Nothing like it had ever come out of Kenosha before, and nothing like it would ever come out of there again.

But on the heels of the Mustang's stunning success, AMC, like every other American manufacturer at the time, was forced to recognize that small, sporty cars had a place on dealer lots, not just on the showroom turntables. Sure, doctors and lawyers could buy Corvettes and Thunderbirds all day long, but now college students and secretaries could look forward to driving something with a little more guts than the average family sedan.

So, for a brief span of about five years, AMC totally devoted itself to capturing the youth market. AMC first responded in September 1967 with the Javelin. Given the pony car-mad public, they knew it would sell, but with Dick Teague's urging, the company decided to go one step further with the AMX in February 1968, the only mass-produced American two-seat sports coupe aside from the Corvette, and at $3,245, more than $1,000 less expensive than its honored competitor.

A lot of people saw the AMX as a 12-inch shorter derivative of the Javelin, given the shared body panels and chassis. Yet AMC engineers and stylists designed both the AMX and the Javelin on separate tracks at the same time. By February 1968, with concept versions of both vehicles running the show circuit, AMC decided on the single platform for the production versions of both cars.

Despite the buzz about the new AMX, AMC management didn't see the point of the effort and expense behind building two different sports cars, even if they shared most of their components. Midway through 1968--not too long after the AMX's introduction, mind you--management decided to cancel the two-seater body style after the 1970 model year and make the AMX a four-seater on the longer Javelin body. Declining sales also ostensibly factored into the decision. Sales in the shortened 1968 model year totaled 6,725, while 1969's amounted to 8,293. The 1970 figures dropped by half to 4,116.

Today, the two-seater AMX retains a vaunted spot among AMC fans, more so than the later versions. Unique versions, such as the Hurst-built SS/AMXs and the California 500 Specials, remain highly sought after, but at times it seems nearly every one of the 19,134 that AMC built during those three years remains in circulation and in demand, ensuring a good future for the first-generation AMX as a collectible muscle car.

ENGINES

AMC didn't release the third iteration of its thin-wall V-8s--the 390--until the AMX debuted. In fact, AMC tied the car and the engine so closely together that the engine became known as the "AMX 390," despite the engine's placement in other AMC models.

That engine, available as an option in only the four-barrel (315hp, X-code) version, was one of three available in the AMX in 1968, all V-8s. The other two, the 290 (235hp, N-code) and the 343 (280hp, T-code), came exclusively with four-barrels. In 1969, the 290 dropped 10hp and AMC dropped the two-barrel 390.

Major changes came to the engine lineup in 1970, when the 290 and the 343 both increased in stroke to become the 304 and the 360. The former didn't make it into the AMX's engine bay from the factory, but the latter, with a four-barrel (290hp, P-code), did. The 390 remained through the 1970 model year, now with 325hp, still the X-code.

Internally, the three engines differed vastly. The 290 and 304 used small intake and exhaust valves, thin block webbing and cast crankshafts. The 343 and 360 used larger valves, thicker block webbing and cast crankshafts. The 390 (and later the 401) used the larger valves, thicker block webbing and forged steel crankshafts. The 1970 190 and the 1971 401 have the most sought-after AMC V-8 heads, with their 51cc combustion chambers.

Probably just as important are the engines that never made it under the hood of a two-seater AMX from the factory: six-cylinders, the Rebel Machine's 340hp 390 and the 401. Also, all the AMX engines are of AMC's own design, so AMC never used a Ford 390.

All AMC engines appear the same externally, save for numbers cast on either side of the block, under the engine mount, denoting the engine's displacement. Casting numbers and the small tag screwed to the valve cover help identify the date an engine was built, but according to Eddie Stakes, who offers AMX parts through his Web site, planethoustonamx.com, AMC engines contain no identification that directly corresponds to the car that AMC installed them in, "so it is virtually impossible to determine whether a particular engine was originally installed in a particular vehicle."

Jeff Reeves, the technical editor for American Motors Owners club, said the most commonly known drawback to the AMC V-8 engines is the oiling system, which restricts oil flow during extreme situations such as drag racing. A widely publicized modification to the oiling system helps relieve that problem.

TRANSMISSIONS
AMC made the Borg-Warner T-10 four-speed the base transmission for AMXs from 1968-1970. Every AMX from January 1969-on ordered with the T-10 automatically came with a Hurst shifter. AMC made three different gear ratio sets available in the T-10s, all identified by the tag attached to the rear of the case. The T-code used a wide-ratio gearset with a 2.64 first gear, the P-code used a close-ratio set with a 2.43 first and the V-code used a close-ratio set with a 2.23 first.

