We enjoy vehicles and the styling, power, and every little thing else that drops under that umbrella, but that doesn’t mean the hobby isn’t without a sense of humor. Who understood an underpowered auto from Germany would certainly end up being preferred, if not collectible over time? Paradox has a method of discovering its method into our leisure activity, and probably no other automobile better exemplifies this than our Pick of the Day, a 1976 AMC Pacer. It is detailed on ClassicCars.com by a dealership in Downers Grove, Illinois. (Click the link to see the listing)
My memory of the Pacer when new is not sharp because I was a youngster. I remember my preschool instructor had one, and I understood it was developed by a company called American Motors, yet absolutely nothing beyond that. In later years, the Pacer was the butt of jokes, an odd-looking automobile from a decade that had a lot of laughable devices. Or was it because it was yet one more unusual automobile from AMC? The film Wayne’s World brought the fishbowl-on-wheels to a brand-new generation in the early 1990s, developing fans that never ever understood the cars and truck existed. Since then, it’s most likely that the Pacer quit being a non reusable car and became a collectible inquisitiveness. It’s been some time given that the motion picture, the Pacer proceeds to be a small collectible among various other underpowered Malaise-era lorries like the Pinto and Vega. Perhaps the Pacer is the 1961 Plymouth of the 1970s?
Certainly the Pacer should have a much better fate. Deliberately, the Pacer had a lot going for it, consisting of contemporary designing, a lot of room, and visibility beyond reproach but, from an engineering POV, the Pacer lost what would have made it technically interesting as it was produced to be powered by a General Motors-designed rotary engine, yet GM cancelled the engine program and AMC was forced to use its straight-six, which required re-engineering the pacer’s front end. This, combined with the Pacer’s weight (it wound up being about 500 extra pounds heavier than planned), resulted in bad gas mileage however, it must be pointed out, rotating engines were not understood for their gas effectiveness either. A V8 ultimately showed up, as did an extended wheelbase wagon. After 6 model years, the Pacer was put to rest after 1980.
This 1976 AMC Pacer, which was originally marketed brand-new in Nashville, resembles an essential Pacer due to its Sand Tan paint with matching two-tone interior. Powering it is the optional(and welcome)258cid 6 combined with a column-shifted transmission. With an aesthetic walk-around, it appears this Pacer lacks any of the elegant trim plans that were readily available at the time– this is just standard Pacer transport in all its Malaise-era benefits. Keep in mind the lack of a/c, so ideally you stay in a location that’s not in the Sun Belt. And do not allow the lack of FM superhigh frequency bring you down because there are many solutions to be had, particularly in this age of smart phones. So, here is where more irony can be found in: what does it require to obtain a great instance of among one of the most polarizing American cars and trucks in the past 50 years?$19,988. Chuckle all you desire, however this vehicle belongs in MOMA as much as your garage. To see this listing on ClassicCars.com, take a look at Pick of the Day.
