I am not a fan of the AMC Pacer. I’m just not. I love the Hornet. I can tolerate the Gremlin in small doses. I prefer the Javelin and the Spirit, the AMX and the Matador Coupe, but the Pacer? That was one step too weird for my tastes. Not even “Wayne’s World” could salvage any love for Dick Teague’s attempt at making a small car feel bigger than it should be. I can’t even write a story on a Pacer without some variation of the phrase “glass ass” in the text…that’s all they are known for! One great big fishbowl of awkwardness that survives based on kitsch value and usually, not much else. Normally, I’d rather go diving back into the dumpster fire of 1975-1983 Chrysler products and be happy rather than consider a Pacer.
This, though…this I like a lot. To my knowledge, there was never an official sedan delivery variation of the Pacer station wagon ever made or sold, and this car is proof that AMC should’ve looked into that a little more. It’s common knowledge that the company ran on whatever change they found in the couch cushions in the breakroom, but AMC could’ve tooled up filler plugs for the back windows and would have chased the Ford Pinto Cruising Wagon down in sales, or maybe could’ve been spiced up a bit more with some of the flavor of the Concept 80 “AM Van” with it’s aggressive look. That would’ve made the Pacer a bit more palatable!
This one has some good and some bad going on. It’s a ten-footer, with some dings, some minor scratches and some early rust starting to appear. It also needs the window tint redone, some minor non-functionals repaired, and for the love of all that is holy, that skull ornament on the shifter thrown into the nearest dumpster. We dig the overall theme of the car, can appreciate the custom interior bits, and would be in a hurry to work over that 258 inline-six into something respectable power-wise. Fix those points, and suddenly the Pacer looks a bit less awkward and a bit more, dare I say, useful? It certainly beats the hell out of driving some clapped-out ten-year-old crossover!
Pacers are cool, and a delivery is one way around the fishbowl effect. If I had this one I’d attempt to convert it to a ute/truck like the one here: https://bangshift.com/general-news/project-cars/amc-projects/question-of-the-day-was-the-amc-pacer-best-used-as-a-truck/
Also a 304 is the perfect engine for these.
You again are really really out of your mind another total pos posting great mctaggart
Dude, do you need a hug?
Yes I actually really really need a hug
So you CAN polish a turd – all it needs is a Hellcat Hemi instead of that weedy straight six.
did you know that the pacer has a wider pass side door? hard pass..
I bought a \’75 Pacer in 2000 for my son\’s 16th Birthday…went on the Powertour 2000 with Hot Rod Magazine, even got a mention… LOL. Have enjoyed it always. My son still has it and will be giving it to his son on his 16th Birthday. I\’ve owned 2 Javelins & one AMX but always loved the Pacer… will be buying this one now! we\’re in Oct. 2019, so we\’ll see down the road! Remember, it\’s not what you drive, but why you drive!