AMC AMX

AMC AMX at a glance

The AMX is part of the golden age in our American muscle car guide, and all its figures are in the muscle car rankings.

From Project IV to the showroom

The name first appeared in 1966 on the "Project IV" show tour. AMC presented a fibreglass two-seat AMX and a four-seat AMX II there; the two-seater even had a fold-out "Ramble seat" in the boot lid. The company decided against a fibreglass production car: steel bodies could be made in large numbers, and the new Javelin already offered a suitable base.

The engineers shortened the Javelin platform to a 97 in wheelbase and removed the rear seat. Unlike the Javelin hardtop, the AMX had fixed rear side windows. Dick Teague was responsible for the styling, and Vic Raviolo for the engineering. The press saw the car at Daytona International Speedway on 15 February 1968, the public on 24 February, and the first cars were due in showrooms on 19 March 1968.

AMC priced it directly against the Chevrolet Corvette, the only other American two-seater, and undercut it by nearly 25 percent. Advertising presented the AMX as the most affordable American sports car.

106 records before the launch

Before the car went on sale, AMC wanted proof of its durability. In January 1968 two specially prepared AMXs ran at Goodyear's test track in Texas, driven by Craig Breedlove, Lee Breedlove and Ron Dykes. The cars had exhaust headers, oil coolers, racing camshafts, a 37 US gallon safety tank and magnesium wheels. They set 106 world speed and endurance records. Breedlove later reached 189 mph (304 km/h) at Bonneville in a USAC-sanctioned run.

Engines and performance

Sources differ on the 343: the infobox lists 209 kW (280 hp), the text 216 kW (290 hp). A four-speed manual BorgWarner T-10 was standard, and a Hurst floor shifter came with it from January 1969; the "Shift-Command" automatic was an option.

Contemporary road tests confirmed the performance of the 390. Car and Driver measured 0–60 mph in 6.6 seconds, a quarter mile in 14.8 seconds at 95 mph and a top speed of 122 mph (196 km/h) in 1968. Motor Trend timed a 390 AMX at 6.56 seconds to 60 mph and 14.68 seconds over the quarter mile in December 1969.

1969: Big Bad colours and the Super Stock AMX

The second year brought few technical changes and only a small price increase. As a cheap option buyers could order the "Big Bad" paint: neon blue, orange or green. 195 cars were painted Big Bad Blue, 285 Big Bad Orange and 283 Big Bad Green. Southern California dealers sold a green pace-car replica called the California 500 Special, and white AMXs paced the Pikes Peak hill climb.

The most extreme version was built for drag racing. The Super Stock AMX had two four-barrel carburettors, 12.3:1 compression and headers, and Hurst carried out the conversion. AMC rated its engine at 254 kW (340 hp), while the NHRA classed it with 313 kW (420 hp). The best recorded quarter mile was 10.73 seconds at 128 mph. Only 52 were built, and each cost almost half as much again as a fully loaded regular AMX.

1970: new nose, more power

The final two-seater got a longer bonnet with a functional ram-air "power blister", a full-width grille and new tail lamps. The front suspension now used double wishbones. The 360 replaced the 343, and new cylinder heads raised the 390 to 242 kW (325 hp). Inside, clamshell bucket seats and a Rim Blow steering wheel arrived. The "Go Package" was offered with either the 360 or the 390.

The Society of Automotive Engineers named the AMX the best-engineered car of the year in 1969 and 1970. Sales, however, never reached the targets. Insurance surcharges on powerful cars and the move to smaller models ended the two-seater after 1970. The AMX name lived on as the top version of the AMC Javelin from 1971 to 1974, and later on the Hornet, Concord and Spirit.

The AMX today

Interest in the two-seat AMX rose in the 2000s, and Hemmings listed it among the "21 hottest cars" of 2007. Parts, including reproductions, are available through AMC clubs, although fewer than for cars from the big three Detroit makers. The rarest variants are the Super Stock cars, the Big Bad colours and the California 500 Special. Its rivals from the same years are in our golden-age muscle car list, together with the American muscle car rankings.

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