Car Spot: 79 American Motors Spirit

AMC’s replacement for the Gremlin

As much as I love American Motors, there were times when they rode with a model too long. Take, for example, the Gremlin. Introduced in 1970, they made changes, but should have moved on way before 1978. Sales were strong early in its production, peaking at over 170,000 units in 1974, but after the introduction of the Pacer in 1975 went downhill. Then, in 1979, they did something about it and introduced the Spirit, the subject of this week’s spot. I know a lot about this, having owned a ’79 both Spirit and Spirit AMX, while my sisters owned ’81 and ’82 Spirits.

I’m more than familiar with the car since I bought one that first year, replacing my Pacer. I also had a ’79 Spirit AMX, AMC’s last car to offer a V8. More on that a bit later. Built from 1978 to 1983, the Spirit was offered as a coupe and as a Gremlin-like sedan; after all, it was a Gremlin, just with different sheetmetal and a much nicer interior. Buyers had several engines to choose from, ranging from a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, a new and improved 6-cylinder engine, and a 304-cubic-inch V-8. There were several trim options. Besides, the base was a DL that included extra features as standard, such as custom bucket seats, plush carpeting, and an electronic clock. Limited, top-tier trim with even more luxury features, such as genuine leather interior, woodgrain accents on the dashboard, and power door locks.

RELATED Spot: Another example of AMC performance.

AMX, a high-performance model available for 1979 and 1980, featured a special appearance package with fender flares and spoilers, a sport-tuned suspension, special wheels, and a rally-inspired interior with bucket seats and gauges. The GT was just about everything on the AMX except the V8. MSRP ranged between $5,177 and $6,298 for 1981-1983 models. The GT trim package was aimed directly at the Ford Mustang in the affordable performance segment, and it included blacked-out exterior trim, styled wheels with radial tires, a leather-wrapped sport steering wheel, Rallye gauges, a center console, and a deep-tone exhaust system. A separate rally-tuned suspension package added front and rear sway bars, heavy-duty shocks, and a quick-ratio steering box for improved handling. 

With that in mind, let’s hop back and talk about the AMX. Equipped with the 304 V8, stock horsepower was around 150 hp, but with some performance upgrades, such as a better carburetor, intake, and exhaust, horsepower can be increased significantly, with some builds reaching or exceeding 200 hp. Part of the reason is that the front end of the Spirit was built similarly to the Ambassador, essentially overbuilt. The most ponies one could expect out of Ford’s 302 V8 was a paltry 140 hp. It came in five flavors: black, white (mine was that color), red, tan, and a light blue. I believe the blue is the rarest of the colors and usually sells for more than the others. If you wanted insane power, you could drop one of AMC’s larger V8s, the 360, which was 175 hp stock, but with mods, go up to 425 hp, 390, 325 hp stock, or the 401 with 330 hp. The guy I sold mine to was going to put a 401 in it! Man, I wish I had that back!

The car was a little ripper, and in 1979, two raced at the Nürburgring 24 Hours, making it the first American car to compete and win in the event’s history. Sponsored by B.F. Goodrich, the two cars finished first and second in their class, and 25th and 43rd overall. I talked to one of the drivers, who told me that the cars were put together pretty quick and, with more prep, could have finished higher overall.

If you want one of the Spirit AMXs now, one in good shape will set you back around 15 grand, with the highest sale going for 22 grand. Regular Spirits are quite a bit less. The car ended production in 1983 when AMC introduced the Alliance. Booo! A total of 192,018 were produced, with its best year being 1980, when just over 71,000 came off the Kenosha assembly line. Spirit remains another example of AMC’s ingenuity during a challenging era for American automakers, and the odds of parking next to another one like it at a Cars and Coffee are pretty low.

Thanks for stopping by and going down memory lane with me. Come back next Sunday for another one of my spots, along with some of its history. Have a great week.