History
On November 10, 1970, General Motors acquired the license for the construction of rotary engines, which were to be delivered among other things, AMC for the development of a new compact car with cab-forward design.
In early 1971, began the chief designer of AMC, Richard Teague, with the first designs for a spacious small car.
Experimented with different configuration options for the engine and the seating arrangement, such as a mid-engine, a bench seat facing backwards or an asymmetric motor assembly.
Moreover, it was considered to implement the increasing use place in Europe front-wheel drive concept for the American market.
The decision was made in favor of a front -rotor Wankel engine with rear-wheel drive, to the more cost effective to use the default transmission of AMC models and the rear axles of the AMC Matador can.
The capacity of the luggage compartment was considerably restricted and limited by the transmission tunnel, the rear row of seats to two places by this decision.
In January 1972, a clay model of the Pacer was assessed by internal experts and well received.
A year later, the fiberglass prototype in addition to the 73 models of the AMC Hornet and Gremlin was presented in Dallas.
The emission laws recently passed and the oil crisis made sure that GM dropped the use of the silent-running, but thirsty rotary engine.
Although AMC had not purchased a license for the Wankel engine in February 1973, after a conventional engine concept has been realized.
Space for the use of the in-house in-line six -cylinder engine was created through modifications in the engine room, which drove the rear axle.
Mid-1970s, the U.S. Senate has presented a new draft law, which provided for the tightening of safety regulations for car models from 1980 onwards.
The designers of the Pacer knew it the safest for his time U.S. compact car with a windscreen made of laminated glass, a very stiff body with a stable B-pillar and doors with side impact protection.
For a more comfortable access to the rear bench, the passenger door was 10 cm longer than the driver’s door.
Thanks to generous glass areas the clarity of the Pacer was above average.
The plan was also a massive rollover bars, which, however, due largely forgiving laws in this form was found to be no longer necessary.
Film and Television
- In the French film a beef of 1976, the son moves ( Coluche ) of the restaurant critic Charles Duchemin (Louis de Funès ) a Pacer X.
- In David Byrne film True Stories (1986 ) John Goodman runs a green Pacer.
- A blue Pacer is seen in Sylvester Stallone movie Cobra (1986).
- In the road movie Crossroad Blues — pact with the devil Pacer stands on a pile of junk in the junkyard.
- In an episode of the TV series The Golden Girls Sophia Petrillo announced her daughter Dorothy: » You’re the biggest misstep who has ever entered a street, since the AMC Pacer! »
- In the movie Wayne’s World 1992 drive Wayne Campbell (Mike Myers ) and Garth Algar ( Dana Carvey ) equipped with a liquorice stick dispenser, light blue, with flames painted Pacer, which they called the Mirth Mobile.
In Wayne ‘s World 2 of 1993, the rock group Aerosmith drives up in a super- streched Pacer with double rear axle, additional doors and the inscription Mirthlimo 1. - As a result, Dark Horizon ( 1994), the science- fiction television series Alien Nation is a Tenctonier owner of a yellow Pacer Station Wagon, which also turns out to be as a crime scene.
- In Goofy — The Movie 1995 Goofy driving a Pacer.
- In Men in Black II is in the opening credits of the film, Mysteries in History to see a black Pacer.
- In the feature film Starsky & Hutch 2004 shot of a red Pacer on the two main characters.
- In Icelandic independent film A Little Trip to Heaven from the 2005 lead actor Forest Whitaker drives a somewhat dilapidated Pacer.
- The Austrian artist Erwin Wurm makes in his seven-minute video Tell ( 2007/ 08) a Pacer go up a vertical wall.
- In Adventureland 2009 Emily » Em » (Kristen Stewart) is driving a Pacer.
- In the movie Friendship!
(2010) go Veit and Tom as a hitchhiker in a Pacer Station Wagon with. - In the movie, Starstruck — The star, who loved me from the 2010 sinking a pink Pacer for a random walk in the mud.
- In the music video for the 2010 released single Happiness of the U.S. singer Alexis Jordan a Pacer is one of the main scenes.
