Poverty Corvette - 1968 AMC AMX
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- Опубликовано: 24 июн 2021
- The Chevrolet Corvette since its inception has always been America's sport car. Over the years a few competitors have appeared, but one stands out above them all. The 1968 AMC AMX proved to be very interesting and formidable competition for the Corvette. Watch this video to find out why.
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The AMX was one of, if not the best looking of AMC cars.
It or the Ambassador
It definitely was the best looking AMC. All other AMC rides were hideous
@@marka6187 excuse me! I had a 1968 Rebel SST hardtop and it was beautiful. Very similar in styling to the 68 Plymouth Satellite and Roadrunner.
@@danielulz1640
yea those are sweet. They had style, right up there with the best of em'
I love AMC all around.
It's funny, their styling always seemed really ford like, with vertical headlights.
Front end of some models resembling the Polaris.
It was sad to see them go .
When they ended production I knew it was the end of an era.
This awesome styling got crushed by the big 3 along with others of course, just so the government could make room for silly little imports.
Didn't really know that back then but, obviously the agenda as we whiteness very shortly after.
*AMC Pacer*
AMC was a great company. Shame that they don’t get more love.
Love isn't real
I used to have a AMC rambler rebel, great car!! I still miss it
@@jm2815 It might be...
In a way they did get a lot of love when Chrysler took over the company in '87, but that love was primarily for the Jeep brand, as I remember.
There’s a lot of nasty car company stories about The Big Three being able to drive other companies out of business. They purchased 10 nuts and bolts for a penny while the lesser companies paid two or 3 times more.
They’d lure top workers and designers away… and if all else failed buy them out.
Sad.
There were hundreds of pre-war car companies… now government bails out failing car makers? Imagine who and what may have filled the gaps.
I've never heard the AMX called a "poverty Corvette". I was always under the impression that the Opel GT held that title.
You are correct! I always heard that too.
Yeah, me too.
We always heard the 'Opel GT' called the 'Baby Corvette'...
That's the baby corvette😀
Yep you nailed it opel gt
Always loved AMX and Javelins. Still want one to this day.
Me, too.
Dream car for me in MOPAR Plum Crazy
Had a 71 wish I had I back
Same
But I want mine to be playmate pink
What I find amazing about the AMC cars of this era is that they were 1960s cars with 1970s styling
Very true.
Not sure if thats a good thing. Cars got pretty mediocre in the 70's
@@will7its performance did. Styling didn't.
@@will7its America is not the world.
@@legiran9564 Yeah....now practice saying that in russian or chinese......the grass is always greener isnt it....use your brain
So cool ,just purchased a 68 AMX, Original brown 4 speed 343, 354 rear .Now has a 72 Police 401 done right.Will upload vid soon .Love your site
Subbed
PLEASE!!
Just don't do a power drop from reverse to drive, trust me on this!
Back around 1974 I was at the track in my very mild 351 1970 Mach 1. I was in the staging lanes right behind an AMX and chatted with the owner. It was a 390 4 speed car with basic bolt ons like headers, intake, Holley carb, cam and slicks. He ran about a 12.70 which was impressive for a mild street car back then. Especially when I was running 14’s!
Those were fabulous cars. We had one in the 80's when nobody really wanted one. I thought is was a much better daily driver than the Vette. They just never really caught on.
I daily drive a 1972 Pontiac Lemans 2 door hardtop. It only has 89,000 miles on it and I drive every single place I go. Old cars can make awesome daily drivers.
@@jhutch1470 especially if you know how to do your own maintenance.
@@OOICU812 Very true. Keeps it cheap also. LOL
That’s not hard to believe considering the c3 Corvette had about the same structural rigidity as a cooked spaghetti noodle
I took ownership of a blue '69 AMX, 390 4-speed, go-pack two years ago.
Hold on to it forever! Congrats
@@everythinggrowsyaheard It was a dream come true. I had dreamed of owning one for years; I'm a longtime AMC fan. We owned several AMCs over the years.
Prices are going up
These were such cool cars. AMC only had a few muscle cars, and would surprise everyone with a wild model once in awhile.
So gorgeous. It's amazing how American car design became so uninspired in the years to follow.
