The Best AMC Cars

Long an automotive underdog, AMC built some of America’s most interesting and innovative cars of the 20th century.
1957 Nash Rambler Super - Greg Gjerdingen on commons.m.wikimedia.org
1957 Nash Rambler Super - Greg Gjerdingen on commons.m.wikimedia.org

AMC Cars Worth Remembering

Among defunct car brands, AMC or American Motors Corporation is arguably the most fondly remembered thanks to its plucky underdog story and uniquely innovative, often quirky automotive designs. AMC was formed in 1954 when Hudson Motor Company merged with Nash-Kelvinator thereby creating what was at the time the fourth largest car company in the US. Headed by George Romney and centered in Kenosha, Wisconsin, AMC’s bid for relevance lay in marketing smaller more economical cars, like Nash’s Rambler, skirting the heady competition between Ford, GM, and Chrysler (Detroit’s Big Three automakers) whose focus at the time was on ever larger more ornately adorned cars during the peak era of fins and chrome.

Though AMC built its brand on modest practicality, there was plenty of innovation and occasional imitation along the way. Cars like the Javelin and AMX saw AMC make their bid for relevancy in the muscle car segment while the Gremlin and Pacer were memorable efforts at building economy cars timed perfectly to the market.

Though AMC lasted a brief 33 years, eventually selling out to Chrysler, its impact was considerable and charms substantial. Here’s a look back at ten of AMC’s best and most compelling cars.  

AMC Rambler

1952 Nash Rambler - en.wikipedia.org
1952 Nash Rambler - en.wikipedia.org

Ah, the Rambler. The Rambler name dates all the way back to 1878 when it was used by Gormully & Jeffery and later applied by Jeffery to his 1897 automobile. Jeffery’s Rambler brand was eventually bought by Nash Motors in 1916, which merged with the appliance company Kelvinator in 1937. The Rambler name stayed on the shelf until 1950 when Nash’s President George Mason spearheaded an effort to produce a small economical car that became the Nash Rambler.

Following the 1954 merger of Nash-Kelvinator and Hudson, the Rambler was sold under both the Nash and Hudson banners as those brands were steadily phased out and the Rambler name established as AMC’s principle sub-brand. From there, the Rambler name topped a series of cars, from the Rambler Rebel of 1957 (a precursor to muscle cars as a compact with an available 327 V8), the Rambler American, the Rambler Ambassador as AMC’s flag-ship full-size car, the Rambler Classic of 1961, the Rambler Martin (1965) and again with new version of the Rambler Rebel for 1966.

The Rambler’s final iteration was the Hurst SC/Rambler built for the 1969 model year. The SC/Rambler was a performance version send-off for the Rambler built with drag racing in mind and equipped with AMC’s 390 V8.

Rambler Ambassador

1962 Rambler Ambassador - Christopher Ziemnowicz on wikimedia.org
1962 Rambler Ambassador - Christopher Ziemnowicz on wikimedia.org

Though AMC concentrated most of its efforts on building mid- and compact-sized economy cars, they also built a proper flagship full-size car, the Rambler Ambassador which went head-to-head with the likes of the Chevy Bel-Air and Ford Galaxie. The car began as the Nash Ambassador for the 1957 model year before transitioning to the lofty title of “The Ambassador by Rambler” for 1958 and finally the Rambler Ambassador for the 1962 model year.

The ambassador saw a quick succession of eight generations from 1958 through 1974. Most momentous of these was the 1963 model which was named, along with the rest of the Rambler line, as Motor Trend’s “Car of the Year.” AMC’s new lead designer Dick Teague gave the car an impressively stylish redesign that year, one of many successes for Teague’s tenure at AMC.

The Ambassador grew larger and more luxurious as the 1960s went along but by the early 1970s it was becoming clear big cars were waning in popularity and thus the Ambassador was canceled as AMC shifted its focus to compacts like the Gremlin and Pacer.

Rambler Marlin

1967 AMC Marlin - Retroolschool on Youtube
1967 AMC Marlin - Retroolschool on Youtube

The Rambler Marlin debuted for 1965 as the top-of-the-line model for Rambler brand sporting desirable options like air conditioning, power windows, and four-wheel disc brakes. By 1965, AMC’s executives felt the Rambler brand’s association with “bargain value” was not the boon it had once been and dropped the name in favor of the “AMC Marlin” for the 1966 model year. The ’66 Marlin is a classic Dick Teague design as a pillarless two-door with a long and gradually sloping fastback roofline. The 1967 design gave the Marlin stacked headlights for a fetching look even as the car was repositioned just under the now top-of-the-line Ambassador. For 1968, the Marlin was discontinued and replaced with the new Javelin.

AMC Javelin

1971 AMC Javelin SST advertisement - automotivetimelines.com
1971 AMC Javelin SST advertisement - automotivetimelines.com

The AMC Javelin was the company’s first foray into the 1960s hottest segment pony/muscle cars. Debuting for the 1968 model year, the Javelin was a bit late to the muscle car party. But AMC did their best to make the Javelin, which was based off their Rambler American, as attractive both visually and mechanically. The Javelin offered a series of V8 engines from 290 cubic inches to 343 cu.-in. and topped by AMC’s 390 V8 making 315 horsepower and a robust 425 lb.-ft. of torque. All that grunt allowed the Javelin a very respectable seven-second sprint from zero to sixty mph. The Javelin wasn’t just for the street either, like the rest of its muscle car cohort, the Javelin competed in both drag and Trans Am racing, featuring a stunning AMC red, white, and blue livery. The Javelin continued through the 1974 model year with a second generation of the car gaining a 401 cu.-in. V8 (330 horsepower) and a special interior design edition designed by fashion icon Pierre Cardon (models ’72 and ’73).

