AMC Gremlin

AMC Gremlin
AMC Gremlin
	1975 AMC Gremlin
Overview
Manufacturer	American Motors Corporation
Also called	American Motors Gremlin; VAM Gremlin (Mexico);
Production	1970–1978 (US); 1974–1983 (Mexico); 671,475 produced;
Assembly	Kenosha, Wisconsin, United States; Brampton, Ontario, Canada; Mexico City, Mexico (VAM);
Designer	Bob Nixon; Dick Teague;
Body and chassis
Class	Subcompact
Body style	2-door sedan; 2-door hatchback;
Layout	FR layout
Related	AMC Spirit; AMC Eagle; AMC Hornet; AMC Concord;
Powertrain
Engine	1,984 cc (121 cu in) VW EA831 I4; 3,258 cc (198.8 cu in) AMC 199 I6; 3,801 cc (232.0 cu in) AMC 232 I6; 4,230 cc (258.1 cu in) AMC 258 I6; 4,978 cc (303.8 cu in) AMC 304 V8;
Transmission	3- or 4-speed Borg-Warner manual; 3-speed manual w/ Laycock de Normanville overdrive; 3-speed Borg-Warner automatic (1970–1971); 3-speed Chrysler TorqueFlite automatic (1972–1978);
Dimensions
Wheelbase	96 in (2,438 mm)
Length	161.3 in (4,097 mm) (1970–1972); 165.5 in (4,204 mm) (1973); 170.3 in (4,326 mm) (1974–1975); 169.4 in (4,303 mm) (1976); 166.5 in (4,229 mm) (1977–1978);
Width	70.6 in (1,793 mm)
Height	51.8 in (1,316 mm)
Curb weight	2,633 lb (1,194 kg)
Chronology
Successor	AMC Spirit

The AMC Gremlin, also called American Motors Gremlin,^[1] is a subcompact car introduced in 1970, manufactured and marketed in a single, two-door body style (1970–1978) by American Motors Corporation (AMC), as well as in Mexico (1974–1983) by AMC's Vehículos Automotores Mexicanos (VAM) subsidiary.

Using a shortened Hornet platform and bodywork with a pronounced kammback tail, the Gremlin was classified as an economy car and competed with the Chevrolet Vega and Ford Pinto, introduced that same year, as well as imported cars including the Volkswagen Beetle^[1] and Toyota Corolla.^[5]^[6] The small domestic automaker marketed the Gremlin as "the first American-built import."^[7]

The Gremlin reached a total production of 671,475 over a single generation. It was superseded for 1979 by a restyled and revised variant, the AMC Spirit, which continued to be produced through 1983. This was long after the retirement of the Ford Pinto that suffered from stories about exploding gas tanks, as well as the Chevrolet Vega with its rusting bodies and durability problems with its aluminum engine.^[8]^[9]

^ ^a ^b ^c "The New American Car (1970 AMC advertisement)". oldcaradvertising.com. Retrieved April 10, 2015.
^ "Made in Mexico - Gremlins with a Spanish accent". Hemmings Classic Car. July 2010. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
^ Severson, Aaron (April 8, 2008). "Do Not Feed After Midnight: The AMC Gremlin > Ate Up With Motor". Ate Up With Motor. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
^ Lamm, Michael (April 1970). "The Gremlins will get you if you don't watch out!". Popular Mechanics. Vol. 133, no. 4. pp. 106–109. Retrieved June 27, 2014.
^ "Gremlin sub-compact draws bead on VW Beetle and other imports". Product Engineering. Vol. 41. Morgan-Grampian. 1970. p. 42.
^ National Research Council (1982). The Competitive Status of the U.S. Auto Industry: A Study of the Influences of Technology in Determining International Industrial Competitive Advantage. National Academy Press. p. 71. doi:10.17226/291. ISBN 978-0-309-03289-6. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
^ Gustafson, Sven (April 1, 2020). "AMC Gremlin was unleashed 50 years ago today, no fooling". Autoblog. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
^ Wojdyla, Ben (May 20, 2011). "Ford Pinto Fuel Tanks: Epic Auto Failures". Popular Mechanics. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
^ Huffman, John Pearley (October 19, 2010). "The Car That Nearly Destroyed GM". Popular Mechanics. Retrieved August 1, 2022.

[oldcaradvertising-1] "The New American Car (1970 AMC advertisement)". oldcaradvertising.com. Retrieved April 10, 2015.

[2] "Made in Mexico - Gremlins with a Spanish accent". Hemmings Classic Car. July 2010. Retrieved September 20, 2020.

[3] Severson, Aaron (April 8, 2008). "Do Not Feed After Midnight: The AMC Gremlin > Ate Up With Motor". Ate Up With Motor. Retrieved September 20, 2020.

[4] Lamm, Michael (April 1970). "The Gremlins will get you if you don't watch out!". Popular Mechanics. Vol. 133, no. 4. pp. 106–109. Retrieved June 27, 2014.

[5] "Gremlin sub-compact draws bead on VW Beetle and other imports". Product Engineering. Vol. 41. Morgan-Grampian. 1970. p. 42.

[6] National Research Council (1982). The Competitive Status of the U.S. Auto Industry: A Study of the Influences of Technology in Determining International Industrial Competitive Advantage. National Academy Press. p. 71. doi:10.17226/291. ISBN 978-0-309-03289-6. Retrieved February 3, 2022.

[7] Gustafson, Sven (April 1, 2020). "AMC Gremlin was unleashed 50 years ago today, no fooling". Autoblog. Retrieved September 20, 2020.

[8] Wojdyla, Ben (May 20, 2011). "Ford Pinto Fuel Tanks: Epic Auto Failures". Popular Mechanics. Retrieved August 1, 2022.

[9] Huffman, John Pearley (October 19, 2010). "The Car That Nearly Destroyed GM". Popular Mechanics. Retrieved August 1, 2022.

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