amc in NY Times (fwd)

[Tom Jennings <tomj@xxxxxxx>]

Thanks to John O'Connor, notice of a very positive article on
AMC/Rambler and mainly Teague. Contains the obligatory Wayne's
World refs but hey, the only thing worse than being talked about
behind your back is not being talked about behind your back.

Thanks to actual AMC list members for contributing to the article,
and thanks to NYT for not botching their words into wacky
weirdness.


http://www.nytimes.com

Use SEARCH for "teague".



You have to login, but it's free, and they do NOT send you spam
and don't seem to sell their lists.


4 April 2005

DRIVING a car from the sketchbook of a distinguished American
designer need not be prohibitively expensive, so long as one is
willing to think beyond pricey collectibles like the Chevrolet
Corvette Sting Rays by Bill Mitchell or the Studebaker Avantis
credited to Raymond Loewy.

Cars designed by Richard A. Teague for the American Motors
Corporation sell for thousands of dollars less than many of their
more popular contemporaries, yet have a devoted following of their
own. Mr. Teague, who died in 1991, led American Motors' design
team for more than 20 years, overseeing attractive models that
included the 1963 Rambler Classic, a paragon of stylish
simplicity; the 1968 Javelin, a Mustang competitor; and the 1968
AMX, a two-seat muscle car that dared to challenge the Corvette.
Other designs done under Mr. Teague's direction that have aged
well are mainstream models like the 1970 Hornet compact sedan and
the 1974 Matador coupe.

Still, A.M.C. is remembered by many old-timers for designs that
were far afield of mainstream tastes - cars like the Marlin, an
ungainly fastback of the mid-1960's, and the Pacer, a stubby but
spacious hatchback introduced in 1975, distinguished by its glassy
bubble of an upper body.

Working for a small company whose primary business was economy
cars, Mr. Teague had to make do with a much tighter budget than
his counterparts at Detroit's Big Three. Fortunately, he had a
knack for making the most of his employer's investment, a skill he
had honed at Packard in its waning years.

When A.M.C. needed a subcompact to counter a growing stream of
import cars, Teague found himself in a familiar predicament: a
budget far too small to respond with an all-new design.
Inspiration struck on an airline flight - Mr. Teague decided to
bob the trunk of his new Hornet and replace it with a flat,
forward-sloping rear end. He sketched his plan on the closest
available paper, a Northwest Orient airsickness bag. The Gremlin
arrived in showrooms on April Fool's Day 1970.

Its looks weren't universally acclaimed, to say the least, but
Motor Trend singled it out for praise in an economy car comparison
and customers appreciated its strong 6-cylinder engine and compact
dimensions. A.M.C. sold nearly 30,000 Gremlins in the car's first
model year, which was just six months long. Today, a well-equipped
Gremlin X in excellent condition sells for about $3,000, according
to a classic-car price guide compiled by the National Automobile
Dealers Association.

While the Gremlin was an efficient stopgap that eventually spawned
offshoots with V-8 engines and Levi's denim trim packages, the
car's chopped-off look lacked styling refinement. But A.M.C. again
took an unconventional approach when it introduced another small
car, the Pacer, in 1975.

The Pacer looked like nothing else on the road; its tall, glassy
passenger compartment resulted in something of a fishbowl effect.
Road & Track called the Pacer "fresh, bold and functional looking"
while noting that it was about as long as a Pinto but as wide as
the typical American intermediate car. To permit easier curbside
entry, the right door was longer than the left one.

As different as they are, the Gremlin and Pacers have small but
fervent followings with one thing in common: the desire for
something different and very noticeable. "It's a good
attention-getter, no doubt," said Donnie Solomon, 47, of Roxboro,
N.C., owner of a 1974 Gremlin X. "It gets everything from jeers
and laughs to 'How cool!' "

Jeni Panhorst, 27, of Phoenix, is a Pacer enthusiast. Owner of a
1977 Pacer D/L Wagon, she is the Webmaster of www.amcpacer.com,
and says her car gets the same reaction. "It's an experience that
every Pacer owner has, driving around and being the center of
attention."

Mr. Solomon says that Gremlin collectors tend to be typical car
enthusiasts, though ones with an affection for a certain unusual
car. His first car was a Gremlin so, he says, he has "repurchased
his youth."

Ms. Panhorst said there are several kinds of Pacer owners:
general-interest car buffs who bought a car they always wanted;
collectors who specialize in American Motors cars; and a third
group who want Pacers just because they are unusual cars. These
buyers, Ms. Panhorst said, usually don't stay Pacer owners very
long because they don't appreciate the effort required to maintain
a 30-year-old car. And there is little chance of a generous return
on the investment required to restore a Pacer: a fancy D/L version
powered by a V-8 barely tops $4,000, according the N.A.D.A. value
guide.

Gremlin and Pacer shoppers should look closely for rust, said Glen
Hoag, an Athens, Ala., owner of four Pacers in various levels of
restoration. Despite the huge glass surfaces of the Pacer, Mr.
Hoag said that glass usually is not a problem, though he says
owners sometimes joke that a Pacer with a broken window is said to
be "totaled." The large windows make the plastic trim of the
Pacer's interior vulnerable to sun damage.

Both the Gremlin and Pacer share many powertrain and suspension
parts with other A.M.C. cars, and most are easy to find and
replace. Replacements for odd items, such as the Pacer's engine
mounts and front shock absorbers, can be improvised.

Though offbeat creations like the Gremlin and Marlin are among the
best-remembered of A.M.C.'s offerings, the Teague designs of
earlier years hold up remarkably well, even decades after they
were introduced. The 1963 Rambler Classic was the first A.M.C.
design that Mr. Teague had a hand in, a handsome and modern shape
that replaced earlier models considered garish and overwrought.

In 1968, the Marlin, which had originally been introduced in
answer to the Mustang, was replaced by the Javelin, a coupe with a
decidedly more attractive profile. Though it was a late entry in
the pony car class, the Javelin hit its mark in sales, and later,
on the racetrack, winning the Sports Car Club of America Trans-Am
championship. A choice 1970 model with the Mark Donohue trim
package, built to qualify the cars for the road racing series, is
valued at about $17,000 by the N.A.D.A.

Later in the '68 model year, Mr. Teague worked his magic once
again, delivering a sporty two-seater, the AMX. Built on a
shortened version of the Javelin chassis, the AMX emphasized
performance with engine options up to a 390-cubic-inch V-8. The
limited appeal of a two-place car ended the original AMX's run
after 1970, but the name lived on in high-performance editions of
the Javelin and Hornet. A 1970 model with the high horsepower
option is at least a $20,000 car, and falling square in the muscle
car class, it has enjoyed rapidly rising prices in recent years.