that well. The Gremlin was an impractical subcompact, while the Pacer was a non-economical compact. And the AMX? The 2-seat pony car? The personal pony car?
Of course, all these were new sensations for AMC, and it’s not surprising it didn’t quite know what to do with itself. It was the church-going kid suddenly paragliding and asking to join an Ayahuasca retreat. Odd and unexpected events were now inevitable, with some even seeming a bit desperate. Now AMC was even courting with that Oh-so-cool ’60s publication; Playboy, by providing an AMX to 1968’s Playmate of the Year, Victoria Vetri. Finished in Playmate Pink, of course.
In more substantial endeavors, racing was part of AMC’s renewed vigor; with AMXs and Javelins taking to the track in a large factory effort. It’s a completely separate chapter, but let’s just say that in ’71 and ’72, AMC won the Trans-Am Championship title.
Regardless of AMC’s ever-precarious position, dreams were running wild for a while. Teague and company were even contemplating another halo car: A mid-engine. Even Giotto Bizarrini of Ferrari and Lamborghini fame got involved, and a few handmade units were apparently built. With the Pacer and Matador coupe sinking the company, all those lofty ideas died quickly away.
So, much has happened to Cesar’s AMX. Then again, he will probably get the car done, since he’s already pulled others from the brink. A replacement windshield is already purchased, rust is minimal, bits of exterior trim are stored away, and the interior’s soft bits are being restored and reupholstered. Meanwhile, paint shops have improved a great deal, so they’ll probably do a decent job.
By the way, if you wonder how AMC ended up selling cars in El Salvador, think no more about it. They didn’t. This particular AMX was imported directly to its first owner in the late ’60s, who intended to race it in local tracks. Apparently, Mustangs and Camaros were just too ‘ordinary’ for him. No idea if such plans ever materialized.
Of course, the AMX experiment was short-lived. Close to 20K units of 2-seat AMXs were sold between ’68 to ’70. An estimated less than a thousand still exist. The moniker would survive though, first as a trim package for the Javelin, and then in ever less compelling forms.
As with most halo cars, the intended purpose of the AMX was to get buyers excited and create buzz. Did the model really boost AMC’s showroom sales? Such measurements are always hard to assess, and I often wonder if they’re more of a myth than anything. Regardless, if such myths are necessary to create daring oddballs like the AMX, I’m all for it.
Further reading:
Vintage R&T Road Test: 1968 American Motor’s AMX – The Gremlin’s Predecessor
Love it! I always thought that if AMC had somehow found a halfway point between the proportions of the AMX and the Javelin – basically a slightly longer AMX with a marginally useful back seat – it would have had a far bigger winner than either of the cars it actually built.
As for the company, we must not forget that Abernethy was out as of January 1967. He was replaced by Roy Chapin, Jr – something that probably followed the mid-1966 shakeup on the board. Chapin was much more in tune with youth and performance markets than Abernethy had been, and I think the products bear that out.
And how fun to get a CC to your door!
Me too. The Javelin was too long; the AMX too short. WTF??
What a contrast between the AMX and the rather squared off Ford Escape in the tow truck photo.
Looks like a wedding and event planning company right across the street. Strange script writing on a company sign, but I get the pitch.
Excellent story and history on these. I have seen very few of these in my llifetime.
Great post on the rescue of a loved car and some history of AMC. Always lamented passing of big NASH AMBASSADOR (as well as DeSoto and Packard). Life long lover of Land YACHTS, I felt that AMC handled revised AMBASSADOR well! To me the original BARACUDA was a beauty. Teague was certainly dedicated to saving AMC. Unfortunately, the Gremlin and Pacer fell short. Although not my taste, this AMX hopefully will be brought back to life and glory.
Wow! The engine actually runs? Really?
Was a cool car back in the day.
Too bad that original white AMX mock-up didn’t make it to production. A beautiful, distinctive design, with a bit of a Stingray vibe. But as with most Teague designs, the production versions were just too weird. I have no idea how Teague is so revered by some. Going back to his Packard days, most of his work resulted in just strange cars with off proportions. The Marlin? Gremlin? Pacer? Enough said.
As a young teen, I used to compare the Ford EXP’s styling, to its big brother. The Mustang. Ford described the EXP as sporty and modern, I thought it looked truncated and dumpy, next to the bigger Ford. When I first saw the AMX in magazines around 1974, I thought it looked like a caricature of the original Javelin. Similar, to my reaction to the EXP. Compromised and lessor design, compared to the Javelin. Not cool, and not unique.
A few years ago, for fun, I explored a cleaner AMX design. I removed, that sheet metal ‘swoosh’ over the rear wheel arch. Thought that swoosh looked early ’60s, dated, and hurt the car’s looks. Studebaker Cruiser-like. Old-fashioned. Also, removed the ribbed rocker panel trim, that looked like it belonged on the frumpy Ambassador. And added about 3 inches to the wheelbase, at the mid-section. Lowered the height, about 3 inches. And added modern graphics for 1968. A small front spoiler. Plus, body-coloured bumpers. Body-coloured bumpers would really have helped distinguish, the AMX.
