It’s hard to believe that AMC’s newly introduced Renault Alliance put the final nail in the coffin of the Concord line, but those little front-drive cars were more modern compared to the Hornet-based Concord, which went back to 1970. This 1983 AMC Concord DL Wagon can be found posted here on craigslist in Racine, Wisconsin, not far from where it was made in Kenosha, and the seller is asking $4,200. Here is the original listing, and thanks to Tony P. for the tip!
Being an architect and huge fan of Frank Lloyd Wright, I can’t read about Racine without thinking of his fantastic Johnson Wax Headquarters from 1939, it’s just one of the many reasons to visit that area. I wish Kenosha had an AMC museum, but the Kenosha History Center has some info on the company that hailed from that great city, along with sometimes having an example or two of AMC products on hand. Enough of the travelogue, let’s get back to this great-looking Concord.
AMC came out with the more luxurious Concord in 1977 for the 1978 model year, and 1983 would be the final year for this model. By the final model year, the two-door version was cancelled, as was the top-trim four-door sedan. This is a mid-level GL trim, and there was a Limited trim level above this for those who demanded more luxury from their AMC product.
The interior looks great from what I can see, maybe a bit dirty, or it could just be dark, it’s hard to tell. I believe those are accessory gauges under the steering wheel, or probably mounted on the lower center part of the dash, but this is the only front interior photo, so it’s hard to tell. A Limited trim level may have had leather seats and power windows, but this DL is more like what we would have had if my parents had gotten a Concord wagon. The back seat looks great, as well, and the rear cargo space is pretty big and also looks clean. There is some chipping of the paint around the cargo opening, but I don’t see any big issues really anywhere on this car yet, do you?
The engine is AMC’s 258-cu.in. OHV inline-six with 110 horsepower and 210 lb-ft of torque when new. This one is backed by a Chrysler-sourced TorqueFlite automatic sending power to the rear wheels, and the seller says it runs, drives, and stops fine. That’s about all you can really hope for with a $4,200 car that’s 42 years old. This one appears to have a replacement radiator, but we don’t know anything about it from the listing. Any thoughts on this Concord DL wagon?
The Alliance may have been more modern, but it was (to be kind) not nearly as robust a vehicle. The old-school Concord was much more reliable and long-lived, albeit offering a 1970-vintage platform and much poorer gas mileage.
That’s definitely an aftermarket aluminum radiator. Those are much less expensive than the original brass/copper type this car would have come with. (I’ve used them in my own AMCs.) There’s also an aftermarket aluminum valve cover which is definitely a good thing. The OEM plastic covers AMC used during this period would warp and leak pretty much no matter what you did with them.
Additionally, looks like the original Ford “NeverSpark” ignition system has been replaced by an aftermarket GM HEI distributor. If so that would mean this has had something like the “Nutter Bypass” done to bypass the ECM. (So this car is not a good candidate for states like California that expect even cars this old to have all their original emissions equipment to be intact.)
Possibly that’s a manual heater shutoff valve peeking out in the heater hose on the upper left of the photo near the firewall. The original vacuum-operated valves tended to be troublesome.
No photos from underneath, unfortunately. Looks great up top but prospective buyers should check carefully under the car for rust.
This was the last year for the Concord, but not for this body which soldiered on in the Eagle through the 1988 model year (late 1987 production).
Cool AMC wagon. Thanks SG.
Speaking of cool AMCs check out this rocket 🚀 😎 👇
Some very nice cars on Campy’s channel.
https://youtube.com/shorts/ln6oIDaGVpI?si=q1LFeAaPAdRoKWR1
It’s been too long since I’ve seen a Concord in the wild. And I think I’m getting rusty on my OEM AMC. Are those rims factory? They look great on this vehicle.
I think they are aftermarket rims but I certainly agree they look nice in this vehicle. From the 3/4 rear view it looks like there is a “W” on the center cap so I believe that would be for Western wheel company. They made cool turbine rims and others in the 70s.
They look like the optional rims on my Spirit GT. Same turbine blade design. Rare tilt wheel on a non-Limited. To my eye it was a good combo of price and size.
Mr. Peterson, I think you’re right. I should have mentioned the wheels not being a Concord item as they aren’t listed on any AMC brochures for the Concord that I saw. Here’s an AMC Spirit with the same wheels, but painted.
https://barnfinds.com/spirit-gt-or-spirit-amx-1979-amc-spirit/
Nice find Primo!
Would love to see what else is in that garage. Looks like a Javelin AMX next to the wagon and a Scrambler in the background?
Here’s my funny(sad) AMC Concord story. 1984, my father’s driving a brand new 533i, my mother a late model AMC Concord. My old man promises me I can take his Bimmer to the prom, the day before the prom the slave cylinder on the clutch gives out. Yup, I took my smoking prom date in a AMC Concord station wagon. Dark blue with wood. Nice
Fred, don’t feel bad. Instead of taking my prom date in my then primer Grey 1955 Chev convert.I borrowed a friend’s 1965 Rambler Classic wagon. Loved those fold down seats!
The Kenosha History Center, https://www.kenoshahistorycenter.org/index.html had a good collection of AMC vehicles at one time, and covered much of the AMC history. It has been a few years since I have been there.
Hans H,
You are 100% correct, sir, I was wrong. It was the Kenosha History Center that I was thinking of, thanks for the correction! It’s been six or seven years since I was there, but now that you show the link and mention the name, that was the one I was thinking about. They went back to Gormully & Jeffery and had a couple of really early examples, if I remember right. Thanks again for the correction, I have updated the link.
No problem. I confused two of the Kenosha historical society/museum in our college newspaper, many many years ago.
A close friend had one of these with a factory 4 speed, the 258 and no wood trim. (Sportabout) He changed the rear gear to 3.73 traction lock and then changed to a 5 speed. (T5 I believe) He took a walk through the Clifford catalog and upgraded the intake and header and a less restrictive exhaust. Wider alloy wheels and performance tires. Lowered it about 1.5″ and upgraded the shocks and swaybars. What a great car it was! Very well balanced, responsive, quiet, and no rattles. Unfortunately it was rear-ended after about a year and went to the scrap heap.
A close friend had one of these actually a Hornet Sportabout with a factory 4 speed, the 258 and no wood trim. He changed the rear gear to 3.73 traction lock and then changed to a 5 speed. (T5 I believe) He took a walk through the Clifford catalog and upgraded the intake and header and a less restrictive exhaust. Wider alloy wheels and performance tires. Lowered it about 1.5″ and upgraded the shocks and swaybars. What a great car it was! Very well balanced, responsive, quiet, and no rattles. Unfortunately it was rear-ended after about a year and went to the scrap heap.
Oh,Yeah! My wife and I have been long looking for one of these in good shape!
Living in the South, we don’t really need an Eagle Wagon as it doesn’t snow that much or stay on the ground for that long. I too, have some speed parts for the 258, but the newer 4.0L parts easily eclipse the old parts in performance. We’ll have to take a long look at this, as we’ve got other (House) projects still pending.