- In the Pixar animated film Cars 2 from 2011, several Pacer are seen as villains.
American Motors Corporation – Who Made the AMC Pacer
American Motors Corporation was an American manufacturing company founded by the combination of both the Nash Kelvinator Corporation and the Hudson Motor Car Company back in the mid 1950s. The Nash Kelvinator was the result of a merger between the Nash Motors and the Kelvinator Appliance Company, while the Hudson Motor Car Company made Hudson and other brands of automobiles in Detroit Michigan.
The similar competitors to the AMC were the automakers who comprised the BIg Three – Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler. The main production line form AMC focused on small cars, including the Hornet, Gremlin, AMC Pacer, intermediate cars like the Ambassador and the Rebel, and larger muscle cars including the Marlin and AMX.
The creation of American Motors began in early 1954, when Nash Kelvinator began the acquisition of the Hudson Car Company, with the merger hopefully creating a rival to the Big Three, with the 1953-1954 Ford and GM Price war having an extremely negative effect on independent and smaller automakers across the world.
During the 1950s, the first product development and consolidation bega. The American Motors combined the Nash and Hudson product lines in 1955, with the production churning out the fast-selling Rambler model in 1955 and 1956.
The Pacer was created many decades later, with the AMC Pacer being an innovative all-new model that was first introduced in early 1975 and marketed as the first wide small car, being a subcompact that could also provide the comfort of a full-size car.
ONWARD AND DOWNWARD
For 1976, AMC addressed at least one of the Pacer’s problems by adding a new version of the 258 cu. in. (4,235 cc) six, this one using a two-barrel carburetor and offering 120 hp (90 kW) and 200 lb-ft (270 N-m) of torque. The more powerful engine did nothing for fuel economy, but cut about 2 seconds from the Pacer’s 0-60 mph (0-97 km/h) times and in a lightly optioned car could almost qualify as sprightly.
Nonetheless, by then, the bloom was off the rose so far as the critics were concerned. This is a customary phenomenon among the automotive press — the further reviewers get from perfectly tuned preview cars on a smooth test track (and the memory of the associated wining and dining), the more sharply a model’s foibles come into focus. In this case, however, there were quite a few flaws to note. Once you got used to the Pacer’s outside-the-box conception and quirky appearance, you were left with a small but rather portly car that was neither particularly cheap nor very economical and wasn’t much fun to drive, particularly on a hot summer day without air conditioning or front vent windows.
The public’s enthusiasm seemed to be cooling at a similar rate, but AMC had one more trick up its sleeve: a new wagon body style (an estate, for our British readers), added for 1977. The wagon was 3.5 inches (89 mm) longer than the standard Pacer and had a reshaped roof and tail. It was only a little heavier than the three-door sedan, so performance was similar, but the wagon had a more useful cargo area and more conventional proportions. Buyers evidently found the wagon more palatable than the sedan, if only for its looks; wagons accounted for about 65% of Pacer sales in 1977 and 1978.
Compared to the standard hatchback sedan, the AMC Pacer wagon looks fractionally more normal and was certainly more practical. AMC sold almost 38,000 Pacer wagons in 1977 compared to about 20,000 sedans. Woodgrain trim was included with the D/L package. (author photo)
The Pacer got a facelift for 1978, featuring a genuinely hideous eggcrate grille. The sporty Pacer X package was dropped, the D/L trim package became standard, and the six-cylinder engines were supplemented by an optional V8. This was AMC’s familiar 304 cu. in. (4,977 cc) engine, with 130 net horsepower (97 kW) in 1978 and 125 hp (93 kW) for 1979. The V8 gave peppier performance than did the sixes, but added even more weight, the last thing the Pacer needed, and dragged fuel economy down even further. Unsurprisingly, V8s accounted for only about 10% of Pacer sales. (This was not the first time a V8 had been seen under Pacer hoods: Carl Green Enterprises built a number of V8 Pacer X models throughout the model run, usually using the 401 cu. in. (6,573 cc) AMC V8 also found in the Javelin and Matador. Like the V8 Gremlin, these V8 Pacers were real sleepers.)
