All these years later, the AMC Pacer’s shape is still one of the most recognizable in the world. That rear end design has never been replicated in any significant fashion, meaning when you see the back of a Pacer sticking out of a dusty garage, you already know what you’re looking at. This Pacer has just two owners from new, and has been locked away for several years following the second driver’s death. Find it here on eBay with just over 61,000 miles and bids to just under $2,700.
There was a time when it seemed a Pacer was a bit of a joke among car enthusiasts. Perhaps it was the Wayne’s World connection, or simply coming at a time when American consumers really didn’t like economy car. Whatever it was, the Pacer has slowly enjoyed a second coming of age as classic car lovers begin to at least appreciate the car’s various quirks. The Pacer is no muscle car, but it is emblematic of a domestic brand that wasn’t afraid to take chances.
The listing reports that the longtime second owner purchased the Pacer with under 50,000 miles on the clock and proceeded to use it for a very short commute. Today, the odometer reading seems valid based on that information, but you’d be hard-pressed to tell by the interior condition that the car was considered low-mileage when it was parked. It needs a lot of love inside, but hopefully most of these flaws are superficial in nature.
Those tires look like they’d hold air if given a blast or two, but you’ll want to replace them regardless. The seller notes that the Pacer’s Alabama origins have kept rust to a minimum, which is this car’s saving grace: no matter how much we may love a Pacer, it’d be hard to justify restoring a rusty one. It should go cheap, which hopefully means it has a decent chance at being restored. Would you save a Pacer if given the chance?
Leave it stock looking, except for a big blower motor sticking out of the hood and big M/Ts out back.
Agreed punched out to 425 with a Weiand 671 blower borg Warner t 10 with gear vendors overdrive unit. At least that’s the plans for my 68 amx 😄
You guys are crazy to suggest installing a giant motor and tires…without a tube chassis and a full cage of course.
Shoehorn that new 632 chevy crate motor into it, just make sure you leave enough room between the wheel tubs in the back for a 10 lb. bottle of giggle juice. 🤪
That mold inside doesn’t look superficial – just saying.
Can of Lysol take care of that.
I think I can smell the inside of this car. … It’s not good.
Perhaps it’s a science project.
Hopefully the tires hold enough air to get it to the crusher.
This is a highly optioned car that could be saved. Just as long as the floors are solid, there’s hope. I love these, but I’m unable to save this one personally. Likely the reason it survived is its dowdy color. I see the rust still got into it, even in the south. AMC’s rustproofing was…
100.00 Fish bowl at this point.
I once tried to test drive a used Pacer but it would only go in reverse.
Got the 1979 Buick Skylark instead. Better choice
If you mean Alabama like around Mobile expect significant rust. I drove a ’76 with the big 258 (4.2L) and 3 on the tree for several years. Pale green, it was like driving a huge watermelon. A durable and reliable beast, great ride quality and no slouch on the road for the mid-70s. But average mpg was @ 15.
Would I save an AMC Pacer given a chance? Short answer: YES, I would! I’ve heard all the clichéd lampoons about its looks, and I defy them all. It was far nicer-looking than its contemporary stablemate, the Gremlin. In fact, I dare say that the designers of the Pacer took cues from the full-size GM SUVs–err, sorry, “station wagons”–produced from ’71 thru ’76, which were THE best-looking wagons ever, regardless of make or era, hoping to make those cues work on a compact…and in my opinion, they did just that. I’ve always liked the look of the Pacer; if I were into small cars, the AMC Pacer would be in my Top-3 list.
Granted, its drivetrain is a handicap, being sluggish even if it did not get fussy. But, that was a factory issue; the designers built the Pacer to take GM’s rotary engine which was being developed at that time. They were not prepared for GM to suddenly abort development, so they had to insource; the only engine they had that could work was their straight-6, which made for serious cramping of the engine bay that was supposed to accommodate a rotary engine. Now, if a later Volkswagen 2-liter 4-banger could be made to go in and mate to the rear-wheel drivetrain, that could give a Pacer a bit more pep to live up to its name.
Would I save a Pacer given a chance? Yes, I would.
I question your taste in automobile design. Have you ever even seen a 67 country squire?
They sold some AMC Gremlin with a four cylinder, two litres Audi engine; both Gremlin and Pacer had a Chrysler Torqueflite automatic transmission (torquecommand for AMC), if you look hard enough, you could locate one of these Audi engines.
The European Chrysler 180 and 2 litres cars had 4 in line engines attached to same Torqueflite transmission, but these engines are not easy to find.
