1969 AMC AMX - Muscle Car Memories | MotorWeek
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- Опубликовано: 26 сен 2024
- A segment I produced for the TV show MotorWeek as part of their "Muscle Car Memories" series.
American Motors Corporation arrived late to the muscle car party with the 1968 Javelin, but to keep the excitement going they followed it up with a two-seat performance coupe called the AMX. While AMC is long gone today, Joe Ligo shows us why their cars are still worth remembering.
The AMX IS STILL ONE OF THE BEST LOOKING CARS EVER BEEN BUILT. I SO WANTED ONE STILL DO.
I loved my brand new 1969AMX Hunter Green 390. I was 17 when I bought it. This car was fast, I blew everyone away when street racing, so I tried drag racing. There were customized cars that got faster times but were not consistent. I loved driving mountain roads, this car hugged the curves. Freeway driving was great too, until I got that ticket for doing 140+ and almost lost my license. I still remember the feel of driving that beauty and wish I could drive it again.
I had one of these cars a 390 4 speed when I graduate high school now 40 years old I still have it and think it's the best car that's ever been made in the 60s
Me too. Bought my 69 from a woman while I was Sr. In high school. I still have it. Love it.
Same here. Now retired i have time to restore it.
This was my dream car. Last year, that dream came true. I took possession of a blue '69, 390 4-speed Hurst, with the go-package and white stripes.
Very cool!
I was working at an AMC dealer when the '69 AMX hit... the owners personal secretary bought one of the first. Hers: 390, 4 spd. I lusted after both the car and the secretary, lol.
Isn't interesting how a secretary could afford a car like that back then?
I'm about to take delivery of a blue '69, 390 4-speed go-pack AMX. A dream of 35+ years is about to come true.
@Frank K...My dads secretary of many years, a single mother, bought her son a corvette for his high school graduation. Are we suggesting something untoward?
8avexp how is it?
Forget the secretary, their a dime a dozen, the car, gold mine on wheels,the girl can be replaced many times over,the car,not so much.
Very underated Muscle car.
The first AMX model was (to me) one of the very best looking cars of the '60's and '70's.
my AMX is just that no distractions just enjoy the road and the thumbs up you gather along the way .
The AMX and the Javelin were great looking cars. Hard to believe that they were AMC's ;-)
Bought my 1969 Bittersweet Orange metallic AMX 390 4 speed as a Junior in HS (1982) and still have it to this day....40 years of driving it never gets old....going through the gears with the power and torque from the 390 putting you in the seat....at 3,090 lbs this little slightly modified 2 seater will run with the best of them from that era....no one wanted to get beat by an AMC (Always Mom's Car) 😂 AMC is gone but not forgotten.....I'll continue to represent NOTBIG3 AMC until I pass....Cheers!
Once a proud owner of a 68 big bad green AMX 👍
I recall being at Auto Club Famoso Raceway around 1974-75 and talking to a guy in the staging lanes in front of me in an AMX. They were rare cars and this was the first one I had ever seen at a test snd tune day. It was a 390 4 speed car modded with slicks, traction bars, open headers, better ignition, Holley carb and I thinks cam. I remember if ran around 12.8 which was super impressive back then did a street car. Especially compared to my mid 14 second 1970 Mach 1 Mustang!
I love how the young people describe an old car, driving them was everyday life in the day for us.
I always liked these cars because they were unique.
Man, I miss my '68.
My First Car was a 1970 AMX; Who Needs a Back Seat!!! I sold it to a collector back in 1978. I always wondered what happened to it.
Was it brown with a 360 automatic?
Love it. Had a '69 AMX, 390, 4 speed Hurst Shift back in the late '70s.👍
Loved this car ❤
I bought a new one in late 68....gopac 390 4 spd...Lord I wish I had her back.....great car.
I had the popcorn ready and this just popped up at the right time.
Great video, great writing. These original AMXs will always be an American icon to me. So cool.
I remember being in 3rd grade, and my Foreign language teacher, Spanish, had a Javelin, she was so hot, car wasn't bad either
werd, i was brought up on amc
I miss my 68 AMX that I enjoyed from 1999 to 2008. My favorite sports car. It had the 390 go pack. And was a pleasure to drive and own. Buried the 69 year speedometer at 140 mph only once. It was very fast and fun fun fun to drive. AMC really made some nice cars and had the best engines.
Owned a 70 Javelin for years...got married...had to sell it...heart broken over that.
I remember both the javelin and AMX since new , I never forgot about either. At the time it was hard for me to believe that little AMC could come out with something as sporty but these cars have been amongst my favorites in the late 60s and the 1968to 70 models have been my favorite AMC cars ever!
