1974 AMC Gremlin 2-Door Hatchback
2022.0046.0001, Savoy Collection
Engine: 232 cu. in. (3.8L) Cast-iron block, OHV, I-6
Output: 100 HP @ 3,600 RPM
Transmission: 3-Speed Automatic
Wheelbase: 96 in.
Overall Length: 170 in.
Weight: 2,855 lbs.
Top Speed: Unknown
No. Produced: 171,128
Original Price: $2,481
Manufacturer: American Motors Corporation
The idea for the Gremlin began in 1966 when Dick Teague, design chief at American Motors, and stylist Bob Nixon discussed the possibility of a shortened version of AMC’s Javelin. Conceived during an airline flight, Teague’s solution, which he said he sketched on an airsickness bag, was to truncate the tail of the Javelin. Teague’s idea resulted in the AMX-GT concept, first shown at the New York International Auto Show in April 1968. However, the concept car did not go into production.
Instead, Bob Nixon, AMC’s future Chief of Design, designed the new subcompact based on the automaker’s Hornet model. The Gremlin, introduced in 1970, was classified as an economy car. It competed with the Chevrolet Vega and Ford Pinto, as well as imported cars such as the Volkswagen Beetle and Toyota Corolla. The small domestic automaker marketed the Gremlin as “the first American-built import.” The Gremlin reached a total production of 671,475.