Unfortunately design must follow regulations and the US regulations were strenuous and increased yearly. Lots of companies like MG just gave up.
When computers started designing cars, it was all over. They were better when done with pencil and paper.
When I was in high school in the early 80's a friend of mine had two Javelins and an AMX, all three of them would get up and go but that AMX was really something, that thing was a scorcher for a mostly stock car, as I recall the only thing he did to it was headers and a carb and man would it move, and it seemed to handle very well on the winding mountain roads where we live.
I’ve always loved the 68’ AMX, but then again I’ve always been a sucker for the underdog.🐶🐕
Cool. I remember being in High School in 1969 and seeing my first AMX. Of course it was some rich kid. Then I drove out of the parking lot in my Saab and only managed a little chirp from a front tire.
First car i bought was a 1968 Javelin with the 290 4 barrel 4 speed in 1978. Paid $300 didnt know how to drive a stick and that night took off for San Francisco.
Love that car.
The best way to learn how to drive a manual is by yourself
This brings back memories. When I was a kid in the '70s, there was a guy down the street with a gorgeous dark green AMX...he did some work to the motor, and that thing was badass!!! I remember riding with him and he'd fishtail around corners leaving a trail of tire smoke behind you couldn't see through. Pretty sure it was the 390, and man, would that thing fly!
It's the moments like that in the 70s that you cannot explain to kids today. It was magical, yet real and you knew that this was it...that it's what you wanted or wanted to be and the AMX was making that happen. Amen
Frequently after install of ladder trackin bars,, shut down the "Rambler" rattle of on lookers and a few indivually riding passengers pulling up 6 to 8" clearance from paved parking lots in mine.😊
What AMC accomplished in the performance arena in the very short time they did it is an amazing feat.
Owned a 68. No doubt the best looking American car of the 60's. Still a icon.
best looking american car of the 60s is shared with a lot of cars
Such a nice looking car, always liked cars with those sail panels next to the rear glass
I'm currently looking for a 68 390 go pak in go green the prices are going up fast.
I once owned a ‘69.....ABSOLUTELY loved it! 390 with the four speed and 3:54 rear axle. I sold it back in ‘92 and I still miss it to this day. 😟
Fun little factoid: The Javelin was actually derived from the AMX. The AMX was originally a show car from 1966, but AMC needed something that would be more mainstream to compete with the Mustang, so the Javelin was “stretched” from the show car and debuted in late ‘67.
I remember the Javelin well because my Mother bought one of the few the dealer first got in when they were introduced.
Thanks for the excellent video! The AMX was one of my favorites I owned and yes, it could whip the pants off many a contender in its day. 👊🏽👊🏽
oh yea , sooooo many of us kids growing up loved these cars.
Yes, owners of Vettes , Z28s, Boss Mustangs, etc. would always be surprised how strong my AMX was.
@@beyond_the_infinite2098 amen brother! To this day there are a LOT of Big-3 guys who HATE to admit that! Thank you and long AMC muscle 💪!
@@audieconrad8995
One HUGE advantage to owning an AMX is that you seldom saw yourself coming and going. Back when I owned mine, if I passed someone else in an AMX, more than likely I knew who it was as we had a very good AMC club here in Central PA.
All of us knew each other and a number of us drove our cars daily like myself.
Another thing about AMX’s, particularly the two seat cars was that you couldn’t fake ‘em. You can take a small block Corvette and make it a big block, same with the Camaros and even fake the VIN numbers.
You could fake a garden variety Mustang and turn it into a Shelby. It’s VERY HARD if not impossible though to take a Javelin and turn it into an AMX! ☺️
Someone could try, but they’d end up with a real mess on their hands!
@@beyond_the_infinite2098 I heard the motors were tough as nails too. High nickel content and generally overbuilt or something like that. Beautiful cars.
I don’t know how to explain why this is one of the absolute best car channels on YT.
…Just watch it, I would have to say.
The javelin was also great
I personally prefer Javelin.
Yeah the Javelin is a dream for me to factory restore!
@@V8AmericanMuscleCarI like them both equally
I loved my 72 Javelin SST most fun car I have ever owned, with just a 304 done up a bit a was beating Camaro's with factory 350's, good old days...