Awesome video as always! Really glad about your involvement with MotorWeek.
about time someone mentioned these unique cars , some say you could buy performance kits worth over 400 hp for these cars . I rather like the different style elements . I think the 1970 looks muscular and classy and the powerful small block engines really keep front end traction for racing unlike big block cars.
I have always liked these. Great looking car.
This channel needs more subs. Fantastic informative videos.
Always had a soft spot for a 69 Javelin AMX 390 stick. Great profile, etc.
I am an old dude now but my all time favs are the 1969 Mach I Mustang and the 1969 AMC AMX. What a year for cars 1969 was. Prior to all of the pollution control bs that ruined engine performance.
My dad had one in the garage runs like a beaut
Beautifully produced and narrated video.
Thanks!
Can we talk about how smooth the camera quality is? An instant subscribe
Thanks for the kind words! We put a lot of effort into this one.
The 3-speed auto was a Borg & Warner unit....that couldn't handle any engine mods.....Oh and an excellent presentation......
Love that you're driving your Ambassador in the intro!
You've got a good eye. Thanks for noticing!
One of my female cousins married a guy that had a 1969 AMX 390 with automatic trans, I think he told me it had the 325 hp 390. He let me drive it several times and unless you have actually driven one you don't know how quick and fast these cars were. I have owned several muscle cars back in the '60's and '70's plus 3 Corvettes, and the AMX impressed me even though it couldn't hang with the muscle cars/Corvettes I owned back then. But at a stop/go light and an AMX beside you don't get napping on green or you'll be left shaking your head.
I am enjoying these videos about AMC cars that you've done on AutoMoments, even though I've never owned one. I've been a fan of MotorWeek for a long time. John Davis was doing excellent car reviews long before everyone with a GoPro camera started doing "reviews" on RUclips. Your experience there shows in your videos. Keep up the good work!
Thanks for watching! Glad to hear you like MotorWeek and AutoMoments!
I love Motor Week. It's one of my favourite TV shows. Where I live it's shown on the Velocity Channel. I'm afraid I'm not subscribed to that show on RUclips, I'm subscribed to so many channels as it is. :)
You really should think about subscribing to MotorWeek on RUclips. They've got so many cool Retro Reviews (video clips of reviews they did years ago) to watch.
Back when competition meant honor. Beautiful 😍
The AMX never got its due. I love what John Cena said about it.
“Big, hardly
Bad, definitely
Certified street terror. Hell yes.”
This video is SO well written. Well done.
Where AMC really stood out was in there designs. These cars were really something unique. ❤
the only car I've seen that got all FOUR wheels off the ground at the same time,,,,,it was an awesome car..
Very well done! Those were hot cars didn't see too many of them in the day but I always liked them.
I had bought a 1971 forest green Javelin w/304 engine. I had it back in high school 1989!I loved it! Very unique car. Built pretty well. I shouldn’t have got rid of it. I don’t I think appreciated as much as I would now.
Love the amx and javelin
The 1969 Big Bad AMX's is in my top 5 Muscle cars of all time. I'll take mine Green with 390 and side pipes please
I am an old mustang guy and own three mustangs BUT the white 1969 AMX is my all-time fav car. May not ever own one but....Well the 1969 AMX and the 1969 Mustang Mach I tie for me.
Good way to end a Sunday.
Rear styling is awesome
My late Stepfather was an AMC salesman for several years ( back in the late 70's - early 80's ). He would bring home many demos like the Hornet, Matador, and Gremlin. Unfortunately never an AMX. If he were alive today, I'd love to ask him if he ever sold any of the Javelins or AMX's ?
Very well done article / video
Thank you for watching!
Well done video.
Loved my '69 AMX. 390 CI. No automatic transmission. No power steering. No power brakes. No air conditioning. Replaced it with a '72 that had all of that and a 401. Somehow, the stripped down nature of the '69 seemed better.
How did I miss this one?
I traded in a 1963 split window coupe Corvette for a new '69 AMX. The Corvette is worth $200,000 now, but no regrets, at the time I need space for stuff to take to college, and air conditioning. The car served me well and I sold it to get a '69 Jaguar E-type roadster. Wish i had all 3 of them but I do have a lovely '64 Cadillac convertible. The AMX had many pluses but the fit and finish were not among them. The passenger window would pop out an inch away from the car at high speed and the air conditioning was not powerful enough for Arizona.
Thanks!
THE AMX ONE OF THE GREATEST STREET CARS EVER BUILT
...sigh ...I miss my 69 Amx. Sold it, and our 72 Javelin in the 90's. 😂😂😂
The AMX is a sexy beast. Just like the Gremlin made a beast of a pony as well.
