AMC comes on strong with a hot Hornet, new Javelin, compact wagon and, for big spenders, a moving mid-engine machine By MICHAEL LAMM, West Coast Auto Editor/Photos by Bruce Moss AMERICAN MOTORS turned fiercely aggressive and expansionary in 1970. Among important developments, AMC merged with Kaiser Jeep, introduced two well-timed new small cars, brought styling of all lines up to fashion and followed through on a professionally staffed racing program. If responsibility must be laid to one man, that man has to be Roy Chapin. Chapin vowed aggressive and innovative carmaking ("Six new cars in the next three years"). He has the personal and technical leadership to carry it through. Chapin, so far, has guessed right. As a result, he’s admired by colleagues and competitors alike. So is little American Motors as a whole. AMX/3: At this year’s 1971 press pre-views at Michigan International Speedway, American Motors had one new mid-engined AMX/3 making 110-mph laps of the oval. It came in for photo-taking and individual rides (not drives- rides). AMC hopes to build and sell two dozen AMX/3s during the coming year, with no price announced yet but guesses range between $10,000 and $20,000. The earlier AMX/2 was unveiled in March, 1969, amid very favorable comment. It was designed by Dick Teague’s capable styling staff in Detroit and built in Italy by Bizzarrini. BMW helped with testing. The production AMX/3 presumably will mount the new 401-c.i.d. V8 amidships ahead of a four-speed transaxle. The car uses fully independent suspension, with upper and lower control arms and coil springs. The car stands a bare 43.5 inches high, has a 105.3-inch wheelbase, does 0-60 mph in 5.5 seconds, weighs 3090 pounds and draws crowds anywhere it lights. GREMLIN: Coming back to earth, very little change in the 1971 Gremlin (see The Gremlins Will Get You, page 106, April PM; also How the Gremlin Lost Its Tail, page 88, Aug. PM). Outwardly it looks the same except for new, standard pinstriping. Under the hood, though, the 145-hp 232 Six becomes standard, and the 199-incher has been dropped. Optionally, there’s a new 258-c.i.d. Six rated at 160 hp at 4000 rpm. (The 199, by the way, generally got less gas mileage than the 232 anyway, as shown in PM’s September Hornet Owners Report.) There’s a choice of column shift or floor stick with all-synchro three-speed manual transmission. Last year, only second and high were synchronized. There are minor interior innovations, notably the removal of one spring cylinder for the rear liftgate. And a much-needed option is a rear-window air deflector to help keep dust and snow off the glass. Another new option: mag wheels with D70-14 fat-fats. HORNET: Most notable addition to the Hornet line is a handsome Sportabout station wagon. Dick Teague calls it a five-door glassback sedan, mostly because the rear is so steeply canted. It comes fully carpeted, in four doors only. With rear seat folded fiat, there’s a 58.3-cu.-ft. luggage deck. A Space-Saver collapsible spare is standard. Wheelbase of all Hornets spans 108 inches. Another addition to the Hornet line is the SC/360, a high-performance two-door with the 245-hp, 360-cube V8 standard or a ram-air four-barrel, 290-hp version optional. Along with unique identifying rally stripes and markings, the SC/360 comes with a three-speed floorshift trans (optional four-speed or automatic), heavy-duty clutch, choice of rear-axle ratios, D70-14 Polyglas tires, 14x6 slot-style wheels, Space-Saver spare, fancy interior trim, infinitely variable reclining bucket seats and a wide selection of other standard and optional features. As in the Gremlin, the 232-c.i.d. Six becomes the base Hornet engine (no more 199), with the 160-hp 258 Six, 210-hp 304 VS, and the SC/360 V8s optional. New vented-rotor, front-disc brakes (power-assisted) are optional in all V8 Hornets, and so is variable-ratio power steering. AMC had this option last year, but not in all lines, and it's improved for 1971. Besides giving better road feel at speed and quicker turning for parking, variable ratio means 3.2 steering-wheel turns lock to lock. MATADOR: The name Matador replaces Rebel, which replaced Classic last year. Apparently Rebel connoted too much bomb-tossing. But Matador means more than a mere name change. Wheelbase has been stretched from 114 to 118 inches, giving 206 inches overall length (199 in the 1970 Rebel). The Matador comes in three body styles: wagon, two-door hardtop and four-door sedan. Styling is move massive than the Rebel’s, and interiors more luxurious. Full carpeting is standard, as are brushed aluminum instrument panels, deeply embossed vinyl door panels, bright trim moldings around windows and wells. The Matador’s high-performance version is called "Machine" and comes