What’s life without little pockets of quirkiness to lighten the mood? The 1970 Gremlin is already guaranteed a place on the podium at any contest of eccentricity, but a 1970 Gremlin with 6,384 miles? Who stashes away a base Gremlin for posterity? Why are there so many mysteries in life? Regardless, this car, which has recently been featured in Hemmings Classic Car, is now for sale on eBay, and it’s a certified hit. Sometimes being a little bizarre pays off!
In case you were interested, here’s the odometer reading, and while there’s always some trepidation about a 54-year-old car with such low mileage, the car’s condition alone supports the veracity of the claim. If that’s not enough, the seller will include “the original title, bill of sale, and all receipts since new.”
No, it’s not showroom new. There is some rust on the undercarriage, but it’s the rust you might expect from long storage rather than from salt spray. This is the kind of car that Gremlin restorers would love to photograph as a reference, although Gremlin restorers are most likely thin on the ground.
The Gremlin was advertised as a sensible alternative to imported economy cars, and that included a little extra horsepower under the hood compared to a Volkswagen or a Toyota. Our featured car has the standard 199 cubic-inch AMC six with 128 horsepower, and it is hooked to the “Shift-Command” automatic with the gear selector on the column. According to the seller, the only other option is the light group; it’s truly a bare-bones Gremlin. Sportier versions such as the Gremlin X and its 304 V8 would come along eventually, in addition to Levi’s Edition Gremlins and the like, but this one sticks to its original mission. And that makes it all the more surprising that it’s become a time capsule.
The more perfect something is, the more its flaws stand out. In this case, a ripped seam on the driver’s side seems worse than it probably is because it stands alone in an otherwise fabulous interior. Even the radio works.
The seller will include the original tires and wheel covers with the car; the tires still hold air, but the owner wisely decided to save them for show use. If you’ve always wanted a clean original Gremlin, this may be your only shot this decade. You won’t be alone: 24 bidders have driven the price up to $10,925. It has not yet met reserve and there are over four days left on the auction. It will be fun to see where the final hammer falls on this delightfully unconventional AMC.
Love that the owner kept the original tires for “show use.”
“According to the seller, the only other option is the light group”
Looks like there’s a few more. This car has electric windshield wipers which were an option. (Electric wipers were not standard in AMC cars until 1972.) Also looks like this car has carpeting, thought that could have been added later. I’m pretty sure the base Gremlin came with rubber mats. I think for 1970 the back seat and opening rear glass were also optional, the real bottom-line base model had neither.
Minor nit, it’s a 199 cid engine, not 198.
Pretty cool to see a first-year Gremlin in good condition but these were not very pleasant to drive unless well-optioned.
Time to put on my readers? Slant sixes on the brain?
Either way, thank you! :)
I’ll update the text.
According to the Standard Catalog of American Cars, the 2-seater was a separate model.
Always fun to see an unmolested, clean, good condition economy car from back in the day.
I actually saw an early base-model Pinto today at a shop I use here in Tampa for AC work. I was struck at how boring that little runabout Pinto looked.
And, I was struck at how the basic design of the Pimpo resembled the Gremlin, with the slanted back window. The Gremi looks a lot cooler. 10K-plus cooler? Well, no.
Original econobox maybe Rex 😃
The Pinto has much better proportions & balance, all came with a back seat, & was available with a trunk, as a hatchback, & a wagon.
It also came with superior rack & pinion steering, tho a bench seat was not available or possible with its high central floor hump.
Surprising how wide those orig tires are.
Odd a 4 cyl was not orig offered.
Any early Pintos or Vegas out there with such low miles? Certainly none – for sale.
I believe a 2 liter was later offered for the Gremlin which was sourced from the VW group. They were not allowed to advertise its origins as part of the agreement.
Gremlin had a back seat , unless you bought a bare bones model . they didnt come as a wagon or a hatchback, if you wanted that, you just bought a Hornet , which was basically the same car. They didnt come with a 4cyl as AMC didnt have one, but they did have several six cylinder engines , which would pull away from the 4 banger Ford and Chevy , and a 304v8 was also an option- something the Ford and GM didnt. AMC used a tried and true platform for their new 1970 compacts ; I’d say it worked well for them
I think they both look cool. However I think the Pinto is the cooler of the two. LOL
The Pinto was the best looking of the economy car field of the early ‘70s, one of a very few that was a fresh design, not a shrunken big car. (Vega, are you listening?)
