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| Car Of The Day: October 31, 2010; Hot Wheels '77 AMC Pacer Wagon (Packin' Pacer) | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Oct 30 2010, 11:36 PM (1,028 Views) | |
| Swifty | Oct 30 2010, 11:36 PM Post #1 |
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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). ![]()
![]() For more information and pictures of the real car please visit: AMC Pacer ![]() 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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| ivantt | Oct 31 2010, 01:07 AM Post #2 |
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New casting? Quick! Take it apart!
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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 | Oct 31 2010, 03:36 AM Post #3 |
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The Mustang II is a Mustang too!
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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 | Oct 31 2010, 08:51 AM Post #4 |
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Muscle Car
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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). ![]() Dean |
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| juantoo3 | Oct 31 2010, 10:52 AM Post #5 |
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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 | Oct 31 2010, 12:40 PM Post #6 |
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The Mustang II is a Mustang too!
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I'm not sure, but I thought the Poison Pinto was recast for the RLC? |
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| Swifty | Oct 31 2010, 12:56 PM Post #7 |
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The Mustang II is a Mustang too!
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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 | Oct 31 2010, 01:00 PM Post #8 |
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Mr.Bowtie
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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 | Oct 31 2010, 01:02 PM Post #9 |
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Mr.Bowtie
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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 | Oct 31 2010, 02:25 PM Post #10 |
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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 | Oct 31 2010, 02:29 PM Post #11 |
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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 | Oct 31 2010, 02:43 PM Post #12 |
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The Mustang II is a Mustang too!
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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 | Oct 31 2010, 05:17 PM Post #13 |
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Muscle Car
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No clue, but however it was done, it could happen with this other '70s wagon. Dean |
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| Swifty | Oct 31 2010, 05:51 PM Post #14 |
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The Mustang II is a Mustang too!
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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 | Oct 31 2010, 09:36 PM Post #15 |
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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 | Oct 31 2010, 11:00 PM Post #16 |
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Support your local demo derby.
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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.
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| juantoo3 | Oct 31 2010, 11:01 PM Post #17 |
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found something that seemed timely...an Italian boxed version
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| ivantt | Nov 2 2010, 12:48 AM Post #18 |
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New casting? Quick! Take it apart!
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The Poison Pinto was a recast for RLC. I can't believe more people here aren't members. |
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| Sak | Nov 2 2010, 07:45 AM Post #19 |
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Ezekiel 25:17
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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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