AMC AMX
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The AMC AMX is an automobile produced by the American Motors Corporation (AMC). The AMX is a shorter two-seat version of the longer AMC Javelin pony car. The AMX featured a performance chassis and serious power in the Gran Turismo (GT) tradition, but at a budget price.
[edit] Origin of AMXThe AMX name originates from "American Motors eXperimental", a code used on several early prototypes developed by AMC. These were part of the company's attempt to change its "economy car" image to a more performance and youth-oriented market. The original AMX full-scale model were developed in 1965 by AMC's advanced styling studios under the direction of Charles Mashigan. In 1966, a concept car was designed by an outside consultant and named the "AMX II". This is a fiberglass-bodied car that was part of AMC's "Project IV" exhibit. The President of AMC, Roy Abernethy, gave the go-ahead for the Italian coachbuilder Vignale in Turin to construct a real car. A steel-bodied, operational car was delivered in just 78 days. This was known as the "AMX Vignale" and first displayed at the 1966 New York International Auto Show. American Motors had two simultaneous development programs: (1) to build a production vehicle by modifying the Javelin and (2) to create a completely new car out of fiberglass. The first approach used AMC's existing technology and unibody manufacturing expertise and was thus selected. By making fairly inexpensive modifications to the Javelin, the production car approximated the prototype's styling and proportions. The AMX debuted just over four months after the Javelin went on sale. This was the first American steel-bodied, two seat production model since the 1957 Ford Thunderbird. The only other two-seat domestic sports car at that time was the Chevrolet Corvette with a 98-inch (2,489 mm) wheelbase, while the AMX had 97 inches (2,464 mm) between the front and rear axles. It was also priced at US$3,245, or more than $1,000 less expensive than its honored competitor.[1] American Motors maximized the performance car connection by having race drivers Craig Breedlove and Lee Breedlove set 106 world speed records with the new AMX.[2] The motoring press was introduced to the new model at the Daytona International Speedway. Even Playboy Enterprises was enlisted to help market the new AMX. [edit] An American two-seaterThe first fully operational AMX prototype debuted as a member of AMC's AMX project in 1966, and was kept preserved in the Talledega Speedway Museum for many years, it is now in a private collection in Canada. The two-seater AMX is a limited production car built in the grand tourer tradition for three model years following its debut as a mid-year model on February 15, 1968. Production totals in the U.S. were 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 not only sporty and attractive, but it introduced many "industry firsts"[3]. A limited number of AMXs were also assembled under license in Australia. Complete knock down (CKD) kits were shipped from Kenosha, Wisconsin to the Australian Motor Industries (AMI) Port Melbourne, Victoria facilities. These AMXs featured right hand drive. The problem with classifying the AMX is that it not be a true muscle car because of its small size, or even a pony car because it does not seat four passengers; however, it was the only true steel-bodied two-seat American-built sports car on the market and represented the height of American Motor Company (AMC) performance.[4] AMC was never shy about asserting that its AMX was a genuine sports car.[5] 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.[6] All 1968 to 1969 AMXs came with a 4-barrel carbureted AMC V8 engines in 290 CID (4.8 L) (235 hp (175 kW), N-code), 343 CID (5.6 L) (280 hp (209 kW), T-code), 390 CID (6.4 L) (315 hp (235 kW), X-code) versions, all derived from the same external sized block. However, the three engines differed vastly Internally with the smallest engine having small intake and exhaust valves, thin block webbing, and a cast crankshaft; the 343 used larger valves with a thicker block webbing; and the 390 moved up to a forged steel crankshaft. A BorgWarner T-10 four-speed manual transmission was standard, as were special traction bars, dual exhaust, and fatter tires for better traction. Starting January 1969, all manual transmission AMXs came with a Hurst shifter. A "Shift-Command" three-speed automatic transmission (BorgWarner model M-11B or M-12) was optional with a floor console mounted shifter. Performance was 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 (210 km/h) for 24 hours, compared with the previous record of 103 mph (166 km/h). A major change came to the engine lineup for 1970 with a new 360 CID (5.9 L) four-barrel (290 hp (216 kW), P-code) replacing the 343, while the smallest 290 was no longer available. The 390 continued, but upgraded to new heads with 51 cc combustion chambers and a gain to (325 hp (242 kW). The code remained "X" for the engine on the vehicle identification number (VIN). The 1970 models also featured a new front end design with a longer hood. All had a prominent power blister with two large openings that were a functional cold ram-air induction system with the popular custom "Go Package". The double wishbone suspension in the front was also new featuring a ball joint with upper-and-lower control arms, a coil spring and shock absorber above the upper control arm, as well as a trailing strut rod on the lower control arm. The 1970 AMC AMX was the best version yet of this blend of muscle car and sports car and it was also, unfortunately, the last true AMX.