Borg-Warner also supplied the Shift-Command three-speed automatic transmission, model M-11B or M-12, with either a column or floor shifter. While AMC used aluminum-case versions behind its 290 and 304 engines in other models, every AMX automatic--even when behind the 290--had the cast-iron version. Reeves said the Borg-Warner automatic wasn't a bad transmission, "but people don't like it because it can't be modified performance-wise." In 1972, AMC switched from Borg-Warner automatics to Chrysler TorqueFlites across its product range. "The TorqueFlite can be modified all over the place for performance," Reeves said. "If you weren't a drag racer, though, the B-W auto was a fine transmission."

DIFFERENTIAL
The Model 20, an AMC design with an 87/8-inch ring gear, enjoyed a long life under Kenosha cars--it was used through the end of AMC V-8 production in 1979. AMC engineers made it simple to identify the axle ratio inside the pumpkin by stamping one of four codes from the factory on the differential housing cover flange. An A-code refers to a 3.53:1 gear ratio, B-code to a 3.15, C-code to a 2.87 and a D-code to a 3.91. Stakes said that dealers offered four additional gear ratios: 3.73:1, 4.10:1, 4.44:1 and 5.00:1. AMC made a limited-slip differential, called the Twin-Grip, available as an option. Apparently, nothing apart from the build sheet can identify a Twin-Grip-equipped car.

Reeves said Model 20s "are hamstrung by the splined hubs on the ends of the axle shafts. If kept properly torqued, these axles can take a good bit of extreme abuse, but most serious performance drivers replace the splined shafts with solid one-pieces units."

CHASSIS
The AMX shared its general chassis layout with the Rambler American and the Javelin--a unibody floorpan, coil-spring front suspension and parallel-leaf rear suspension. For 1968 and 1969, trunnions located the front suspension rather than ball joints. While trunnions offered reliable service as long as the car's owner kept them greased, lack of lubrication severely decreased their lifespan, so for 1970, AMC replaced the trunnions in the AMX and Javelin with a ball-joint, upper-and-lower control-arm suspension similar to the early Mustang's, with the coil spring above the upper control arm and a trailing strut rod to locate the lower control arm. Reeves said the biggest advantage to the ball-joint suspension is the wider parts availability versus the trunnion suspension. In the rear, AMC installed torque links that stiffened the rear suspension on hard launches. All AMXs came standard with 10-inch drum brakes front and rear, but four-piston 11-inch front disc brakes came as part of the Go Package.

BODY & INTERIOR
Some of the most sought-after options for 1968-'70 AMXs are the three Big Bad colors. In January 1969, AMC introduced Big Bad Orange, Big Bad Green and Big Bad Blue as optional paints on the AMX and Javelin, covering even the bumpers. While only a $34 option in 1969, the loud paint schemes didn't sell too well--just 284 AMXs in 1969 had Big Bad Orange paint, 283 Big Bad Green and 195 Big Bad Blue. The colors returned for 1970, but the bumpers remained chrome that year; 114 AMXs in 1970 had the Big Bad Blue paint, 74 had Big Bad Green and 122 had Big Bad Orange. AMC did add another paint scheme in 1970, commonly called "shadow mask," that incorporated a satin black-painted hood and window surrounds, offset by silver striping, applied over any of the regularly available colors that year. The shadow mask paint scheme appeared on 982 AMXs that year. Each Big Bad color had its own paint code on the door trim tag, and the shadow mask had a "-8" suffix to the car's regular paint code.

The 1970 AMXs also received a slight redesign, with new taillamps and a restyled front end that shared more styling cues with the Javelin than in the previous two years. Overall length thus increased about two inches. A prominent power blister, stamped into the hood, appeared this year and its two huge nostrils could be opened up to become a ram-air induction system when customers ordered the Go Package.

According to Stakes, AMXs and Javelins have three major areas known to rust due to the engineering of the body panels: quarter panels, especially on either side of the trunk, due to debris build-up; the sill panels between the trunk lid and the rear window; and the lower portion of the A-pillars, due to tiny drain holes that quickly filled up with debris. He also notes the floor pans, the trunk pans and the troughs under the front fenders as other potential problem areas.

Inside, AMC affixed a small plate with a serial number to the glovebox door or to the center of the dash. Research has shown that the serial numbers did not coincide with the car's serial number, with actual production order or with any other identifying number on the car. In fact, the first 550 AMXs didn't come with a serial number, and AMC reserved the first 50 serial numbers for special customers: athletes, politicians and other celebrities. Nobody took AMC up on that offer.

