Yes, a Gremlin. I stumbled upon this one, in remarkable shape actually (who would restore a Gremlin?) at a car show in Everett, WA a couple of years ago. Had to get a photo of it.
I have to admit, I’ve never ridden or driven in a Gremlin, despite being a peripatetic passenger in their heyday.
My high school girlfriend had a bright orange Gremlin. She loved it for some unfathomable reason.
It was ugly but not much worse than some of the other crap pumped out by the US auto industry at the time. Oh wait, they still do…..
Also unfathomable is the fact that there are enthusiasts out there coveting and restoring Gremlins and it’s evil AMC sibling the Pacer.
I hear the Pacer with the gold head inline 6 is hawesome!
it looks like what I thought was called a Pinto in the 70’s here… one of my first close shaves with real ugly USofA cars….. uuuuurrrrr
Jerome
Don’t forget the special edition, the Levi Gremlin, purple with denim seats!
I have no desire to own one of these, but I love seeing oddballs like this and restored Pintos and Vegas, especially when they’re stock. It tickles me that even cars like this or Austin Marinas or Princesses find someone, somewhere, who will love them.
hey want is wrong with Marinas or a Princess?? cars of true British stock I’ll have you know!! you can’t talk about them in the same paragraph butt ugly Pintos of Vegas!!! no way!
Jerome – loyal subject of the glorious pink Empire in those atlas’s of old….
A true story about Gremlins…
My dad was wartime buddies with Dick Teague, the designer at AMC who brought us this wonderful car.
One day, at the 1972 SCCA Nat’l convention, Dad ran into Dick and they got caught up, having not seen each other for over 20 years. Dick was *very* proud of the Gremlin, and (mistakenly) asked Dad what he thought of the car, knowing Dad was a ‘car guy.’
Dad, ever the one to say anything in the fewest words possible, pondered the car (which was on display at the Convention), rubbed his chin and asked Teague, “Well, Dick…all I want to know is, where did you put all the trunks you cut off the Hornets?”
Dad never spoke to Dick again. Dick wasn’t too happy with the statement…;)
And, lest anyone diss Ramblers, on a performance-potential basis, I raced against an AMC Spirit (basically a differently-bodies Pacer/Gremlin) with its huge, 258-cu.in. straight six, and a single Carter carb. That car went like stink!
With that (relatively) gigantic car filling the rear view mirror of my weenie 1200 Datsun, the Rambler provided…ah, *incentive* to stay in front of it!
Overall, Gremlins and Pacers got a bad rap; they certainly aren’t everyone’s cuppa but compared to the rest of American cars of the time, they wern’t all that bad.
Jusy *uckin’ fugly*.
🙂
That two-tone car just to the left of the Gremlin looks like a ’55 Mercury.
It could be Rog… that show was heavily weighted towards big 50s “yank tanks” as you can imagine… being in Everett, WA!
I can barely contain myself; I’ve just found an Austin Princess on Craig’s List. See here:
http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/cto/1074721404.html
Maaco paint job, non matching seats and loads of bits broken for a mere $42.00. It’s a steal folks. Somebody must want to rescue it. Damn, it’s $4200: this might be a tad overpriced…hahahahahha!
Now it’s time for my medication.
“Now it’s time for my medication.”
I’d say you need a stiff drink and a blow to the head!
–chuck
Nuthin’ wrong with Mad Dog that a Prozac and a polo mallet wouldn’t help… :>)
(with all apologies to Woody Allen….)
Is it just me, or does it seem that AMC built an abundance of yellow Gremlins & Pacers? Coincidence?
“Hey lady; where’s the other half of your car?”