There are some cars that the passing of time seems to erase from memory. For me, the AMC Gremlin, like this example on Craigslist somewhere south of Danville, Kentucky, is such a car. While I remember seeing them in my youth, I’d long since stopped thinking about them.
Webster’s defines a gremlin as a small mischievous gnome that causes an equipment malfunction. While I can see a physical resemblance, I’m not sure how the folks at AMC chose ‘Gremlin’ as the name for their new small car in 1970. Maybe they just wanted an excuse to put a really cool-looking, pointy-eared figure on their car. Based on a shortened version of the compact Hornet’s chassis, the Gremlin was AMC’s effort to compete with the Vega and Pinto. AMC had a smaller budget to work with than GM and Ford, so they were forced to carry-over as much from the larger Hornet as possible. The downside to this strategy is the Gremlin’s oddly-shaped back end. The upside is that a V8 engine fits and was available in the small car.
This example, unfortunately, makes due with the smaller 3.8L inline-6 engine, which just barely made it into triple-digit horsepower (100, to be exact) figures. The seller says this car has 106,000 miles and very little rust. Maybe the previous owner knew enough to keep it from getting wet. The pictures don’t illustrate any severe rust, but any potential buyer should inspect carefully to be sure. The car is also said to start and run, but the buyer is advised that towing home will be necessary due to brake issues.
If the exterior shots of this car don’t draw you in, the interior surely will. Who could resist that fantastic upholstery pattern? While it’s a bit dirty inside, everything seems to be present. Lots of these cars likely rusted into oblivion or were lost as dragsters – does that make this one worth restoring? I bet it would be the only one at the Sunday morning cars and coffee.
“Gremlin” was the code name given to the car when it was in development… it simply stuck with the car when AMC needed an actual name for it.
For $8,500 I’d expect it to be a well sorted car that runs and drives plus have a presentable interior and paint.
Steve R
When first seen ad was hoping for a 304 manual transmission. For 8500 still wouldn’t be interested. 5 grand at the most. I wouldn’t even bid on this unless around 2500. That’s only because I can get my hands on a 340 wedge with a 4 speed trans. Back in the 70s one ran around with this set-up. Not many Ford and Chevy street racers wanted to run him.
When I think of Gremlins I think of the Wheelstanding Nationals at Byron Dragway.
I would pay $8500 for This Gremlin.
Brian Ambrosini. He tries to flip it over every year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkYXHtUIPxw
One of my neighbors growing up was a Zone Service Man for AMC. He gave me my first muscle experiences in brand new AMX’s, Rebel Machines, and Javelins. But the best was his wife’s car. A purple with gold stripped V-8 4 Speed Gremlin with side pipes. My favorite day of the week was her day to drive us to baseball practice. That car sounded so sweet and both of them drove with an attitude. Great memories
Bongo is right. I used to street race every Friday and Saturday night back in the 70s and there was a guy with a Gremlin with a 327 in it. They called him “Worm”. He was hard to beat !!! Very fast car !!! I can remember that car running at night. It had green dashboard lights that made the inside glow
There’s a 78 with a 360 on CL in California for only $5500 I just bought a ’77 3.8 auto which I will sell once I finish restoration so I can get one with a manual transmission
Who else remembers the TV commercial with the grizzled old gas station attendant who barks out to the young girl “Where’s the rest of your car, Toots?”
“Where’s the rest of your car, toots” or spelled Tootse. I had a joke with my mom on this one. Did this air in the fall of ’72 or early ’73. I’d see a Gremlin on the street and yell out the commercial. I’ve been looking online for the ad
Where have all the Gremlins gone? A rhetorical question, we all know where they went. ( thanks to Eddie Stakes for this)
http://www.planethoustonamx.com/amc-dealerships/gremlin-train.JPG
Everybody in Wisconsin either had a Gremlin or knew someone with one. As illustrated by the train picture(^) every color of the rainbow. People that bought Gremlins, were usually the creative type, and the color of your Gremlin was a big part of that. Guess with all the silver and black cars today, people’s creativity has gone elsewhere. Someone save the Gremlin. Very historic car, we beat them all to the punch with small US cars.
awesome pic! wonder where they were headed?
If Gremlins are really wanted, they can be mined from Mexico. They are still rather cheap here.
For the price of this one, you could get a really really nice one, but they didn’t come out until 1974 in Mexico.
AMC sure was good at stretching a budget when it needed ( or wanted ) to make any changes. I had a ’71 Hornet wagon that wouldn’t die! It ran great, was comfortable, and EZ on the gas. I still think the Hornet based design is good looking. Later as the Concord , then the Eagle – – all good looking vehicles.
The CL post reeks of a flipper who has no idea what the car is worth – It needs a LOT of mechanical as well as costly cosmetic work. Also bench seat, smallest engine, few options and an old respray = Dream On
Owned a ’73 that looked exactly like this one, low budget entry level POS. In all the 45+ years of driving lots of different cars this one rates the absoulte lowest of the low. Bought it from bro in law due to daily driver being totaled and needed some transportation really quick. Horrible in every sense of driving – brakes, steering, noise, handling, vision, YUCK!
These were the saddest cars AMC ever produced. Sad, very sad….
Uh, pacer……at least the Gremlin had a little Gremlin to look at. Haha
That would be the Alliance,,,You weren’t around in 1971, were you.
My brother and me with moms gremlin.
Considering the times and the domestic competition they were not that bad, especially if you ticked off the right items on the option list. I remember people with disabilities liking Gremlins because they were inexpensive and had more room up front than the others (easier to get in and out of). For Americans who still were gun-shy of foreign cars and four-cylinder engines this was their ticket into the world of subcompacts.
Granted we’re way beyond the time that these were $500 cars but the asking price on this one seems very optimistic.
The Gremlin was actually one of the more “normal” small cars for the time. Gremlin had proven mechanicals, compared to the other offerings ( Vega and Pinto) AND, it was 2nd cheapest car in America, beaten out only by the VW bug, which was a pretty bare bones bug for $1,900 dollars and the Gremlin had decent a heater.
I bought this 73 about four years ago in CA. It had small rust in the floor and on the doors, and that was it. I rebuilt the trans, J-B Welded the 6″ long crack in the straight six water jacket, did the ignition and fuel system and have been driving it and working on it since.
Although a perfect grill for Gremlins runs from $650 -$1250, the seller is smoking his socks as far as his asking price.
I paid $450 for mine.
I have owned 2 of these in my life! I will tell you one thing tho, I am poitive that interior is not even close to original! The seller is being overly optimistic on the price! Especially equipped with a 6! I had one with the 6 and the other was 8 cylinder! The 6 is a very dependable engine, but the 8 is the one to have!
I don’t recall seeing that fabric pattern on Gremlin seats either, but memory dims over the decades. The back seat matches and the shape is correct for a standard Gremlin/Hornet bench seat. I get a backache just looking at it!