Does anybody here remember AMC?

[Profreedomokie]

AMC died in 1987 but at least they tried. They did not have the deep pockets of Big Three nor the craftsmanship excellence, engineering mastery and materials quality of Europe and Japan. Not too mention this Kenosha, Wisconsin car company was saddled with an image of cars that were downright ugly. AMC was the red-headed freckles-face stepchild of the American automobile world. They were the laughing stock of the buisness like the Buffalo Bills, San Diego Chargers and Cleveland Indians were the laughing stock of American sports. AMC was the black sheep of American car companies.

Another famous Wisconsin based American motorized vehicle company, Harley-Davidson, had many long troubled years but are still very much alive today.

Back in 1981, my father told me that American car companies did not know how to build econobox cars and trucks just as Harley doesn't know how to build little mopeds and motorbikes.

I don't agree with all of this but, one thing they did right was the 232 6 cylinders motor. That was one of the toughest motor anyone ever built.

 

[hunter966]

Geeze, I thought he was talking about the old AMC shopping mall in OKC.

 

[Bocephus123]

I forgot about the 1972 Hornet station wagon my wife and I bought when we were first married. We drove it here from Va. when we moved. Here is the Javelin we had.View attachment 240206

I had a 70 Javlin SST 390ci Orange w nice chrome spoke wheels,pistol grip shifter still kick myself for selling that one probably be worth well over 100,000 grand now. laughing stock isn't even close . great cars you know nothing about anything.!

 

[1911Sooner]

I was just a youngster but I thought the Eagle was pretty cool.

 

[Bocephus123]

I had a 70 Javlin SST 390ci Orange w nice chrome spoke wheels,pistol grip shifter still kick myself for selling that one probably be worth well over 100,000 grand no

I was just a youngster but I thought the Eagle was pretty cool.

always wanted a 4x4 eagle when they were around i couldn't afford one.

 

[radarmonkey]

View attachment 240197

12:44am. Early bird gets the worm.

 

[chuter]

I was just a youngster but I thought the Eagle was pretty cool.

I bought a new Eagle back when they first came out. The 4 wheel drive system was something new and getting a lot of good press in the car magazines.
Got a lot of funny looks from people cause it was extreme for back then.
Didn't keep it long, it was really over my budget at the time, didn't really get to wring out the 4 wheel drive.

 

[SlugSlinger]

AMC had one of the most popular, modified and probably overpriced for what you are actually buying, vehicles ever sold. I am amazed it has not been mentioned. I went from hot rod cars (and many tickets) to a CJ7 in my teens and never looked back.

Jeep is an automobile marque originating in the United States, now owned by multi-national corporation Stellantis.[3][4] Jeep has been part of Chrysler since 1987, when Chrysler acquired the Jeep brand, along with remaining assets, from its previous owner American Motors Corporation (AMC).

 

[Tanis143]

If I remember right AMC used a lot parts from Ford and GM. I watched Junkyard Digs do a revival on two Eagles he bought and he was talking about how the alternator was GM and the spark box was a duraspark from Ford and pointed out other parts that were a mashup from the two.

My neighbor when I was in junior high and high school had a Pacer that she loved. It was her around town car. For going camping she had a 75 El Camino that she had a camper shell on and would pull a popup as well.

 

[AlongCameJones]

I had a 70 Javlin SST 390ci Orange w nice chrome spoke wheels,pistol grip shifter still kick myself for selling that one probably be worth well over 100,000 grand now. laughing stock isn't even close . great cars you know nothing about anything.!

I know a car that is unattractive when I see one. The Javelin is no looker in my eyes. The last generation of Ambassador ending in 1974 is what really cuts it as far as AMC looks go. I wanted a new 1985 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Brougham coupe that I could not afford that year at age 21 working at a burger joint. That car had a sticker of about $14K even then. Seven years later, 1992, I was in the service and inherited some money and property. That rear-wheel drive Oldsmobile (along with all the other rear-drive GM A bodies) was gone out of production by 1988. GM cut production 5 or more years too soon. I did not like the looks of the radiator grille on that Olds past the 1986 model year. 1987-88 were the final years of the most revered rear-drive GM A bodies but they had unattractive front ends by contrast with the '86 models. I could have well afforded that '86 body/grille style virtually the same as the '85 before it had it stayed in production into the '90's. The looks of cars really plummeted into the '90's. By the time I got into some good dough, I had missed the boat on new production cars I thought were lookers, namely those mid-80's A bodies. These not-so-pretty front drive things were about all that were left.