Rare AMC AMX/3 prototype found in Michigan barn (at https://www.wxyz.com/news/rare-amc-amx-3-prototype-found-in-michigan-barn )
. Very interesting. When I was quite a young man, I had hopes AMC would enter that market. The Pantera with the Ford 351 CID V8 was already on the streets. I thought the AMX/3 was a worthy counter-punch. Later, I read that the pointed nose - with the peak positioned at the midpoint - was an aero fault. It would lift the front instead of helping down-force. But the styling was close. That, however, did not detract from the aesthetic appeal. It was one of those " Coulda-Woulda-Shoulda" moments for AMC. .
I think I still have the Motor Trend issue that has a 1/4 page write-up of the AMX. A Wankel rotory engine was mentioned as a possibility. It was interesting to me as a high school kid who liked underdog car companies, Javelins and cool cars. AMC was trying to stay solvent, but the '70's were just too difficult. The old Rambler chassis, drivetrain and electrics designs were fast becoming obsolete. The Matador and Pacer styling was interesting. The Spirit and Concorde were just a refreshed Hornet. 4WD cars had a niche. The Gremlin was too heavy for the borrowed VW 4-cylinder. The Renault tie-up may have had promise in the beginning.
. Oh yeah ... Lambo Miura !! ( Perhaps only people living in Southern California can understand this best ) For a spell, I worked for a soft drink company as a hired-hand for their Merchandising group. We set up displays for store grand openings; driving to various sites in the Los Angeles Basin and Orange County. I had to drive the 22 Freeway as part of the maze of roadways. Many late afternoons I saw one guy driving one quite like this on the 22 : This sort of car held my interest above Chargers, Challengers and the like. Of course, even today I couldn't afford even a scale model Mirura, much less the real deal. But this, more than Muscle, got the heart pumpin' for me. Likely, you can see why the AMX prototypes felt as though AMC hit a bulls-eye. .