Perhaps they know something about Audi engine at KennedyAmerican.com
Blessings +
A Mazda RX-8 Renesis engine with automatic 4 speed plus reverse transmission from Japan is around $1500 in eBay, will fit AMC Pacer motor space, saving over 100 kg weight.
Power will go from 90 kW at 4000 rpm in AMC 6 in Line, to 155 kW at 6500 rpm in Mazda RX-8 Renesis engine.
Two V-Force Reed Valve cages $11 each in Ali express, to control a Peripheral Intake port closing 40° after BDC for Street driveability, clogging the existing Mazda side intake ports could make an interesting experimento.
Rear wheels are nearly same widht in RX-8 and Pacer.
You can add to the Pacer the Mazda rear axle box, this will give an independent rear wheels suspension, better adapted to the new top speed.
Disc brakes in Pacer are a bit smaller than in RX-8, rear wheels in Pacer have drums, Mazda has discs in the 4 wheels.
Quite easy to test, Or not?
Blessings +
I remember always thinking these were strange looking cars but it wasn’t until I learned that one door was actually longer than the other for safety and ease of entry/exit that I realized just how different they really were.. I’d own one today just maybe not this one as it is gonna need alot work before roadworthy and habitable
I owned a Pacer back when, my first car actually. I see a comment suggesting that their Pacer averaged 15 mpg. I can verify that! I always swore that I could have put water in the gas tank, and I would have gotten 15 mpg. It didn’t ever seem to matter how well or poorly it was running… needing a tuneup, or purring like a kitten…15 mpg. Never have owned a car that was so predictable in it’s performance.
I had a’78 station wagon with a 232 and a 4spd stick (4th was overdrive) and I about 20mpg around town and almost 30 on the highway. It was a great car for camping, held a lot of stuff. I think that was my favorite car of the 40 or so I’ve owned. It didn’t have A/C and we went camping in Florida in August, but that’s another story.
I don’t care where she lives. I had one and you could see right through the floorboards. But it ran, even in a blizzard.
Although restomodding this bad boy is tempting, I’d be inclined to just fix what ails it, but otherwise keep it stock. Repair any leprosy where the dreaded “tin worm” has attacked the structure and paint it. Address any mechanical issues to make it safe and reliable, clean and repair the interior as required, then just drive it and enjoy the looks you get from little kids as they point and wave, never having seen anything like it before!
Is nobody going to mention Wayne’s buddy Garth drove a blue one and they rocked out to Bohemian Rhapsody while driving in it? On that merit alone, it would be excellent to have.
Don’t forget the stretch limo version in Wayne’s World ll. That was an impressive build. No CGI FX back then – it was the real deal.
These cars were junk when they were new. I remember being embarrassed catching a ride in college hoped no one I knew seen me in it. I wouldn’t give a dollar for this piece of junk. In fact not sure you could pay me to take it……now, how do you really feel about it?? LOL
Hardly junk when new, they were futuristic and the new outlets went wild about it. Bullet proof engine to boot.
Funny how you think your comment will sway anyone one way or the other lol.
Sorry Greg, I disagree. I have a black Pacer X with a 4-spd. It came from the West Coast and has zero rust. It is fun to drive and when I take it to car shows it is a “chick magnet”…the Pacer appealed to women. Countless women tell me how much they loved owning a Pacer. I also have dark tint on the window glass..
Hard to say but I do like seeing these pacers now days. In 1979 when I was 15 not so much. Although visability was incredible in these cars there was absolutely no way to be cool in one. My dad purchased my sister a 1973 340 4. speed blue/black plymouth duster that she drove in high school. My parents divorced my sister graduated high school bought a cougar and moved out. I was eagerly waiting my turn for the duster. Imagine my shock and surprise when I came home to learn my mom traded her 75 town car and my duster in waiting straight up for a 76 pacer much like this one. I just got my drivers permit and me and my mom took a week long trip me driving the pacer all threw Wisconsin and the u.p. of michigan. It was a good driving car and I did enjoy the 3 speed manual. It was a great trip as long as no one saw me but that car did get a lot of stares. She had it about a year and a half never had a problem with it. Won’t go into how mad my dad was about her business dealing. I ended up buying a gremlin when I turned 16. It was a lot better than being seen in a pacer.
Wrong!
My buddy had one in high school …boy did he get abused lol..however when we broke our hot rod on a Friday or Saturday night his little pacer got us to the part stores on Sunday morning no questions asked.!
My first new car! 1975 Beige, straight 6, automatic, roof rack. Just finished a 5, 782 mile driving vacation. I saw two Pacers in yards along the way. I’d love a V8 wagon.
