1979 AMC Spirit AMX on Bring a Trailer Has Trans Am Envy
Key takeaways
- In the late '70s, even American Motors fell under the spell of the Pontiac Trans Am.
- Turning up on Bring a Trailer (which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos), this 1979 AMC Spirit AMX is like a fun-size Trans-Am, complete with flames on top of the hood and V-8 firepower underneath it.
- As a company, AMC was all about doing things the bigger manufacturers couldn't or wouldn't, being just a tad more daring to try to stand out from the crowd.
Why this matters: an automotive development that could shape industry direction or buying decisions.
In the late '70s, even American Motors fell under the spell of the Pontiac Trans Am.
Bring a Trailer The AMC Spirit was an update of the Gremlin that debuted for 1979.AMC also tried to stretch its appeal in the muscle-car direction with the V-8–powered AMX version.It's not well remembered, but the 1979 V-8 Spirit AMX was actually an endurance race winner.Are you familiar with the slang term "short king"? Well, this runty little rascal is just that. Turning up on Bring a Trailer (which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos), this 1979 AMC Spirit AMX is like a fun-size Trans-Am, complete with flames on top of the hood and V-8 firepower underneath it. It ain't Alan Richtson's Reacher, but it packs a punch.
As a company, AMC was all about doing things the bigger manufacturers couldn't or wouldn't, being just a tad more daring to try to stand out from the crowd. Often, it was tongue-in-cheek moves like calling a new compact the Gremlin, which actually did result in some unexpected sales success.