Re: [BaadAssGremlins] Re: teages first gremlin pilot car 360 grrremlin

I agree a lot of money was and is wasted. My father worked for the VA as a cook and because some guy in Washington said the life of a pan or pot was 5 years they had to throw every pot, pan, spoon and fork in a dumpster every 5 years. He said since they had twice as many as they needed they were throwing stuff out that were never used. Having spent a summer at GE working on and around a assembly line I just find it hard to believe that they would run this special car with all the special parts on it down the line. I would love to know how many times that line had to be stopped because a special part wasn't there. It would have cost them a fortune. Now if you told me they drove it off the line as a 6 and it went to the rework shop where it was turned into this car I would believe that. I also believe all these special cars existed and that most ended up being crushed. I just don't believe they were built on the assembly line. I also find it very hard to believe that there wasn't any Gremlins built in February if they had them in the showroom on April 1. That would mean that in a three week span AMC built enough Gremlins and shipped enough Gremlins to every dealership in the US and Canada to have 5 or 6 on the lot. That would been one hell of a feat if it happen. I am not saying it didn't happen. I am just saying it is all hard to believe.

Terry

From: Eddie Stakes <eddiestakes@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: BaadAssGremlins@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Fri, March 12, 2010 10:51:15 PM
Subject: Re: [BaadAssGremlins] Re: teages first gremlin pilot car 360 grrremlin feb 1970... [3 Attachments

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.

http://www.planethoustonamx.com/press_photos/amx_gt.jpg

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

http://www.planetho ustonamx. com/press_ photos/68_ amx_teague. jpg

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:

http://www.planetho ustonamx. com/Photo_ Gallery_press/ stolenamxprototy pe2.jpg

http://www.planetho ustonamx. com/Photo_ Gallery_press/ stolenamxprototy pe1.jpg

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.

Eddie Stakes
713.464.8825
eddiestakes@ planethoustonamx .com
www.planethoustonam x.com

----- Original Message -----

From: Terry Atkins

To: BaadAssGremlins@ yahoogroups. com

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@ yahoo.com>
To: BaadAssGremlins@ yahoogroups. com
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.Â Are you telling me they didn't start producing the Gremlin until some time in March of 70.Â 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"?
> > > > > Ã‚Â Great pics of the car then.... how bout some pics of it now? of your clone?
> > > > > Ã‚Â 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
> > > > >
> > > > > Ã‚Â
> > > > > Thanks for sharing the photos of the Grrremlin. IÃ‚Â would haveÃ‚Â 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 400Ã‚Â
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > -----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]
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > Ã‚Â
> > > > > [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
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > >Ã‚Â
> > > > > >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:
> > > > > >Ã‚Â
> > > > > >>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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