Communications from operatives over the last day have produced not one but three AMC Gremlins. Two are evidently in the wild. One is for sale, and has a Porsche engine swapped in under the hood in place of the AMC peanut grinder. First was Jim, seeing and snapping a few Gremlins in the states to the north west. One Gremlin appears mostly stock, while the other is somewhat more mysterious and art like. Hours later came the ever vigilant Alan Rutter, who forwarded along a Craigslist post for a Gremlin with a fancy steering wheel, and a Porsche 924 2.0 mill bolted up to the slushbox. All this for the princely asking price of 650 bucks! With close proximity to the holiday this AMC confluence could mean that the Plymouth where the pilgrims dined on the famous turkey was actually a Gremlin. It also means that if you’ve been dreaming about a Porsche-powered AMC hatchback, your time is now. What could possibly go wrong?
1976 Porsche-powered AMC Gremlin in Yreka
Ask for Mr. Bill says the ad.
Oh noooooooooooooooooooo.
My bet has to be placed on that car either killing you on the way home or breaking down within 20 miles.
That engine was actually a factory option on some AMC’s in the latter part of the 1970’s (77 or 78-79). It even had a valve cover with American Motors stamped in it. Unlike the Porsche 924 models, it was not available with a turbo or EFI. I believe AMC made them under license, but did not have the ability to deal with the close tolerances of the German design, making them trouble prone. It was replaced with the Ponitac Iron Duke 2.5 liter L4 as the base engine in Spirits, Concords and Eagles in 1980.
$650 guarantees an epic story either way. Perhaps the Gremlin does break down on a cold, wintery highway miles from nowhere. Pneumonia, frost bite, and close encounters of the bear kind are the stuff of legends at the car show years from now when the new owner regales any and all with his tale of survival. Likewise, in death, there are worse ways to earn your own roadside shrine, complete with cheesy virgin Mary candle and wilted grocery store flowers.
Either way, I like to think someone decided to try something different, had some fun with it, and now wishes to pass along the opportunity to do something different on the cheap. If you make it home, or live to tell the tale, you’ve got something truly unique, and that’s worth far more than the $650 you pissed away on, of all things, a Gremlin.
Wrong Jim, but no problem. 🙂
That red one had current plates too, so I believe the celeste-green one is a parts donor.
Totally wrong Jim! Mea Culpa.
I’m thinking the damnelantra™ would look mighty fine with some flaming skull decals.
When I saw the #38, I had assumed Rob Krider had just padded out his stable.