AMXs shared their interiors with the Javelin--including bucket-only seating--from the front seats forward. Behind that, the interior quarter trim pieces are unique to the AMX. The armrests pose a large problem area--their plastic covers curl up at the ends and their mounting tabs are prone to breaking. Reeves said headliners posed the biggest problem in 1968-1969 AMXs. "They were made of a flimsy material that would tear loose and fall with little urging." A fiberglass shell-type headliner is the most common replacement nowadays.

Build sheets usually appear in the back portion of the passenger seat, but have also appeared under the carpet, behind door panels or even on the other side of the headliner.

RESTORATION PARTS
The first-generation AMX remains probably the most-supported AMC in terms of restoration parts. The advantage, of course, comes through the parts that the AMX shared with the Javelin and even with the Rambler American. Reproduction parts have started to enter the market over the last several years, most notably from Kennedy American and American Parts Depot, both located in Ohio. The armrests noted above are available in reproduction through Mick McNeice of Kilbride, Ontario.

NOS items do still exist, though typically not from dealers--when Chrysler bought AMC in 1987, Lee Iacocca ordered many former AMC dealerships to bulldoze their remaining AMC parts. However, some dealerships either refused or went out of business before the Chrysler purchase, allowing their NOS parts to remain on the market. Those supplies have started to dwindle in recent years, causing an upswing in prices, but restorers can still find grilles, interiors and trim if they know where to look.

Stakes said the lack of parts should not detract potential AMX buyers from the brand. "Yes, there is an AMC parts crisis," he said. "No, you should not be intimidated by any of it, as it is part of the fun of owning something different. You will find that AMC people are more than helpful with any sort of advice, questions, tech, anything. All you have to do is ask."

PERFORMANCE PARTS
AMC actually produced a line of its own performance parts in the late 1960s, called the Group 19 parts after the section of the AMC parts catalog they occupied, available only from dealerships at the time. The most well-known of these parts, the Edelbrock-supplied R4B intake manifold, came in aluminum and in a high-riser design, but AMC also listed the Edelbrock cross-ram dual-quad intake manifold (the STR 11, commonly seen on SS/AMXs), a Holley three-barrel carburetor (two primaries and one large secondary instead of two divided secondaries) to replace the Carter AFB, forged connecting rods, a forged steel crankshaft, a high-performance camshaft, a Mallory dual-point distributor and even headers.

These parts have become, understandably, about as rare or even rarer than the NOS parts, but Edelbrock still offers an intake manifold in its Performer line (though different from the R4B); several companies offer stronger crankshafts and stroker kits; fiberglass hoods, trunklids, doors and bumpers; and Indy Cylinder Head has even recently introduced an all-aluminum AMC 401 block to go along with its aluminum heads. In fact, the number of AMC performance parts available seems to grow every year now as enthusiasts from the Big Three makes start to realize that AMCs can be built to run alongside any other muscle car.

Owner's View
Deb and Don Daleske, of Littleton, Colorado, said they've been into AMCs since the mid-1970s, when they realized that not only did AMCs cost less than other cars, but were easier to work on as well.

"I tried working on Chryslers, and I dabbled in all the other brands," Don said. "But I stuck with AMCs because I just like the cars, and I thought they were well-engineered in their day.

"I also love two-seaters. I came close to buying a Corvette once, but I backed out of that deal and started looking for an AMX. I found a Javelin and a Hornet and bought them both, but didn't find a two-seater AMX until 2001, when I found this one in some guy's backyard. He was using it as a parts car for his other AMXs, so when I wanted to buy it, he agreed to sell it with all the parts.

"We weren't going to restore it right away at first--I was going to do it gradually--but I liked the car too well to let it sit, so eventually we decided to go all out and we finished the restoration in 18 months."--Daniel Strohl

Values

Parts Prices
Timing cover (set): $259
Window cranks (each): $15
Bucket seat trim: $50
Weather seal kit: $340
Go-Package stripes: $169
Complete carpet kit: $265
Transmission mount: $15
Fiberglass fan shroud: $90
Grille emblem: $23
Headlamp switch: $30
Turn signal lens: $35
Speedometer cable: $45
Dual exhaust system: $349
Manual shifter boot: $39
Brake rotor (each): $129

This article originally appeared in the JANUARY 1, 2007 issue of Hemmings Muscle Machines.
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