I owned a 70 AMX 360 4-speed Go Package 3.73 posi. Burned those F70 tires all the way down the street. Very unique and fun car. I miss it.
360 def doesn’t get the respect and attention it deserves. That motor had pah-lentee of punch...
Always loved the looks of the Javelin and AMX.
Absolutely on my bucket list to own before I go to that Great Garage in the sky. With the 401, of course.
Bucket list ..
Ha
I
We used to laugh at my buddies ‘68 Javelin with the 390……until I got a ride in it. Holy $h*t!
Anyone remember the die hard commercial with the grand parents car not starting so they borrowed their sons car… a red max with a huge blower sticking out of the hood. Awesome, one of my favorite. Says …next time you’ll buy a Diehard battery
@Eddie G wow you remember that commercial,.... thought I was the only one, I was a kid back then, too young to drive, about 10 or 11 years old at the time, but I sure that style they were right up there with the Camaro and and mustang fastback, I had a HOT WHEELS COLLECTION AND A MATCHBOX COLLECTION of scale miniature cars and the Amx was the prized/or hard to find car back then loved it and all the memories of that era.
I remember the commercial and the car - it was a Javelin, not an AMX.
I saw the car!
@@edarcuri182 oops I just went back and looked at the commercial it's still on RUclips. We both were wrong it's a 68 Plymouth barracuda with a giant Daytona spoiler check it out.
I remember that commercial well. My father would always crack up when Dad gave a quizzical look when his son says, "Sure. Don't forget to put some gas in it."
Sad that this company failed. Very underrated company.
I’ve been a wheeler for many, many years. The motor in my Jeep? The good old, 7 main bearing AMC 258....such a great little torque monster
Wicked awesome rides.
family had a trophy winning Sprite that during a time course, AMX's and Covettes would spin out.
Nice memories.
My neighbor had a beautiful 1972, with a 401-4V 4spd. The vinyl top somehow was arranged as if a T-top was optional. I had a 70 Buick GS Stage 1 4spd & a/c. There's no need to mention who won the drag races between us, but his Javelin ALWAYS got the attention. AWESOME blue color & black vinyl top. I loved the so called "coke bottle" fenders. He got married afterwards & moved. But, what fun we had with our cars.
Shout out Gene V.
Awesome👌
This has been my dream car since I was a little kid
Another good piece with a lot of information. Thank you.
The AMX was the second sports car from that manufacturer. The first was the much more expensive Nash-Healey which was a class winner at Le Mans. It is often forgotten and it preceded the Corvette by two years, introduced in 1951. Others which preceded the Corvette included the Cunninghams and Brooks Stevens' Excalibur SS which were very rare. The Kaiser Darrin was introduced before the Corvette but the Corvette preceded it to production.
The Corvette is the American sports car standard for many reasons principally because Chevrolet continued making the car and continued improving it over time even when faced with efforts such as the Cobra an AC powered by powerful Ford engines. As many others would have liked to see, a continuation of AMX as a sports car would have been fun to watch and, perhaps, a spur to Chevy to keep on their remarkable efforts with the Corvette - I am glad we still have the 'Vette.
Sadly, owing to domestic politics in France, AMC was absorbed by Chrysler and the rest of that tale is too sad to tell. We all know what happened thereafter.
Well stated. Thank you, Ed.
That really was a beautiful design.
I actually always liked the Javelin myself. The proportions just look more pleasing on the eye.
68 or 69 AMX 390 with the "Go Package" was a beast. There was hardly anything that could out run it.
One of my favorite muscle/pony cars for sure. Those things were just sweet. I like the fact they were kinda under the radar too.
But the APEX of everything AMC will always be the gorgeous AMX/3.
YES!
Most people have no idea what that even is...but it was a beautiful car...very much like a DeTomaso Pantera.
I owned a AMX which I bought in 1969 it was the 144 one made out of the 25000 they made. I was lucky because the dealer wanted to get it out to the public he sold it to me loaded with everything for the base price. Turned a lot of heads especially those 396 Chevelle's. Great car even greater memories.
I bought a '69 AMX when I got home from the Army in '72. A light metallic blue over silver vinyl, 290 with a 4-speed and rally wheels, she was a beauty. I loved that car. It was never the same after getting hit by a drunk driver while parked. (sigh)
I love these. Still want to get one!
