AMC AMX
The
AMC AMX was an
automobile produced by the
American Motors Corporation (AMC). The AMX was a shorter two-seat version of the longer
AMC Javelin pony car.
The two-seater AMX was a limited production car built for three years, with production totals as follows; 6,725 (1968), 8,293 (1969), and 4,116 (1970). Of these, the rare, 52 Hurst-modified SS/AMX drag race cars are perhaps the most highly sought after by collectors.
The AMX was named "Best Engineered Car of the Year" in 1969 and 1970 by the American
Society of Automotive Engineers. Among the reasons they cited was its industry-first all one piece injection molded dashboard for safety purposes.
All 1968 to 1970 AMXs came with a 4-barrel carbureted
V8 engines in 290, 343, 360 and 390 in³ versions, all derived from the same external sized block. A T-10 4-speed manual transmission was standard, as were special traction bars, dual exhaust and fatter tires for better traction. Performance with the latter engine was very competitive, and the AMX found its greatest success on the dragstrip, where it held the Super Stock champion title for many years. When AMC debuted the AMX, they hired on the expertise of
Craig Breedlove to challenge the existing national and international speed records. More than 100 records were broken, and some were shattered, including an average speed of 130 mph for 24 hours, compared with the previous record of 103 mph.
In 1971, AMC transferred the AMX name to a performance-oriented version of the Javelin, which continued through 1974. The name was revived for performance option equipped versions of the
Hornet in 1977,
Concord in 1978 and the
Spirit in 1979 and 1980.
There are many active AMC car clubs for these cars, and parts availability is reasonably good.
AMX GT
See main article AMC AMX-GTDeveloped for the 1968 auto show circuit, the AMX GT was a concept car based on the Javelin with a
Kammback rear end.
Bizzarrini AMX/3
The
1970 AMX/3 was the first high-performance
mid-engined sports car made for sale in the U.S. It was a U.S.-designed
automobile manufactured for AMC by
ItalDesign at the former
Bizzarrini factory in
Turin, Italy. Six cars were built from 1969 to 1972. It was designed chiefly by AMC designer
Richard "Dick" Teague.
The AMX/3 featured a 390 in³ (6383 cc)
AMC V8 engine developing 340 hp (254 kW) at 5100 rpm and a custom made OTO Melara five-speed
transaxle. The car was tested by BMW for AMC and it was reported to be capable of speeds up to 160 mph. It has a wheelbase of 105.3 in (2675 mm), length of 175.6 in (4460 mm), 74.9 in (1902 mm).
As a fulfillment of earlier prototypes, the car is not well known. The AMX/3 was the third iteration of AMC's AMX (American Motors Experimental) two seater concept cars. The second version, the AMX/2, was a design experiment. Two rolling prototypes were made. (One AMX/2 spent many years in neglect mounted atop a pole for a used car dealership.) The first fully operational AMX prototype debuted as a member of AMC's AMX project in 1966, and was kept well-preserved in the Talledega Speedway museum for many years.
*
AMC Gremlin*
AMXfiles.com*
Detailed information on the AMX/3*
JavelinAMX.com*
AMC AMX at Muscle Car Facts â€" A year-by-year account of the AMX
