To introduce its all-new “Torque Command” inline-6 engine, American Motors introduced a limited production Classic in mid-1964. It was called the Typhoon, a Classic 770 2-door hardtop that came in only one-color combination (black over Solar Yellow) and with a bucket seat interior. Only 2,520 of them were made and this 40-year barn find only leaves 2,519 unaccounted for. Located west of Cincinnati, Ohio, this rough project is available here on craigslist for $500 (cheap wheels?). Attaboy, Henry Reining, for this cool tip!

AMC’s six-cylinder engines were getting tired in the design arena, dating back to the 1940s. So, the cash-strapped company managed to invest $45 million in a whole new engine (and plant to build it in) with a displacement of 232 cubic inches (later 258). AMC wasn’t yet in the performance car game, so making automobiles and motors that were rooted in common sense was logical.

The Torque Command Six had a horsepower rating of 145, which was ample enough to power cars like the Classic and American. Some variants of the I-6 were still in play in Jeeps even after AMC was acquired by Chrysler. Besides the well-publicized powerplant, the Typhoon had its own badging and trim. The exterior of the car was complimented by a black vinyl interior which a few buyers may have ordered a front bench seat instead of buckets and a console.

This Typhoon came with an automatic transmission (Borg Warner?) and has been living in the seller’s barn for more than four decades. He/she is selling the property, so the car has to go. We’re told the frame and chrome are good, but some of the sheet metal is damaged (for example, the right-side front fender has a big hole in it at the top). The Rambler had 60,000 miles on it when it went into exile. These Typhoons are rare cars, but they are mid-1960s AMC products, so will an expensive restoration be viable?