A guy down the street from me had one with the roof chopped a couple of inches with a beautiful black paint job. The Wagner family owned that car and did the work on it. There's might have been a 69 or 70, but it was awesome!
Roger Penske and Mark Donahue loved the AMC AMX. TD Atlanta
I bought a new Jolly Green, 1972 AMC Javelin AMX, 4 Speed with the 401 cid. I kept it for 14 years and over 175,000 miles. The car never let me down.
Best car I ever owned.
Your videos are the most informative and professional that I've seen on RUclips. We look forward to each one. Keep up the good work.
After the AMC Marlin, the AMX is the best lookin of all AMC produced vehicles....lookin at the gaps @6:13, I can appreciate how Chip Foose tightened those up all around the AMX he did on Overhaulin', giving it a much more finished look... 🤘🏻🇺🇸
Wish I had one ,, drove one in 1968 ,love it fun to drive
Bring back AMC. They were awesome! Could you imagine what they would have out on the road today that they still existed? The options that domestic American buyer would have would be great.
4X4 Spirit and Eagles were 20 years ahead of their time. How about the Pacer having a wider passenger side door, even free-wheeling. Love it
@@rickarra9396 was just thinking about the Pacer. A brother of an old friend of mine had one. I thought it was an odd design then.
Terrific bang-for-the buck street racer. And you were right. That dash was way ahead of it's time. Thanks for the video.
You have one the most relaxing channels.
Your videos bring me back to the days of a youngen.
In a grateful way , reminds me of how cool our car culture used to be.
Glad I was there.
The AMX the javelin and the gremlin. These are all AMC cards from my '70s childhood that I loved !
Of all the Subs I try, this one is a mainstay. Always a pleasure to learn from you, gorgeous wheels btw
Kenosha Komet! Vastly underrated!
AMC was a GREAT car company. They made great running cars........
Reminds me of the AMC Javelin. Stylish for it's day!
Learned something new!! I never realized the AMX was a 2-seater. Thought it was just an up-badged Javelin. Had a poster of one looking fierce on my bedroom wall in the early 70's. Never thought of AMC as a quality car company though.
Because...
We had a 62 Rambler American station wagon bought new from Lakeview Motors in Hillsdale, NJ. Dark blue with a white roof. I remember my Dad adding aftermarket seat belts and a 4-Way Flasher. It didn't come with a radio and remember going with my Dad to get one installed in Hackensack NJ at the Car Radio place at Anderson & River Streets, across from Sears. It had a flat head 6 that always seemed to break down when going to visit my Grandma in the Catskills. As it it got older, it seemed to "Chug" away from stops and then just crapped out around 1969, never to run again (though it sat in our driveway until April 1973).
Always wanted one of these.
I grew up watching these AMC cars. My first car ever at 17 in 1979 was a 1966 AMC Ambassador with I believe the 287 V8! FOUR-DOOR!!! Loved that car!!! It was definitely a "sleeper". There's old lingo for ya! LOL!
This was my dream car as a kid. A neighbor had one that I would lust after. When I win the lotto I am getting one totally custom.
I had a '69 AMX 390 auto with the Go-Pack, loved it, the perfect car for road trips upcountry, could easily pass slow semis grinding up our many long steep grades in British Columbia. Just a quick look for oncoming traffic, then point and squirt. It was docile enough as a daily driver if you feathered the throttle, and relatively easy on fuel... yeah... Why oh why did I sell it ?
Gorgeous car! it's a crying shame AMC didn't make it.
Huh???
He means they were bought out by Chrysler
They were, but because they were failing. Jeep was the only profitable line they had. All Chrysler wanted was Jeep and the 360 V-8.
I had a 1971 Javelin. Great looking car that I really enjoyed. Great video and information.
When I was in the army learning how to work on uh-1 Huey helicopters at Fort Rucker, Alabama . The Alabama highway patrol interceptor was the AMX . A very agile and quick pursuit vehicle .
The Javelin/Amx would not look out of place now. It is and will always be my favorite car from the 1960's. I can just imagine what it would look like as a convertible... An absolute stunner.
I always loved the AMX, how they just took a regular muscle car model and shortened it. AMC, as a whole, seemed like such a cool company, if not a bit ahead of their time.