with either of the two highest-horsepower V8s (290 and 330). It uses the hardtop body and includes the following standard d equipment: power front-disc brakes, twin exhausts, R60-15 Polyglas tires on wide, styled wheels, Space-Saver spare, and heavy-duty suspension. All-synchro four-speed manual and automatic transmissions plus a variety of rear-end ratios are again available. AMBASSADOR: Airconditioning continues standard on the 1971 Ambassador, but this year it’s joined by standard automatic transmission and a basic V8 for all models but one. There are three series in three body styles: DPL, SST and a new one known as Brougham. These come as four-door sedans and wagons or two-door hardtops. Front and rear styling has been slightly modified. Wheelbase remains at 122 inches, but overall length is up three inches due to addition of rubber-faced bumper guards. The new Brougham becomes the company’s luxury leader. Standard equipment includes not only air and automatic transmission but individually adjustable reclining seats, a six- foot roof rack for wagons, rear-window air deflector and a translucent woodgrain exterior paneling. Ambassadors offer the same engine lineup as Matadors, with the exception of the 232 Six. Instead, the 258-c.i.d. Six is standard on base DPLs. All other series begin with the 304 V8. All AMC engines except the 401 are designed to use low-lead regular gasoline. Ambassador V8s may be ordered with vented power disc brakes, adjustable air-shock rear suspensions, variable-ratio :power steering, headlights-off delay switch, and Space- Saver spare. JAVELIN: AMC’s ponycar gets radical new styling and quite a few under-the-skin mods. Its wheelbase and overall length are up only one inch each, but the entire car looks much longer than 1970. Massive front and rear fenders kick up in Group 7 fashion, and there’s a spoiler-like lip on the rear of the roof. Interiors have also been completely redone. The Javelin’s styling is the sort you either love or hate. There's no more two-passenger AMX this year. Instead, Javelins come in three series: Javelin, SST and Javelin AMX. All are four-passenger hardtops. Regular Javelins have a wide, deep grille, with its inner baffling slightly reminiscent of the 1970 Thunderbird. The Javelin AMX has a stone screen ahead of the grille, which Dick Teague says was inspired by the Green Label Bentley. The J/AMX’s hood is fiberglass and has a reverse airscoop designed in conjunction with Mark Donohue (so they told us). In all, it’s a most impressive car to look at, and even more impressive to sit in. The front-seat area of all Javelins is divided into two distinct sections. Instruments stand in an outjutting island ahead of the driver. On the passenger’s side, though, the dash fades back into the firewall, and there’s this great, huge, roomy space with nothing but a glovebox beside the passenger’s left knee and an air vent above the driveshaft console. Gauges are TV-screen-shaped, set into engine-turned-aluminum (J/AMX) or walnut burl (Javelin or SST), with flat toggle switches and everything very business-like. Among the Javelin’s standard items is a new Weather-Eye heater that thermostatically adjusts to keep an even temperature inside the cockpit. Nonpower vented disc brakes up front are optional, as are powered discs, variable-ratio power steering, fast-ratio manual steering, improved air conditioning, twin-canopy vinyl roof covering, rally instrument cluster, all sorts of suspension and handling packages and rear axles ranging from 2.87 to 3.91. In all, a batch of what we believe are the right cars at the right time. *** ------------------------------------- HORNET SPORTABOUT features sharply angled tailgate giving the functional wagon its sporty flair NEW JAVELIN has neat interior with curved dash and vertical divider, buckets offered in leather ------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Car Body Style Wheel- Overall Overall Track Engines in base Length Width Model(s) Series* (in.) (in.) (in,) (f/r in.) (Displacement, cu. in.-V8 except as noted- carburetion) Gremlin 2-dr.sedan 96.0 161.3 70.6 57.5/57.0 232-6-1bbl., 258-6-1bbl. AMX/3 2-dr.mid-engine 105.3 175.6 74.9 60.6/61.2 390-4bbl. Hornet 2-dr. sedan, 108.0 179.3 70.6 57.5/57.0(1) 232-6-1bbl., 258-6-1bbl., 4-dr. sedan, 304-2bbl., 360-2&4bbl. Sportabout Javelin 2-dr. hdtp. 110.0 191.8 75.2 59.3/60.0(3) 232-6-lbbl., 258-6-1bbl., 304-2bbl., 360-2&4bbl., 401-4bbl. Matador 2-dr. hdtp., 118.0 206.0(2)77.2 59.9/60.0(3) 232-6-1bbl., 258-6-1bbl., 4-dr. sedan, 304-2bbl., 360-2&4bbl., 401-4bbl. wagon Ambassador 2-dr. hdtp., 122.0 210.8(4)77.2 59.7/60.0 258-6-1bbl., 304-2bbl., 4-dr. sedan, 360-2&4bbl., 401-4bbl. wagon (1) 57.2/56.6 V8 models; (2) 205.0 wagon; (3) 59.7/60.0 V8 models; (4) 209.7 wagon