Despite the wagon and the V8, Pacer sales dropped sharply after 1976 and never recovered. By 1979, it was down to around 10,000 units, more than 70% of which were wagons. Only 1,746 Pacers were sold in the final 1980 run, with production ending in December 1979. AMC had had tentative plans for a 1981 Pacer, but considering its precipitous sales decline in its final years, there didn’t seem much point. Total U.S. production was 280,858; AMC also sold an unknown number of Pacers in Mexico through Vehículos Automotores Mexicanos between 1976 to 1979, some of them with a 282 cu. in. (4,621 cc) version of the six, rated at 174 hp (130 kW).
A 1978 AMC Pacer D/L wagon shows off its revised nose and unfortunate-looking eggcrate grille. Sales for the facelifted model were dismal, totaling only 33,192 in three model years. (Photo: “1978 AMC Pacer DL station wagon beige with woodgrain MD-rf” 2011 CZmarlin — Christopher Ziemnowicz; released into the public domain by the photographer, resized 2011 by Aaron Severson)
ALTERNATE FUTURES
However futuristic the AMC Pacer may have looked when it first appeared, its thunder was stolen by the arrival of the real car of the future: the Mk 1 Volkswagen Golf, known in America as the Rabbit. The Rabbit was a lightweight, monocoque hatchback with fashionably angular styling penned by Italy’s Giorgetto Giugiaro. With MacPherson strut front suspension, a transverse four-cylinder engine, and front-wheel drive, the Golf was vastly more space efficient than the Pacer, offering nearly as much useful interior room in a car 16 inches (406 mm) shorter and fully 1,200 pounds (545 kg) lighter. Despite having a much smaller engine than the Pacer, the Rabbit’s lighter weight gave it superior performance and significantly better fuel economy. The Volkswagen was also nimble and fun to drive in a way the clumsy AMC simply couldn’t be. The Pacer was quieter and rode better, but at a similar price — only about $30 cheaper than the Rabbit in 1975 — it came across as a poor second choice. AMC’s dilemma was made worse the following year with the debut of the Honda Accord, which matched the Rabbit for packaging efficiency and economy and would soon surpass it for build quality.
This 1977 AMC Pacer D/L wagon’s color, Sun Orange, is an authentic AMC color. It was the seventies; what can we say? (author photo)
If the Pacer had followed its original plan, would it have done better? If AMC had been able to buy the aborted GM Wankel, the Pacer would have been lighter, certainly, but probably no more economical. Given the GMRCE program’s many development problems, a production version of the engine would likely have been troublesome; the AMC six may have been heavy and relatively anemic, but it was at least reasonably dependable. Moreover, even with the Wankel engine and the thinner, lighter glass styling VP Dick Teague had hoped to use, the Pacer would still have been nearly 800 pounds (360 kg) heavier and far clumsier than the Rabbit or Accord.
In a sense, all car designers are futurists, since they’re working on vehicles that will not see the light of day until at least two or three years after the fact. Styling and design are a delicate balancing act: your designs must be advanced enough that they don’t quickly look dated, but not so radical as to scare away the public. Radically styled and engineered cars can sometimes succeed, but they have to work well; it’s not enough to be merely good enough. The Pacer was good enough in some areas, sadly deficient in others, and superb in none; that proved its undoing.
The same could be said of American Motors. Throughout its history, AMC had tried again and again to offer clever niche products to enable it to survive against the Big Three, but those products had also produced niche-market revenues, dooming each subsequent offering to be a little less than it promised. As Pacer production wound down, American Motors was embarking on an ill-starred relationship with the French automaker Renault, which ultimately did neither company any favors. Renault eventually sold AMC to Chrysler in 1987 at a considerable loss. Chrysler undoubtedly benefited from AMC’s engineering talent and some AMC-designed products (like the ZJ Grand Cherokee) proved to be very successful, but by the late 1990s, little remained of American Motors except the Jeep brand.
