We’ve shown you many clips of Car and Track, complete with the iron of old that people pay good money for nowadays and the level-headed, straight-talking Bud Lindemann giving you the information you need without any bias. If you watch reviews such as the 1968 Hurst/Olds and the 1969 Plymouth GTX 440, you have to wonder if Lindemann was having a ball at work. When you watch reviews such as a Pinto vs. Vega matchup, the review on the 1974 Camaro where he absolutely panned the car, or this 1971 AMC Gremlin, you know that he might have reconsidered his job for a second or two. Any older car is not going to perform to modern standards, not even the legends, but a 4.1 second 0-30 time out of this 258 six-powered Hornet must’ve left a sour taste in his mouth. There are cars today that can dust 60 MPH in less time than that…kind of makes you wonder what Bud would think if he was around today, huh?
The Gremlin…well, what can we say that we haven’t already? AMC was cash-strapped and had to make do on a shoestring and a prayer. The Hornet, AMC’s big bet for a mid-size car, got it’s back end chopped off and the Gremlin was born. With a hot V8 and some setup, a Gremlin can move. This one…not unless it was dropped off of a cliff.
Yes – but if there’s any left you could slot in a twin turbo’d AMC big block and show that hideous rear end to any other car behind you. But compared to the Nissan Puke this looks like a Jaguar E – Type!
Nissan Puke – I’m dying here, Geordie! I sense the AMC love! Great post!
You’re measuring this thing with a modern yardstick. 0-60 in 10 seconds was not slow for anything in 1971 . Tire smoking corner exits would be novel for the economy car class.
Yeah I had a 1974 model in 1981, one of the best $400 cars I ever had! Straight six, three on the floor. Handling and braking about as bad as what you see here, but It never let me down and it could move pretty good once I got the Holley carb on it!
Anyone notice the rear bumper is twisted or falling off. Good simple fairly well built car. Got a bad rap. That 258 is pretty tough.