Wow, I'd love to have a Gremlin X right now. The Gremmie was a SOLID choice for the then NEW "Gen X" driver in the early 1980s, and there were TWO that were desired: The "Levi's" and the "X". I had a '72 Sportabout in 1982, So I guess I just "super-sized" the AMC Hornet derived concept. 👍😊👍

Beating Ford and Chevy by six months. AMC was an awesome company.

@@anthonyfalzon2100 Yes they were, they made cars that were affordable and yet simple enough to repair and maintain for the average person.

And horribly built

AMC is dead. But there sure are a lot of running AMCs yet, fortunately.

@@KC9UDX my first car was a 73 amx 401 4 on the floor I got gremlin x 304 3 on the floor n put a 390 n a t10 4 speed in it cut the top off weld the doors up n put roll bar in it n got a lot of tickets 73 n good dx n9prf

@@joerowland7350 lucky duck! My first car was an 84 Firechicken. I got a lot of tickets in that. I knew a guy who had an 81 Spirit and his car was more fun. I didn't get a good opportunity to buy an AMC until 1998. But I've had 5 others since and the only other things I've bought were AMC designed Jeeps. Well I did buy one old GMC because AMC never made a ¾ ton van, unfortunately.

Amen brother! You nailed it

In 1970 and 1971 the Gremlin was sold as a two seat car. The Gremlin Business coup. The rear glass was sealed and could not be opened. AMC sold two cars as two seaters the Gremlin and the AMX. Only one other car was sold as a two seater those years. The Chevrolet Corvette.

Me too

We bought a 1971 Gremlin, and drove it until 1977, when I bought a full size car. I called it my gold gremlin, and many miles were put on it when we drove from the city to the country for work, about 350 mi per week. Never broke down, never wrecked, and was reliable.

I still think they are

The whole "Hornet" platform was a bargain at $40 Million. (If NOT for AMC, But the REST of the auto world) It lasted until 1988 and created the modern "crossover". AMC was there DECADES before!

All the sorry Chevy and Mopar owners talked trash about AMC, and that's what everyone remembers. UAW killed AMC as a threat to GM.

You do realize that the Pacer was to be equipped with a GM supplied Wankel motor. While GM developed the motor, AMC designed the car. At the last moment GM pulled the engine because of sealing problems and AMC was stuck with that wonderful and dependable but horrible overweight 258 in-line six. Man what a car the Pacer would have been if history and fate went after Gm instead of AMC.

I bought a brand new Gremlin X in 1972. 304 with a 3 on the floor. Driving that car was the most fun you could have with your clothes on. It would put a good run on a 318 Duster.

You think the Gremlin looked odd, what about the AMC Pacer?

@@paradoxdea Both designed by Richard Teague.

1972 Gremlin XR-401…

Thats how it was spelled then. They changed the name for an easier pronuntiation.

@@alexggg7230 Also, it was discovered that the literal translation of Dat Son was "Hare Loss".

@@That_AMC_Guy Didn t know that thx

The Nissan Motor Company was looking for a “less foreign” name for their cars prior to introducing them into the USA. A prospective dealership franchise owner from Texas saw the preproduction car Nissan was going to import and he exclaimed “Datson bitch sure is small!” And Datsun was born.

@@alexggg7230 It wasn't spelled that way since 1934, but whatever.

Frank Howard actually datsun was called datson when the imports came in the mid 60s, then nissan changed the name to datsun in the 70s for the 240z i belive

Zli. I believe that Nissan changed the name Datson to Datsun in 1934. Check it out at: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datsun

Frank Howard huh the guys at amc were sure ignorant

Yah, I've never seen any Datsun branded 'Datson', even the old Bluebirds. I'm sure some flat-earther around here believes otherwise.

That's exactly right. That was no secret.

I like quirky cars, so I would love to take one of these for a spin.

Beat Pinto and Vega into the marketplace by half a year.

