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Car Of The Day: October 31, 2010; Hot Wheels '77 AMC Pacer Wagon (Packin' Pacer)
Topic Started: Oct 30 2010, 11:36 PM (1,028 Views)
Swifty
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The Mustang II is a Mustang too!
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Today's car of the day is Hot Wheels' 1977 AMC Pacer Wagon (Packin' Pacer).

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Wikipedia
 
The AMC Pacer is a two-door compact automobile produced in the United States by the American Motors Corporation between 1975 and 1980. Its initial design idea was started in 1971. The car's unusual rounded shape with massive glass area greatly contrasted with the three-box architecture with "square, boxy designs" incorporating upright grilles and slab-sides of the era. The Pacer was described as "the seventies answer to George Jetson's mode of transportation" at a time when "Detroit was still rolling out boat-sized gas guzzlers." The large amount of glass led Car & Driver to dub it "The Flying Fishbowl". The Pacer's "jellybean" body style is a readily recognized icon of the 1970s.


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For more information and pictures of the real car please visit: AMC Pacer

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The Packin' Pacer, a typical Hot Wheels model of the late 1970s. Someone at Hot Wheels was fascinated with AMC vehicles. That's the only way to explain three Gremlins, an AMX, the AMX/2 concept car, and a hot rodded Pacer in a span of ten years when during this same time no other manufacturer did more than one AMC (not including Jeeps), and most did none. This is an outwardly stock AMC Pacer wagon (one of only two Pacer wagons available in small scale- and the other, by Universal, is a slightly larger copy of this car, sans big block in the hatch), and the casting does feature a larger passenger door- just like the real car. Later issues of this casting identified the motor in tha back as a 427- AMC's largest engine was a 401, so is this a Chevrolet or Ford motor? The world may never know!

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Wikipedia
 
Introduced in showrooms on February 28, 1975, the Pacer was designed to attract buyers of traditional large cars to a smaller package during a time when gasoline prices were projected to rise dramatically. In its first year of production, the Pacer sold well, with 145,528 units. There was little competition from other American manufacturers, most of whom had been blindsided by the oil crisis. The increased demand for compact, economy vehicles was growing rapidly. However, Pacer sales fell after the first two years, and it was available through the 1980 model year. Similar to its mid-year introduction, on December 3, 1979, production of the Pacer ended at the Kenosha, Wisconsin assembly plant where it had begun five years earlier. A total of 280,000 cars were built. Increasing competition from the Big Three U.S. automakers and the rapid consumer shift to imported cars during the late 1970s are cited as the reasons for this outcome.

The Pacer's unconventional styling was commonly cited in its lack of success. Other concerns included a lack of cargo space when carrying a full load of passengers (because of its short wheelbase). Cargo space could be increased to 29.5 cubic feet (0.84 m3) by folding down the back of the rear seat to form a flat floor. Drivers also cited a lack of power. The Pacer was heavy; Car & Driver wrote, "American Motors had already quoted a curb weight of 2990 lb. for the basic Pacer when we first wrote about the car, and that already seemed quite heavy; but when we weighed the test car (whose air conditioning, automatic transmission, power steering and so forth would not account for the full difference) it registered an astounding 3425 lb.", and the standard 232 cu in (3.8 L) I6, with a single-barrel carburetor and optimized for low emissions (all vehicles at the time carried emissions-reducing devices); was relatively low-powered ("The Pacer comes with either of two AMC inline six-cylinder engines, both producing 100 bhp, but the larger 258-cu-in. unit delivering better mid-range torque"[20]). In 1976, a "High Output" version of the 258 cu in (4.2 L) engine was offered, which helped performance at the cost of higher fuel consumption. By the time a 304 cu in (5.0 L) V8 was offered in 1978, the company had introduced a successful line of "luxury-compact" models (the AMC Concord). Additionally, gasoline prices remained high, limiting demand for V8-powered vehicles.

For increased cargo capacity, a station wagon body style was offered from 1977. The wagon version was only five inches longer (127 mm) and weighed only 76 pounds (34 kg) more than the coupe. It was also a less unusual-looking design with a squared-off back and straight, almost upright, rear side windows. Although front vent windows were optional on all Pacers, the wagon's rear side glass featured vent windows as standard. The broad and rear liftgate opened to a wide, flat cargo area with 47.8 cubic feet (1.35 m3) of space, significantly easing the task of loading cargo. The rear seat also folded flat to form a continuation of the cargo floor. Some wagon models featured simulated wood-grain trim on the lower body sides and the liftgate.


