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AMC Gremlin: You Called Me Ugly, But Look Who's a Race Car Now!

The AMC Gremlin is one of those cars that people like to make fun of, along with the Pontiac Aztek, the AMC Pacer, and the Fiat Multipla. But we think that's unfair, especially if you give the Gremlin access to some cosmetic enhancements.
AMC Gremlin: You Called Me Ugly, But Look Who's a Race Car Now 2 photos
Photo: chopping_pixels/Instagram
AMC Gremlin: You Called Me Ugly, But Look Who's a Race Car Now
AMC had limited time and money to develop an answer to the upcoming Ford Pinto and Chevy Vega. America really needed a frugal little subcompact, and this company was determined to be the first to put one on the market, so they cut a few corners. The AMX concept car was based on the Javelin, but company bosses decided to use a truncated Hornet. The Gremlin had most of the body panels from the Hornet SST 2-door sedan, but changes were made at the back, working around a wheelbase that was 12 inches shorter.

Of course, there's not a lot of value in a Gremlin, so you won't see any serious restomod builds. However, digital artist chopping_pixels decide to give a new meaning to this 1970s grocery getter. His vision of the 3-door is obviously more modern and racecar-like.

The rendering is built around a Camaro and has a low stance, large wheels, and plenty of aero. The back shows us two exhaust pipes mounted in the middle of a large carbon diffuser, as well as a large wing. The roof box and widebody kit remind us of an older Mk7 Golf GTI build with Vossen wheels.

The original Gremlin didn't impress in the power department. Its initial offerings were a 3.3- and 3.8-liter V6, while a 5-liter V8 was added for the 1972 model year. Can you imagine that - you make a rival for the VW Beetle with such large engines and people still aren't happy? If today's Corolla or Chevy Cruze came with a V6, enthusiasts would be all over it, fitting newer headers and straight-piping them. So let that be a lesson to you. Be thankful for what displacement you have, or it will be taken away!

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About the author: Mihnea Radu
Mihnea Radu profile photo

Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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