@@matthewkoch6937 I remember my high school math teacher had one. It was certainly unique 😎

I had a Sportabout with the 258 and the automatic and I never thought of it as slow. So Yeah - a Gremlin with the 304 would have been quick enough for anyone in his right mind.

Yep. Heard it a million times from guys who never owned one.

Nice name.

Dan R Not sure they were “very” reliable.

They were about the same as most 60's cars. Having owned a Vega, the Gremlins were much superior from that point. One would have been better off getting a Hornet. You get into that class, a Dodge Dart was hard to beat.

1974 AMC Gremlin was very reliable for me .

Dan R The safer bet was to avoid the Vega and AMC’s. Go with other GM or Ford models or even a Toyota. These cars didn’t make AMC great.

It's straight six was bullet-poof.

@G Michael Leonard that was funny. you are not.

HA HA!

the bug's heater used air heated by the exhaust manifolds. the slightest exhaust leak could filter into the cabin. never a good idea

Mine had no heat, scrape the inside of window in the winter, but my sister had a gas heater, warm before you got out of the driveway.

I had a VW beetle through college in the northeast, and the heater worked great. Many people simply did know to operate it, with the defroster flaps and all.

A lot of that had to do with the Lobbiests of The Big Three padding the pockets of the Bureaucrats in Washington DC. The American Motors Corporation was an assimilation of other previous car companies into one: Willies Oberlin, Nash Hudson, Kaiser, Stutz, Oakland, Studebaker, Franklin and Frazier and the American Motors Corporation were closely affiliated with Chrysler Corporation as both were Mopar Products. Like Chrysler Corporation American Motors outsourced mechanical component manufacturing to the Motor Parts Corporation or Mopar as they're better known as opposed to Ford and General Motors who's components were made in house under FoMoCo for Ford now it's Motorcraft and AC /Delco/ Remy for General Motors for those unaware AC was a subsidiary of Autolite, Delco was John Delorean and Remy a subsidiary of Remington Firearms. Upon the bankruptcy of American Motors Corporation they sold their holdings to fellow Mopar family member Chrysler Corporation who primarily bought the holding and rights for the brands of Jeep and Eagle and when Eagle slumped in the market it was resold to Pugeot/Renault and Eagle sales did better in the European market, Chrysler Corporation still utilizes some American Motors Corporation model names such as the Concord and it's rumoured that Chrysler may reintroduce the Javelin in the Dodge Charger/Challenger and Magnum lines as another sport model.

@@roya.cathcartjr.5042 What the hell is Willies Oberlin??? Did you by chance mean WILLYS OVERLAND? LOL. Pretty much everything you typed after that is a complete untruth. Please stop spreading false information. AMC was started by the merger of Nash and Hudson, nobody else. AMC also never went bankrupt. Their majority shareholder, Renault Motors of France sold their controlling interest to the Chrysler Corporation. Yes, AMC did outsource component manufacturing just like every other car company has done since the beginning of time. The Remy portion of Delco-Remy was Remington firearms?? My god. A simple google search would put that lie to rest. Ditto Delco. John Delorean had nothing to do with it. Wow. Sit down before you hurt yourself.

@@That_AMC_Guy Lol you beat me too it. Too many false hoods to name. . All manufactures traded parts, In the early 50 Lincoln even used the GMC hydra matic transmissions. In the 70s Amc used the Chrysler torque flite. Many cars used other ignition systems and later their anti pollution systems too. There was a lot more horse trading going on behind the scene between the different manufactures then is commonly known.

and some owners forgot to put it back on, at the new self service gas stations

Lol why was the gas cap stolen?

Christopher Conard why was the gas cap stolen? Just curios lol

they were a expensive and colored the same as the car, they stole 1965-66 Mustangs gas caps more as those were quite nice , people were hanging them on the wall

Same for my 70 maverick

some company as the chassis for Torino Renault

You don't know what you're talking about.

