AMC’s solution to the Trans Am Series
Words And Photos: Joe Greeves
The fact competition builds the breed certainly applied to Trans Am race cars of the ’60s. Every year, manufacturers had to improve on their previous year’s efforts in an attempt to build a winner. Back then, the phrase “what wins on Sunday, sells on Monday” was never truer.
While the Big Three had the financial resources to ease the pain, American Motors had to do more with less. It was really a David vs. Goliath challenge, AMC creating cars on a budget to battle the giants. Obviously, when success was a matter of survival, motivation was strong.
Having witnessed many companies go under in the ’50s and ’60s, Hudson and Nash decided it was better to blend rather than die alone. American Motors Corporation was the fruit of that merger and kept them rolling. In 1968, AMC was cranking away, its Jeep line helping the company’s bottom line. But the lack of a performance vehicle was the missing link in the line up.
The 1968 AMX was a brilliant answer to the problem, a sporty, all-metal, two-seater the likes of which had not been seen since the 1957 Thunderbird. The darling of the 1966 auto show circuit, it featured a unique prototype rumble seat in the rear deck that opened for two extra passengers. While the “Ramble Seat” concept never made it to production, the car quickly captured everyone’s fancy.
Taking a page from the Mustang styling book with a long hood and short deck, it looked ready to roll over the competition. Fitted with a 390c.i., 315-hp engine, it was more than competent and priced almost $1,000 less than the Corvette. The AMX was quick, sporty, and very well-received by the automotive press.
Although only produced for three model years, ending in 1970, its performance image lived on in the Javelin, transitioning, like the classic T-Bird, into a four-seat version. Today, there are a dedicated band of enthusiasts who believe the AMX was a car well ahead of its time. These cars are highly coveted.
Personal Touch
Steve Gers from Jacksonville, Florida, is one of those fans. His 1969 AMX, painted a factory Willow Green, is beautifully restored to perfection. Gers has been enthusiastic about automobiles since he was a kid, the AMX rekindling a wonderful automotive addiction.
Gers’ talent with sheet metal work and paint came via the teachings of his good friend, Bruce Birkett, who owned a body shop. In their younger days, they built a number of cars including Mustangs, Corvettes, Pontiacs, Broncos, and Jeeps, just to hit the highlights. Originally, Gers was looking for a Chevelle or GTO as his next project vehicle, but everything changed when a neighbor told him about a pair of AMXs for sale. Steve recalled sitting in one of the sporty two-seaters back in college and thoroughly enjoying that experience.
When Gers met the seller, he found out the deal was for two cars, not just one. Regardless of the surprise, he decided to make the purchase. Neither AMX ran, but one was in fairly good condition. Gers eventually sold the other AMX in order to concentrate his efforts on the first one.
The two-year restoration began with stripping the ’69 completely, gutting the interior, and removing the engine. He sanded the old paint down to the primer and eliminated the collection of dents and dings acquired in the previous half-century, concentrating on door gaps and cut lines. He re-sprayed the AMX himself, choosing the original Willow Green body color and twin black stripes.
While the bodywork was in progress, his local machine shop worked on the 390, boring the block 0.030-inch over. Gers added new pistons, bearings, and gaskets, then reworked the heads with stainless steel valves so he could run leaded gas. The original 650cfm Motorcraft carb was rebuilt, and today, it works like a charm.
The final step was the interior, with Gers reupholstering the seats, refurbishing the original door panels, and replacing the carpet. All the gauges on the dash were rebuilt and function perfectly.
The completed car is all-original with just a few exceptions, like new shocks, brakes, and the Torque Thrust rims that were a common upgrade during the ’60s. Steve and wife Pam have been enjoying the car for the last four years, cruising and attending car shows at every opportunity.
College memories
We told you that the AMX made an indelible impression on Steve way back in his college years, so it’s no surprise he owns more than one of these classic AMCs. Gers’ original goal was to acquire a 1970 AMX, preferring its updated styling and additional horsepower. Eventually, he found this bright yellow 1970 AMX with its Shadow Mask satin black hood on the AMC website. An AMC specialist, who was responsible for rejuvenating more than 50 of these cars over the years, had restored it.
Even though the yellow paint is more than 10 years old, it still looks flawless. Unlike the green one, the yellow car was virtually complete and drivable when he bought it. Subtle styling changes in the ’70 included a full-width grille and an extended front end that was five inches longer than on the 1969. It has a revised front bumper but uses the same rear bumper as the ’69, with slightly different taillights.
While everything is factory original on the green car, the yellow car is modified with an Edelbrock 600cfm carburetor, aluminum intake, exhaust headers, and 2.5-inch exhaust. Gers smiles when he says that the yellow ’70 is so much faster than the green ’69! Functional side exhaust pipes are scheduled as a future project.
Although the ’70 might be his favorite, the long exposure with restoring the ’69 means it will be hard to part with, so for the foreseeable future, Gers and his wife are a two AMX family!