Billed as “the first American-built import,” American Motors Corporation’s Gremlin competed against the likes of the Ford Pinto and the Chevrolet Vega. This 1973 AMC Gremlin X in Frankfort, Illinois features one option that never graced a factory Pinto or Vega: a V8 engine! This project car also features factory air conditioning and an automatic transmission. It lot drives and looks solid enough to support the seller’s claim that it came from California. This listing here on eBay accepts $14,000 via Buy It Now or try a lower number with the Make Offer button.
The 304 cid (5.0L) V8 with this car’s three-speed automatic transmission moved the Gremlin X to 60 MPH in 9 seconds, according to AutomotiveCatalog, one second slower than that year’s Chevrolet’s Corvette.
The “X” model Gremlin got sportier seats and wheels and other mostly-cosmetic upgrades. This one shows signs of one or more high school makeovers including aftermarket gauges, switches, and what looks like another car’s 1990s factory radio, with equalizer of course! Hang your graduation tassle from the rear view mirror, and you’re ready for whatever life has to offer. Carpe diem!
Slotted road wheels also came with the Gremlin X. While only two inches longer than a Volkswagen Beetle, that long hood obligated by the base inline six-cylinder engine and the comically truncated Kammback rear vs. its Hornet sibling resulted in yet another polarizing AMC styling exercise. If you’re going to take share from the “big three” and survive, spice it up! You won’t flip loyal buyers from their favorite brands with the automotive equivalent of white bread and mayonnaise.
Rust-free rockers and lower metal bodes well for this project car. Seats don’t exactly match Gremlin X units on Wikipedia, but they are close. While mechanical and other systems are poorly described in the listing, an AMC enthusiast might sink their teeth into this solid-looking classic and end up with a nice driver or all-stock specimen. Do you consider this V8 Gremlin X a sporty compact or a small performance car?
Fun project!
This was a desperate attempt to survive. One can see AMC’s shifting strategies over the years: First, continue Nash and Hudson manufacture. And with a renewed interest in smaller cars, thanks to a stagnant late-1950s economy, pull out the Nash Rambler tooling.
With the legacy brands dying, expand on the Rambler brand, with bigger smaller cars – Romney called them “compacts,” today they’d be “intermediates.”
That worked until it didn’t. Part of the failure was from low quality from an accelerated line in Kenosha – one plant, and all this new demand. AMC was wisely cautious in expanding capacity, but the alternative, pushing out cars too quickly on the line, was as bad.
THEN, try the Big Three approach. Three car lines. THAT didn’t work because AMC never had the cash flow for the deep yearly changes. It also lacked status. Chevrolet, Pontiac, Ford…all had loyal fans. AMC had Nash fans, and they were typically older and with less money.
That failing, it led to the 1970-83 era of “quirky.” The Gremlin was the avatar of that movement, and did it well. It was not a bad commuter car for an owner who most times was alone in the car. I had one – it had some handling issues from the design, but not so much as to make it unliveable.
Performance car? Don’t make me laugh. The F/R weight distribution was ridiculous. Only the cab-forward Ford Econoline had worse weight distribution.
The power-to-weight of AMC engines showed, they were not SBCs.
You sat low in the Gremlin, with the steering-wheel hub almost in your face. It was not very ergonomic. AND…this was the last year, IIRC, of the Warner Gear automatic for AMC. That was an obsolete, relatively-fragile transmission. The move to buy TorqFlite transmissions from Chrysler was one of the best moves they could have made – but it should have been made much sooner.
My own Gremlin was a 232 six, with a three-speed. Even then (mid-1980s) the three-speed transmission was becoming extinct. But I loved it, for how it used the engine’s torque. Set it and forget it…two shifts and you’re on a roll.
This one looks good. If I had the space, I’d be tempted…
this is a 73 so it would of had the torqueflite not the BorgWarner t35 which it’s last year was 1970. And yes the torqueflite is a much better transmission
worded quite like Mopar transmission ,but the 3 speed auto amc transmission would b called a torque command. just thought if put my 2 cents out there and share that .on some AMC’s under the instrumental cluster amc called the heater and air vent knobs the “weather eye”written right on the dash,I just thought why would they call certain things or parts about the car lthe way they did.the things they called certain things made sence but sounded really odd to me ..ok later .