I worked at AMC 1979 tru 1987

@G Michael Leonard A lot of people wanted a Javelin, especially after the styling was sharpened up for the second generation (71-74). It's just that AMC couldn't make and sell as many cars as the Big Three under any circumstances because it was the little guy. Also, MoPar is a common term for the Chrysler Corporation. They most certainly build vehicles.

Please don't bring back any AMC. Keep your Fiats. Don't trash the AMC name.

Jewish accent ⁉️ What is that 🤣

You need therapy.

Brian Damaged Maybe they were talking about the back seat.

Brian Damaged lol. Nice!!

"I spunked whilst tossing off in the loo" doesn't have any meaning to us over here...

What do you mean?

Delta Floss Your definition of cars must be different that the rest of the world. That’s like saying Rosie O’Donnell is the prettiest girl in America. These cars were junk.

This did not come out of Detroit. This came out of Kenosha Wisconsin AMC factory.

My grandpa bought one new. Rusted faster than you could drive it!!! A real shit box!!

@@shawnmcculley2995 uh-huh. Every sorry Chevy owner has a drinking buddy that had a grandpa's second cousin that had an AMC that was pure junk.

@@melrose9252 I'd wager that either the Gremlin or the Hornet was the best American compact car you could buy in the 1970s. They were simply designed, used proven technology, and AMC was the only mass-market car maker at the time that actually cared about rustproofing.

The Gremlin was the first! The others wouldn't have been launched by the time this film was released.

True that!

6 months before vega or pinto

The Pinto and Vega came out for the 1971 model year, in the fall of 1970. The Gremlin arrived in early April of 1970, making it a 1970 1/2 model. The Pinto was better than it's poor reputation today shows, but the Vega was a complete piece or garbage. The Gremlin was a pretty good entry in it's class, it sold well, and it made AMC quite a bit of money.

Just buy a Fiat.

Actually, AMC sold over 100K the first year.....the Aztek....they couldn't give away.

Oh good gawd, really? What ugly beasts. Both of them. The AMC Matador for all its ugliness had a charisma about it and rode like a lincoln.

Ugly is in the eye of the beholder. Incidentally, had a car that looked like the Gremlin been released fifteen years ago, the only thing that would stand out is that it's a two-door.

I think in 70 there were still pretty good, but the mid 70's was not very well built. I think AMC was running out of money, Jeep, later was their money maker and I think the reason Iacocca wanted to buy them when he was running Chrysler

Decline in overall quality throughout the 70s can be attributed to all the American car companies. I remember the days.

These regretful Chevy owners have been talking crap about AMC for decades.

But then it wouldn't have a 21 gallon gas tank.

The whole deal was that ALL the American MFGs did not take Japan seriously. I actually owned quite a few American Motors cars as well as the offerings from the Big Three. I found that AMC's were no better or worse than their American competitors, however they were easier to maintain. I am a mechanic by trade and have a big dislike of European cars. They are over engineered to the point of unreliability. In 2005 I made the switch to Toyota and have never looked back. Yes, I'm a auto mechanic. I don't like like working on the weekend, therefore I drive Toyota. The Gremlin is a neat little car of the seventies. A more "robust" "sub compact?" than the Pinto or Vega. Also, traveling the Interstate Highways, the most common dead car along the highway was a VW Beetle. The Gremlin was a product of it's time. If I had tons of money I'd find a factory AMC 304 V8 Gremlin, stuff an AMC 401 V8 in it and have loads of fun!!

Everything's different in retrospect.

@@gregsaunders6636I myself drive a Studebaker, because I don't like to be a boring person. That said, despite the fact that AMC was the only mass-market car maker that actually cared about rustproofing in the 1970s, I do have to admit that we made a big mistake by ignoring the encroaching imports from Europe and Japan.

The rear panel that didn't open was actually a structural body member. It helped prevent the chassis from twisting. That allowed the suspension to do a better job on rough road surfaces.

