The AMC Gremlin X is known as a weird car due to its unusual shape and odd features. However, that didn't stop this particular automobile from becoming a sales success, becoming widely manufactured in great numbers for several years. The Gremlin was introduced in 1970 as a subcompact automobile, and it was manufactured and marketed in a single, two-door body style by American Motors Corporation (AMC). It featured a shortened Hornet platform and bodywork with an emphasized rear end.
Notable competition at the time includes the Chevrolet Vega and Ford Pinto, as well as imported cars such as the Volkswagen Beetle and Toyota Corolla. Total production for the AMC Gremlin X achieved 671,475 over a single generation. The Gremlin would later be superseded by a restyled and revised variant, known as the AMC Spirit. The Gremlin X package featured several popular options, such as an AM/FM radio, fabric sunroof, tilt steering wheel, inside hood release, and front disk brakes, aiming to give customers a more pleasant driving experience. Eventually, years after the Gremlin had ceased manufacturing, AMC would go belly up as a company altogether.
The AMC Gremlin X had great success with sales, despite its odd appearance. It gave customers options and it cost $12,000 in 2020's economy, becoming a collectible.
Odd Appearance And Sales Success
Despite its odd appearance, the AMC Gremlin was a sales success. A gremlin is a mythical creature said to be responsible for crashing airplanes and breaking machinery, and this is where the vehicle gets its name. To add to the oddity of the vehicle, it was first unveiled to the public on April Fool's Day. Part of the reason the Gremlin sold so well was that many considered it to be AMC's smartest car.
After all, the cost of manufacturing was low and it came at a time when it offered what customers wanted from a vehicle. At the time, imports dominated the car scene, and the Gremlin was AMC's response to the trend. Further, AMC did not have the budget of their competitors, GM and Ford, when they developed the subcompact Vega and Pinto. Complicating matters were the ongoing development of the 1970 Hornet compact, and the $70 million acquisition of Kaiser Motors' Jeep. AMC wanted the car to be distinguishable, and because they couldn't afford to sink money into fancy styling, they opted to have the lack of styling be the distinguishing feature and focus on practicality instead.
The Gremlin also had no lid for its trunk. Low-end Gremlins, which lacked a back seat, had luggage come in through the doors.
Customers Had Options
With the AMC Gremlin, customers had options. They could choose among the 135-hp 232-cubic inch inline six-cylinder or the optional 150-hp 258- cubic inch inline six-cylinder. Rival cars Pinto and Vega only offered thrifty four-cylinder engines in comparison. The Gremlin delivered exceptionally high performance, as its road tests showed a 0-60 MPH time below 12 seconds and a top speed of 100 MPH from the base engine.
AMC promoted the vehicle further by noting how the Gremlin offered more than a stripe package and revised badging. Those who opted to buy the Gremlin X were rewarded with a larger engine, wider tires, and revised slot-style wheels, as cars from the competition lacked those features. The interior of the Gremlin also featured bucket seats that were also found in AMC's sportiest offering, the Javelin. That was a major selling point for prospective buyers, given the Gremlin X's $2,299 starting price.
One downside of the Gremlin was a lower fuel economy compared to the competition, but that didn't stop sales from growing every year. 1971 was the Gremlin's first full year on the market, and AMC sold 53,480 examples. Three years later, the total had climbed to 131,905. However, by the 1978 model year, AMC replaced the Gremlin with the AMC Spirit.
The Price For One is $12,000 In Today's Money
It's hard to find a Gremlin these days, and if someone should find one, then the cost averages $12,000 in today's money. The Gremlin’s $1879 starting price in 1971 is approximately $11,861 today. However, for that price, customers would get two seats, rubber floor mats, no glove box door, vacuum-operated windshield wipers, and 13-inch wheels. Sadly, the rear window couldn't open and there was no trunk, so drivers had to load their luggage through the doors. The Gremlin was known for being very basic, but very affordable. Ad taglines would often say, “If you can afford a car, you can afford two Gremlins.” For $80 more (in 1971 money), customers could purchase a model with a back seat and flip-up rear window.
AMC was implicitly calling attention to the Beetle's known flaws when AMC mentioned in the Gremlin's training materials that it emphasized Gremlin’s “American standards” of comfort, convenience, performance, ventilation, heating, crosswind stability, and “adaptability to American road systems and driving patterns.” The AMC Gremlin arrived in the market in April 1970, five months before the Ford Pinto and the Chevrolet Vega. AMC used a shortened and modified Hornet platform to manufacture the Gremlin, speeding up production time and reducing production costs in the process and borrowing heavily from the corporate parts bin.
It's Becoming A Collectors' Item
In the years since AMC ceased production on the Gremlin, it has become quite the collectors' item. Despite the Gremlin having major success in sales for AMC, it became both a punchline for comedians and the trademark symbol of high-school nerdiness on TV and in films in the immediate years after it ceased production. Given time, though, it became remembered more fondly, and those fond memories bubbling to the surface have elevated the Gremlin’s stature among serious collectors. For example, comic ventriloquist Jeff Dunham has multiple Gremlins. Further, the Brothers Collection, a huge Pacific Northwest stash of top-tier muscle cars, contains a few fully restored Gremlins in its collection.
Sources: hemmings.com, hagerty.com, automobilemag.com,