Cars - AMC Gremlin

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	Cars - AMC Gremlin

The AMC Gremlin was the first American subcompact car. Made by the American Motors Corporation for nine model years from its April 1, 1970, debut through the end of the 1978 model year, a total of 671,475 Gremlins were made.

AMC knew that Ford and General Motors were coming out with subcompact cars in 1971 but did not have the resources to respond with one of their own. Chief stylist Richard A. Teague came up with an ingenious solution; chop off the back end of a Javelin (legend has it that Teague first sketched out the design on the back of a Northwest Orient air sickness bag). The resulting car was the AMX-GT and was first shown at the New York International Auto Show in April 1968. The AMX-GT was never produced and the new subcompact, designed by future Chief of Design Bob Nixon, was instead based on the compact Hornet. The Hornet wheelbase was reduced from 108 in to 96 in(2743 mm to 2438 mm) and the overall length was reduced from 179 in to 161 in (4547 mm to 4089 mm). The resulting Gremlin hit the market six months before Ford and GM were able to introduce their subcompacts. The car came only in a two-door model priced at US$1,879. The lowest priced model initially did not include a rear seat.

Although it had the wheelbase of a subcompact, the Gremlin was a compact car in every dimension except the distance from the seatbacks to the rear bumper. The back seat was nearly non-existent (suitable only for children) and the cargo area was smaller than that of a Volkswagen Beetle (although folding the rear seat doubled the cargo area). The Kammback design was radical for the time and spawned jokes like, "What happened to the rest of your car?". However, it was surprisingly aerodynamic and the Kammback was adopted by many other popular subcompacts in following years. Its handling suffered from being front-heavy and its ride was a bit stiff because of the shortened rear springs. The Gremlin was not a true hatchback as only its rear window could be opened, except for 2-seat models, which employed a fixed backlight.

In 1970, the Gremlin debuted with AMC's 199 in³ (3.3L) I6 (a very sturdy and durable seven main bearing design), which produced 128 hp as standard equipment, with AMC's 232 in³ (3.8 L) I6 — producing 145 hp — as an option. Sales started at a respectable 28,560 units in only five months of production.

In 1971, the famous X appearance/equipment package became optional ($300) on the 4-passenger model. This package included body side tape stripes, body color front fascia, slotted road wheels on 70-series tires, blackout grille insert, bucket seats, and "X" decals. The 2-passenger Gremlin version soldiered on into its second and final season. The 232 in³ I6 that was optional for 1970 became standard, while a new stroked version of the 232, a 258 in³ (4.2 L) I6 became the optional powerplant. Compression ratios dropped from 8.5:1 to 8:1 for 1971, resulting in the 3.8 L six producing 135 hp, while the new 4.2 L made 150 hp. Sales improved for 1971 to 76,908 units.

1972 brought a host of changes to the Gremlin, not the least of which was an available 304 in³ (5.0 L) V8 engine. Engine ratings were downgraded to more accurate SAE net hp figures, bringing the 3.8 L engine to 100 hp, the 4.2 L to 110 hp, and the 304 V8 to 150 hp. 2-passenger models were pared from the line, having only sold a paltry 3,017 examples in 18 months. Gremlins also switched from non-synchromesh manual transmissions to transmissions with synchromesh in all gears. The Borg-Warner-sourced automatic transmission was replaced for 1972 by a sturdy Chrysler-designed unit. Other, more minor technical upgrades found their way into the Gremlin in order to make the car more reliable and durable. This year, AMC would introduce America's first bumper-to-bumper warranty and wanted to ensure that their product improvements would result in fewer warranty claims, good PR, and improved customer satisfaction and loyalty. All Gremlins received a new body-colored front fascia treatment for 1972. AMC produced and sold 94,808 Gremlins for 1972, a 23% gain over 1971.

For 1973, recoverable bumpers able to withstand a 5 mph impact in the front and a 2.5 mph impact in the rear debuted according to federally mandated regulations. Gremlins also received the option of a Levi's interior trim package, which included spun nylon upholstery made to look like real denim, but for fire safety regulations, could not be. It featured such details as removeable map pockets, burnished copper denim rivets, and red Levi's logo tabs. The X package received a new tape striping patten that emphasized the Gremlin's rear wheel flares by kicking up over the flare itself. Gremlin sales improved again to 122,844 units, a nearly 30% gain over 1972.

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Cars - AMC Gremlin

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