10 Killer AMC Rides We Miss The Most
The American Motors Corporation (AMC) built practical, fuel-efficient, affordable cars, but was always in fourth place behind Chrysler, Ford, and GM, in no small part because it was a horribly run company. Despite its popular models selling well, AMC hemorrhaged cash due to mismanagement and antiquated production facilities. Somehow, this train wreck of a car company managed to build some of the coolest rides back in the day, many of which were quite innovative, but all that are largely forgotten now. Hot Cars admittedly has a soft spot for AMC because they were underdogs like Rocky or The Bad News Bears who didn’t win but fought like hell. These are some of the greatest AMC cars that have fallen through the cracks but deserve the spotlight as legitimate ass-kickers in both performance and design.
10
1957 Rambler Rebel
Proto Muscle
There’s an enthusiast faction that believes the 1957 AMC Rambler Rebel was the first muscle car in existence, and they have a decent case. The relatively compact car was packing a 255-horsepower, 345 lb-ft of torque 327 V8 and had a curb weight of 3,350 pounds, giving it an excellent power-to-weight ratio. Its 7.5-second 0-60 acceleration was actually a tenth of a second quicker than the 1957 Chrysler 300C equipped with a 375-horsepower 392 FirePower Hemi V8. This car could dust a Chevy Bel Air, Plymouth Fury, or Studebaker Golden Hawk and came in at a fraction of the price, retailing for hundreds less than its competitors. AMC only built 1,500 of these cars, and they were all finished with silver paint jobs and gold accents. The only argument against the ’57 Rambler Rebel being the first muscle car is that it was a four-door, which is two too many, but the rebooted Dodge Charger also had two extra points of entry, and it is definitely considered American muscle, so this AMC classic should be as well.
9
1965 Rambler Marlin
Keep on Ramblin’
There is no denying the fact that the 1965 AMC Rambler Marlin was a muscle car, but it doesn’t get nearly the recognition as other offerings from the Big Three. With its sweeping fastback roofline, it was also a pony car that was unfortunately buried in the Ford Mustang’s shadow. The ’65 Rambler Marlin had a 270-horsepower, 360 lb-ft of torque 327 V8 option that had it going from 0-60 in 7.1 seconds and down a quarter-mile in 15.6 seconds. The baddest Mustang of the day featured a 271-horsepower 289 Hi-PO V8 that gave it a 15.9-second ET, while the regular 289 cars were crawling in the 17s. It wasn’t quite the Chevy Chevelle SS killer, which ran in the 14s, but it was debatably cooler-looking and cost more than $1,000 less. With a production run of 10,327 units, the ’65 Rambler Marlin is a semi-rare, cost-effective collectible, and realistically, almost none are left, with only a few ever having been listed at auction, none of which cracked $20,000.
8
1970 Rebel Machine
Rage With the Machine
When it comes to one-hit wonders, the 1970 AMC Rebel Machine has a better lasting impression than the “Macarena”, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy,” and “Play That Funky Music” combined. Besides the aggressive styling, the Machine sported a red, white, and blue paint scheme that literally screamed “American Muscle!” With a 340-horsepower, 430 lb-ft of torque 390 V8, the Machine was okay on the streets with a 6.4-second 0-60 time, 14.4-second quarter-mile, and 127 MPH top speed, but this car has a secret. Dealers had a performance upgrade package that got this seriously cool-looking ride up to Hemi specs with 425+ horsepower that could rock anything on the streets in 1970. AMC only made 2,326 of these magnificent muscle cars, and for the record, a little less than half had solid colors, so the patriotic ones are quite rare. This may be the only AMC ride that qualifies as a legit collectible, with a Hagerty Concours condition value that exceeds $100,000.
7
1970 AMX SST
Sports Car/ Muscle Car Hybrid
When AMC was developing the 4-seater Javelin and 2-seater, they didn’t have enough money to design both a fastback and notch-back version, so they kind of split the difference, resulting in a very cool, unique set of wheels. The AMX was the first hybrid, splitting duties between muscle car and sports car, that remains one of the most fascinating cars ever made. AMC touted the AMX as the only two-seater sports car besides the Chevy Corvette, but at a radically reduced price tag. The 1970 AMX with a 390 V8 hit the quarter-mile in 14.6 seconds while a ’70 ‘Vette with a base 350 had a 14.5-second ET and the LT1 ran 14.2. There was also a 454 V8 option for the Corvette that year, but it was awful, with period road tests putting it at a 15.0-second quarter mile. Needless to say, the AMX was as good or better than the Corvette in 1970, and it cost a fraction of the price with a $3,395 MSRP versus $5,192 for a base model Chevy sports car.