PROJECT AMIGO
When AMC’s futuristic Pacer debuted in early 1975, Motor Trend‘s introductory headline proclaimed, “Suddenly it’s 1980,” recalling the memorable advertising tagline of Plymouth’s groundbreaking 1957 “Forward Look” cars. Enthusiastic American critics called the Pacer the most revolutionary American car in 15 years.
Certainly, the Pacer looked like nothing else. Stubby but wide with massive glass area, asymmetric doors, and compound curves, it more resembled a shuttle craft from Star Trek than any contemporary American automobile. But the Pacer was designed for a future that never came and the failure of the real world to match up with the vision of its original design proved the Pacer’s undoing.
The Pacer was conceived in early 1971 by Gerald (Gerry) Meyers, then AMC’s VP of product development. It was not originally a production project, but rather a speculative venture, assigned to AMC’s Advanced Styling director, Chuck Mashigan. The goal of the project was to take a hard look at the future of the automobile — which in 1971 was very much an open question — and decide what kinds of vehicles that future would demand. It was perhaps the most far-reaching development program the company had undertaken since Meade Moore conceived the original Rambler back in the forties.
This car of the future was based on several basic parameters. One was mounting federal safety regulations, the latest proposals for which presented standards for 1980 and beyond so draconian that some Detroit automakers insisted they were simply impossible to meet, including 50 mph (80 km/h) frontal impact protection and stringent new rollover, roof crush, and side impact requirements. There were also ever-stiffer emissions standards to consider.
Another factor was the changing nature of traffic conditions. Gridlock was already a way of life in major metropolitan areas and promised to get worse as populations increased and urban dwellers retreated farther into the suburbs. In that environment, Meyers concluded, traditional notions of handling and performance were largely obsolete. More important were wieldy outside dimensions, good visibility, and tight-quarters maneuverability — not having to pass up a parking space because you couldn’t get into it or your car didn’t fit.
The goal of AMC’s future car, which was eventually codified as Project Amigo, was to meet these challenges while still providing the accommodation, utility, and comfort to which American buyers were accustomed. Many of these issues were international ones and automakers in other markets had concocted their own solutions, but these were built to fit tax categories and narrow roads and streets that didn’t really exist in the U.S., resulting in cars that were too light, too cramped, or too underpowered to suit American conditions. Project Amigo was to be basically an urban car, but it needed to be a car for American cities, American roads, and American regulations.
AMC Pacer Reviews
According to the critics, there have been varying accounts of the reliability, performance, and user views of the AMC Pacer over the years. Back in 1975 in an issue of Car and Driver, the author noted that the AMC Pacer was the “first real urban transporter” and had “high priority on comfortable and effective travel.”
In the same year, Road and Track road tested the AMC Pacer, with the magazine not sign the outward appearance was “bold, clean and unique”, but the engine and transmission of the performance were lackluster and unsafe, causing “the AMC Pacer to screech, skid, and demand expert attention at the wheel.”
In Popular Mechanics, the author wrote that the ride was smoother than most short-wheelbase cars, the rack and pinion steering gave a more precise steering feel, the cornering was predictable and safe, the turning radius allowed for ease while parking in tight corners, and the steering wheel was big and easy to use. In addition, he noted the “very modern styling, ample power, and generous interior” of the AMC Pacer.
Consumer Reports described the Pacer as doing as well in terms of performance as competitors like the Dodge Dart, Plymouth Valiant, and Chevrolet Nova, with the AMC Pacer scoring better than “domestic subcompacts like the Ford Pinto, the Chevrolet Vega, and AMC’s own Gremlin.”
THE UNLIKELY ICON
American Motors still has a lot of fans, as does the AMC Pacer. Charlie and Debbie, the owners of the blue car in the photos, are two such enthusiasts. Charlie has owned the Pastel Blue Gremlin pictured in our earlier Gremlin article since it was new. He told us, “This Gremlin was my first new car, purchased it at the age of 21 in 1975. I had gone to the local dealer to buy a Javelin, but was told that 74 was the last year they were made … On my way out, I saw this Gremlin on the show room floor and it was an immediate ‘had to have.’”
