This AMC Concord D/L is an award-winning car. The car was awarded a Gold medal by the Antique Automobile Club of America in 2017 for its immaculate restoration. The owner has now decided to part with the Concord and has it listed for sale here on Craigslist. It is located in Tucson, Arizona, and is being sold with a clean title. I have to thank Barn Finder Pat L for spotting this beauty for us.
There’s no getting around the fact that dark brown, dark green and dark blue paint colors were dominant in the 1970s, and these colors in a metallic finish were considered to be the premium colors. This Concord is finished in Mocha Brown Metallic and features contrasting gold pin-stripes, and a creme colored landau top. The result is a fantastic looking car with an impressive depth of color and shine. I grew up in this era, and this combination was one of my favorites, and it still stands up well today. The ground-up restoration appears to have been performed with a great care and an eye for detail, and closely examining the photos reveals a car that looks virtually new.
The interior has also come in for the treatment as part of the restoration. It presents incredibly well, and it is really hard to find fault. Being the Concord D/L, it features reclining front seats with a special fabric upholstery and a wood-grain insert in the dash, The owner of this Concord also gets the benefit of the optional factory air conditioning. However, for all of the fine detail work that has been performed, the one thing that jars is the ill-fitting radio. This is a disappointment in what is a near perfect restoration.
The Concord still continues to present well under the hood. The engine is an inline 6-cylinder engine, although, without a close inspection, it is impossible to tell whether it is the 232ci or the 258ci. The car also benefits from a 4-speed manual transmission, which is a bit unusual, and power steering. Unfortunately, we don’t receive any information on how the car runs and drives, but if appearances count for anything, it should do both quite well.
This 1978 Concord D/L is a prize-winning car that has undergone a virtually faultless restoration. It looks like it has just rolled off the showroom floor, and features a very nice paint and trim combination. In 1978, the Concord D/L sold as a new car for $3,949, which would convert to $14,575 in today’s money plus the additional cost for the A/C. The owner of this Concord has it listed for $15,000. If you look at it from a certain perspective, if the car is virtually new, then charging the equivalent of a new car price probably makes some sense.
This thing has that “X-factor” in spades. I just can’t decide if it’s the “nerd” factor or the “cool” factor. And for me, the manual holds it back; I’d rather cruise this brown Betty with an automatic.
Definitely cool factor.
Love it but the screw heads not perfectly vertical or horizontal on the AACA badge is driving me nuts
Likewise. I’m glad I’m not alone in hating lack of attention to detail.
I think the imperfect alignment of the badge screw heads are PERFECT. Nothing screams AMC more than the lack of details you are complaining about.
Impressive! Very unusual to see one of these with 4-on-the-floor. Unfortunately AMC radios tended to be of nonstandard size, so installing an aftermarket unit rarely looks good and involves cutting up the dash. The radio looks like a Craig AM/FM/8-track. At least the door panels were not cut up for speakers. Probably those are mounted to the rear parcel shelf.
My family has a ‘78 Concord with an early 90’s Alpine AM/FM cassette deck in it (birthday or Christmas gift when I owned it in 1991), and it was done quite nicely. Depends who’s doing the work, I suppose.
I don’t think its the radio that fits poorly. Looks like the heat controls are funky
I supposedly bought the first new Concord in Ohio. Drove it 22 miles home then it wouldn’t start due to the clock shorting out due to the alternater or starter they told me. Turned out it became a problem that AMC had to address using a FORD clock replacement. Sold the car with 234,000 miles.
I think 15k is a very steep asking price, And I’m the type of AMC found that would pay for good condition AMC for more than it’s worth. I mean, I do understand the condition……however, even if it is a factory 4 speed manual transmission that is rare, I don’t see that as a “bonus” worth the high asking price. An option like that is desirable maybe in an AMX or even a Javelin, but not an every day grocery getter such as this. I see this as an 8k car max, but that’s just me.
That’s gonna be a tough sell at fifteen grand.
That’s some shiny arse paint. Looks great…and yeah on the badge screws.
Is this really a 4 speed though? I thought these were 3’s
The 122, 151 and 232 were available with a 3 speed, but as far as I know, everything with a 258 standard trans was a 4 speed.
