There is way more to this than could ever be told Terry. AMC had a major
strike by UAW in 1970 (Oct 69) which cost them 36,000 cars. Imagine if each new
70 AMC was a loaded $5000, heck, even $4000 Ambassador. Lots of money there
They had just bought Jeep from Willys for $40 million also. They were phasing
out long running model Rebel, and had dropped their namesake Rambler year
before, and had brought in, and spent much money on development of new Hornet,
which would sell well in 1970s. The Gremlin was another way of taking one model
and creating another. For instance they had a slogan back then of 'we will
introduce a new model ever 6 months' which was easy to do, take base Javelin,
make SST, or take base Ambassador, change a few things, now it is DPL new model,
change a few more now SST. If you have ever looked at back of a "The Mix" 1970
catalog, it has a whopping 16 offerings from AMC....2 door, 4 door,
wagons....many created from same platform, and some with simple cosmetic changes
to make a different model which shared tons of items with another model for
instance.
Yes! Was AMC wasteful? Well, yes, I can tell you horror stories of digging
thru dumpsters at the dealerships my dad worked at with stuff that had been
tossed due to 'imperfections' sort of like the mentality we see today with
computers, cell phones, flat screen tv's and yes, even cars. Cheaper to replace
it than fix it. Why have your Toshiba 32 inch $400 screen fixed for $350 when it
is cheaper to simply buy another new one. Or computers, what one buys today is
obsolete when you leave Best Buy.
Cars? The Houston area pick a parts are loaded with 1990s/2000s what we
consider "new" cars, simply because they crapped out at 100K miles or less. It
is more a sad commentary on society that we are wasteful (well not all of us,
old car people are the original recyclers before it was 'green' to do).
The Gremlin GT was built, then destroyed after New York auto show.
Why? It was common practice back then by automakers to destroy prototypes
mostly due to the liability factor. Lucky for us some still are around 40+ years
after being made.
Teague customized his own AMX
of which many of the things you saw on it never made production.....some
did. Same with other models like the GT above.
This AMX was customized for instance, the shop manager/foreman and crew
stand proudly by it:
note the YOM plates. It was stolen off the streets of Kenosha and has never
been seen since. It was built more for testing purposes, as many cars were.
A good example? Mercedes crows in their new commercial about destroying
50,000+ cars to make their cars safer. There is more I'm sure, but hope this
sort of helps explain how AMC used some of their limited resources back then and
got creative with what they had and how they did it, whether marketing, or
actual production.
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Friday, March 12, 2010 5:58
PM
Subject: Re: [BaadAssGremlins] Re: teages
first gremlin pilot car 360 grrremlin feb 1970... [3 Attachments
This is very interesting, So AMC introduced a car on April 1, 1970 that
they hadn't even started assembling on the line and they spent their time,
energy and money running a car down the assembly line using parts they never
intended to be used on the final product. While I would love to own that very
first Gremlin still I think you just gave us another insight on the death of
American Motors. May I ask another question did Teage have a reason for
building the car or did he do it because he wanted another toy.
Terry
From: uneedittwo48239
<uneedittwo48239@xxxxxxxxx>
To:
BaadAssGremlins@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Fri, March 12, 2010 3:17:40
PM
Subject: [BaadAssGremlins]
Re: teages first gremlin pilot car 360 grrremlin feb 1970... [3
Attachments
i will see if i can get tom viland on here his dad was the friend of dick
teage production assembly line didnt start tell april 1970 the car was built
with the 360 in the factory with automatic and all the v 8 stuff disc brake
larger like the 72 amxs had factory traction bars and sway bars dayna 308 posi
a/c no power brakes
--- In BaadAssGremlins@
yahoogroups. com, Terry Atkins <twa1950@... > wrote:
>
>
OK there are things here I am not understanding. This is the first Gremlin
built right. Did it come down the assembly line and they built it like this or
was it built as a 232 auto and Teage took it home with him and turn it into
the 360 hot car. I don't really understand why you would do this. You are
getting ready to introduce an econo car to the public and your messing around
with something like this. Doesn't make a lot of since to me. Then since the
only thing new about the Gremlin was the shape of the rear end maybe they
would have. They should have gotten all the bugs out of it with the
Hornet. Are you telling me they didn't start producing the Gremlin
until some time in March of 70. Sure didn't give them much time to get
them off the assembly line and into the showroom by the first of April. Then
again when they first hit the showroom did they have any for sale or did the
dealers just have one or two and you had to order them. I would have
>
thought AMC would have pulled the first one off the assembly line and would
have put it in a show room some where. I know they do that at the Toyota plant
in Georgetown Ky. They pulled the very first car off the assembly line and put
it in the lobby where it is today. They tell me they do that with every model
change. Just wondering. I was 20 when they came out but I don't remember much
about their introduction all I knew it didn't have a V8 in it so it wasn't
much of a car.
