Re: repros

["Eddie Stakes" <eddiestakes@xxxx>]

Doc wrote:
Sorry to make you all cry, but in 1977 my local AMC dealer got a Hornet AMX
he couldn't sell. He removed all the fender flairs, front air dam and rear
louver and sold the car as a Hornet 7-8 months later. He tried to sell me
the parts for about a year cause he knew I was the only one going to buy
them. I bided my time and played him, the SOB tried to screw me on a Matador
Coupe I wanted to buy 2 years previous so I felt he was fair game. I paid
50$ for everything!!!. As far as a problem with the front airdam like Eddie
stated, I had none. I installed it just like the factory or should I say
like the outside vender did. I understand that the same vender that did the
Mustang 11 Cobra also did the 77 AMX. Sorry I don't care for the Concord or
Spirit AMX fender flares, they just don't flow with the body lines like the
77 Hornet AMX ones do.
"Doc"

One more thing here about what he said. Many cars from AMC you could not
give away; the 70 AMX is a prime example. The 70 Javelin also comes to mind.
Both great cars. However. There were about 1100 70 AMXs still on dealership
lots in North America in summer of 70, only one month before the new 71
models would begin production in Aug 1 70. The dealerships were given a lot
of incentives to move them. The Javelin production was only 1/2 of 69
totals, even though I personally think it was a better looking model. The
best selling car for AMC was the new Hornet. And the late intro of the
Gremlin did good, but it would not really take off until 71. AMC didn;t want
the slow selling 70 models to affect 71 sales, of which it obviously did if
you are into production numbers I guess. The dealership my dad worked at in
Corpus Christi painted two Big Bad colored AMXs as no one wanted those, some
called them 'cop attractors' of which you drive a orange colored anything,
Mopar, Ford, AMC thru some of the back roads of Texas in 1970 and you would
get your hippie ass kicked, frisked, locked up, drug runner, you name it. It
was a different era folks 33-34 years ago.
But the two AMXs were pianted Matador Red (was BBO) and the other was
painted Commodore Blue (was BBB) whereas they were able to move them. AMC
also had suffered a strike in 1970, costing them a whopping 36,000
production vehicles. You may not think that is much but this was America's
smallest automaker trying to make ends meet; and they had just bought Jeep
for $40 million (believe it or not, they spent the same $40 mil developing
the Pacer, which was supposed to carry them thru the 70s) so times were
tough. This production stoppage costs AMC a stunning $23 million in 1970
dollars.

We can all Monday morning quarterback, and put our two cents in, but you
have to wonder what if? sometimes! What if AMC had went ahead and produced
this eary Gremlin AMX prototype?
http://www.planethoustonamx.com/parts%20&%20Literature/AMX_GT.JPG

AMC was great at getting a car from early stages into production, here is
the new Gremlin at the NY Autoshow:
http://www.planethoustonamx.com/parts%20&%20Literature/70gremlinnyautoshow.j
pg

But history shows that the Gremlin was, if not the best selling series in
AMC's history. But 73 200,000 had been sold:
http://www.planethoustonamx.com/parts%20&%20Literature/72_gremlins_tranports
.jpg

And the exposure and winning ways of AMCs racecars fueled this:
http://www.planethoustonamx.com/parts%20&%20Literature/73_Hornet_dealership_
PR.JPG

http://www.planethoustonamx.com/parts%20&%20Literature/booth_hornet.jpg

http://www.planethoustonamx.com/parts%20&%20Literature/maskin_kanners_side.j
pg

http://www.planethoustonamx.com/parts%20&%20Literature/maskin_kanners_launch
ing.jpg

Which led to more sales, especially for Grem/Horn series. Again however,
there were models AMC could not give away sadly, although we like them, and
some of us love them, the public didn't back then, and there were areas of
the country that you could not GIVE a AMC away like Stroh's beer! So that
does not surprise me at all about Doc's story above, chances are many other
folks have similiar stories from back then! Happy Holidays,
Eddie Stakes
www.planethoustonamx.com
The photos above are from my "literature" file under "parts" on my site.