6
1971 Javelin SST
Spear of Destiny
The AMC Javelin, introduced in 1968, was a tragically underrated Golden Age ride, but when it hit the second-gen in 1971 with some killer new style, it became the most criminally slept-on car of all time. Adding some sexy Coke bottle curves to its already unique fastback/notch back style, the ’71 Javelin was one of the hottest designs of the classic era that almost nobody knows about. ’71 was the debut of the 330-horsepower, 430 lb-ft of torque 401 V8, good enough for a quarter-mile in the low 14s. The SST was an appearance and luxury package that added some comfort to the interior as well as upgrading the exterior with decals and spoilers. Had AMC boosted the output of this car, it could have been a GM and Mopar killer, but as it stood, it was still a pretty awesome ride that shamed nearly all others in the style department and could definitely hang with most muscle cars that year.
5
1971 Hornet SC/360
Stings Like a Bee
The compact 1971 AMC Hornet SC/360 is another one-hit wonder, but actually it wasn’t all that successful with just 784 units produced. AMC had high hopes for this one, but shifting consumer trends, as well as high insurance premiums for performance rides, doomed this otherwise killer set of wheels. Equipped with a 360 V8, the ’71 Hornet SC/360 made 245 hp and 365 lb-ft of torque, but the Go package, which included an upgraded four-barrel carb and ram-air induction, bumped things up to 285 hp and 390 lb-ft. The Hornet was never supposed to be an aggressive muscle car, but with the hood scoop, spoilers, and mags, ended up looking pretty badass. With a mid-14-second quarter-mile time, it was also not bad in the streets.While it couldn’t hang with the Hemiand Six Pack Mopars, it was competitive with almost everything else.
4
1971 Matador Machine Go
Charges Like a Bull
When it comes to Golden Age unicorns and even Holy Grails, there is no car more elusive than the 1971 AMC Matador. We couldn’t find a single example of this car ever being put up for auction, and it’s almost like it never existed, but clearly it did. We had to grab a picture from an old AMC brochure, courtesy of Stellantis, because Chrysler acquired AMC and is now under the Fiat-esque corporation. As it turns out, there’s a logical explanation for why this is such a slippery ride: AMC only sold around 40-69 Matadors with the Machine Go package that included a 401 V8 producing 330 hp and 430 lb-ft of torque. This car was on par with most non-Hemi rides in ’71, but its small production run meant nobody ever found out. The picture we found doesn’t really do the ’71 Matador justice, as when equipped with some fat mags and the black-out hood of the Machine Go package, it was just as intimidating as anything on the road back then.
3
1974 AMC Gremlin 401-XR
Don’t Feed After Midnight
The AMC Gremlin was introduced in 1971, and at the time seemed like the ultimate dorkmobile, but that was because it was up against Chargers and Chevelles. In retrospect, it’s actually pretty cool looking, and back in the day was quite successful because it was cheap and fuel efficient. In terms of ass-kicking, it was never really a street threat until 1974, when Randall AMC in Mesa, Arizona, did a dealer build, unleashing the Gremlin 401-XR. With a 255-horsepower, 345 lb-ft of torque 401 V8 engine swap, the ’74 401 X-R could run a quarter-mile in 13.9 seconds, making it the only 13-second car of the Malaise Era of detuned engines that plagued much of the 1970s. Randall only made 21 of these creatures, making them exceedingly rare, but you wouldn’t know it by their value. The only one we could find listed at an auction sold for just $26,550 on Bring a Trailer in 2018, which seems like Grand Theft Auto to us.
2
1975 Pacer X
Pacemaker in a Fishbowl
Let’s be frank here and acknowledge the fact that the AMC Pacer is one of the least attractive rides ever made, but it’s kind of like the pug dog breed in that it’s so hideous that it’s cute. This otherwise weird ride also got a profile boost as Wayne and Garth’s “Mirthmobile” in the 1992 comedy Wayne’s World. Despite its aesthetically displeasing demeanor, the Pacer sold almost 150,000 units in its inaugural 1975 year. There were no V8 options for the ’75 Pacer, and the top 110-horsepower six-cylinder engine had it running in the 18s, but there was something oddly alluring about this car. One thing is for sure, in that driving one today is sure to turn heads. Nobody even bats an eye at a ’65 Mustang anymore, but if there’s a ’75 Pacer X roaming the streets or pulling into Bob’s Big Boy, it’s going to draw a crowd.
1
1979 Spirit AMX
Spirit of American Motors
The 1979 AMC Spirit AMX is the coolest ride nobody has ever heard of. The compact hatchback was built on the Gremlin platform, but had decidedly better styling and some awesome exterior features like spoilers and graphics, including a massive hood decal that made it almost as badass as a Pontiac Trans Am. With an optional 125-horsepower 304 V8, it wasn’t a street assassin, but neither was anything else that year as this was the thick of the Malaise Era, and in fact, it was a Dodge pickup that was the baddest ride of the day. This is such an awesomely obscure car that one actually sold as a ’79 “Sprint” despite that not being its name and neither seller nor buyer noticed it. For the record, the ’79 Sprint sold for $31,350 at Mecum Chattanooga 2021, which is a hell of a lot of money for a car nobody remembers, and in this case, one that doesn’t actually exist.
Sources: AMC, Mecum
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