AMC AMX

1970 AMC AMX 1 - carsforsale.com
1970 AMC AMX 1 - carsforsale.com

The Javelin wasn’t AMC’s only muscle car, either; the AMX also debuted for the 1968 model year. It was, as AMC noted at the time, one of just two two-seat American sports cars at the time, the other being the Chevy Corvette. The AMX was marketed as “the only American sports car under $3,500,” which was true enough but seemed to harken back to AMC’s bargain roots, a reputation the company had spent much of the decade trying to shed. Slick looks and AMC’s powerful 390 V8 didn’t prove enough to keep the AMX in production and the car was canceled after its 1970 model year.

AMC Rebel Machine

1970 AMC Rebel - carsforsale.com
1970 AMC Rebel - carsforsale.com

That same year AMC gave the Rebel name a proper send off in the form of the “Rebel Machine,” a year after retiring the Rambler name. The Rebel Machine featured an extensively upgraded version of AMC’s 390 V8 with forged connecting rods, upgraded crankshaft and cams, a 10:1 compression ratio, unique intake and exhaust manifolds and cylinder heads. The first 300 Rebel Machines were all finished in white with red and blue racing stripes. The one-year-only model sold 2,326 units before being replaced by the AMC Matador.

AMC Matador

1975 AMC Matador - Christopher Ziemnowicz on commons.m.wikimedia.org
1975 AMC Matador - Christopher Ziemnowicz on commons.m.wikimedia.org

The AMC Matador debuted for the 1971 model year and marked a return to AMC’s quirky and distinctive designs with its protruding grille. Under the hood were a series of straight-sixes and V8s, topped by a 420 cu.-in. V8. The second-generation Matador (1974 model year), like the Javelin before it, was given a special limited-run high-end interior design created by fashion designer Oleg Cassini.

AMC Gremlin

1974 AMC Gremlin - Elise240SX on commons.m.wikimedia.org
1974 AMC Gremlin - Elise240SX on commons.m.wikimedia.org

It might seem ironic and more than a little risky to give your new compact car the name Gremlin, the folkloric monster notorious for creating mechanical problems. And yet, AMC’s tongue-in-cheek marketing made the Gremlin all the more approachable. Indeed, the Gremlin was AMC returning to its compact car roots for 1970 just as competition in that segment was heating up with the arrival of Japanese imports from Toyota and Honda.

The Gremlin’s early hatchback design wasn’t quite a literal hatchback as it didn’t have a full hatch but rather hinged glass to maintain the desired amount of chassis rigidity. Like the Javelin and Matador, the Gremlin got its own special interior trim, this one a brand crossover with Levi Strauss for denim-decked upholstery. Midway through the Gremlin’s nine-year run, AMC introduced another two-door compact, the Pacer.

AMC Pacer

1975 AMC Pacer - barnfinds.com
1975 AMC Pacer - barnfinds.com

The AMC Pacer arrived for the 1975 model year, pitched as a compact with roomier full-sized width. Not only was the Pacer as wide as most mid-size cars, but it also came with more glass than just about any car on the road. A full 37 percent of the Pacer’s surface was glass, including massive rear windows. The greenhouse was a double-edged sword of superb outward visibility and a literal greenhouse on hot days. The Pacer was a hit for AMC. But in an ironic twist, the company’s decision to accelerate the production line led to quality control issues that began to dog the Pacer. Another albatross for the Pacer was its relative lack of fuel economy for a compact car. The Pacer’s straight-six and V8 options stood in stark contrast to the highly efficient four-cylinders from Toyota and Honda. Production concluded for the Pacer after the 1979 model year. And yet, the Pacer would see a second life as Garth’s “Mirth-mobile” in 1992’s Wanye’s World.

AMC Eagle

1985 AMC Eagle - GatewayClassicCars on YouTube.com
1985 AMC Eagle - GatewayClassicCars on YouTube.com

Even with the demise of the Gremlin and Pacer, AMC’s ability to innovate wasn’t exhausted. For 1979 the company forged new ground with the AMC Eagle, arguably the first true crossover vehicle. The Eagle was designed by Jeep’s Roy Lunn who went on to design the other candidate for first crossover, the Cherokee XJ, just a few years later (did we mention AMC bought Jeep from Kaiser motors, eventually selling it along with the rest of the company to Chrysler in 1987?). The Eagle’s key innovation was mixing the best of both worlds, a comfortable and roomy wagon body with the high riding suspension and four-wheel drive of an SUV. Variants of the Eagle included the Kammback which used the body of the AMC Spirit (sedan) and the extra nifty SX/4 a sort of lifted sport coupe/compact. The Eagle was one of the rare vehicles to survive AMC’s merger with Chrysler as its run was extended through the 1988 model year.

Related Pop Culture Articles

Cars Seen in The Sandlot

Behind the Scenes of Hollywood Movie Cars

The Space Age Plymouth XNR Makes Fallout Cameo

The Cars of Gone in 60 Seconds

Chris Kaiser

With two decades of writing experience and five years of creating advertising materials for car dealerships across the U.S., Chris Kaiser explores and documents the car world’s latest innovations, unique subcultures, and era-defining classics. Armed with a Master's Degree in English from the University of South Dakota, Chris left an academic career to return to writing full-time. He is passionate about covering all aspects of the continuing evolution of personal transportation, but he specializes in automotive history, industry news, and car buying advice.

  • 1

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *