All-American muscle

They just don’t build ‘em like this anymore, and that’s a damnable shame.

5 Badass AMC Muscle Cars That Deserve More Respect
Although it ceased being an independent carmaker 35 years ago, AMC lives on in muscle car enthusiasts' hearts for building impressive rides that offered more bang for the buck than any of Detroit's Big Three's most successful models.

Today, only a fraction of the manufacturers who blessed us with some of the finest muscle cars (or supercars, as they were known back then) are still around. Out of those, only Ford, Chevy, and Dodge are still building modern iterations.

Pontiac, the brand credited with starting the phenomenon, closed its doors in 2010, six years after its GM sibling Oldsmobile, and while Buick is still around, it focuses on boring SUVs or sedans tailored for the Chinese market. Apart from the GM divisions, Chrysler (currently part of Stellantis) said goodbye to Plymouth in 2001, whereas Ford did the same with Mercury a decade later.

Of course, there was also the American Motors Corporation, which stopped being an independent carmaker in 1988. But, unlike the brands mentioned above, the Kenosha, Wisconsin-based manufacturer was smaller in terms of both infrastructure and resources. Still, it defied all odds and left its mark on the original muscle car era with some epic models that never got the respect they deserved.

It may seem passing strange to any young ‘uns out there, but it’s true: AMC did indeed have some pretty badass models back then.

1969 AMC Hurst SC/Rambler

AMC was born in the spring of 1954 from the merger of Nash-Kelvinator Corporation and Hudson Motor Car Company. The compact Rambler was one of its first models inherited from Nash. The first two generations received minor improvements over the original Rambler, but in 1964, the model finally got a complete redesign.

Though it was slightly larger and more spacious, the Rambler remained a budget-friendly compact with nothing to do with performance. However, AMC executives were paying close attention to the growing demand for large, powerful V8s fitted into the engine bays of affordable cars. Five years after the third generation's debut, the company rolled out the most insane Rambler of them all.

Developed in collaboration with Hurst Performance, the rabid little car, which became known as the Scrambler, was basically a street-legal homologation special conceived for the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) F/Stock class. It was dubbed SC, which stood for Super Car, a name it lived up to courtesy of a powerful V8 and a long list of upgrades.

The engine in question was a 390-ci (6.4-liter) mated to a four-speed, close-gear manual ornated with a T-shaped Hurst shifter. The massive V8 could crank out 315 hp (320 ps) and 425 lb-ft (576 Nm) of torque, which was sent to the rear wheels through a 3.54:1 "Twin-Grip" limited slip differential. Moreover, the SC was equipped from the factory with front disc brakes, a heavy-duty rear suspension, a performance clutch, chassis reinforcements, and a vacuum-actuated hood scoop.

AMC initially planned to build 500 units, but the demand was way higher than the company had ever expected, so in the end, 1,512 cars left the Kenosha plant that year. Capable of 14-second quarter-mile runs in stock form, the AMC Hurst SC/Rambler was (and still is) one of the most underrated muscle cars of all time and one of the only (barely) street-legal production modes developed for a specific drag racing class.

Follows in the brief list, the Rebel Machine, the Matador, and my own personal fave:

1971 AMC Javelin AMX 401

In 1968, AMC finally added a pony car to its lineup. As with most of the carmaker's models, the Javelin was advertised as a cheaper alternative to the Mustang, Camaro, or 'Cuda. Though high-powered options were available from mid-1968, performance would only reach its peak in 1971.

That year, the second-generation Javelin, introduced in 1970, received another comprehensive restyling. With the AMX two-seater being discontinued, the nameplate was applied to the premium high-performance version of the Javelin.

When powered by the 330-hp (335 ps), 401-ci (6.6-liter) V8 shared with the likes of the Matador Go-Machine mentioned above, it was a solid straight-line performer that could run the quarter mile in the mid-fourteens.

Unique to the AMX were front and rear spoilers, a stainless steel grille mesh, and a fiberglass cowl induction hood. The model could also be equipped with the Go Package, which added the same performance upgrades found on the Rambler and Matador Machines, plus a T-shaped hood decal and a blacked-out rear panel.

Though it's currently far less popular than its pony car rivals, the Javelin AMX 401 was one of the most impressive muscle cars of its day on both the street and the track. It was the only pony car to be used as a highway police cruiser, and, in race guise, it won the Trans-Am title in 1971.

The pic shows the hi-po Jav to be a sweet ride indeed:

Nice, innit? Never owned or even rode in one myself, and as a lifelong Ford man I’m nobody’s idea of an AMC aficionado, but I like it just the same.

The thing about the short-lived AMC marque was, they were an unpretentious, honest-to-God American car maker. They didn’t try to copy anybody (as evidenced by that ugliest of ugly ducklings, the Pacer, Gawd help us), they didn’t seem to worry about trying to either follow or set any trends. Instead, they went their own way, just trying to make a decent car while remaining competitive in a tough, ever-shifting market. Any car guy worth his salt has gotta respect that.