The production model, yes. The AMX was designed 1st. Several prototypes came before Javelin production.
My mom bought a '69 base model AMC Ambassador w 290 V8, PS, PB and AM radio. ALL Ambassadors came STANDARD with Air Conditioning which was unheard of back then! It was a very nice car that could get out of its own way.😉
Of course, every time Mom took the Ambassador in for service, I would be ogling the AMX in the showroom! Saw a couple of customers' AMX and loved the car's exhaust rumble.
I had a chance to buy a used '70 black AMX in late 1970 (when I was 19) for about $3600 until our family's insurance agent said my monthly auto insurance bill would be higher than my car payment!😱😱😱😱
It was a nice dream while it lasted!😉😁
I drove one of these, the original AMC Javelin in England for a couple of months in 1970 or so. A friend in the trade took it in trade against a new Porsche and could not resell it, so he loaned it to me. I enjoyed driving it, and of course back then there were not many American muscle cars in Britain. I never really knew much about the car I was driving though, information was scarce in Britain, but I I think it was a 1968 model with a V8, probably the smaller V8. It turned me on to V8 engines though and I have loved them ever since, to the point of much later building my own Cobra replica with a modified Ford 302 Windsor. Today the early Javelin styling is more attractive to look at for my taste, than any Mustang, Camaro etc.
What an awesome machine!
72 Javelin SST in that gorgeous green and the half vinyl roof was my buddy's ride of choice for a few years in the early 80s.
While I was in high school (1971), I was the "lot boy" for an AMC dealer in Florida. Every chance I had, I would take one of the new AMXs or Javelin's to fill up the gas tank. My mom also had a 1971 Javelin SST with the 260 cid engine. I loved driving those cars.
I think the Alabama Sate Police may have had some Javelins in their fleet at one time.
@JohnnyHenry they ran '71 and I believe '72's. Equipped with 401's and 2.87 gear ratios. It is alleged that at least 1 was clocked north of a buck-50.
they sure did, I remember seeing them running the highways around Montgomery when my aunt lived there! Funny thing is in 1979-81 in Catoosa County Georgia {near the Tenn border} all they ran were Trans Am police cars
Please do the AMC Rambler Rogue sometime, it never gets the respect it deserves.
Excellent you always do a good job American motors deserves more acalades then they get I would like to see you specifically do a piece on the 69 and 70 Ford LTD Country Squire station wagons
Of the two, the styling compliments the AMX much more than it does the Javelin.
The AMX was a beautiful car! One of the most attractive and Best Buy sports cars of the 60’s!!
AMC made nice vehicles!! The good old days!!
The cut away view of the chassis looks like a strut and I didn't know they were on the AMX ! Cool cars !
My dad bought a used 1968 or 1969 390 Go Pack AMX, in about 1971. The 390 had enough torque to launch smoothly from a stop in fourth gear. The car probably had an aggressive rear gear, I suppose, but still. He had a couple of issues with it. One was that it had vacuum-powered windshield wipers that would stop dead climbing hills, or whenever the throttle opening was enough for manifold vacuum to drop significantly. Another was that the nose-dive under braking was pretty extreme, which is related to front suspension design; insufficient anti-dive geometry. In those days, you could get away with high speeds on the open road, and I remember many journeys running 90 mph or so in the AMX and other cars. Different times.
one of my favorite automobiles
I had a 1969 Javelin while in the Navy at Norfolk D & S Piers 1973-74 metal-flake green, plaid green/tan interior, 390 auto, I loved it, but, had to sell it upon discharge, wish I had it back!!
Thank you for yet another great video on the AMX!
My first car ever, at 18 years old, was a 1972 AMC Javelin SST-----304
Nice solid cars with power and style. Sad they lasted so little. 😔
There still out there.
Blue collar bow tie alternative. The AMX was a breed of rare american made eagles that flew under the radar until such time as one put foot pedal to floor board. A few aftermarket engine and suspension mods could make these 390 optional equipped classic era sports cars, true brutes 👍
Always liked the AMX, just didn't see a lot of them back in the day. AMC actually built some really reliable cars back in the 60's and 70's. The Rambler, then the Hornet, the Ambassador, ect. In the 80's the Eagle Spirit or the Concorde. The only thing that kept them going was the Jeep brand.