I believe that AMC switched from Borg Warner to Chrysler Torquflites auto trans starting in 1972, My 1971 Hornet Sportabout had the Borg Warner AT. This AMC also has the electric wipers which is good.
Correct
What powered the wipers before ? Used to be done by air on Heavy GVW vehicles…i can still hear the sound 😵💫🥴
Some of the AMC/ Nash carryover technology included torque tube drive train/rear suspension on their intermediate sized cars, trunnions instead of upper ball joints, and vacuum operated window wipers. Torque tubes were dropped starting in 1967 and trunnions were changed to upper ball joints and vacuum operated wipers were all changed to electric I believe in the early 1970’s. Electric wipers were always an option.
“You sat low in the Gremlin, with the steering-wheel hub almost in your face.”
That is quite true, if you were 4’7″.
Six-three.
The bench of a 1972 Gremlin…or anyway, mine…was LOW.
As a cab driver, and later an unreconstructed serial auto-trader…I’ve owned and driven a LOT of cars.
The Gremlin had one of the highest steering columns in relation to the seat, that I’d seen. It was all stock, as far as I could see. Not tilt steering. Not a busted seat bottom. Just…strange relative positions.
The Gremlin was set up to give space for the buffet belly. I sat in one at a car show, 6’2 200 in shape and it was ergonomically similar to a city bus driving position.
I like the Gremlin. Especially the Gremlin-X. The 5 liter V8 is just the icing on the cake. Kind of wish I could afford it. The Chrysler Sourced Torque-Flight transmission was a far superior unit to the Borg-Warner unit. The Torque-Flight was one of the best automatic transmissions of that Era. Put it in Drive and forget it. It would function reliably all day long. The lock up Torque Converter hadn’t made its appearance yet then. A technology that wasn’t ready yet when dropped on the unsuspecting public.
There’s no doubt that the buyer of this car will need to spend some more dollars on it, but then you’ll have something different from what the rest of the collector car drivers have. When attending car shows, that’s not always a bad thing. If you are parked near people with Mustangs, Camaros, Chevelles and Chargers, the attendees are going to flock to your car because people just don’t see these that often.
Enjoy your purchase.
Mike Damone’s dream car…
worded quite like Mopar transmission ,but the 3 speed auto amc transmission would b called a torque command. just thought if put my 2 cents out there and share that .on some AMC’s under the instrumental cluster amc called the heater and air vent knobs the “weather eye”written right on the dash,I just thought why would they call certain things or parts about the car lthe way they did.the things they called certain things made sence but sounded really odd to me ..ok later .
Weather Eye was maybe the 1st company-wide combination of heater and ac controls invented by Nash-Kelvinator. Rambler/ AMC kept the Weather Eye name on all car models as I have seen Javelin dash boards with Weather Eye. I guess someone can advise if AMC kept the words “Weather Eye” through to the last AMC Eagles produces in late 1980’s.
Looks like JB’s Gremlin in Tom Cruise movie American Made. Good one.
Like an English Bulldog, so ugly it’s cute
Might be a fun project. But rare? Absolutely not I’ve seen a few dozen and I’m no looking.
But again. To start 14k $ deep into a money pit. Yikes. I’ve seen really nice ones go for about the same price.
That 304 is really a 401 in waiting OK with some machine work but there is no doubt a warmed up 401 would move that little buggy around with authority! I wish it were closer as in florida you need to keep your weather eye on on the ball down here!
Had Gremlin survived with cosmetic surgery and fuel injection with CDI ignition on the straight 6, an automatic overdrive transmission, it was actually decent proportions like a 2 door SUV almost. The engine weight would have been addressed in alloys development. The V8 was a serious error in decision making. Thus probably has historical interest. Just not sure how many should be saved for that reason. There are other V8 cars that look better with better performance all around. Then again, nobody will confuse you for being a Kardashian culture member in a Gremlin. Which has merit!
Is that HHR SS the same one Doug has on his channel a couple years back? Can’t be that many red HHR SS panel vans.
AMC DESIGN ENGINEERS MEETING
“Let’s call it a Gremlin dudes … pass that joint over man.”