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The AMC AMX Was More Successful Than You Remember
Telltale signs of poor fiscal health are all around us, and one such example is a footnote in the history of the American Motors Corporation. The story goes that one particular annual report to financial stakeholders in 1966 was dripping in red ink, and was summarily delivered to everyone in plain brown envelopes. The messaging was clearly dire, and that’s when a man named Robert Beverley Evans ascended to the rank of Chairman of AMC’s board.
Evans was a turnaround specialist by trade, even if he knew little about the car business. But he knew what AMC was offering relative to its competition, and he performed acts of magic akin to the moves Allan Mullaly made during his recent tenure at Ford.
He insisted that AMC must “give the public cars that go beyond what the Big Three gives them,” and suggested that AMC even challenge Volkswagen with a compact vehicle of their own. But before that compact AMC arrived in 1970 as the Gremlin, Evans played a crucial role in enticing younger customers with a muscular two-seat sports car.
Enter the AMX. While Evans was quite fond of the Vignale-bodied AMX concept from 1966, that was a halo car akin to a Corvette. Perhaps that was a bridge too far for AMC at the time, but his encouragement ensured something similar was put into production. It manifested as a 1968 Javelin with a shorter wheelbase and a unique body south of the B-pillar. The re-bodied Javelin had an aggressive stance that set it apart from every other muscle car of the era, and it became a sensation that inspired loyalty and admiration.
The 1968–70 AMC AMX rose to Bull Market status with us back in 2023, where we noted that interest from younger generations had nearly tripled from 2019 to 2023. We also saw a rise in values from 2021 to 2022, up $13,000 for an AMX in #1 condition. But even less-than-perfect examples appreciated roughly $5,000 during that time period.
Our 2023 assessment also suggested that further appreciation would happen. We got this one right, as values for all AMXs are now significantly higher than they were back in 2021. While values are trending upward at a slower rate, adding hundreds of dollars every quarter will have a notable impact on AMX values over time.
And time is on our side, be it with hard data or vintage television shows. Motorweek’s Retro Review of the 1968 AMX was a throwback when it hit the airwaves in 1992. Keep in mind the folks at Maryland Public Television could not greenlight this iconic TV show when the AMX was new, as Public Television hit the airwaves in 1970. So perhaps this is a retro-retro review?
Hindsight can be a wonderful thing because it helps frame historical acts in a broader context, and Motorweek’s Craig Singhaus did that, covering a subject that deserved to be on the airwaves. But we aren’t talking about the AMX in the video. Instead, we are focusing on Ray and Lynn Pinto of American Performance Products (APP), the owners of said muscle car.
Singhaus noted that Ray was hooked on the AMX after taking an “extended test drive” with one from his buddy’s AMC dealership. The creation of APP in 1980 was a natural byproduct, and they still offer restoration and performance products for all AMC, Rambler, and classic Jeeps at the appropriately named website, www.amclives.com. A recent Facebook post to an AMC fan page suggests that Ray and Lynn sold the business, but the new owners have kept the faith and continue to cater to the AMC community.
One person even noted, “Just got something from them this week,” which suggests that APP is still going strong, still keeping AMC alive for a new generation of fans. That’s a reassuring statement to read, and it also makes for a delightfully happy ending to this coverage of Motorweek’s retro-retro review.
The AMX was never a flop and may have been the best car AMC did.
But in the shadow the slow failure of AMC it did not look as successful as it should have looked.
AMC had many good ideas just never had the money to do them or do many right.
My cousin had one with the 390 and 4-speed. Launch that thing hard and it would NOT go in a straight line. Wicked quick but twitchy to drive.
where can i purchase the 1970 javelin sst or start looking?
there are MANY places to look: ebay, bat, hemmings, craigslist, amo newsletter, theamcforum.com, amc enthusiast groups, facebook.
There is a local AMC group that puts on both “come-one-come-all” as well as brand specific shows. At one of these, I made acquaintance of a fellow with a bone-stock AMX, and he showed me through just about the whole car. I have always thought they were nice-looking and I remember some of the performances they put on in the Trans Am racing heyday. But I’d never looked closely at one inside, outside, and underside. My impression is that it’s an amazingly well-thought-out vehicle and very simple to work on. I imagine parts to be a challenge, though. Owners may disagree with my assessment, but if one thinks that a ’69 AMX is hard to figure out, I’ll refer you to any of Rob the Hack Mechanic’s columns about his vintage BMW and Lotus adventures! 😁
I was born after these cars started production so i won’t remember much beyond seeing the occasional one here and there. The AMX is a great car, I love talking to their owners.
In 1976 while I was stationed at Savannah Ga, I found my Red AMX in a back yard ,made it operational, put on new paint, made it roadworthy & shipped it with me when I was reasigned to England then West Germany, still have the assigned English tags HBH855T ,had a lot of attention @both Countrys but the best part was being able to run the German Bahns,no speed limit on the third lane, but only one problem I had was ” I couldn’t Pass up a Gas station, LOL” Still love, show and drive this car, I have preserved a part of history for someone else after Ive gone.
That’s awesome, James!
My auto shop teacher in high school (who was a recent college graduate not much older than we were) had a 1969 AMX 390 4-speed. Even though this was 1976-78 and the heart of the malaise era, there were a few late 60s cars amongst our student body that had been kept in decent condition and were still strong performers. He had a standing challenge to anybody that wanted to run their car against his AMX to let him know and he’d meet them at our local drag spot. He never lost.
Terrific photography of that copper rocket in the heading. Nice car, good article.
I loved my 68 390 4 speed AMX. Sold it in 79 to have money to pay for my wedding. I still have her, but would like to have the AMX too !!!!!