Just like the Concord was an evolution of the Hornet, so was the Spirit of the Gremlin. Not that the Gremlin was a bad car (it wasn’t), its strange name and looks had run their course. But the Spirit wasn’t a totally new car as it used the same platform as the Gremlin had since 1970. AMC would campaign the Spirit from 1979 through 1983 but would find greater short-term success with the 4X4 Eagle, but that’s another story. This 1980 Spirit DL (for Deluxe) is located in Fredonia, Wisconsin, and is available here on eBay where a no reserve auction sits at $2,025, so the car will sell.
While the Spirit has its roots in the Gremlin, it shared some engineering and equipment upgrades from the Concord introduced the prior year. This would be particular noteworthy in the suspension system which was an improvement over the little car with the funny name. Styling of the Spirit looked as though it was meant to be that way, rather than chopping off the back of a Hornet like Gremlin haters were known to say. Whether it was related or not to AMC’s limited resources, the Spirit used a VW-based inline-4 in 1979 which was replaced in 1980 with the Pontiac-built 2.5-liter four-banger known as the “Iron Duke.” A major selling point for AMC that year was that all its cars came with Ziebart rust protection, which enabled them to offer a five-year “No Rust Thru” component to the warranty package.
The seller’s car comes with a bit of a story, which is always refreshing. The car was first purchased in Colorado and apparently stayed there until the seller bought it in 2017. Since that region of the country is at a high elevation and dry, that and the Ziebart no doubt contributed this to being a rust-free car 40 years after it was built. Even around the hatchback and rocker panels which are the first places rust usually attacks. The paint is a little tired, but they’re only original once and nothing on the car is shouting out “paint me now!”
The interior looks really nice with no apparent issues, except maybe the carpeting could use a good cleaning. The Spirit came with a console and it was removed for some reason, but the seller retained it and that part will come with the car along with some extras.
This Spirit had been idle for a while, so the seller says he pulled the gas tank, cleaned it, and rebuilt the carburetor. What resulted was a car that we’re told runs and drives great with no known issues. Not bad for being on the high side of 100,000 miles. Apparently, the seller envisioned doing an engine swap for an AMC 360 V-8 at some point but dropped those plans because the Iron Duke and automatic transmission are still getting the job done.
There doesn’t seem to be any definitive market prices placed on these because Spirits aren’t on the collector car radar screen. With a no reserve auction, someone may end up getting a good used car at a reasonable price. The seller has already said he may regret selling this Spirit when the buyer comes and drives it off.
These are neat little cars and AMC did a masterful job making them look all new rather than a restyled Gremlin. A clue though can be found in the lack of rear seat legroom. The Spirit adds to that lack of rear headroom, but you’re not going to put any adults back there that you want to be on speaking terms with later anyway.
This one looks really nice, but with the Iron Duke powering automatic transmission, air conditioning, and (I assume) power steering it’s going to be a real leisurely drive.
Too bad it’s 1/2 way across the country. This is the next best thing to a Gremlin and cheaper too! It would be nice to build a 401/ 4 spd Spirit.
Every time I see a small 4 cylinder/auto/A/C car with a trailer hitch on the back of it, I have to wonder what was towed, and for how long and how fast! It looks as though the console is going to clash w/ the shifter, but this is a nice example. An engine swap would provide “Spirited” performance! GLWTA!! :-)
Hard to believe 1 could once get SUCH a FULLY color keyed interior in many colors on even an inexpensive entry level car, even from AMC!
As for today’s “cars”, forget it.
Automatic shifter housing/gate i think was also used in the Bricklin.
My first new from the dealer car, a 1979 AMC Spirit GT. Came with a 304 V8 and 3 speed automatic. The interior and exterior packages were pretty upscale and looked great! Two tone brown and tan with black accents and woodgrain on the inside. Shame it was such a dog! Couldn’t get out of its own way!
That loose console would be a great demonstration item for the guys at Colorbond. They are always looking for examples of plastic/vinyl parts to rejuvenate in time for the SEMA show. One year they did the whole red interior of a Squarebird and I was blown away. They’ve done really well by me, especially on deep red soft parts that have seen better days or simply faded to orange.
The last car like this that was featured here was also from Wisconsin. I told about how I had one years ago, a 4 cylinder and 4 speed version. This vehicle, if it were a stick shift, would be a twin of that car.
Yeah, it was pretty slow, I can just imagine how much slower it would be with the automatic. A trailer hitch? I bet it wouldn’t even move with a trailer hitched to it lol.
Again, it is not real far away from me. If anyone wants me to look at it, I am willing to do so.