I think the “abuse” comes from the correct perception that the Pacer was not designed with any pretension of being a street performance machine, but as a vehicle for a suburban housewife to carry her kids on errands comfortably, that would be easy to park.
Not every testosterone fueled teenagers dream
The market hates practical cars.
Back in the 70’s my grandpa tried to get Grandma to learn to drive. They were in their 50′ s then. He told her if she got her license he would buy any car she wanted. Grandma said I want a Pacer. Grand pa never brought it up again. Grandma never learned to drive.
I always find it amusing to read how many people think such and such car is ugly or odd looking. I get it; but, what is it about the human brain that assigns an acceptable beauty factor to a man made piece of machinery that is built for moving a person from home to work or grocery store? The comments always sound to me like, “Oh I don’t care for the looks of that washing machine.” LOL
It is amusing, and usually so uninformed that it says more about the writer than the car.
When someone starts out by saying “It was so ugly,” (unless its a Citroen Ami 6) or “it was a terrible car (unless its a Chevy Vega), I discount their ability to think rationally, and move on, because usually, they are ignoring a whole lot of information.
“A car should kindle a light in the owner’s eye.” Magazine ad for 1950 Plymouth.
When these 1st came out, I saw a hoot of a modification. One could pull the glass, cut off the roof, install a liner, install hand controls and fill it with water. A rolling hottub!
If I was rich I’d be eccentric, but since I’m not in just weird.
I’m just weird and I don’t spell check.
The engine in AMC pacer weighs around 200 kg, a Mazda Rotary is half this weight, you could buy in eBay a japanese RX-8 Renesis, low power version engine with automatic transmission, this is good for engine gears, change it to Peripheral Intake Ports, V-Force Reed-Valve controlled, clogging the Renesis side intake ports, keeping side exhaust ports, for an affordable cost, or have the indestructible but low power, low mileage AMC six in line substituted by a flat six Chevy Corvair Engine, there are versions with compresor, reaching the power original AMC engine had, aftermarket camshafts and distributor pinions are available for having the Corvair engine turning in the right direction for a front placed, rear wheel drive engine.
A new engine output shaft bell may be needed, a video exists in YouTube ‘How to adapt any engine to any transmission’
Corvair Engine weight is also in the line of Mazda RCE; for extreme weather, nothing compares to Air Cooled engines, it will have an instant start same in Death Valley and Alaska winther.
AMC Pacer was designed around the Wankel RCE GM never produced.
Easy-peasy NOT!
EWW! The moldy interior is a deal breaker.
I had an asthma attack just looking at it!
Yeah! Old engines, Diesel engines, produce lots of NOx, that, combined with water in the air, generate Nitrous and Nitric Acids, the worst corrosive known.
During lightning storms, producing also NOx, some people get Asthma Attacks.
There is a way to mitigate this, the anti-oxidant N-acetyl-cysteine, p.o., initially 300 mg once a day (avoid preparations with NaCl), can protect the respiratory tract.
Blessings +
Interior is gross! At least empty out the ashtray.
the Pacer has a removable front suspension with disc brakes and rack and pinion steering, many years ago I installed one of these suspensions in my street rod, I had to narrow it two inch’s because of its wide track,a really good front end still in use today.
we had the wagon version. they handled well enough, and those picture windows were amazing, just like the weight of those doors. two man and a small child to close them (attests my x wife who hated the weight) I would never call it an economy car at 18 mpg. but it was very handy and reliable
The author got one thing completely wrong: The rear end of the AMC Pacer was the direct, documented inspiration for the rear of the Porsche 928. That car’s designer, Anthony Lapine, who’s career was spent in Detroit with GM before being hired by Porsche, said he had a picture of one on his desk when he was drawing the 928..
Federal roll-over standards had been proposed, and big B pillars were a way to meet them. The GM “Colonnade” intermediates of the mid seventies, the Ford Zephyr designs all featured this design for a reinforced roof.
And that leads to the genesis of the Pacer.
It was designed before the fuel crisis of late ’73 as a car that would provide the interior space of a traditional American sedan, but with more compact exterior dimensions, as more and more consumers were tiring living with Nimitz class autos. (See: 1975 Cadillac Seville). Of course, it had to be based on existing AMC tooling
The GM Wankel was a casualty of soaring fuel prices after 11/73, forcing AMC to use a much larger, heavier in-line six. Hundreds of pounds were added for safety standards that were never actually created. The resulting car did create a wonderful, large, airy interior in a relatively compact package, but it came in grossly overweight and underpowered, with poor fuel economy at a time when that was the primary concern of American consumers.
