AMC Muscle Cars That History Forgot
It doesn't help that the American Motors Corporation had a reputation for stodgy but dependable family transportation, nor does it help that the company no longer exists today. Indeed, if the average non-gearhead were to disgorge their entire knowledge storehouse of things AMC, it would likely be limited to the cameo appearance of a 1976 AMC Pacer in the 1992 cult film classic Wayne's World. AMC would endure a painfully slow spiral downward ending in 1987, but not without first landing some heavy body blows to the competition with some now rare muscle cars.
AMC Steps Up
The 1960s and early 1970s saw the American Motors brand at the peak of its glory. Despite a chronic lack of engineering and manufacturing resources at a time when competitors produced yearly mechanical updates and cosmetic facelifts, AMC managed to offer a significant number of high-performance choices that were not only competitive, but visually striking. With the elevation of Roy D. Chapin Jr. in 1967 to chairman and CEO and Dick Teague as design chief, AMC developed a formidable line of muscle cars and parts (mostly through AMC's Group 19 program) that, though small in volume, would prove historic.
AMC would produce performance cars on several fronts, including the AMX two-seater, Javelin, Rebel Machine, Rambler/SC, and Hornet SC/360. To support its dealer showrooms the factory went NHRA Super Stock racing with 52 Hurst-built AMXs in 1969, then followed that up in 1970 by signing Roger Penske's Trans Am team with Mark Donohue and Peter Revson behind the wheel of specially prepared AMXs (coming in second place for 1970 and garnering the championship in 1971). Money may have been scarce at AMC, but they sure knew how to spend it properly. Let's look at five of our favorite AMC-powered AMC muscle cars from the Hot Rod archives.
1968 AMC AMX Muscle Car
When the two-seat AMX hit the market in 1968, its styling and performance made such an impression on Frank Moscarell that he ordered one with the holy grail of AMC performance options: the Go Pak. As such, its 315-hp 390ci V-8 was complimented by a Twin-Grip rearend, dual exhaust, and disc brakes, but the real kicker is that Frank's nephew Shawn owns it today and it is the car Shawn's parents took him home from the hospital in many years ago. Shawn took extra steps to up the performance with 10.5:1 forged pistons, an Edelbrock RPM intake, upgraded Crane valvetrain pieces, and a 7004R four-speed automatic with overdrive. The Matador Red AMX is regularly driven and now serves as a shining example of day-two performance in the AMC vein. (Check out the story here.)
1969 AMC Ambassador Muscle Car
It's often left to the citizens of Kenosha, Wisconsin—the historical home of American Motors' passenger car factory—to maintain the brand's history, and Mike Korecz is no exception. He's owned at least 14 AMCs in his life, but this 1969 AMC Ambassador is our favorite lesser-known muscle cars. Mechanically the same aft of the firewall as an AMC Rebel—a car more familiar to AMC gearheads—the Ambassador was AMC's bid to keep customers in the fold in the near luxury segment, and Korecz's Ambassador is striking with its Alamosa Aqua blue paint. But it's the car's massively reworked 401ci V-8 (now at 444ci), built 727 TorqueFlite, and Strange S60 rear that gets the heart pumping in a hurry with 12-second timeslips. Mike's many custom details (he's a machinist by trade) make this a one-of-a-kind muscle car that you'll want to read about here.
1969 AMC Hurst SC/Rambler Muscle Car
The year 1969 saw some of AMC's most potent efforts to draw in muscle car enthusiasts when it took the dowdy Rambler compact and turned it into a quarter-mile terror with a few well-chosen mods and the help of specialty tuner Hurst. Endowed with a 315-hp 390ci V-8, four-speed manual gearbox, special paint graphics, functional hood scoop, and of course the ever-present Hurst shifter, only 1,512 Hurst SC/Ramblers were built, and with just 10.1 pounds of mass per horsepower, they were brutally fast. This Hurst SC/Rambler is owned by Check Fisher and has been delightfully restored to its raced-in day-two trim. Click here for the whole story.
1971 AMC Hornet SC/360 Muscle Car
The AMC Hornet (1970 to 1977) got its name from the 1954 merger of Nash Motors with the Hudson Motor Company (Hudson Hornet) and was intended to do battle against a flood of imports that arrived in 1970s America. The AMC Hornet SC/360, however, would do battle with Detroit's other compact muscle cars in the affordable performance segment, its (285hp) 360ci V-8, four-speed manual gearbox and 3.54-geared Twin-Grip rear Go Pak package having a demoralizing effect on compact muscle owners of alternative brands. John Matthews was struck by the one-year-wonder 1971 Hornet SC/360 after wandering into a Canadian AMC dealership in 1971, and many years later would revive a relationship with the flyweight AMC muscle car that you can read about in detail here.
1970 AMC AMX Muscle Cars
Among all muscle cars, the AMC AMX with its two-seat configuration, all-steel construction, and short 97-inch wheelbase made it a standout for no other reason than its inevitable comparison with the Corvette—but at a far lower price point. Dennis Allen had always been an AMX guy, and this 1970 model, which he found in poor condition, would go nicely with his collection of 1968 and 1969 AMXs, but not until giving up a few of its parts to a Javelin resto. Rather than restore, Dennis opted to customize this '70 AMX with a pro touring theme, allowing him to deviate from stock with the fabrication he so excelled in. Dennis not only restores AMC metal, he works at Edelbrock as a development engineer and was instrumental in bringing to market several AMC products (intake manifolds, EFI) that can be seen in the original Popular Hot Rodding feature story here.
SOURCE: HOT ROD