> Terry
>
>
>
>
>
____________ _________ _________ __
> From: uneedittwo48239
<uneedittwo48239@ ...>
> To: BaadAssGremlins@
yahoogroups. com
> Sent: Fri, March 12, 2010 1:01:03 PM
>
Subject: [BaadAssGremlins] Re: teages first gremlin pilot car 360 grrremlin
feb 1970... [3 Attachments
>
> Â
> hi yes i realize
the vin said 6 cly this was a pilot car teage built like the amx pilot cars i
dont know of any gremlins with a February build date also the engineers and
people working on the car in Michigan the painter and builder both live in
farmington hills Michigan this is a well known and documented car here, he has
had several high dollar offers on this car above a shelby needing restored way
out of my range thats why i cloned it the car it was suppose to go to the
crusher with the other pilot cars teage was able to get a few out like the
amx3s i remember the amx 3 sitting in mr vilands driveway while he worked out
the overheating problems
>
> --- In BaadAssGremlins@
yahoogroups. com, "Tim" <timkott@ > wrote:
> >
> > The
Vin says its a 1970 232 automatic column shift, number 213179 produced in
kenosha
> >
> > --- In BaadAssGremlins@ yahoogroups. com,
"uneedittwo48239" <uneedittwo48239@ > wrote:
> > >
>
> > http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/BaadAssGre mlins/photos/ album/2014499344
/pic/list? mode=tn&order= ordinal&start= 1&count=20&
dir=asc
> > >
> > > --- In BaadAssGremlins@
yahoogroups. com, "uneedittwo48239" <uneedittwo48239@ > wrote:
>
> > >
> > > > hi yes there is 2 pages under grrremlin
currant pics are second page
> > > >
> > > >
--- In BaadAssGremlins@ yahoogroups. com, Davis Martin <martin-davis@ >
wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > > Yes that sounds
like a Great story! Its really nice that you shared it with us. That would be
an awsome gremlin to own! I can understand why they owner wouldnt sell it back
but whats he plan to do with the car... Get to it "some Day"?
> >
> > >  Great pics of the car then.... how bout some pics of
it now? of your clone?
> > > > >  Davis
>
> > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > ____________
_________ _________ __
> > > > > From: "Plumpy72@"
<Plumpy72@>
> > > > > To: BaadAssGremlins@
yahoogroups. com
> > > > > Sent: Thu, March 11, 2010 8:36:01
PM
> > > > > Subject: Re: [BaadAssGremlins] teages first
gremlin pilot car 360 grrremlin feb 1970... [3 Attachments
> > >
> >
> > > > > ÂÂ
> > > > >
Thanks for sharing the photos of the Grrremlin. I would
have never known of of this car if it hadn't been for this.
>
> > > >
> > > > > It must have been a wicked
ride........ ..
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > Rick Sipole
> > > > > Southeast
Texas
> > > > > 1972 Gremlin
> > > > >
401/Turbo 400ÂÂ
> > > > >
> > > >
>
> > > > >
> > > > >
> >
> > >
> > > > > -----Original Message-----
>
> > > > From: phillip nicholas <uneedittwo48239@ yahoo.com>
> > >
> > To: BaadAssGremlins@ yahoogroups. com
> > > > >
Sent: Thu, Mar 11, 2010 2:42 pm
> > > > > Subject: Re:
[BaadAssGremlins] teages first gremlin pilot car 360 grrremlin feb 1970.. [3
Attachments]
> > > > >
> > > > >
>
> > > > ÂÂ
> > > > > [Attachment( s)
from phillip nicholas included below]
> > > > >
>
> > > >
> > > > > --- On Thu, 3/11/10,
baadass73gremlin@ aol.com
<baadass73gremlin@ aol.com> wrote:
> > > > >
>
> > > >
> > > > > >From: baadass73gremlin@
aol.com <baadass73gremlin@ aol.com>
> > > > >
>Subject: Re: [BaadAssGremlins] teages first gremlin pilot car 360
grrremlin feb 1970...
> > > > > >To: BaadAssGremlins@
yahoogroups. com
> > > > > >Date: Thursday, March 11,
2010, 3:26 PM
> > > > > >
> > > > >
>
> > > > > >ÂÂ
> > > > >
>You have any pics? if you can't post them please send them to
BaadAss73Gremlin@ aol.com and I'll post them for you.
> > > >
> >Bart
> > > > > >
> > > > >
>In a message dated 3/11/2010 1:32:20 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,
uneedittwo48239@ yahoo.com writes:
> > > > > >ÂÂ
> > > > > >>that i know of this was the first gremlin
made and the only one that came with a v8 360 race block for 1970 build, date
feb for teage to drive it had machine heads and intake a/c power steering and
larger front disc brakes but not power , 308 dana that later was changed to a
444 gear toms viland dad was freinds and worked with teage the car was to go
to the crusher but got reprieved because tom asked for it or 2nd choice a
machine , there are pics of the car in its currant state i took today also
pics of it at the plant on plymouth road in michigan also the car had hand
made letters grrr-emlin that were glue on, a trans am steering wheel i put a
401 4 speed in it around 1977 also was a pace car at mis it has a 1 off hood
scoop and head liner a hornet dash cluster and tac hornet hood ,race car gas
cap hornet hood side winder pipes 4 mufflers and was very fast came out of the
hole straight i got married and had to sell i could not drive that car
>
sane we
> > > > > are aloud 12 points in michigan i had 22
point i have owned over 200 cars in my life and had more fun with that car
than any of them that why i cloned it
> > > > >
>>
> > > > > >>
> > > >
>
> > > >
> > >
>
>
>
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