Repainted in an unusual shade of light green that looks either light blue or gray in a lot of the photos, this 1976 AMC Pacer appears to be wearing a satin sheen rather than the usual glossy finish that we usually see. The seller has it listed here on eBay in Armonk, New York, and there is an unmet opening bid price of $1,200. But even then, the reserve won’t be met.
I think this color might be Seaspray Green, or a lighter variation of that, but the shadows and color temperature may be causing it to look different. I originally thought this photo was showing it in primer after bodywork was done, but before it was painted. It looks gray in that photo without much shine at all, doesn’t it? Here’s a 1976 AMC brochure, just for fun
It’s a curse of having been an architect for years and now an architectural photographer for two decades; I can’t help noticing colors. Sorry about always yammering on and on about colors, color temperature, and all those things that nobody cares about. (But, it looks blue here!) (crickets) The AMC Pacer was made for only a half-dozen model years: 1975 through 1980. It came in this classic “fishbowl” two-door sedan, and also a two-door wagon that didn’t get the rear curved side glass.
The interior looks great, and the seats look perfect, both front and back. The seller says this car has just 47,118 miles on it, and the first thing I’m wondering about is why the body had to be restored with such low mileage. They show a few underside photos, and it looks fairly gooped up under there. That alone would be enough for me to see, but maybe it isn’t as bad as it appears. The light green color comes through in a couple of photos, one of them being the rear cargo area.
Here’s another photo with the light green color showing. The engine is said to be AMC’s 258-cu.in. OHV inline-six, which, with its one-barrel carb (according to the VIN), was rated at 95 horsepower and 180 lb-ft of torque when new. Backed by an optional Chrysler-sourced TorqueFlite automatic sending power to the rear wheels, the seller says it runs, shifts, and drives as it should. Any thoughts on this Pacer?
The leading photo is praiseworthy – good job seller!
You’re so right, 8banger! I complain about photos so often, but don’t praise sellers for great photos often enough. Thanks for knocking me back to reality. They really do provide a bunch of great photos.
Aw come on, SG, must I be the one? Excellent, party on Wayne, whoo whoo whoo, schwing, if you’re gonna spew, spew into this,,,Mr. living in the past here, no, no don’t wake me, I was so much happier then,,movies like Waynes World defined who we were,,on screen. Much like American Graffiti, or Happy Days, we felt part of the scene. There were others just like us. The Pacer will forever have that honor and I’m doubly proud to say, it was made in my hometown by my neighbors and friends parents. This, is a wonderful find, no, people won’t remember what an “AMC” even was, just a quirky car they’d love to be seen in. Not much different than the 70s, really, and will serve them well, just like 1976. I knew people that had Pacers and loved them, and would have surely bought another, but by the time they needed one, they were not being made and a good used one couldn’t be found, in the Badger anyway, where most lived.
Will we ever go back to “Waynes World” again? No, but as long as we have movies, the Pacer will forever be recognizable as Waynes car. Try that with any other car.
I like them. But if I had it, I would have a hard time deciding if I would want to convert to a 13B Rotary with 5 speed, or convert it to an EV. One thing for sure is that I would add the period correct Turbine wheels and maybe red-line tires.
“…thoughts…?”
want the wagon, want the wagon….
Esp w/this motor. A 5 speed or more preferably
a torqueflite 904 the “A500” OD version. One on the
floor ina back corner here that would fit that motor’n chassy I bet…
So for the repeat : Ever time I see Pacer it reminds of when in 76′ I flew from Philly to Tampa and my cousin let me drive her new Pacer from there to Orlando. Hers was dark brown.
A took a road trip in one back in the day. Surprisingly comfortable for long distance travel. I did not like that the passenger door was four inches longer than the driver’s door. The idea was to make it easier for back seat passengers to access the rear seat. However the door was as thick as a bank vault. If the car was on an uphill incline it became a real chore to open it. I wonder what that door weighed!
Thanks again for the brochure link, Scotty. I always spend a little time going through them and there is always something in them that you would never have thought would be an option.
Like the mini-camper option for the Hornet Hatchback. Gotta be super rare.
The Pontiac Aztek had that option too.
When I was a manager with Hertz I tried to hang on to one car as long as I could, bbut occasionlly we needed to rent anything that had tires (with air). That meant that as they started being returned, we’d get Pintos, Mavericks, Pacers, etc first, then the other cars. Why, I have no idea. The first time I drove one was friom Portland to AugustaME. Gave me time to realize Pacer spelled backwards is Recap. The daggoned car drove well, and in comparison, had the weight feel of a Torino–not the handling, but the solid feel. Lots of space inside. Sometimes it was difficult to see it was as wide as other cars that made lane changes iteresting i you weren’t paying attention. My favorite that I rarely let out on rental was a 69 AMX. The GT350H Shelby might have been the chick magnet, but you’d want the woo-hoo of the AMX if the chick’s old man showed up! Shame these cars are long gone.
I miss AMC…and the Pacer.
Actually it was originally intended for the Pacer to have a rotary engine.
Auction update: this one made it to $7,100 and that didn’t meet the seller’s reserve, so no sale.