A few years ago, while scouring eBay for Gremlin parts, he discovered the Pastel Blue Pacer for sale. Debbie had wanted a Pacer for years, he said, and the fact that it was the same color as his Gremlin (and the same color as the Pacer in the movie Wayne’s World) was perfect. “The guy selling it lived less than two hours away from me,” he said. “He had bought it to restore, but was injured at work and was placed on disability. I got the sense the wife made him sell it. I figured if we were ever going to buy a Pacer, that would be the one! Well, we won the bid and my wife got her Pacer for Christmas. (I loved watching the expression on people’s faces when my wife told them what she got for Christmas.)”
Not a lot of Pacers survive intact, and unlike more popular cars like the Ford Mustang, no reproduction parts are available (although mechanical parts for its engine and driveline are easier to come by). The AMC Pacer has flirted with collectible status for years, but it remains decidedly a special-interest car, a symbol of a future that — perhaps fortunately — passed us by.
FIN
Technology
But even without a Wankel engine, the car was interesting.
It then had a 4.2- liter six- cylinder, which was also used in the Jeep.
From 1978 onwards, a V8 engine was available.
The vehicle corresponded in length to a VW Golf IV, its width exceeds to date, the S- Class from Mercedes -Benz.
Accordingly, the Pacer with the slogan «The first wide small car » ( » the first wide small car » ) was advertised.
Due to the particularly wide track ( 1,550 mm front, 1,529 mm rear) and the low center of gravity of the Pacer was relatively stable driving.
Only the strong top-heaviness could lead to a breakout of the rear during hard braking.
Contrary to other American practices included the equipment list several pages.
It gearbox, automatic transmission, radio in simple facilities as well as eight-track tape and compact cassette drives were offered.
Also the choice of exterior colors and interior was extensive.
Show Cars
Pacer Stinger – for the 1976 auto show circuit, the AMC Pacer developed a different type of car that is caused the Pacer Stinger, featuring a matte black painted blower body panel, over the roof matte black stripes, oversize radial tires, aluminum racing road wheels, a side mounted exhaust, NACA duct on the hood, and a front spoiler and wheel well fender extensions.
AM Van – the 1977 AM Van was a specific type of AMC Pacer that was based on an existing platform, but had proposed features of four wheel drive, turbo decal on the double side opening rear doors, and was used primarily as a concept car during the auto show circuit tour.
Crown Pacer – American Motors evaluated the AMC Pacer as the personal luxury model with the Crown Pacer concept first designed in 1978, finished with an all white interior, large inbuilt sunroof, real wire wheels, full rocker bright trim, and bumper covers with black rubber guards.
THE WANKEL THAT WASN’T
As planned, the Pacer was intended to have at least one headline-worthy technical feature: The car was planned not around a conventional reciprocating engine, but rather a Wankel rotary engine.
The rotary engine was a cause célèbre in the late sixties and early seventies, when it briefly seemed like it would eventually replace the Otto-cycle (four-stroke, spark-fired) engine. Named for Dr. Felix Wankel, who had been developing the concept since the 1920s, the rotary engine uses roughly triangular-shaped pistons spinning in a fixed housing. The rotation of the piston completes the same cycle (intake, compression, ignition, and exhaust) as an Otto-cycle engine. A Wankel engine is lighter and more compact than a piston engine of the same output with fewer parts and smoother operation.
Unfortunately, the surface area and shape of the Wankel’s combustion chambers are inherently thermally inefficient, making a rotary engine thirstier than a comparable piston engine. Worse, although the rotary engine produces fewer oxides of nitrogen than a reciprocating engine, its hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide emissions are higher. Moreover, the rotor seals take a real pounding in high-mileage operation and finding sealing materials both durable enough and cheap enough for passenger-car use was a problem. All of these factors eventually limited the rotary’s real-world automotive application, although that wasn’t yet obvious in the early seventies.
