Re: [AMC-list] The Unfortunate History of the AMC Pacer

[Frank Swygert <farna@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Would someone post the link to this article again -- I missed it!

Another thing that people forget is that the Pacer wasn't supposed to be 
an economy car. It was to be an eventual replacement for the Matador. 
Yes, a four door version was on the drawing board! The two door wagon 
was cheaper to add to the line-up is why it came before a four door 
sedan. It was such a radical design for the time that AMC wisely debuted 
a single model and kept the Matador going until they could judge public 
reaction.

Performance wise it compared well to a six cylinder Matador, probably a 
little better. The Pacer was more of a safety car than an economy car. 
It weighed almost as much as a Matador (3114# vs. 3589# -- only a 475# 
difference), and had a lot of safety features that other cars of the day 
didn't have. It was a very strong body -- I'd much rather roll over a 
Pacer than any other mid 70s car!

The fuel crunch just happened to occur at about the time the Pacer was 
introduced. People liked the innovative styling, power was acceptable 
for a mid-level car of the day, but fuel economy was about the same as a 
six cylinder Matador. People obviously wanted better gas mileage with 
having to wait in line to get gas!

--
Frank Swygert
Editor - American Motors Cars Magazine
www.amc-mag.com

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