AMC Muscle

I've written about the American Motor Corporation many times, as well as about the companies that ultimately formed it. It seemed as though AMC was doomed from the beginning. Under funded they could never compete with Detroit's Big Three and by 1985, after just 31 years, they were bought out and shuttered their doors.

Most people tend to remember the quarky styling and models of the 1970s and early 1980s but for a while, AMC was a major player in the world of muscle cars.

You don't see many AMC cars around, even at car shows so when one pops up it's always fun. At the recent 4th Annual Chizzaz Valentine's Car Show there were three beautiful AMCs sitting side by side.

On either side were Javelins. The Javelin was a very competitive, rocket fast little pony car manufactured between 1967 and 1974. It not only screamed with power but had a body design that made it look like it was running even when it was standing still.

In the middle was a Rebel. The Rebel was a mid-sized car, primarily a sedan but also a wagon, that grew into its muscle car status in 1970 with a radical re-design and the offering of more robust engine choices.

Both of these models ran hard and could go step for step with other American heavy metal of the time. It's just too bad that, as one owner said, the people who have them don't want to bring them out. Let's hope that AMC undergoes the same sort of rennaisance that MoPar experienced a few years ago.