AMC did not really have the money to develop a rotary engine of its own, but as most of Detroit was well aware, in November 1970, General Motors president Ed Cole had negotiated a five-year license of Wankel GmbH’s rotary engine patents for the harrowing sum of $50 million. GM then set to work developing its own rotary, known as the General Motors Rotary Combustion Engine or GMRCE. A two-rotor version of that engine, the RC2-206, with a nominal displacement of 206 cu. in. (3,380 cc, although actual geometric displacement was precisely half that), was to be produced by the Hydra-Matic Division for use in the 1975 H-body cars (the Chevrolet Monza and its Buick, Oldsmobile, and Pontiac siblings).
Early on, American Motors negotiated an agreement with GM to purchase the RC2-206, when it was ready, for use in AMC’s own cars. The GM rotary promised to be a lightweight, compact engine with power comparable to AMC’s smaller V8 and the ability to pass future emissions standards, all of which sounded great for the Urban Concept. AMC also spent about $1.5 million licensing the rights to eventually manufacture its own rotary engines and began discussions with fellow licensees Curtiss-Wright and Toyo Kogyo (Mazda) about the finer points of rotary engine design, an area in which GM was less than forthcoming.
In retrospect, GM would have been wiser to share information with other licensees, some of whom had already found solutions to the many problems that beset the GMRCE program. As it was, the GM rotary engine’s development was alternately fast-tracked and delayed, leaving AMC increasingly uneasy about when — or if — it would be available. Recognizing that there was a good chance the RC2-206 wouldn’t be ready in time for the Pacer’s launch, AMC went shopping for rotary alternatives, talking with Audi-NSU, Toyo Kogyo, and Comotor (a joint venture founded in 1967 by NSU and Citroën). AMC engineers built a few test mules with various non-GM rotary engines, but AMC was unable to find one that was both suitable and affordable.
The AMC Pacer D/L and Limited models had relatively lavish interiors with plush vinyl or cloth/vinyl bucket seats. The center console was optional. There was also a Levi’s designer package with blue denim, brass rivets, and Levi’s trademark red stitching. (author photo)
By the fall of 1974, the troubled GMRCE program had been postponed indefinitely (meaning it was effectively dead, except perhaps as a research project) and it was clear the Pacer would have to launch with a conventional piston engine, although Gerry Meyers still hoped — in vain, as things turned out — that it would be possible to add a rotary engine later.
In the meantime, AMC had to substitute its well-tried inline six, which dated back to mid-1964. Despite Meyers’ insistence that the Pacer had always had provision for AMC’s existing engines, the six was not an easy fit. Not only did it weigh at least 70 lb (32 kg) more than the stillborn RC2-206, the six was significantly taller and significantly longer than the rotary. The firewall had to be modified to make room and the two rear cylinders were buried so far back that the engine looked at a glance like an inline four.
FUTURE SHOCK
With all this in mind, the peculiar design of the Pacer becomes easier to understand. Designed for crowded urban freeways, it was only 171.5 inches (4,356 mm) long, 4.5 inches (114 mm) shorter than the original 1950 Nash Rambler on an identical 100-inch (2,540mm) wheelbase, and less than an inch (about 18mm) longer than a mid-seventies Ford Pinto. However, the Pacer’s overall width was a whopping 77 inches (1,956 mm), greater than any imported compact and actually about an inch (26 mm) wider than GM’s downsized 1977 B-body full-size cars. AMC officials showed off the Pacer’s width by parking a Chevrolet Vega inside a specially prepared Pacer model.
Overall proportions were only one of the Pacer’s distinguishing characteristics. It had a very low beltline and massive windows for better visibility, abetted by 39 square feet (3.6 square meters) of glass area, about 50% more than the typical compact car of that era. The gently sloping curves served to reduce aerodynamic drag, giving a claimed drag coefficient of 0.32, a reasonably creditable figure even today and night and day better than most of the Pacer’s contemporaries could boast. Unlike the existing AMC Gremlin, which made do with a flip-up rear window, the Pacer was a proper three-door hatchback with fold-down rear seats to expand its luggage capacity. AMC claimed a maximum of 29.6 cu. ft. (838 liters) of cargo space with the seat down as well as passenger space rivaling some intermediates of the time. A further novelty was asymmetrical doors; the passenger door was longer than the driver’s door to facilitate entry and exit of rear-seat occupants.
