Good Evening, Oppo.

"Takuro Spirit" (takurospirit)
11/11/2014 at 20:53 • Filed to: None

DISCUSSION (7)

jkm7680 > Takuro Spirit
11/11/2014 at 21:00

Guuurrrllll, this fabulous.

cayman2007 > Takuro Spirit
11/11/2014 at 21:07

LOVE Gremlins, everything about them!!! Can you find a better name for a car that exhibits so much, dare I say, character? My brother's girlfriend's dad was an exec at AMC and I had a serious WANT for a Gremlin but no money at the time (because college). Sadly, he bought her a Pacer. And I drove a Datsun B210 that cost me $400 until the entire car rotted away, if memory serves the Datsun lasted 8 months. Gremlins rocked!

ranwhenparked > cayman2007
11/11/2014 at 21:14

The Gremlin is best known as the only one of the first-generation American subcompacts that didn't either explode, self-destruct, or turn into iron oxide after a year. I mean, if you had to pick one from the Pinto, Vega, Cricket, and Gremlin, the safe choice is pretty clear.

IIRC, it was the exact same length as a Beetle and sold for a bit less money, but had a (comparatively) plush interior, a big straight six, and all sorts of available creature comforts.

cayman2007 > ranwhenparked
11/11/2014 at 21:43

It was a really cool car in every way: start with the slanted ass hatch, add in a rather nice interior, an engine that was very easy to work on, and quite reasonably priced. This car could have been named the Hoon! It's unfortunate AMC was acquired, they had some pretty good chops when it came to designing cars.

ranwhenparked > cayman2007
11/11/2014 at 21:46

The trouble was they pissed away so much money on the aborted rotary engine, the Pacer, and the Matador Coupe that they didn't have any left to spend on reskinning the Hornet/Concord or developing a new FWD platform, which is what they really needed by the late '70s. Then Renault took over and basically threw away the AMC name in favor of their own and when that predictably didn't work, Chrysler bought the remains.

cayman2007 > ranwhenparked
11/11/2014 at 21:57

The Pacer was a fishbowl on wheels, my sister-in-law drove one. Every time I think of it I throw up in my mouth, much like a Prius today. Since I couldn't afford an AMC when they were still a stand alone company I did the next best thing. Graduated from college, got my first real job, and bought a Renault Encore brand spanking new for $6200. The car was bullet proof, and in many ways a tribute to the Gremlin. I was one of the first hatch guys, something to be proud of IMHO.

gergey - Wishes vette was Datsun > Takuro Spirit
11/11/2014 at 22:49

I saw a beautifully restored one on the highway a few weeks back, painted a brilliant metallic purple, it just suited the car so well.