[7] In 1971, AMC transferred the AMX name to a performance-oriented version of the 4-seat Javelin, which continued through 1974. The name was revived for performance option equipped versions of the Hornet in 1977, Concord in 1978, and lastly to the Spirit in 1979 and 1980. [edit] CollectabilityThe two-seater AMX has a strong following among old car hobbyists and collectors of historic vehicles and nearly every one of the 19,134 that AMC built during those three years remains in circulation and in demand, ensuring a good future for the first-generation AMX as a collectible muscle car.[8] While it was previously under appreciated from an investment standpoint[9], AMXs are now among the most highly sought AMC cars and they are considered to be "really taking off in the muscle-car market".[10] Although low in production, the AMX has the advantage of numerous shared parts and components with other AMC models. There are many active AMC car clubs for these cars, and parts availability is reasonably good - including reproduction components. [edit] Number matchingDuring their production, AMC provided no identification on a car to correspond with a particular engine. Other than inspecting a vehicle to examine that the correct engine displacement (by the numbers cast on either side of the block, under the engine mount) to correspond its vehicle identification number (VIN) code - as well as checking the tag screwed to the valve cover that identifies the date an engine was built to be roughly before the time of that car's production sequence - there is no engine "numbers matching" test for AMXs or any other AMC automobiles. As a marketing move, AMC affixed a small plate with a number to the glovebox door or to the center of the dash. Unfortunately, these numbers are random and do not coincide with any other identifying number - such as the car's VIN code, dealer or zone order, production sequence, nor build date. [edit] Concept and show cars[edit] AMX GTDeveloped for the 1968 auto show circuit, the AMX GT is a concept car based on the Javelin with a Kammback rear end. [edit] AMX-400George Barris customized a 1969 AMX. It was built for the second "Banacek" TV season episode. The car was lowered and its body was heavily modified. Its roof was chopped almost five inches and the car was lengthened 18 inches (457 mm). Featuring a sculpted body with louvered accents, it became known as the AMX-400. Barris Kustom Gallery page [edit] AMX/2 & AMX/3The second version, the AMX/2, is a fiberglass pushmobile design experiment, two rolling prototypes were made. One AMX/2 spent many years mounted atop a pole of a used car dealership owned by Norm Kurtz of Twin Pines Auto Sales in Ephrata, Pennsylvania. This car is now in a private collection in Canada. The AMX/2 design never made it far enough to become a running car. [11] The AMX/3 was the third iteration of AMC's AMX (American Motors Experimental) design for a two seater concept cars. There was only one AMX/3 fiberglass prototype made at the American Motors Design Center on Plymouth Road in Detroit, it went to the 1970 Chicago Auto Show. In 1973 Richard A. Teague had the car painted, changing the color from yellow to green and donated it to the Rippey's Veteran Car Museum in Denver Colorado. Five years later the museum sold the car to Jim Jensen who owned it until April 2007 when he sold it to Tom Dulaney who is restoring it. When completed the car will be on display at the San Diego Automotive Museum in California.[12] After making this fiberglass pushmobile called "Zero", the AMX/3 body mold was then sent to Giotto Bizzarrini in Turin, Italy who made the drivable mid-engine cars with steel bodies using the AMC 390 CID (6.4 L) V8 and an Italian OTO Melara four-speed transaxle. With a wheelbase of 105.3 inches (2,675 mm), BMW did the testing and said it had one of the stiffest chassis they had ever tested with very neutral handling characteristics. Giotto Bizzarrini sent the first five cars to AMC before the US$2,000,000 program was cancelled. The second group of five cars were incomplete, one car is known to have been completed later by Giotto Bizzarrini's business partner Salvator Diamonte. These steel Italian cars differed from the original AMC design in several ways, although each car has its own characteristics and differs from the others, they all had louvers on the hood to allow air to exit from the flow through radiator. Some of the cars have hood scoops as well to guide fresh air into the heating and air conditioning system. The rear decklid louvers were reduced in number from 19 to 11 and made functional as well as other minor changes. The AMX/3 is widely considered to be the best AMC design of all time. [edit] Performance numbersIn 2005, the Speed Channel show American Muscle Car [1] tested an AMX 390 as part of a comparative test to identify "the greatest muscle car ever built." While giving up a great deal of raw power to the other competitors (including a GTO Judge, Mustang Cobra Jet, and Hemi Challenger), the AMX's lighter weight allowed it to be competitive and place above a number of the larger, more powerful cars. In 1969, the TV show "Car and Track" posted these numbers after running an AMX 390 CID (6.4 L) with its standard 4-barrel carburetion and 10.2:1 compression ratio:
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