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ivantt
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New casting? Quick! Take it apart!
If I was doing back then what I am doing now, I'd buy a half dozen or more of these off the pegs and rip the engine out, do some slick repaints and maybe a few wheel variations. I wonder if Mattel still can get any use out of this casting? I think so...
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Swifty
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The Mustang II is a Mustang too!
I'm not sure what happened to this tooling. It was in the Speed Machines line and that's the last release I know of it....and that was 1983. Still in existance after 30 years of neglect? I doubt it, but stranger things have happened.
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Dean-o-mite
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Swifty
Oct 31 2010, 03:36 AM
I'm not sure what happened to this tooling. It was in the Speed Machines line and that's the last release I know of it....and that was 1983. Still in existance after 30 years of neglect? I doubt it, but stranger things have happened.
You never know....the Poison Pinto was re-released after a similar period of non-use, albeit only as a HW Collectors Club model (so far).

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Dean
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juantoo3
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I dunno 'bout this one. I did live through the time when the PP was new on the pegs, and I thought it sucked back then...only time and beer make me think more kindly of it now. I will say that as Pacers go, the appearance of the wagon was much easier to tolerate than the coupe, but any way you look at them they were pregnant roller skates.

Never had one, a friend had a coupe, and from what I hear they were a P.I.T.A. to work on if they had a 6 cyl motor, had to pull the motor just to replace the back spark plug. Since V8s were shorter in length it was actually better to have the bigger motor in these just to be able shadetree the maintenance on them.

Gremlins have a certain charm, the "X" and Levi editions were even cool. Early Javelins were pretty cool too, but later Javelins were not to my personal liking. Hornets were plain but solid utilitarian vehicles that got no respect. Matadors were just plain ugly.

AMC always struggled. They always struck me as trying too hard to be ahead of their time in appearance...unfortunately that made them look like a Flash Gordon cartoon characature of an automobile rather than cutting edge or pushing the envelope. Solid and decent cars when they put their minds to it, but hamstrung by chronic lack of resources and flagging sales. The Eagle 4X4's and the Concorde were actually good cars, and I still think the Concorde was beautiful...especially for an AMC...but by the time they got to the Alliance and partnership with Renualt, they were doomed. What started as a partnership between Hudson and Nash and a flirtation with Packard and with interesting connections to Studebaker and Jeep, ended ingloriously. Truly a sad chapter in American automotive history.
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Swifty
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The Mustang II is a Mustang too!
Dean-o
Oct 31 2010, 08:51 AM
Swifty
Oct 31 2010, 03:36 AM
I'm not sure what happened to this tooling. It was in the Speed Machines line and that's the last release I know of it....and that was 1983. Still in existance after 30 years of neglect? I doubt it, but stranger things have happened.
You never know....the Poison Pinto was re-released after a similar period of non-use, albeit only as a HW Collectors Club model (so far).

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Dean
I'm not sure, but I thought the Poison Pinto was recast for the RLC?
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Swifty
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The Mustang II is a Mustang too!
juantoo3
Oct 31 2010, 10:52 AM
What started as a partnership between Hudson and Nash and a flirtation with Packard and with interesting connections to Studebaker and Jeep, ended ingloriously. Truly a sad chapter in American automotive history.
I've often thought that Hudson-Nash-Packard would have worked (especially after Jeep is added to the picture in 1970). By 1954 Studebaker was too far gone - there was no saving them. Packard only discovered that after buying them (and yes, Packard purchased Studebaker). Kaiser & Willys really only had the Jeep going for them. With Packard's financial strength, AMC would have been a more viable competitor from day one.

You make Nash the Chevy/Ford fighter, position Hudson in the middle of the road to take aim at Mercury and B-O-P, and then Packard for your high end luxury cars. Keep the Hudson and Packard motors and the Nash platforms.

-AMC now has access to Packard's V8, saving them money on tooling up their own.

-The Tarpon is allowed to enter production instead of putting the Tarpon's roofline on a larger car and calling it Marlin. The (Hudson) Tarpon hits the market right after the Mustang debuts, becoming the first serious competitor to that car.

-The Ambassador becomes a Packard. Nash gets to focus on the compacts and a few stripped down full-size cars. Hudson gets a full line with an emphasis on sporty models and Packard only has full size cars (and commercial chassis for ambulances/hearses). The key here is to differentiate the product lines and avoid overlap.

Hindsight's 20/20, but I really feel that this could have worked. Especially because almost everything Chrysler did in the 1990s came about because of the AMC people they acquired. Cab-forward with the LH cars, for example. They were riding on the Eagle Premeire/Dodge Monaco chassis developed by AMC/Renault!
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James
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Mr.Bowtie
juantoo3
Oct 31 2010, 10:52 AM

Gremlins have a certain charm, the "X" and Levi editions were even cool. Early Javelins were pretty cool too, but later Javelins were not to my personal liking. Hornets were plain but solid utilitarian vehicles that got no respect. Matadors were just plain ugly.

