27th Sep 2007, 00:59
I'm a little confused. Is the Gremlin a compact or sub-compact car? If it is a sub-compact, the Nash Rambler has it beat by at least 15 years. But if it is the other, the Ford Falcon has it beat by a decade. I am finding a lot of firsts being attributed to AMC that are not truly firsts. Is this just what AMC lovers do to make themselves feel better about owning/loving AMC's? I'm all for giving credit to any auto manufacturer by devoted fans. But I really believe that comments should be factually accurate. We are after all, exchanging information. By the way, has anyone noticed that all car assembly lines and V-8's resemble those of the Ford motor company? Enough with the "all cars look like Pacers" shtick!
16th Aug 2008, 12:20
Did you know, everybody, that AMC's 4.0 inline 6 engine was used by Chrysler after their buyout of AMC until 2006? My father's got a 2004 Grand Cherokee, and it uses the 4.0. It's a lot more durable than most anybody in my family expected.
Also, anyone here heard of Collier Motors? It's the last functioning AMC dealership anywhere on Earth, and has its own article on Wikipedia. It's really quite an interesting story- stubborn doesn't even begin to describe the folks at Collier Motors.
30th Mar 2009, 21:28
I always wanted a Pacer. So in 2008 I bought one on (Ebay). It had only 59.000 miles on it. Best darn little car I've ever owned. And I have owned a lot in my 62 years.
The car is everything I had hoped for. It drives great and is very smooth. I also drive a 74 International Travelall. It too got a lot of hogwash comments. And the so called comments about rust. Have they looked at the other three manufacturers, they also had rust. If people don't like the Pacers then just keep quiet. There are plenty of us out there who dislike your cars too. I wouldn't sell my 1978 AMC Pacer for a new car. That's no lie.
9th Aug 2009, 00:06
The Gremlin was the first American made car to be considered a sub-compact by 1970 standards. The Falcon was the first compact American made car, but it is 20 inches longer than the Gremlin. Even some AMC people will argue that the Nash Metropolitan was the first sub-compact American car but it was made in England. I have no idea what it would be classified today. If I would have to guess, the Gremlin would be a midsize car and the Falcon a full size car.
4th Oct 2009, 23:11
The Rambler and Falcon were compacts; the Gremlin was the first American SUBcompact.
As for V8s, AMC designs were all original, except for the first generation that came from Packard. FAR sturdier than many of the Ford V8s that one previous commenter insinuated they were ripoffs of - junkyard AMCs rarely need to be bored, they have a very high nickel content that actually will damage some machine-shop equipment.
Folks generally knock AMC without direct experience - that, or they actually had one and had a bad experience with it, which happens to ALL cars at some point.
The AMC inline-6 is definitely one of the top 3 engines America has produced, frequently going 300,000+ miles with no overhaul (the 4.0 can also easily be stroked to a ~250 HP 4.5L with the addition of a crank, rods, and pistons from the older 4.2L/258 cu. in. engine).
4th Sep 2007, 16:38
It is true Pacer-Porsche 928 resemblance is more than coincidence, Porsche 928 designer Tony Lapine has stated that the Pacer inspired his use of a bubble-shaped tail end in his design. Also a Pacer from 1978 onwards could be ordered with a 304 cubic inch V8 developing 140hp@ 3200rpm and 238ft·lbs of torque at 2200rpm, very similar to the Malibu 305's 140hp and 240 ft·lbs of torque.
You must be insane to say that today's automotive designs were not pioneered by the Pacer. The Pacer was round like today's cars at the time of the Ford Granada. It was also the first cab forward designed car.
The standard Pacer straight six engines are considered one of the greatest engines ever and 2006 was the last year they were produced.
The Pacer also gave outstanding fuel economy for the time due to it's aerodynamic shape. In fact it has a drag coefficient of only.32, good even today especially for a fairly large car. The Pacer's ride is said to be like a magic carpet ride and its wide stance offers great stability.