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Torn Jeans: 1975 AMC Gremlin Levi’s Edition

Cross-marketing? Product placement? Marketing buzzwords now, but in 1975 it was still pretty different to have denim upholstery in an AMC Gremlin. This Levi’s Edition version of the sawed-off economy car is listed for sale here on eBay and is located in Monroe, Washington. There’s a reserve (of course) but bidding is still relatively low at $3,100 as I write.

Despite the cut off appearance at the rear, this Gremlin wearing AMC’s iconic rally wheels and an original appearing stripe looks great to me. If you read the ad closely, you’ll see mentions of rust starting at the corners of doors and some pinholes around the glass. I’d certainly want to address those quickly before they get worse.

Both bumpers look pretty nice and I think you’d be just fine taking this car to shows as you worked on localized rust repairs. The original window sticker and some documentation come with the car as well, showing that it came with the Rally package (gauges, anti roll bar, leather-wrapped steering wheel and black interior trim) as well as power steering and an automatic.

Naturally, the main draw of the Levi’s Gremlin was the interior, which not only featured Levi’s denim, it had the little tag and real rivets just like the jeans. Now my favorite Gremlins (yes, that is a thing for me) is the rare 1978 Gremlin GT, but I could still find a home for this one after I found an upholsterer (or tailor?) to refurbish the seats.

We don’t know if this is the 232 or 258 cubic inch version of the AMC inline six cylinder engine, but either one has enough spunk to propel this little car adequately. You may see some air conditioning equipment in there; the car was fitting with under dash air conditioning (I remember my father having an A-R-A system put on our 1971 Hornet) and it’s not currently functional. Are you up for some jeans anyway?

Comments

  1. Avatar newport pagnell Member

    Build sheet says 258cid-1 bbl.

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  2. Avatar SWells679

    I’d like to get the history of the AMC Levi’s marketing thing. I learned to drive on my mom’s ’78 CJ-5 Levi’s addition.

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    • Avatar Timbo

      Levi’s sponsored the Amos Johnson IMSA team that campaigned AMC products. This was the original connection between the 2 teams. Amos Johnson worked out of facility in Raleigh NC

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    • Avatar CanuckCarGuy

      Growing up, our neighbours had a new Levi’s CJ5…I thought it the coolest thing on the block…. besides the guy with the Kawasaki 900 triple. I appreciate these memories more, thanks to these refreshers from Barn Finds!

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  3. Avatar Miguel

    I was disappointed to learn a while back that the seats were not covered in Levi’s denim, but rather a thinner material that looked like it.

    We all know Levi’s denim would never tear like that just from normal use.

    “Optional was a Levi’s interior trim package, which included spun nylon upholstery made to look like denim (fire safety regulations prohibited the use of real cotton denim).”

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AMC_Gremlin

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    • Avatar Jamie Palmer Staff

      I think I’d use denim for the reupholstery job. I can carry a fire extinguisher (and do). Thanks for the info!

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      • Avatar Miguel

        I would expect it would be very hard to upholster a seat with thick denim.

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      • Avatar waynard

        You can also have fire retardant applied to the fabric before upholstery by a convertor.

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  4. HoA Rube Goldberg Member

    What a great find. While clearly a Levi’s Gremlin, I wonder why these never say “Levi’s” on the side. I thought they had a decal on the back too. Repaint maybe? We threw these cars away as fast as they were being made. Sure can’t go wrong here.
    https://i.pinimg.com/736x/1d/06/e6/1d06e625cb0b31fb4a02837b15a8839b–amc-javelin-amc-gremlin.jpg

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    • Avatar Beatnik Bedouin

      I think you’re right about the repaint, Rube. The standard of the side stripes also point to it being redone at some stage.

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  5. Avatar Sparky

    Jeff Dunham the ventriloquist has one w/ v/8.

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    • Avatar Miguel

      He and I have the same taste in cars. When he pans around his garage, I go like, had it, had it, didn’t have it, had it, had it, want it.

      We both like regular cars that most people never liked but were wonderful cars.

      The Mercury Marquis he bought from here is a great example.

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  6. Avatar Alan

    As this topic about an AMC. right this moment my 81 Concord DL coupe I bought from USA is on board the container ship with my 72 Buick Skylark coupe on route to Beirut. I was Never an AMC fan but being classic collector I liked have piece of AMC history. Its also blue slughtly darker than this Gremlin with lighter blue interior, 2.5 4cylinder, Auto, PS, PB, Factory AC, Factory AM/FM radio, rear defrost. has 50K original miles. I paid 6,500 for it.

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    • Avatar Andrew not amember

      Alan you are interesting , did you spend time over here ? Is there a large us car faction there? , and you usually get gm items. Wondering thank you

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      • Avatar Alan

        I have visted United States 3 times New York, Florida and Minnesota. No Not alot of classic American car collectors here thats for sure. My love for vintage cars comes I guess related also being Vintage 60s 70s Tv & Film fan have lots of those! I am 46 and yes I am Nostalgic to my childhood and teen years. most of my vintage cars are GM products but I have a 73 Mustang coupe, 80 Chrysler New Yorker Fifth Avenue , of course recently bought 81 AMC Concord DL coupe being shipped on route to Beirut. Thanks for interest Andrew

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    • Avatar Alan (LEBANON)

      As this topic is about an AMC, right this moment I will introduce myself I <3 BBC!