All of these styling tweaks, were in AMC’s grasp in 1968. Their domestic competitors, were all doing it well.
A distinctive look from the regular Javelin. AMC really struggled at times, during this era, making their cars look reasonably cool.
That rear wheel arch swoosh, and cheap-looking rocker panel molding, were bad. The Javelin’s soft curve at the rear edge of the C pillar looked better as well.
Bad idea. Looked early ’60s, and gimmicky.
Could have been much, much worse. INFINITELY worse.
True. Was not a fan of this styling element on the first gen Capri.
That wheel arch crease indeed says early ’60s. They seemed to have a hang-up on that idea; after all, the Tarpon sketches had it from early on.
Great article Rich! The ‘swoosh’ evokes speed, but seeming from a different era in car design.
Made me think of the ’62 Dodge Dart.
I personally hate body colored bumpers, but you could in fact get the AMX and Javelin with them with big bad colors(blue, green and orange).
I’m on the fence with the fender swoosh, I think I agree with you that the Javelin look is neater and tidier but I don’t think it’s a real detraction from the overall AMX design, it’s much more subtle than the Studebaker whose biggest fault was that was a hard point that dictated the rear end designs and redesigns, where the AMX one is just a shallow character line, fading away towards the bumper. As for the rocker trim, I think they lifted the design straight off the C2 Corvette, it’s no better or worse executed on it.
Cool find, thanks for sharing these!
Note the rocker trim. And also like the Corvette one could eschew the trim by ordering side pipes
Oh OH, I have Corvettes on the mind now, both of these elements were lifted from it, the 60-62s use that same fender swoosh and the 62s have that same rocker trim.
A generation earlier in car styling. Looking to the past.
Perhaps, but…
The swooshes work better here. But still dated. Why they disappeared FOREVER very soon. The AMX swooshes definitely look 1962. You know all this.
Not forever (but in this case it should have)
It was a cheap and expedient way to differentiate it from the Javelin.
Absolutely!
Very sad that the car was flooded, but hopefully it will be back on the road.
That sure is a weird ad for the Rebel, it seems like a poor imitation of the innovative VW Beetle ads. I can’t imagine that it sold too many Rebels.
I had a ’68 SST 343 which I sold to a friend and he held it for a few years. Now, a BIL is paint-ready on his ’69 AMX in exact same red with white stripes over black, to which he added a 4 speed.
Car is brutal on ALL the senses. Looking forward to the end results…
I’ve spent the last 14 curbsiding years looking for a gen1 AMX, as it’s a CC we’ve never done. And here one gets delivered to your house? Jeez; I give up!
The AMX is a reflection of the AMC to come, the one that gave us the Gremlin, Pacer, Matador coupe and snout-nosed Matador and Ambassador sedans. Who were they fooling in 1968? Not me; it was all-too obviously a short wheelbase Javelin with some new exterior sheet metal in back. This is supposed to be a Corvette fighter??
Meanwhile, the Javelin looked too long between the wheels. Great that it had the biggest back seat of any pony car, but who cared? Shades of the Marlin.
Rather than a clone of the Mustang or Camaro, I can’t blame AMC too much for trying to exploit other areas of the ponycar market with a too-long Javelin or too-short AMX. Trouble was, not many were interested in either.
They might have done better, though, by bringing a convertible version of the Javelin to market with the money they spent on the AMX.
Regardless, they waited too long to enter the fray. Imagine if the Javelin had come out at least one year sooner. By 1968, the ponycar boom was nearly over.
In fairness I don’t think AMC was trying to fool anyone into thinking it wasn’t just a chopped Javelin, the two names were always paired in marketing material, the Gremlin was more of a subterfuge camouflaging it’s Hornet roots to a far greater degree than the AMX ever did.
I think the real question was why not just throw a seat back there, even if it was completely useless and vestigial? The gremlin had one and as far as I can tell it was essentially the same floorpan. The term 2-seater might sound good to marketers but it is a huge red flag to insurers, even the 1966 Shelby GT350 restored the rear seat after the more hardcore 65s that did without it. The 68-70 AMX was and is AMCs most universally appealing model, but this severe limited it’s appeal I imagine, even if a young buyer didn’t really *need* it.
They certainly seem to have “fooled” the press. I dare you to find one intro article or review where anyone wrote “this is essentially a shortened Javelin”. Oh no; they gushed about it being the first 2-seater American sports car since the Corvette; what a bold move by AMC; a new era in American sports cars, etc..