Very well done video
Nice! I preferred the 69 and 70 Javelin but these are cool too. Great vid.
360 did not arrive until 1970 as that was the year all AMC V8's were enlarged. The 290 became the 304 and the 343 became the 360. The 390 stayed until 1970 then in 1971 it became the 401.
This was the car I so badly wanted.........I was on the verge of buying one but chickened out.......the total price back then was over $4,300 and in the end it was too much of a debt at that time in my life.
Great video my friend!
I own a 73 Javelin (not AMX) and it is a GREAT car....very under rated. In 1973 I think it was the best of the pony cars. (I own 2 classic Mustangs.....so yes I know both cars well)
i owned a 1969 hurst amx.i raced it from 1969-1975 when it was destroyed in a fire.i still have pictures of my car and lots of information i was sent by hurst who built the car.my car was one of two sold to canadian dealers,
While I like the body of the 1968-69 AMX, I like the grille of the Javelin.
Great video!
This was always and will always be my favorite car. Ever since I was a little kid, I was always a huge AMX fan. Almost had the opportunity to buy a 1980 Spirit AMX. 258, four-speed manual. Unfortunately as I was heading over they had sold it. And turned it into a drag car... Such a nice ride turned into a drag car...
Proud of you
401st like.
AMC made a 401.
Numbers are fun.
I can just imagine a modern AMX if American Motors survived: an awd turbo like the 90s era Dodge Stealth/Mitsu 3000Gt VR-4
What if Steve McQueen had opted to use the AMX in Bullitt instead of the Mustang?
One can dream
Want one
The AMX and Javelin always had a big disadvantage of aftermarket high performance parts availability. Very little available for the AMC engines and anything found was very expensive.
Wasn't the AMX offered with also one year it had a small roots blower on 343 or the 401 .I think it was a available on the hurst only for the hornet or the rambler American
AMC AMX earned "Best Engineered Car the Year" award by Society of Automotive Engineers two years in row: '69 & '70... beating names like Porsche, Jaguar & Mercedes... not sure about the underdog label
I've seen these sell for 90k and that's not even with top options. Between that and parts availability it's definitely not the easiest car to get hands on
Out of the 19k that are out there my dad has 2 in his garage
I had a 69 AMX with a 401 and 4 speed Hurst. A guy I knew thought his Mustang was fast and challenged me titles. We drag races and he lost his Mustang.
The only problem is how you stated the engine choices make it seem like the 360 was A larger option available instead of the 343 which is misleading. The small engine was dropped for '70 when the deck height was increased, the 343 became the 360 and the 390 remained at 390 CI until 71 when a different crank and pistons increased it to 401.
Where was this video shot?
Heroic & iconic car of little AMC; one that is a highlight of its time for me, exactly because there was no other car that was really alike. When you look at the AMX in profile, its proportions don't seem quite right; it certainly didn't look as well-balanced, stylish or sleek as the javelin. Instead the look became more overtly sporty, muscular if you will, so the unlikely thing happened here that shortening a design made it somehow more appealing.
When did American cars start fitting seat belts? Just curious
My dad had one and when he went to veitnam my family didn't pay his payments when he was overseas and he lost it it was cherry red with 2 white stipes
i would love to own one of these - this car begged to have a Targa roof - a removable roof panel
THANK GOD THEY HAD THE SENSE TO PAINT IT RED....BLUE DOESNT BELONG ON HOT RODS, MOTORCYLCES OR GUITARS!!!!!
For my first car I wanted an old classic car so I got a 65 American rambler it’s pretty lackluster in power and it’s a love hate relationship.
Hey, another teen with a classic car! Nice! If you still have it, I implore you to not change out the inline six that I assume your Rambler has. They were great engines and in this age of more power whatever the cost, seeing one in service is both cool and unique. If you must have more performance, the AMCRC and AMO (AMC specialty clubs) have quite a few tricks up their sleeve to extract more HP from your inline. Best of luck!
Power steering and power brakes were an option. He leaves the viewers with a wrong impression here.
nice enough segment but egregious oversight to leave out any info about the midengine transaxle amx/3. several were built so it's not like it was worth leaving out.
With only a 4 minute time limit for this segment, I had to leave out a lot of stuff. That's just the nature of working in TV. For my stories that are RUclips-only, I have a lot more time to talk about interesting details. Thanks for watching!
Marco Overpass
8387 Russel Glens
👏👏👏👏
It looks good, sounds great! But, choosing the automatic version is a sin! Gotta be a manual!!
Kurtis Knoll
0769 Craig Row
That report isn't true .That one was late 1968 model...It didn't have new dash cover ...68 and 69 had 390...
The 360 and the 401 came in 70' 71 ,,72,,73,,74...the end .