The results were inevitably odd-looking, although exterior design chief Bob Nixon, who led Project Amigo’s development from concept to production car, said the early design studies were far less roly-poly than the final product was. However, Gerry Meyers and product planning director Dale Dawkins insisted on increasing overall width, both for more passenger space and to accommodate the side and roof bracing that would be necessary to meet the proposed 1980 roof crush standards. Those much higher standards were never actually enacted until years later, but the fact that the structure was designed to accommodate them made the car bulkier (and dumpier) than it would otherwise have been. (Had the Pacer’s width been less exaggerated, it probably would have looked more like the later Mitsubishi Colt sold in the U.S. by Dodge dealers.)
Considering the emphasis on packaging, it would have been logical for the “Urban Concept,” as Project Amigo was later called internally, to have front-wheel-drive like the latest European small cars. Meyers and Dawkins said they considered that possibility, but rejected it because marketing research found that buyers would either be indifferent to FWD or consider it too new or risky. That may have been true — the Mini had never been a big seller in the U.S. and the Volkswagen Golf was still in the future when the AMC Pacer was conceived — but we suspect the real reason AMC rejected FWD was that they didn’t have the money for it. Even without front-wheel drive, the Pacer project cost AMC about $60 million, a lot of money for a cash-strapped company.
As a result, the Urban Concept had a conventional RWD layout with double wishbones and coil springs in front and Hotchkiss drive — a live axle (borrowed from the intermediate Matador) suspended on and located by semi-elliptical springs — in back. The main novelties were the use of rack and pinion steering rather than the Detroit-customary recirculating ball and the fact that AMC had finally abandoned the high-mounted front coil springs the company had used since the original Rambler. The otherwise familiar hardware saved money, but the driveshaft tunnel and differential hump cut into rear seat room and comfort and added to the car’s already ponderous mass.
The owners of this 1975 AMC Pacer X have dubbed it the “Mirth Mobile.” This car’s front vent windows were an extra-cost option; the standard Pacer had no quarterlights. The Pacer X package is mostly trim, although it does include bucket seats (instead of a bench) and a floor shifter. A handling package, which included a front anti-roll bar, was a useful extra. (Photo: “1975 AMC Pacer” 2006 Gremmie; used with permission)
AMC Pacer Production
Introduced first at the beginning of 1975, the AMC Pacer was designed to attract those who traditionally bought larger cars, targeting this market during a time in history when the gas prices were projected to rise dramatically. In the first year of AMC Pacer production, the car sold well, with selling nearly 145,530 units. However, there was little competition, as many other American companies had it been prepared for the impending oil crisis.
Increased Competition
However, despite the initial success, the AMC Pacer sales decreased after the first two years, although the car continued to be produced and sold throughout the 1980 model year. Similar to the mid-year introduction, the AMC Pacer production ended in Wisconsin at the very end of 1979.
The total number of AMC Pacers ever built came out to 280,000 cars, and were hampered by the competition from the Big Three automakers and the shift to other imported cars and companies in the late 1970s decade. Since the AMC Pacer could not match foreign cars, like those from Germany or Japan, they stopped being produced.
Unique Styling & Weight
In addition, another reason for the lack of success was the unconventional and unique styling of the AMC Pacer. Other concerns along with the distinctive styling is the lack of cargo space when the car is completely full. The cargo space can be increased by folding down the back of the rear seat, but still could not hold passenger gear for every single person.
In addition, the car did not have a high performance or power from the engine, especially since the AMC Pacer was heavy for a small car. The car was already quoted at nearly 3000 pounds, but the car actually increased to nearly 3,500 pounds when they added the air conditioning, automatic transmission, power steering, and other parts that were not initially counted.