@ChryslerMan Amiga 1084 I'd like to...
Look at those vacuum powered wipers!
Can you cover the barracuda/cuda 70-74 and 1st gen roadrunners
AMC had it going on! Nice cars!
"It was years ahead of the competition..."
Bang on.
AMC was the victim of "Big 3" tunnel vision syndrome.
I really do appreciate that you make videos about AMC! Please keep it up!
I would love one of these. They're beautiful to look at.
I was sorry to see AMC bite the dust. They made a lot of fun and interesting cars, and sold them at reasonable prices. To my recollection, the Gremlin was the first small hatch ever made, and the Eagle was the first sedan to offer 4 wheel drive in a car that was not specifically designed for off-road duty like most Jeep models of the time.
The Eagle was really the first crossover
The AMX was not a chopped or shortened Javelin, the Javelin was a lengthened AMX. The AMX design was first, which is why it has such and integrated look.
I don't know that much about AMC or their cars like I do other builders but back when I was in high school a long time ago this guy I knew had one of these. It was a wrecking machine. It could put away a lot of cars with bigger engines without much trouble. I don't know if this is true or not but from what I've been told AMC never had a big block V-8. All of their V-8s were small blocks.
Necessity being the mother of invention for AMC (primarily cash) their 2nd-gen V8's [290/343/390] and 3rd-gen [304/360/401] where all the same size block - bore and strokes of course were the variants. Their blocks had high nickel content which made them stout and allowed for what they termed "thin wall construction." Additionally this was an advantage with weight as AMC motors where lighter than their competitors. Pontiac in the '60's also followed the practice of using a single-block for their V8's. That seemed work out pretty well for them too!..lol
@@audieconrad8995 Ford also did that with their 260/289/302/351/400 V-8. Those all shared the same small block. It might have been the best engine they ever made too. I remember that straight six that AMC/Jeep had back in the 70s. It didn't make a lot of hp but it made a truck load of torque. It was a nearly indestructible engine. Maybe one of the best engines ever made by anyone.
@@komradkolonel I had a full sized '77 Cherokee with a 258 3spd manual - locking hubs. Thing was a beast off-road. I was always lead trail masher for my CJ buddies. U r right - 258 was a torque monster especially given it's size.
I had the opportunity to "baby-sit" a 1968 AMC AMX, dark green with tan interior, 390ci, 4-spd because the owner went home for about 2 weeks and didn't want the car to "just sit" in the parking lot while he was away in Boston. This was in Las Vegas and in the USAF. I had a fun time driving it and showing it off at the local hand car wash. I was 22 yo at the time.
I remember as a kid we had a 1972 AMC Hornet station wagon. it was equipped with air conditioning and I'll never forget its "Weather Eye" climate control system had a *_Desert Only_* mode. And my dad would never engage it because we were never in a desert (grew up on the east coast). For years I wanted to try it just to see how cold the A/C would get, but my dad or mom would always stop us from engaging it if we were sitting up front and dared to try and touch the control panel. It became this mysterious and forbidden feature in the car. I never did get to try it because at some point the A/C went out and we ended up selling the car a few months later before having it repaired. What would have happened if I had turned _Desert Only_ mode on?? To this day I'm tortured with the memories of the _Desert Only_ mode. I'll never know its secrets. Nearly 50 years later it exists only in my mind as a distant relic of a time long gone by and of my now dead parents.
I owned three American Motors cars, and I can tell you that if you left the AC in Desert Only mode for too long, it would blow snow out of the center dash outlets.
@@danielulz1640 😂😂😂Thanks! It probably would ice over the evaporator in humid climes.
@@drott150 yep, had them in Louisiana.
Good to see a new vid, m8! Thanks a lot!! 😁
My dad owned a Amx with a 390. Later in life I bought a rust bucket AMX with a 290. After a blown head gasket, I replaced it with a 390 engine. I would blow by California Highway patrol cars and they would not even bother chasing me. It was "no contest". Best car I have ever owned.
Well done with correct facts and data, great job!!
My best friend had an AMC AMX in HS and it was bad fast! It also saved my life when we had another car slam into us at 45mph
Love that car