1960 Rambler American Sedan

Here's an appropriately-named car for the 4th of July! The American was Rambler's compact, and was the cheapest American car in the late '50s. In 1960, the American had to compete with the more modern compacts from the big three, but still enjoyed moderate success, due to the economy and efficiency of the older car. This sedan has an add-on continental kit spare, color matched to the very fitting white and turquoise two-tone.

 

 

 

 

1972 AMC Hornet SST

The Hornet was AMC's compact, competing with the Nova, Maverick, and Dart, as well as the new imports. It was introduced in 1970, and would last until 1977, though the same basic car formed the base for the "new" Concord. By the mid 70s, the Hornet was available in sedan, coupe, wagon, and hatch body styles, and, for 1971 only, the sporty SC360. Styling was handsome and modern, and looks great in this blue and white two-tone.

 

 

 

 

1978 AMC Concord

The Concord replaced the Hornet in 1978 as the car with "the luxury Americans want...at the size Americans need". Little was changed from the Hornet, but the benefit to this old design was that the quirks had been worked out, so reliability and build quality was surprisingly high. Available in all body styles, the Concord lost its distinctive single headlights after 1978. This Concord looks rather muscle car-esque with the custom rims, and, with the exception of the left taillight, is in pretty good condition.

 

 

 

 

 

2014 AMC Ambassador Eight coupe: Yes, I Said AMC!

Here in casey/artandcolour's world, Chrysler reached into its deep stable of unused nameplates for this new twin-turbo V8 hybrid drivetrain luxury coupe: The Ambassador Eight. Styling picks up from the marque's long history of dramatically styled Ambassadors with a roofline evocative of its last large pillarless coupes from the early '70s. Red, white, and blue Ambassador Eagles from 1961 adorn each wheel center and '66 wraparound trim pieces on each corner of the car include contemporary LEDs. Those classic-looking, flush AMC door handles would now be electronic touch panels with powered soft-close mechanisms.

Note: The wheels are modified Volkswagen wheels. The flush covers actually are removable for a more traditional spoked wheel look. Bobf, one of this blog's longtime readers, suggested them for a different chop, one that's on the list, but I have a feeling you'll see them on many of my future cars. I love the look of them! The flat portions could be body-colored, too. VW is doing some really great wheels recently. They have a set that look for all the world like painted steelies with dog-dishes and some with such thin and flat spokes as to look two-dimensional.

The 1971 AMC AMX/3

It's surprising to me how many younger people have no idea there was an American car manufacturer called AMC or American Motor Corporation. It's history is quite interesting as AMC battled it out with the Big 3, including the period that Mitt Romney's father headed up the company. In the end it had a sad and painful demise, which seems to be the way most automakers end up perishing.



Back in the late 1960s the muscle war was heating up in the United States. AMC was losing badly to legendary cars like the Plymouth Barracuda and Chevrolet Corvette. AMC struck back with the Javelin and AMX, which had fairly good success. In the middle of this war AMC released one hell of a prototype super car: the 1971 AMX/3. Instead of making something to compete with Corvettes, AMC had produced something to compete with the likes of the Ford GT40.

The 1971 AMC AMX/3 came with a V-8 engine that produced about 340 horsepower and 430 pound-feet of torque. The car handled well for its time with a double wishbone suspension in both the front and rear as well as anti-roll bars and tubular shock absorbers, impressing journalists who were able to go for a ride in it. The AMX/3 would never see a production line as safety and emission standards in the US were raised. AMC abandoned the project to concentrate on updating its existing cars to keep up with the raised standards. Only six AMX/3s are in existence today, making them truly a rare bird.

1975 AMC Hornet Sportabout

1976 AMC Gremlin

1969 AMC Ambassador DPL Sedan

Long-lost AMC Wasp FWD Prototype. Needs Restoration.

Experimental FWD AMC Wasp sport sedan from 1966, found 45 years later in rough-but-ready condition—long thought to have been crushed. This car morphed from early prototypes of the upcoming RWD Javelin pony car... History artandcolour-style, of course: All in my mind and mouse. Click image to enlarge.

Shades of the Pacer and Citation?

2012 Chevrolet Cruze Z11 3-door pillarless hatchback—Um, that would be the AMC Pacer and the Chevy Citation, not the Edsel Pacer and Citation! Not readily apparent in this view is the fact that the passenger door on my 3-door Cruze would be 4-inches wider than the driver's door, just like the AMC Pacer. This would be a marketing decision to help counteract Hyundai's new Veloster, which has two doors on the passenger side and only one on the driver's side. The Chevy Citation reference is in the name, Z11 for the sports model illustrated. Chevy's first foray into front-wheel drive, the 1980 X-body Citation came in an X11 sport configuration, but since Chevy now has the Corvette ZR1 and the soon-to-be-released Camaro ZL1, I thought the "Z" precursor was more relevant to Chevy's 21st century than "X." Also note Chevy's now-traditional twin grille has been eliminated for a smoother appearance, slightly lowering the hood in the process. Original photo was the concept car of the upcoming Cruze 5-door hatchback.