      Like 0
  7. Avatar Joe Haska

    I bought my daughter and son one of these when they we in high school. Needless to say they were not over joyed, but then it started to be fun for them, because all the other kids thought it was unique or funny,. I couldn’t tell from the photos, but there’s had a Gremlin on the gas cap, it was very cool when they parked it, they took the cap with them.

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  8. Avatar Alan (Michigan)

    Look closely.

    So reminds me of a baby-blue painted Beetle that a friend bought a long time ago, against my advice, the same as I will offer here: This is a bondo-mobile. The rust is already coming through it, and it will get much worse. The lower doors don’t look like metal to my eyes….

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  9. Avatar Classic Steel

    I like this one !

    I would recreate the seats in real Levi’s and sow pockets on them for fun!

    These cars were non air bagged and I don’t smoke so damn the retardant materials !

    It’s nice the paperwork is available too!

    Someone bring AMC back!

    I hear a new DeLorean is in the works so how about hybrid gremlins and plugs too!

    A monstrous Javelin to compete with shelbies and Demons!

    I know it’s a pipe dream like suburban
    folks getting new designed elcaminos and rancheros that haul and get decent MPG in lieu of 70K 12 mpg trucks that never haul but look pretty and suck gas 😳💰💰
    (We can dream right) LOL!

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    • Avatar Miguel

      Did you see the episode of Comedians In cars Getting Coffee with the DeLorean? It made it 20 feet and quit. That car was from the new DeLorean motor company and it couldn’t make it 20 feet. It was funny though.

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  10. Avatar Mike Penfold

    It was a nylon type of material that looked like denim but wasn’t actual denim. It didn’t stand up to the everyday abuse of getting in and out of the car and shredded very quickly. I had one of these Gremlins with this interior….looked great but not for long. I have since bought another Gremlin and had a real denim interior put in the car. Looks great and will last for a loooong time.

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  11. Avatar SC/RAMBLER

    Hey Rube thanks for the site with a train load of AMC’s.
    This gremie looks like it’s in decent shape. Hopefully whoever buys it wont find too much rust. A few years ago car craft mag. rsn an april fools joke with artist renderings of what AMC’s that were supposed to be reintroduced. Had me drewling thinking it was real. Supposedly some rich guys bought the right to use the name. etc. What s bummer to find out it was just a joke.

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  12. Avatar Dan

    I think I would steer clear from this one even though I love Gremlins. This one is a bondo bucket judging by the pictures. The hocky stripe is all wrong, missing the grelin X logo, and the body colour in the blade and the pin stripe out line. The pictures of the underside and lower panels show lots of rust and bondo.

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  13. Avatar On and On Member

    A 1973 Gremlin was the last car I ever “ordered”. In the old days you could sit down and order your car from the factory. That was cool. A long list of add-ons for cheap money, really. I bought a basic Gremlin, with the 232 and 3speed. Added on Heavy duty radiator, springs, shocks, sway bars, bigger wheels and tires, everything I could imagine would help it and paid pennies for extras. Car actually handled descent and got 20mpg. But Gremlins it had! Hit a bump and all the lights would go out. Disconcerning to say the least. But, bash the dash and the lights would go back on. I guess that was fair. Anyhow, one night I was driving home and some guy slammed me from behind and all was over for my one and only AMC. Unibody squish. Still miss ordering a car.

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  14. Avatar Jack Quantrill

    On top ten list of ugliest cars known to man!

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  15. Avatar Alan (Michigan)

    Something I have never seen before: The antenna co-ax appears to snake through the right door opening and into the back end of the front fender. Hmmm… It won’t last long if being pinched by the door! Nice that it is routed under the passenger floor mat. ;-)

    Fascinating that the painted part of the driver’s door is quite dark and fresh appearing. It must have been rusted quite a bit more than the right side?

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  16. Avatar Troy s

    Tough looking little car, smart cars and other new mini cars got nothing on the old Gremlin looks wise,except maybe the mini Cooper, maybe.

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  17. Avatar Alan (LEBANON)

    Oh Alan, remember when we got together? It Was like Ooooh Alan In Stereo.
    Ooooh Ooooh Ahhhh (!)

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  18. Avatar KSwheatfarmer

    A cousin owned a 70 Mercury Cyclone,429 SCJ, 4 speed orange and black. Traded it for one of these, I think it was a 401 v-8 so maybe it was fast but didn’t make much sense even to my 12 year old mind.

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    • Avatar Troy s

      The super cobra jet Merc sounds extremely interesting to me, those were hard running cars! Nothing against Gremlins but that sounds like a bad trade indeed.

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      • Avatar Classic Steel

        I like the Cyclone Eliminators too… the extended front fenders and the 429 engines made then fun cars to have and race,,, Thank you Nascar and the old rules of the percentage that must be in production to allow to race on Sunday and sell on Monday for the winners. :-)

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  19. Avatar Ron

    Do not recall the year the Gremlin was to come out. Was at a dealership and told that AMC was not happy. It was supposed to have a new V-6
    ,but GM took it. Had to stay with the inline 6. It took more room than the V-6 and another reason I can’t recall. Many years have passed. It was a sad day foe AMC, they were going to use the V-6 totally. Set back AMC in their future builds.

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  20. Avatar Alan

    Alan (LEBANON)
    Jan 29, 2018 at 6:29pm
    As this topic is about an AMC, right this moment I will introduce myself I <3 BBC!

    Alan (LEBANON)
    Jan 29, 2018 at 7:14pm
    Oh Alan, remember when we got together? It Was like Ooooh Alan In Stereo.
    Ooooh Ooooh Ahhhh (!)

    This person is Impersonating me. he is Not me.

    Like 0

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