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Factory Equipped V8: 1979 AMC Pacer Survivor

All I can say is, yes!!! What’s not to love about an AMC Pacer that was factory equipped with a V8? Alright, so maybe these aren’t the best cars ever built, but this one looks to have survived the years well. It’s described as a barn find that has seen 98k miles and is packing its original engine. The seller claims they have gotten it running but that they haven’t done anything else to it. So, if you’ve been looking for a V8 Pacer, here’s your chance to own one! You can find it here on eBay in Boyertown, Pennsylvania with bidding currently at $1,151.

The car appears to be dusty in some of the photos and then clean in others, but the seller states that they haven’t cleaned it. It could just be the photos or maybe perhaps the rain washed the dust off? Either way, it looks to be a solid car with decent paint, nice faux wood paneling, and a straight body.

Here’s a partial look at that V8. It’s a 304 cui engine that’s rated at a modest 125 horsepower, but with 220 ft. lbs of torque this Pacer should feel fairly sporty. There are actually quite a few upgrade options for this engine, if you decide you need more ponies. Since it already has a V8, you could also upgrade it was a 360 or even a 401 V8. The CGE modified Pacers were quite the machines, with their flared bodies and built 401 V8s. I’m not sure if this example is a good candidate for that radical of a build, but it might not be a bad idea!

It looks like there will be some work to do before jumping in and driving this Pacer. The engine is said to run well though, so perhaps you could clean it up and start enjoying it right away. There weren’t too many of these V8 cars built by AMC, but there are quite a few Pacers floating around with V8 upgrades. Whether you keep this one original or upgrade it, at the end of the day it’s so much cooler owning a factory V8 car! So, would you be happy to have this Pacer?

Comments

  1. Avatar Anthony in RI

    Why do tan interiors always age in multiple shades of tan?

    Like 2
    • Avatar Jay

      Pacers with leather interior were not all the same tan color from the factory….I own two of them…..

      Like 3
  2. Avatar Glenn Halperin

    Reserve not met…

    Like 0
  3. Avatar Gaspumpchas

    Transmission>3 speed, 4 speed? As much as I dislike this easter egg, it would be a gas to upgrade to a bigger mill or soup up the 304, and put the loudest mufflers on you could get. It may be fugly but at least its different! Good luck to the new owner.
    Cheers
    GPC

    Like 1
  4. Avatar sparkster

    Back in the late 70’s there was company that was transplanting the AMC 401 engine into Pacers. Not sure how he got around the cooling problem associated with this upgrade. Air conditioning was extremely important item NOT to be over looked

    Like 4
    • Avatar karl

      There was a AMC dealership called Lipman motors that modified Pacers , They were called Pacer Diablos . I think they were all silver had had flares on the fenders with a design down the sides .I’m pretty sure those had the 401 stuffed into them

      Like 1
  5. Avatar Dave Skinner

    Not a Pacer, a Pager WAGON.

    Oddly enough, I saw two red Pacer wagons with red paint and wood panels at a Mopar show this spring- Maybe that was the only color and trim combination they came in.

    Like 3
  6. Avatar Mark

    Where’s the wood trim behind the rear wheels?

    Like 0
  7. Avatar BERNARD POKORSKI

    There is an old saying: Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder”….and to me this car is a ‘Beauty’! I had to put a ‘Watch’ on this eBay auction. I could never dare even bid on it (for fear that I might ‘win the auction’) and thereby have to empty my savings account to pay for it, not to mention transportation costs to central California.

    Like 1
  8. Avatar rod444

    Its always worrisome when I find myself checking shipping quotes on eBay from the seller to my location…

    That said, while I love the Pacer wagon as it is, there is one improvement that takes the wagon from cool to ‘ohmygawd’ status… https://pacertruck.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/aaatzr-0102.jpg

    Like 3
    • Avatar That AMC Guy

      AMC considered building those and made a prototype, but decided it would not be practical enough to sell. (A while back “Hemmings Classic Car” magazine published photos of several Pacer ideas that AMC was considering in an attempt to salvage their investment in the platform.)

      Like 3
    • Avatar waynard

      Very nice. I could see converting this one to that look.

      Like 0
    • Avatar chrlsful

      the best is the choptop a fella did when soon got home (early 80s). Looks positively european racer-like!

      Like 0
  9. Avatar karl

    And once again, a flipper cant wait to pull it off his transporter before taking a picture of it

    Like 2
  10. Avatar Tim Rusling

    This is a multiple rarity – a 304 in a Limited package. Very cool. I have a 6-cylinder Limited wagon [and a ’77 D/L project coupe.

    Like 2
  11. Avatar KKW

    I’ve been on this planet for 62 years now, and never have I ever seen nor heard of a Pacer with a V8. There’s not too many things I haven’t seen, so if this is for real, I guess I missed one along the way.

    Like 4
  12. Avatar Tim Rusling

    It’s certainly real and you did miss it. Although the horsepower wasn’t high, it was quite torquey, and it’s not hard to bring the hp up to where it should be. Remember, emissions regulations and the state-of-the-art back then made things a lot more difficult than today.

    Like 1
  13. Avatar Bern

    Hi, I believe that the AMC PACER design would be a big seller as new vehicle in today’s market… but then I have always liked the design. Back in the 1994-2006 era, I lived in Los Banos, CA. On a residential street that runs north & south on the west side of that city, and a little north of HWY 152, there lay a Pacer station wagon, as I recall, and my memory tells me that it had some type of factory cast aluminum wheels on it.
    The car had obviously not moved from that driveway for quite some time when I first saw it, but there it lay, complete and unmolested, and to my recollection, for all of the years that I lived in that small city.
    It may well still be resting there.
    I have thought about that car from time to time, ever since I moved away from there. I wonder……..

    Like 0

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