You would have to use a LOT of washer fluid to deflate the spare.( I owned 5 of them) When the bottle was empty, you had to disconnect from the tire in order to fill the bottle. No big deal to shoot some air into the tire at the same time, as you were already at the gas station. They all had free compressed air back then. Now all they have are corn dogs and candy bars to sell you when you buy gas.

So you like to have straight sex in a boat car, well good for you. May I suggest an Amphicar?

The Pinto was a great little car if optioned right.

OPEC and the fuel crisis suddenly made gas close to $17 a gallon in today’s dollars. Not hard to see how the 300+ HP car that got 11mpg went away. Agreed, though, sad.

Economic ? This thing had a v8 at some point

1st Generation Mustang: 2,445 pounds, Gremlin: 2633 pounds. It wasn't that people moved away from "Great" cars of the 60's, its that Detroit stopped offering reasonable cars for a bit. The Mustang 2 (2697 pounds with the 4 banger) was a correction to this bloat that Detroit's big 3 had in the late 60's. Shame they didn't keep cars like the Maverick Grabber though.

@@twotone3471 I had a Grabber. The wheel well paint washed off in chunks at the carwash. Withing 3 years it had rust perforation. Neither was it fast or good on gas. It wasn''t even attractive. Looked stupid with the fake ram air, today, the maverick grabber would be a perfect example of a ricer.

No it didn't.

Bruce. 2 Gremlins, 2 Pintos, and 3 Vegas? You, my friend, are a bonafide cheapskate.

It's a Kammback. There's a gas tank under there.

There was.

The Japanese came to the Germans and said this “We are releasing a new car and while we build great cars, we are not good at naming them. We would like you to name it please”. The Germans think it over and respond “ yah, we can name your car for you, do you have a release date?” Japanese “Yes, in two weeks” Germans “DAT SOON” Japanese “Perfect name, Datsun, we love it. Thank you”

It is now!

@@anthonyfalzon2100 unless they make a new Fiat with Gremlin badges, it sure isn't.

@@KC9UDX look, I am the biggest supporter of American Motors there is. My first car was a 1969 Ambassador, my 1973 Gremlin got me through college, my 1986 Eagle station wagon pulled an embarrassed Chevy one ton owner out of the snow. However When the merger took place in 1987 AMC became Chrysler. You can fight it or accept it. But it’s the facts.

@@anthonyfalzon2100 so you sold all your AMC's to Chrysler? If not, they were never Chryslers and aren't now. Not daimlers or fiats either. Did you know that some AMCs are still produced in China? Does that make our AMC's Dong Fengs? No. My "88 Chrysler Eagle Wagon" is called a Chrysler in the paperwork. But Chrysler bought it already finished, from AMC before selling it to me, just like any other car dealer would. It says Chrysler, but Chrysler didn't make it, and it's not a Chrysler. It arguably was for a couple of months. Not mopar. Not at all.

@@KC9UDX yep all 15 cars including my 40’ limo are Chrysler products except for that P.O.S Lincoln town car, oh well, the truth is the truth. Some learn some don’t take care.

Your funny Sean, could you equip a Vega or a Pinto with a six? Could you order them with cruise control and tilt wheel? At least with the Gremlin when you activated the air conditioner you didn’t stop the car.

@@anthonyfalzon2100 I would rock the shit out of a loaded Gremlin today. Those engines were bullet proof. My friend drove a 1970 Hornet in high school and you couldn't kill that thing.

@@seand2711 so would I my friend

It was called Kammback. Named after the German designer that discovered the aerodynamics of the time

Sonny. Unless you are in the habit of changing your oil every 9,000 miles, your claim is simply not true. VW recommended changing it every 3,000 miles and when it was changed, it required only 3 quarts vs. 4 or 5 quarts for most cars. In addition there was no oil filter expense as the cars used a reusable metal screen that the owner could clean out. Overall, I believe if the owner was a do-it-yourselfer, he would spend less money on oil changes.