The King Of Pacers

"Jonee" (Jonee) 08/28/2015 at 16:18 • Filed to: AMC Pacer

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Meet the Crown Pacer, a pimped out AMC show car from 1978. These are the only two photographs of it known. Maybe for good reason, but I do dig the front end treatment.

It debuted at the 1978 Chicago Auto Show and, as reported by the Chicago Tribune, featured pearlescent white paint, “padded” white vinyl roof, rectangular [concealed] headlamps, wire wheels, and white leather interior. As you can see, they also shrunk the signature curved fishbowl windows creating a sort of opera window effect with the vinyl landau-ish roof. The idea was that this would be a more “conventional” looking Pacer. Uh huh. There’s not much more info about the car out there except that they apparently built two. They were stored at a warehouse in Detroit after exhibition and one was stolen and the other destroyed when the warehouse burned down which is quite sad that we are now denied seeing in person the only Pacer Superfly would have driven.

Future next gen S2000 owner > Jonee 08/28/2015 at 16:25

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Can we bring back shag carpeting?

LongbowMkII > Jonee 08/28/2015 at 16:27

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someone should make a replica.

Jonee > LongbowMkII 08/28/2015 at 16:29

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I agree. I found this which is sort of like someone started to.

Jonee > Future next gen S2000 owner 08/28/2015 at 16:33

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Only on ceilings.

Berang > Jonee 08/28/2015 at 17:07

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I’m kind of wondering if anybody has done a chop top pacer now.

That is what I was going to write, but then I decided to search google just in case the most unimaginable had been imagined and executed.

I now realize this is only tangentially related along the lines of it’s a pacer and it’s customized. But look at that! That’s the porsche AMC should have built.

Jonee > Berang 08/28/2015 at 17:13

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Whoa. I wonder if it has any 928 parts. It would be kind of interesting to do a Pacer-928 engine swap. And, I’m talking about both ways. Put the straight six in the Porsche and vice versa.

Berang > Jonee 08/28/2015 at 17:26

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We all know that what the pacer really wants is a rotary.

Jonee > Berang 08/28/2015 at 17:49

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It’s one of my dreams to put a rotary in a Pacer. I’m sure it would be an annoying, complicated process with no performance payoff, but it would tickle me pink to see it. To do it proper would also require narrowing the whole car to its pre-production proportions, though.

Jobjoris > Jonee 08/29/2015 at 18:01

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They were stored at a warehouse in Detroit after exhibition and one was stolen and the other destroyed when the warehouse burned down which is quite sad that we are now denied seeing in person the only Pacer Superfly would have driven.

I know it’s late. But Superfly is awesome. This Pacer is as well.

Freddie’s dead!

Jonee > Jobjoris 08/31/2015 at 00:05

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I love Superfly. I’m your pusherman. That soundtrack is the king of soundtracks.

Jobjoris > Jonee 08/31/2015 at 03:59

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I learned about Superfly when I was working in Italy somewhere in the ‘90’s. I went with a friend of mine who was a DJ to some specialized musicstore (lots of vinyl records!). And I literally stayed there for hours, talked with some Italian pub owner and he showed me so many new great things. Up till then my main interest was rock (I told you about that 13-hour trip to Rimini, that trip I only listened to Led Zeppelin) but this was a totally different ball game. I was hooked. Curtis was my Pusherman. Instant. Till then only Move on up I was aware of.

Jonee > Jobjoris 08/31/2015 at 14:53

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I’m a big old soul fan and Curtis Mayfield is one of my favorites. The music is just the best and he had the voice of an angel. This first solo album is an absolute masterpiece. That opening song just kicks you in the balls and then it keeps getting better. And one of the all-time great album covers.

The end of his life was sadly a bit tragic, but he kept working and singing while he was paralyzed, which is amazing.

Jobjoris > Jonee 08/31/2015 at 15:51

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I’m not soul’s biggest fan, Curtis can’t do anything wrong though. But don’t worry, If there’s a Hell below, we’re all gonna go! It’s just that the whole internet-thing and digital stored music wasn’t around just yet. Superfly I bought instantly, not vinyl, just a CD. The man was a god. Against everything narcotic and then supplying songs for a blaxploitation movie not entirely condemning it. Best song on Curtis was The Makings of you if you ask me.

One other soul-legend with an amazing story was Marvin Gaye of course. And his most epic shag-song Let’s get it on ...

Jonee > Jobjoris 09/01/2015 at 01:59

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Yeah, Curtis was one of a kind. That soundtrack is probably more famous than the movie at this point. The music is definitely anti-drugs and drug dealing. It doesn’t really reflect the movie, strangely. You may also like James Brown’s soundtrack for Black Caesar. That movie isn’t nearly as cool as Superfly, but the soundtrack is awesome. The song Mama’s Dead really gets me.

Marvin was another god and another tragic loss. That whole album, What’s Going On, is another masterpiece. Very moving social commentary and beautiful music. That whole era of soul from the late 60’s to the first half of the 70’s was filled with epic music.

Jobjoris > Jonee 09/01/2015 at 04:03

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Don’t know either of those but I’ll certainly watch/listen (to) them. Black Caesar, epic title! That Fred Williamson has been on screen for ages now, shouldn’t he retire?

It’s not just soul from that era that was great. I must be getting old but wasn’t almost everything at least more interesting back then? Cars, music. Well movies not quite. Or IT.