On October 23, 2004 John Rosa wrote: > From: Russ > > Also adding to the possibility of a console appearing > in something other than 2-dr hdtps, you don't know > what some one with some juice at the factory had > installed in a car. Other makes were known to get an > option that was not supposed to be a particular car, > so why not AMC. > Just because the dealer says it can't be ordered in a > particular model, doesn't mean that someone tossed > enough money or weight around to make it so > ---------------------- > > Russ, > > Now we're talking some pretty tight, oddball stuff here. > Sure, a high-roller' can get anything they want if > willing to pay the inflated bill. My observation were > about what AMC would do for you and me as a regular > customer. > > I recall an article in a Muscle Car mag years ago that > showed a 1970 GTO Judge station wagon....factory built. > How? A line worker simply asked for it. Was it truly a > GTO? No. They simply installed every GTO piece that > would fit onto a Tempest wagon. Naturally, the drivetrain, > front clip, decals, dash and steering wheel, wheels, and > so on, were all genuine GTO pieces installed at the > factory....but it still isn't a GTO. It had regular > Tempest rear springs, and other significant departures > from normal GTO gear. > > Now I've never seen a Torino Cobra four door or a Road > Runner wagon, so I can't speak to those companies and > their 'rules' for 'special-orders'. > > ---------------------- > > From: John McEwen <moparrr@xxxxxxx> > > As AMC had previously offered "sports" equipment on its full-sized > cars, it seems possible that these kinds of additions were available > on special dealer order. Why not a console, 4 speed (or floor shift) > bucket seat wagon? Other companies offered them. As we have seen, > Ambassadors could at least be ordered with console, floor shifter and > buckets. Why would the company limit itself to one body style when > the identical platform of a sedan or wagon would accommodate these > changes with no more difficulty than on the 2 doors? > > ----------------------- > > John- They often had solid reasons for not offering > 'anything that fits' into differing models. It's > a matter of sales strategy. The most obvious example > I can give is the Gremlin/Hornet/Javelin V8 > availability. AMC figured if you could order a Gremlin > with a 401, why would you bother to buy a Hornet or > Javelin? Thus, Gremlin was restricted to 304, Hornet > to 360 and Javelin got the 401. Sure, Randall AMC > fixed this themselves (much to AMC's vocal opposition, > I'm sure), but factory-built, you couldn't get it 'your > way'. And of course, some would buy the Javelin 401 > even if Gremlin 401 had been available, but still, a > large number of 'go-fast-cheap' folks would have just > grabbed the Gremlin...and AMC would have lost the better > profit margin of the Javelin each time. > > As for why the bucket restriction, well, as I figure, > the stitching pattern of the buckets is far different > from that on the wagon's folding rear seat. So the wagon's > rears mimic the regular front units only...leaving one > less piece to create and stockpile. Now, the four door > ....that's a good question, as it shares it's back seat > pieces with the two door....so the bucket-matching rear > of the two door fits the four-door, too...meaning > buckets in a four door would have been an easy no- > brainer option (no matter how few get ordered). Perhaps > Mr. Mahoney has an good idea why? > > John W Rosa > > http://www.JavelinAMX.com > > > . Never say never. In 1969 when my friend ordered his Road Runner all that was offered for an interior was a plain taxi cab interior with a bench seat. He got his special ordered with a GTX bucket seated interior for some extra bucks. The only arm twisting he had to do was say if you don't do it I will find a dealer who would, so all of a sudden it was ordered with the GTX interior. "Doc" ============================================================= Posted by wixList Archiver -- http://www.amxfiles.com/wixlist .