To my 14 year-old eyes, the truth was all-too obvious. Not that I hated on it; I rather liked it, except for being too stubby. I was besotted by the Lamborghini Marzal/Espada at the time, and the AMX/Javelin had certain aspects that reminded me of those, but both missed the mark in terms of the critical basic proportions: the Javelin’s rear was too long; the AMX’s wheelbase too short.
Close, but no sigaro.
The media’s endless regurgitation of the PR spin of the manufacturers back then (and now) was/is pathetic.
The R&T article you posted last year; “The AMX can be best described as a Javelin with a vertical section job done to it.”
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/vintage-reviews/vintage-rt-road-test-1968-american-motors-amx-the-gremlins-predecessor/
AMCs own marketing didn’t seem skittish about the AMX Javelin relationship, the picture I posted earlier with the big bad colors has both models right beside each other, and at that angle the only way to tell them apart is their hood, trim and stripe schemes. No doubt there was a press spin, one that’s been repeated over and over through the decades since, but the only thing AMC did was put it in the company of Corvettes by the 2-seater classification. One of AMC’s ads featured a 57 Tbird too, which was probably the AMXs closest analog from the previous decade being more image based than truly sporty, it was the gearhead focused rags that ran hardest with the Corvette comparisons.
Good catch. That’s why I subscribed only to R&T later. No go find an M/T article on it. 🙂
Hey Paul, if you want the Holy Grail of an AMX go to Kenosha Wisconsin. An employee of AMC managed to buy 1 of 2 prototype AMX’s (The Vixens). They have (or had ) fiberglass bodies. The nephew of this guy now has it and is occasionally seen at car shows or driving around Kenosha.
The other car was destroyed. This 1 was destined to be destroyed but delayed by a snowstorm. Here is the story. https://www.hemmings.com/stories/article/the-plastic-prototype-1966-amc-amx
Something’s wrong with that hood scoop. It looks to be from a 1970 car, but the rest of the hood with the little ‘fins’ on the sides are from an earlier 1968-69 Javelin/AMX.
That aside, AMC management could have done a better job incorporating the ‘tunnelback’ rear window into the final production car. It would have given the AMX more of a much-needed distinction from the Javelin.
That’s really the biggest issue with the AMX; for all intents and purposes, it was just a shorty Javelin. It’s easy to see why it confused not only the buff magazines, but the musclecar buyers, as well. AMC would have done much better simply adding premium performance features.
If I had to guess, I’d say the AMX was AMC’s take on the Mustang/Shelby GT-500 as sort of quasi-grand touring car. It didn’t work. I can’t imagine a lot of buyers (if any) cross-shopping an AMX with a GT-500.
Yes, it appears a 70 ram air hood scoop has been grafted to the 68-69 “shark gill” hood.
Hopefully, progress on the restoration will be quick, as we need to see this car ina ction.
I like it – great style and lot of period appeal. Good luck!
Is it me , or is there Vauxhall Viva HC and Firenza Coupe in this car – the rear deck, bumper and taillights, the dash…and some Morris Marina alike door handles….
I drove my mother-in-law’s 68 AMX a few times in the early 2000’s. The “pivot point” seemed so strange to me when turning with the shortened wheelbase and the long hood. I always thought it was a gorgeous car: red with the white stipes and a set of Cragar SS wheels. It had the 390, 4 speed with the Go Pack and factory A/C. The clutch became too difficult for her to drive after a knee replacement. I still miss that car.
I had a ’69, same color, same drive train.
On the other hand, a Javelin-AMX novelty can be appreciated; the one-piece plastic dash.
That cantilevered one-piece plastic extrusion would vibrate. It was annoying. The car was a real Kenosha shaker.
Do we get to see the finished product?
Wheres the oil fill tube in the front of the motor. There’s something funny about that AMC motor, but I see the ID tag on the valve cover?
I own a beautiful 68 AMX 390 4 speed go pak I’ve been at car shows being next hemi cuda challengers stangs so on and she always gets more attention and many positive comments I’ve owned several cool muscle cars but the AMX is by far the most fun.
I like the export 200 KPH Speedometer! I saw one once for the ’71-’74’ GoPackage gauge cluster, way back when eBay was just coming online, on Ebay.de, the German eBay. It looked exactly like the US GoPackage 0-140 MPH version, except it was 0-240 , calibrated for KPH obviously, Did Canadian Exports Have KPH speedometers as well??
This cluster in the ’68-’70 Amx and Javelin, it also saw later use, alternating between early Matador and Ambassador lineups, with differences in the color of the face sliver/ black and style /spacing of the ‘ticks” or graduations. behind a different front fascia. .
I was thinking an AMX GoPackage 140MPH/8k tach cluster in my ’73 Matador, just for the “WOW” factor,
just great… My Delima is now find one of these export 0-200 marked speedo units first …..and then get the Matador to actually go 200MPH or??