There was a black AMX in NW Washington with big block Chevy power that ran low 10s, with ease. One of the most consistent bracket cars I had ever seen! Beautiful car! Bob H.
10 second... Awww that's cute... https://www.motortrend.com/events/h...-ultimate-iron-class-leader-bryant-goldstone/ This is the 6 second javelin street car that runs drag week.
Recent article, April 24 2023, on BarnFinds.com: V8 Project: 1975 AMC Gremlin X The Gremlin was the quirky-looking (and named) car created by American Motors in 1970. Its purpose was to compete against the likes of imports and their soon-to-arrive U.S.-built counterparts. But it was really a compact Hornet with a shortened wheelbase and abbreviated rear end. It sold reasonably well through 1977 after which it morphed into the Spirit (as the Hornet did to the Concord). This 1975 Gremlin “X” (an appearance package) has undergone a mechanical transformation, including gaining a V8 engine where an inline-6 once was. Located in Osteen, Florida, this interesting project is available here on eBay where the first bid of $5,000 is waiting to be cast. Though positioned against the VW Beetle and Chevy Vega, the Gremlin was heavier, thanks to its Hornet roots and use of a six-banger under the hood. By AMC standards, the Gremlin was a hit, selling more than 670,000 copies in eight years. That success was due – in part – to a shift to more economical cars in the mid-1970s as gasoline prices rose considerably from the golden days of 25 cents per gallon. The car received subtle changes over time, one of those being the addition of the “X” option in 1971 which added some fancy stripes and other visual cues to appeal to younger buyers. The seller’s ’75 Gremlin X started out with an inline-6, probably the AMC 232 cubic-inch motor. But a 304 V8 has since been added and it’s in the project stage though the recipient of several performance upgrades. It has a 904 transmission which has been tested but not rebuilt. To make the change from I-6 to V8 power, some components were borrowed from a ’77 Hornet AMX, such as a beefier rear-end, V8 rear leaf springs, and front suspension components. Other items have been redone or reconditioned, like the fuel tank and brakes. The rest of the car is a work in progress, including the interior which is not currently in the auto for the most part. And it lacks a headliner which will have to be custom-made as the form-fitted “cardboard” ones these cars came with are no longer available. The buyer of this Gremlin will be taking home an unfinished project and may have to source some of the parts not seen in the photos. We get the impression this car was being built to race at the time work came to a stop.
Had a roommate back in the day that talked of a Gremlin X that he had as a kid sporting a factory 401.
There was a Gremlin that was a street terror in the Flint, Michigan area @ 1976-77. Got a chance to look at it one night while watching some guys set up races. It had a Ford 460 with a tunnel ram with lots of other hipo parts on it, guys were saying it ran 10.xx in the quarter. Looked pretty badass with a big hood scoop, Cragars and big meats out back! Supposedly never got beat....
The 232 AM six was a very good motor. The main reason that I was not an AMC fan, is that they purchased components from everybody and his brother. No matter what part you needed, there were several choices due to differing sources. It took almost as long to narrow down the part that you needed, as it did to actually replace the part.
this one’s pretty cool https://www.facebook.com/groups/Str...id=3468742393390244&mibextid=rS40aB7S9Ucbxw6v
You took the words right out of my mouth. These SCramblers were very cool and very fast. Easily as fast as my 1969 383 Super Bee. (and I ran several of them back in the day).
I'm sure that he has that much time and money into it, but I wouldn't pay $32,000 + for four of them in that condition.
1972 AMC Gremlin X 304 Muscle Car Of The Week 1972 AMC Gremlin X 304 Muscle Car Of The Week Episode 330 Loyal viewers have seen this ‘72 Gremlin X before, but today, we’re driving it. We first featured this purple 1972 AMC Gremlin X in our Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals show coverage, so you’re not seeing double. There are times when we’ve featured cars from The Brothers Collection at events when we couldn’t shoot them in motion, so when we had the chance to wheel this little 304 V8 powered X-box around a bit, we decided to have some fun with it. This car generated a lot of commentary for sure. While there were some who didn’t think the stock 304 was worthy of a “Muscle” title, many pointed out the performance potential of this quirky little car. Just because this Gremlin has a 304-cube V8, the timing was all wrong for this one. By ‘72, AMC’s little troublemaker had the life sucked out of the 304, now reduced to 8.4:1 compression and gasping through a little 2-barrel carb. So it’s only good for 150 HP… does that mean it’s not a fun ride? Not hardly. The interior is super basic, but it does have a 3-speed manual on the floor. And even though it’s got a light curb weight of 2900 lbs., it still only equates to about 1 horsepower per 20 pounds of Gremlin. Which means 16.80s in the quarter. A street racer it isn’t… at least not stock. Gremlins were designed and built to be economical and practical cars, but it’s interesting to see how AMC added muscle-car elements to the car… like silver rally wheels wrapped with raised white letter Goodyears, disc brakes, a traction-bar rear end, and cool gold stripes. Driving the X is fun, but it makes us wonder what this car could have been if it was born just a few years earlier, and was powered by the Hurst SC/Rambler 390, for example… now THAT would have been a sleeper!
This one sold this year at the Kissimmee, Mecum auction for $49,500 Click image below to view more photos
Chrysler became the owner of AMC and also of the Hornet name. Hudson made the first Hornet models for model year 1951, they later merged with Nash-Kelvinator to become AMC. In the '70's AMC used the Hornet name again. Origins of the "Hornet" name Hudson introduced the first Hornet in 1951 as a performance model featuring the Hudson's new "H-145" engine. The automaker formed a stock car racing team centered on the car, and the "Fabulous Hudson Hornet" soon became famous for its wins and stock-car title sweeps between 1951 and 1954. The Hornet inspired Paul Newman's Doc Hudson character. American Motors retained rights to the 'Hornet' name during Automotive Manufacturer Association ban on factory-supported racing from 1957 until 1962, and was dormant from 1958 until 1969. The rights to the "Hornet" nameplate were then passed to Chrysler with that company's acquisition of AMC in 1987. The nameplate has been through several potential uses since then and has been reintroduced for the 2023 model year as a compact SUV marketed under the Dodge brand.
Chrysler bought AMC primarily because AMC had a new, state-of-the-art factory. Chrysler thought it to be a better deal to buy the whole AMC company, then building it's own new factory which it badly needed. I don't know whether Chrysler really wanted Jeep, or just got lucky.
John I always assumed that Chrysler really wanted the Jeep name . That's why they only kept that and the Eagle name going .
