The AMX was not built to compete with the Mustang, Camaro and Firebird, it was built to compete with the Corvette. It's a 2 seater and was 1" shorter than the Corvette. Its wheelbase is 97" (vs 109" for the Javelin on which it is based). It was the first steel-bodied, two seat American performance car since the 1957 Thunderbird. In its day, there were arguments about whether the AMX was a true sports car, GT Car, or muscle car. I agree with what Road Test magazine wrote after testing the car, "For the doubters we can testify once again that the AMX feels like a sports car, drives like a sports car, handles like a sports car and therefore in our book (and that of the Sports Car Club of America) it is a sports car."
With a 0-60 time of 6.5 seconds and the ability to do the quarter mile in 14.1 seconds, the AMX was competitive with the Corvette on the straight parts of a track, but didn't handle quite as well in the curves. (By the time this car was built however, AMC had tweaked the suspension and this car could most likely stick pretty close to the Corvette in all but the most serious S turns.)
What is so impressive in my mind about the AMX (and Javelin) is its design. It's clean, almost European looking. It has a long hood, short deck, flush door handles and minimal chrome. (Yeah, AMC couldn't resist the fake side exhaust vents, but compared to the other crap US car manufacturers were tacking on to their cars in the late 1960s and 1970s, they're a minor sin. Actually, they look good and they'd be really cool if they were real.)This car is unrestored. It's a 4 owner, well documented car, that, except for a recent engine and transmission rebuild and some Edelbrock intake and exhaust headers, is completely original, including the paint.
The seller has done some serious research and states that out of the 4116 AMXs built in 1970, this is just 1 of 98 to have a black leather interior, 1 of 628 to include factory "Machine" wheels and most importantly, one of 1,632 4 speed cars to have the "Go Package". The "Go-Pack" included power disc brakes, E70X14 white letter tires, a posi-rear, handling package, 7 blade "flex fan", heavy duty cooling system, fan shroud, 140mph speedometer, 8000 RPM tach, space saver spare and ram air induction. All useful stuff. The seller also notes that this car is featured in the "Guide to Muscle Cars" and was also photographed for the "Muscle Car Trading Cards" from the early-1990's. (I had no idea there were muscle car trading cards!)This is just an amazing car in amazing condition. It will be interesting to see what it sells for.
Located in Saint Charles, IL, click here to see the eBay listing.For more info on the AMX, chek out AMX-perience.com