Just my opinion but I think current Rolls Royce has really ripped-off the styling of these late seventies AMC products.
Beautiful
Emailed the link to my little brother. We both live in Tucson.
Looks just perfect and that color is lush and deep. It appears the same shade as my parent’s 72 Ambassador Brougham, but was called “Cordoba Brown”.
Chrysler recently [2013-4 ?] offered a similar shade on the 200 called Autumn Bronze.
That color on this Concord is not flashy, but very eye catching. Not easy to do with brown metallic.
A ’78 AMC Concord with 110,000 miles, a 6 cylinder stuck on a 4 speed and all for $15,000? I don’t think so, restored or not.
I. Love. This. Car!! I’ve had AMC in my blood since 1976, when my Mom bought a Pacer woody wagon. Dad bought a Hornet liftback in ‘77, and Mom traded the wagon in for her ‘78 Concord 258 4-sp liftback. It became my first car in the early 90’s, after sitting in the back yard, quietly rusting away through our Canadian winters. Bought it from her for $1, and sold it to Dad for a buck, at which point he’d sourced repop front fenders and rocker panels. He had it brought back to life, and it’s been our summer fun car ever since. While it may not quite be at the level of this beauty (100,000 km on the odo will do that), I’d wager it’s among the top 20 remaining Concords. I’ll love these until the day I die.
I owned a car stereo shop in the 1980s and at the time owned one of these, a V-8 green two-door with a tan vinyl top example that I bought new (my first new car) in the Fall of 1977.
As for the radio, up until AMC adopted a DIN-style layout, they used a Ford-style three-hole radio. This Craig aftermarket radio could have been shaft-mounted without the trim plate, with the vinyl surround for a very factory-look installation as I did 100s of times at the local dealer.
All that being said, as much as this car brings back wonderful memories, it is wildly overpriced. Over the past several years, I’ve seen better cars, a few V8-equipped for less, far less, under $10,000, that were tough sells. I would love to find the station wagon or very rare non-AMX hatchback version of this car. But still, in this condition, and with the rare V-8 option, I would never spend this kind of money for one with an indicated 110,000 miles on the clock.
I look at this car, rare 4-speed notwithstanding, and all I see is an entry-level $5,000 collectible car that would be a lot of fun to take to a local Cars and Coffee or cruise because they are so rare. Some may disagree but that’s how I see it.
Very odd that Barn Finders are complaining that a car has a manual transmission, usually it is the other way around!
i remember seeing these with a stick at the AMC dealership when my Dad took the ’74 Cherokee for service. Landau roofs, crushed velour … and 3 pedals! Loved that as a kid! Years later our city had fleet Concord 2-doors, probably special-order, and with no vinyl roof you could see that AMC kept the Hornet rear windows. These are probably just patched up on most Concords!
It seems to be missing the rubber strip on the front bumper.
$15k..?
Okie-dokie. No
The good: Nice, clean car.
The bad:15K asking price, NO WAY!!
Kmart mud flaps
Cheap window tint with flea market style eyebrow
111K miles on the clock
Cheap aftermarket Craig car stereo
Screw heads on the badge
First time I think the manual trans. it’s a con not a plus.
IMHO For $5,000 will be a good entry level collector car for someone to take Sundays to church or brunch and have more attention than newer and fancier cars on the parking lot.
Cheers
That is exactly the car I’ve been looking for for years. The price is out of my range and the condition too perfect to have in New York City. $15,000 is a lot for a Concord, but, this is probably the best one in existence. Best year, second best body style (hatchback was rarest and now most desirable) highest trim with 4 speed. Gold award winner. I think it would be a great deal at $10,000. Not a rip-off at 15
Here’s a list of the 2017 AACA National Winners:
http://www.aaca.org/images/national_awards/2017_National_Award_Winners.pdf
No way !
8000 tops
I have purchased this car two weeks ago. It is as great as shown in the pictures. I drove in from Tucson to the Texas Panhandle. The car drives great!
The cover on the radio was removed, no cutting had been done and now looks stock.
Car is a 232 with only power being the steering…
I did not pay the asking price… I think I got a good deal…