AMC always struggled. They always struck me as trying too hard to be ahead of their time in appearance...unfortunately that made them look like a Flash Gordon cartoon characature of an automobile rather than cutting edge or pushing the envelope. Solid and decent cars when they put their minds to it, but hamstrung by chronic lack of resources and flagging sales. The Eagle 4X4's and the Concorde were actually good cars, and I still think the Concorde was beautiful...especially for an AMC...but by the time they got to the Alliance and partnership with Renualt, they were doomed. What started as a partnership between Hudson and Nash and a flirtation with Packard and with interesting connections to Studebaker and Jeep, ended ingloriously. Truly a sad chapter in American automotive history.
So different in likes and dislikes, Gremlin and Pacers, certainly an oddity and as times goes on, I wouldn't mind having and driving either today,

Javelins and Amx's, loved them from the start and each year was spectacular,

Hornets and Matadors IMHO were great looking cars, dependability aside, they were a nicely designed sculpture.

When they got to Eagles and Concordes they lost me forever. There was nothing in those cars to interest me at all.

Now I tend to like or dislike older cars by only their appearance, Never had to drive any thing that was AMC, so I base my opinions on appearance only.

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James
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Mr.Bowtie
And I forgot about the Marlin which I thought was beautiful and teh Ambassador which I thought was as untilitarian as it could get.

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juantoo3
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Had a Marlin...'66...wish I still had it, but even then getting parts was a nightmare.
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juantoo3
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Swifty
Oct 31 2010, 12:56 PM

-The Tarpon is allowed to enter production instead of putting the Tarpon's roofline on a larger car and calling it Marlin. The (Hudson) Tarpon hits the market right after the Mustang debuts, becoming the first serious competitor to that car.
The only boo-boo I see here had to do with Rambler's refusal to campaign in auto racing...the only manufacturer to do so in the '60's when so many wins on the track on Sunday translated to sales on Monday. I only ever found pics of one Rambler Marlin built for the drag strip, and no Nascar racers from Rambler at all...strange considering the Lark Daytona would seem a natural.

Otherwise that plan looks great, on paper...
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Swifty
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The Mustang II is a Mustang too!
juantoo3
Oct 31 2010, 02:29 PM
and no Nascar racers from Rambler at all...strange considering the Lark Daytona would seem a natural.
The Lark Daytona was a Studebaker, and was a compact, while Grand National (later Winston/Nextel/Sprint Cup) was for mid-size and full size cars. The Marlin would have worked on track againt the Chargers and Galaxies of the day, but the Tarpon would have been a natural for SCCA Trans Am.
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Dean-o-mite
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Swifty
Oct 31 2010, 12:40 PM
I'm not sure, but I thought the Poison Pinto was recast for the RLC?
No clue, but however it was done, it could happen with this other '70s wagon.

Dean
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Swifty
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The Mustang II is a Mustang too!
Dean-o
Oct 31 2010, 05:17 PM
Swifty
Oct 31 2010, 12:40 PM
I'm not sure, but I thought the Poison Pinto was recast for the RLC?
No clue, but however it was done, it could happen with this other '70s wagon.
I really hope it does- I love the late '70s/early '80s era of Hot Wheels. Fairly realistic looking cars with some creative names!
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juantoo3
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Swifty
Oct 31 2010, 02:43 PM
The Lark Daytona was a Studebaker, and was a compact, while Grand National (later Winston/Nextel/Sprint Cup) was for mid-size and full size cars. The Marlin would have worked on track againt the Chargers and Galaxies of the day, but the Tarpon would have been a natural for SCCA Trans Am.
Darn it, that's the second time I've done that...I don't know why I keep thinking the Lark was a Rambler. Thanks for setting me straight.
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craftymore
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Support your local demo derby.

I wasn't aware of this casting until a few years ago. It has some slightly exaggerated lines and the engine in the back doesn't help but other wise looks fairly stock. I bought one cheap from a member on another board for derby bait. Shock, uh?

Sweet new sign Swifty. :thumbup:
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juantoo3
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

found something that seemed timely...an Italian boxed version

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ivantt
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New casting? Quick! Take it apart!
The Poison Pinto was a recast for RLC. I can't believe more people here aren't members.
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Sak
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Ezekiel 25:17
In the future (when prospective addition to the family is out of the critical introductory stage) I think I wanna find an extra example of this one, and do what Ivan wishes to do. Would make a great additon to the dioramas.
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