Sometimes, market timing decides the fate of a vehicle, and not to product itself.
Took a couple of years off college and worked for the local Amoco dealer. Mechanic was going to trade his ‘76 Pacer daily driver to the junkyard for an air compressor. Buddies and I gave him $50 for it instead. We torched out a monster sunroof, removed the rear hatch, rattle canned it black, and stenciled Pacer SS on the doors. Never bothered to register it, so a month or 2 later 1 of my buddies got pulled over on a Friday night. Cops made them pour out their case of beer and impounded said Pacer SS. 1 of our competitors had the city impound contract. Called us up wanting $150 to release it. We said no thanks. Legally they had to hold it for 3 months, so we’d drive buy their lot laughing at that awful abomination.
I do remember that car. Had a model kit of the wagon model. I remember the tag line “welcome to 1980.”
My case is worse, I had my car removed by the City council towing car, sent to a closed deposit, never warned they took it, when I learned where it was, they charged 50 % over private movers for the towing service, plus a fee for 2 days storage, then they asked an added amount as fine, with surcharges for delayed payement.
In the end, over 450 €, the car never was where they said it was, pickup was a saturday at 20 h, but in a corner in another street with no trafic.
Infraction was for them ‘Parking obstructing traffic’
The wonders of ‘socialism’
One of the few truly inspired cars of the ’70s. Kudos AMC,
Does it have a red licorice dispenser installed? Rock on Wayne….I saw a Pacer on the road a couple years ago, silver, California plates, perfect condition. It was pretty cool looking amid today’s ubiquitous generic SUV’s.
So weird how weird cars got preserved yet so many great cars driven to the nub. Was it that embarrassing to be in a Pacer? Yes, it actually was. There’s the answer. Maybe hoping ‘ugly’ will get popular. Well perhaps so!? These things were as wide as a 75 Chevy Impala, which was a beast.
Greg in Texas: This WAS a great car no matter how many were produced.
Rich A&M ’71
Around 350’000 AMC Pacer were built, I guess.
Gesund +
Man, I have not seen so many people have opinions, good or otherwise, over any car in BF.
My parents had the 1975 or 76, new. My brother bought it after a few years. A solid car that he drove 18 miles to work each way for years and he drove vehicles hard. Very hard.
Once he drove a 1964, Impala, 327, Power Glide(2speed) to 70 mph in low(1st gear) just to prove the 327 could handle over 6,000 rpm’s. I digress.
Pacer? Not for everyone but I got to drive one and it started fine, handled well and got me from point A to point B. EVERY TIME.
The AMC Pacer usually had very low miles because no one wanted to be seen driving one.
It’s the kind of car your parents would buy you if they hated you.
They usually had multiple owners because the people who had to own one would become depressed, so suicide rates were very high among AMC Pacer owners.
I’d check the back for a roll of duct tape and a 10ft. Length of garden hose before buying.
Well, what can one say. When these were relatively new I worked in a wrecking yard, the doors weighed as much as the engine…lol and yes one side was larger. We poked fun at them but hey I didn’t do much better as I drove a 59 Impala convertible at that time and it was considered uglier than the Pacer. Atleast this one looks to have potential and isn’t priced ridiculously. All cars have engineering conundrums. I’ll take it and give it some love. It can sit next to that ugly 59 Chevy I still have.
These cars have pretty much disappeared, unfortunately. The last ones are 43 years old, now. It was a unique design, and in my opinion attractive. The hood was modified from 1978-’80 to accommodate the 304 V8, which didn’t help its looks.
I’d restore it to stock. It doesn’t look like it would be real expensive to do so.
Back in September 1975, I found a used mint green Pacer X, 3 speed, no A/C and less than 3K miles on it. I was a great car for me and it held the highway with ease as the large trucks passed me by!
I had it for 9 years before dishonest mechanics sabotaged things as the years pasted. I was too naive to recognize what they were doing month after month. It was side swiped on New Year’s morning by a drunk. His insurance hardly compensated me for the repairs. I ended up trading it in for $100 for a newly designed 1984 Honda CIVIC.
I still wish I had my Pacer just for the conversation and uniqueness!
Regards, Theo
In my opinion, it was a great looking car. It was but one example of Dick Teague’s ingenuity creating unique cars, with AMC’s always-scanty resources.
Shoehorn that new 632 chevy crate motor into it, just make sure you leave enough room between the wheel tubs in the back for a 10 lb. bottle of giggle juice. 🤪