Just in case anyone reminisces of the 1970s Malaise-era cars, there is always an abundance of ugly-styled and poorly performing vehicles still available on the used car market. This one, though, has a bit of a twist.
American Motors Corporation produced over a single generation, between 1970 and 1978, the AMC Gremlin subcompact oddity as a counterpoint to Ford’s Pinto or the Chevrolet Vega. Naturally, the vehicle built on the shortened Hornet architecture also had other economy cars in the crosshair, like the iconic VW Beetle or legendary Toyota Corolla.
Interestingly, despite its quirky treatment of the kammback tail styling ethos, AMC’s Gremlin has enjoyed a big manufacturing count of more than 670k examples. Naturally, that means some of them have managed to survive in one form or the other. Even as potential music stars...
Anyway, this time around we are dealing with a high-performance twist instead of an alleged VIP treatment. Packing an interesting, red-striped exterior over Levi’s blue interior combination, this 1973 AMC Gremlin resides V8-proudly in the inventory of Grand Rapids, Michigan-based Garage Kept Motors.
The classic and sometimes modern dealership promises a lot of highlights. Among them, is the well-maintained factory-original red metallic paint that is now complete with custom stripes. Many other original elements are included, such as the optional roof rack. Or the survivor 14-inch silver-painted steel wheels, complete with vintage raised-white-letter tires.
Inside there is even more fun courtesy of the highly coveted Levi’s theme. There is even a matching-blue AMC-branded steering wheel. Meanwhile, the AutoMeter Sport comp tachometer or the Hurst grab-handle shift lever for the Super T10 four-speed manual transmission are great hints that something is amiss with this little Gremlin.
That would be the 360ci Offenhauser V8 engine hiding under the hood. While OEM options back in the day only ranged from a puny 121ci (2.0-liter) inline-four to a 304ci V8, this example somehow managed to punch above its weight... quite literally. And it is going to be acting all sleeper for the next owner with its 400-horsepower powertrain.
As for pricing, this is another case of sensible quotation. Well, at least for a 400-hp vehicle, not for an AMC Gremlin. So, the GKM dealership has posted an asking price of exactly $24,900...
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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