And performance? Pinto hands down over Gremlin.
Unless the Gremlin had the V8!
It what we’re talking about mere, and I know AMC put a v8 in a Gremlin, but a lot of folks did that to a Pinto on their own.
That said, in 1971 I’d rather have a Pinto 2000 than a Gremlin. In fact, I did.
My friend had a blue on blue lightweight 4 spd ’71 pinto with ohc motor, 3/4 race cam, headers, 4 bbl, konis, front & rear sway bars, formula steering wheel, front & rear spoilers, alum wheels, hood scoop. What a ride & sound! – no ugly 4 door “tuner” fart can noises or backfires.
I don’t necessarily doubt the mileage claim, but I’m surprised by the greasy bellhousing and transmission. Perhaps a problem with the valve cover or rear main seal due to age and lack of use?
My baloney has a 1st name,,,it’s 106K. Their underside/engine pics give it away everytime, for me anyway. Still for a car this age, it’s not unusual, be under 2,000/year. We’ve seen plenty of low mileage cars, and this isn’t one of them. Someone “found” this, spiffed ‘er up with some Ambassador (?) wheel covers, blasted the motor with the Binford 9000 pressure washer( note took the paint off the timing/valve covers) and can’t really blame them. With over 500 viewers, it’s clear there’s interest. Why? The automatic, I bet. Is it worth $11,000 grand? Pardon me a sec, ( laughing hysterically), my goodness , no, but to a whole generation(s) that never heard of such a thing, to easily DRIVE, no less, well, the numbers tell the story.
Who knows what it was bought for, and don’t get lofty ideas of selling clean Gremlins to the Snowflakes for untold riches, there just aren’t that many left. Great find.
Numbers aren’t lined up, especially the 4. Rolled over for sure.
In my opinion, the 4 is about to roll upwards, with the 9 tenths starting to hit zero –
Howard- I have no answer to this question, but, if some people are willing to pay $12,000.00 for this car and they have a smile on their face the entire time that they are driving it from just enjoyment, does that make them a bad guy? Many folks (not all) on here complain about the prices of older vehicles, but what keeps the people who want them and can afford them from buying them? To me, it’s somewhat like real estate. I sold my house in California for a price that was more than I can imagine it being worth, and certainly more than I could afford or would be willing to spend. And I feel terrible that many people can’t find affordable housing (or vintage cars). But people want to buy stuff, and are often willing to do/spend what they need to accomplish their goal. Now, can I interest you in a banana duct taped to the wall? This artwork is listed at $1.5 M, but I will give you a deal…
Hi John, thanks for the reply. If the “most” folks you mention never saw this car before, and used to $7/dozen eggs, and make $80 grand a year hustling pizzas( maybe), it might not seem so unusual, but for the folks that saw the rise and fall of these cars, for mere chump change, it is unacceptable. This is and never was a 5 figure vehicle, but then again, eggs were .59 cents. I tend to agree with your statement, if the ones that have the money want to spend it on a Gremlin, and the ensuing smiles, of course, who am I to stifle that? It’s just, good for them, and the ones that would love to have this car, simply have to do without. That’s not America in my eyes.
I’ve never seen a Grem with a bench seat before. It seems overpriced to those who knew these when they were newer, but probably not to somebody who grew up after the fact; i.e under age 55 or so. It’s not my cup of tea but it would definitely get a lot of attention at a car show!
Even if the miles rolled over it is a very clean AMC that has survived
$11+K so far for THIS???????????? Some “dope’s” must be smolking the wring stuff
New 72′ Gremlin X with dealer installed air and 3-speed/ 258 six.
I paid $ 2,800
I love when folks here say “It’s not worth that much!”
Folks, it’s worth $11k to at least one person, and the seller needs only one buyer, so it’s worth it.
Two or more, you need a second person willing to bid for the price to go up.
Steve R
Love it, for such a low mileage car, why is the seat in such poor condition?
That seat is in excellent condition considering it is a 54 year old American-made car.
Why can’t I give any of the comments a ‘thumbs up’?