Re: [BaadAssGremlins] Re: 78 Concord AMX & more

[AMC74HORNET@xxxxxxxxx]

As you all know the 74-77 Hornet Hatchback is my favorite car since I
have 2 74's. There were not many exterior changes between 74 & 77 except
for the grill and tail light lens design. I am not a fan of the Concord
AMX body style. My friend had 2 of them so I got a close up look at them
from working on one. I didn't like the targa band on the roof on the 77
AMX or the 78. My main dislike was the fender flairs used in 78 versus
the 77. The 77 flairs looked like they were designed for the car where
as in my opinion the 78's looked like they were an after thought that
some one threw on at the last minute and might have looked some what
better if they were painted body color like the 77's. Also the 78 didn't
have the rubber filler between the body and bumpers front or rear like
the 74-77 Hornet's which only made the ugly 5 mph bumpers look even more
out of place. The rear bumper on the 78 is a 74-77 Hornet bumper so the
Hornet rear filler could have been used. The front being a straight
bumper would have needed a new one to be made for 78. It might have been
a much better looking car with 77 AMX flairs, they probably would be a
bolt on. I have had 77 AMX flairs and a rear louver on my yellow car
since 79. The came off a new 77 AMX that didn't sell and I paid 50$ for
every thing  new. For some reason AMC always had a quality problem. I
could see it in my 2 74's. My bought new yellow car was made in Canada
and the orange car made in the USA. The fit and trim, body lead work and
paint are the outstanding differences with the yellow Canadian car being
done much better the orange American car. I think the 78 Concord AMX
would have been a real looker with 77 flairs painted body color,  bumper
fillers, real louver painted body color and Eagle tail light in place of
the ones they used and no targa bar to clean up the roof. Also last but
not least the Javelin AMX grills and the Concord AMX grills look like
they were made in some ones basement with the outer frames crudely rivet
together and the mesh just popped in. As far as to why the Hatchbacks
failed to sell in the late 70's is a mystery to me. This is one of the
best all around cars I ever owned and almost as good as having a station
wagon, you wouldn't believe the things I hauled in the yellow car in the
last almost 32 years. It was designed as a hatchback not like the GM
Nova bodied hatchbacks which had the 2 door roof line with hatch added. 
"Doc"



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• From: <eddiestakes@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
• Date: Tue, 11 Oct 2005 18:50:26 -0500

It is a rather unusual, and rare vehicle. With a production of 2540 made, I
would estimae less than 200 survive. The black ones have a number of things
different on them, unlike other production colors, just like 71 SC/360
Hornets had a few things you would not find on regular colored cars, only
black. Somewhere here I have a big cardboard dealer ordering catalog, about
2 feet by 1 foot, which is a Data Book, and if I believe has a few of the
items mentioned unique to black only cars. Regardless of black or not, (I
had a chance to buy a red one, really beautiful flowing lines) the 78
Concord hatchbacks took the stylish 73-77 Hornet hatchback series to a
higher level with smooth corners. This was noted also in a number of auto
magazines at the time.

This wonderful bodystyle lasted only I believe thru 1980. There were 2300 or
so hatchbacks made in 79, and if you got a D/L many times it also had a
Targa Band on the roof like the 77-78 AMXs did. But AMC had some real
quality control problems from 76-78, including a massive strike that shut
production down for WEEKS at time in 1977. AMC had something like a $46.5
million loss for 76, and the lots were clogged with 1977 models, and AMC
could not give them away. Who wants to buy a new AMC when every nigth on the
news you see a recall or strike?

1977 saw $2.2 BILLION in sales, mostly from Jeep, and ended up $8.3 million
in the black. Gremlin sales down 12%; Pacer, which was supposed to "carry"
AMC thru the mid 1980s....
sales were down 23% (from 76; and this was a car only 3 years old!) and the
Matador, which was supposed to be the "other" car carrying AMC's wad at
least thru 1980, sales were down a staggering 37%. Free AC! Rebates! Price
Cuts! None of the shit worked on the buying public. There were major shakeup
in AMC's management; and AMC also started bringing in the four cylinder Audi
engines. Imagine for a moment if they had those in 1974 when OPEC cut off
supplies in 1973.......
http://www.palestinefacts.org/pf_1967to1991_oilembargo_result.php
AMC sales would have been thru the ROOF like hybrid cars are now with gas $3
a gallon!

Still, we can Monday Morning Quarterback all we want (and I had SD +5 last
night hee hee) on what went wrong, what went right, miscues, management, and
so forth in the 1970s. Don't change a thing.

Most of above is taken directly from AMC itself. Sadly, in AMCs reports to
stockholders. Back to the 78 AMX, how about some photos and what are they
asking for it? You know you could get the interior in a variety of Levi's
colors, although most people just chose black vinyl.
Here is one of these beauties in blue, note the "flower petal" mags:
http://www.arcticboy.com/media/eagle/conchatch78.jpeg

Here is the 79 stlye and note the Targa Band I mentioned earlier:
http://www.arcticboy.com/media/eagle/conc79hatltbl.gif
Arcticboy's site mentions it was the last year for this hatchback stlye, for
some reason I thoguht 1980 was but I am not a Concord expert either. I
believe 2331 were produced in 79 like this.

A stunning silver 1979 Concord hatchback, there are those flower petal rims
again:
http://www.arcticboy.com/media/eagle/conc78gs.gif

Good luck with it, if you pass on it let me know and I'll put the lead on my
website to give someone else a shot at it.
Eddie Stakes'
Planet Houston AMX
713.464.8825
eddiestakes@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
www.planethoustonamx.com


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