American Motors
Press Release Photos, 
Posters & Press Kits

These photos you will not find anyplace else and are from my archives dating back into 1970s. Some are from legendary author, historian, and friend John Conde, who was head of Public Relations for American Motors for 32 years. Many negatives and photos were thrown away, and he had sense enough to dig them out of the trash, and make them available to AMC fans decades later. If you do not know who he is, I HIGHLY SUGGEST buy one of his awesome books like The American Motors Family Album, which will be the best AMC book you will ever own historical/photo wise. Sadly, we lost John Conde in 2008. God Bless you John, I am humbled and honored to have been your friend.

The photos are great to frame and hang in your office, game room, garage, warehouse, dorm, or even display with your classic AMC at car shows and cruise nights!
 
$2.50 shipping for up to SIX  photos (US destinations) via First Class USPS with cardboard insert. Press Kits sent via Priority Mail in US, USPS First Class International flat reinforced envelope to Canada and overseas. **I also buy AMC factory photos**.
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Please note all of these are quality reproductions printed on Kodak or Fujifilm paper; made from original prints and negatives:

   
All come with a unconditional 100% money back guarantee.
A few signed (autographed) photos are authentic, and were signed, in person, by that person at a Dealership promotion in the 1970s or I asked them to sign it at a vintage car meet, NASCAR event, race or other automotive related event since 1977. Several are "dealer giveaways" that is, actual dealer promotional photos. Others, my father, the late Homer Thomas Stakes, proudly worked for American Motors for 18 years, and would drag me to meets, events, races. Sometimes standing in lines for hours I may add to get "our heroes" autographs, fighting off fatigue, cold, heat, rain, mosquitoes, swap meet sausage and cotton candy, annoying too loud music on bad speaker systems, but all worth it. These are copies of my tired originals. I am extremely fortunate to have about one dozen Autographed AMC Photos out of the hundreds I stock. And I am extremely honored that I got to meet these Legends Of AMC Racing! 
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   AMC PRESS KITS
1970 Rebel Machine

1973 Maskins & Kanners

1974 Wally Booth

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AMC POSTERS

Mission AMX Playboy

size 20 1/2" x 16 1/2"

Teague Collectors AMX

size 15 1/2" x 24 x 1/4"

The AMX At Nurburgring

size 18" x 23"

The AMX At Elkhart Lake

size 18" x 23"

The AMX At Monte Carlo

size 18" x 23"

Original Ad for above 3 posters!

Dave Marcis NASCAR Matador

size 14" x 11"

AMC PRESS PHOTOS

1902 Rambler Texas Governor Beauford Jester Texas' Governor Beauford Jester takes a ride on a original 1902 Rambler at famous P. K. Williams, Austin, Texas dealership on Congress street right down the road from the Capitol....in 1949. Governor Jester served from 1947-1949, the photo is 1949. Gov Jester is the only Texas Governor to die in office sadly, from heart attack, hope it wasn't from this Rambler ride if you look at his face as he is the one at the 'controls' (no steering wheel on the 02 Rambler). 

1946 Nash Showroom. A new Nash sits on showroom floor of P. K. Williams Nash Dealership in Austin, Texas circa 1946. Note Conoco, Missouri Pacific & Southern Pacific rail in background, along with bar, and inside deer mounted head, LIFE magazine, water cooler, & desk.

1946 Nash Woodie showroom floor. Great looking side photo of P. K. Williams Nash Dealership in Austin, Texas circa 1946...shows a beautiful "woodie" on showroom floor. Service sign and Ambador neon in large showroom windows. 

1946 Williams Conoco/Nash Dealership. Side view of a solemn P. K. Williams standing next to his Nash Dealership below Conoco sign. Tires, batteries, radios & accessories in big glass window clearly visible, along with Nash photos, banners and ads. 

1946 Nash 600 FREE Disabled American Veterans giveaway car. IS THIS NASH YOURS? proclaims the sign on the trailer. To be given away Monday, December 23, 1946 at the Cinderella Club....the new vehicle was donated by legendary Nash dealer P. K. Williams to the local DAV.

1946 Nash 600 WINNERS. This Nash 600 is yours!! Ok, the young man & woman in front are the ones who had the winning ticket of the Nash 600 giveaway at the Cinderella club above photo. I do not know their names, nor the gentleman between P. K. Williams on right. Bet they won this on a 10 cent ticket. 

1946 Nash Dealership P. K. Williams "Main Drag" A flurry of activity on Austin's main drag, Congress Street in front and inside the P. K. Williams Nash dealership. Note the "NASH" neon sign on the front. This dealership also used General Tire and was a Texaco gas station, they did it all and was one of the larger volume Nash dealerships in Texas. I have always thought it had to do with them selling "Statesmen" vehicles to our Texas "Statesmen" on Congress Street in Austin. Maybe it had to do with the Austin Texas newspaper Austin American Statesmen....


1946 Nash dealership mystery photo No mystery about it except P. K. Williams would cover up all the big plate glass windows with cardboard in anticipation of the NEW models coming in. Tease the public....All the signs say COMING SOON! but only make one curious as to what the NEW Nashes will look like. I have other photos of when the signs came down and the night party grand opening was on. But this is always intrigued me, as American Motors also used this same trick, usually in September. Why? The new models usually began production in August, arriving in dealerships in mid September!


1946 Nash dealership General Tire Missouri Pacific Texaco  A great across Congress Street shot of the P K. William Nash dealership in 1946. They also sold Texaco gasoline (far right) but clearly visible is the General Tire sign and also in background was the Missouri Pacific rail line. A bevy of 1940s vehicles are on the left if photo, and several brand new models inside!

1946 P. K. Williams Dealership; Business Coupe & Woodie, beautiful night photo showing illuminated showroom from Congress Street, Austin, Texas.

1947 Nash Picnic! What better way to enjoy a beautiful day than in your new Nash. Junior is fixing to go fishing while dad is trying to get mom buzzed so he can see just how well that famous Nash "BED" works inside the car, seen in the background. This awesome photo is one of my best sellers, and not because many of us were conceived in the back seat, or, bed, of a Nash. Note the gun leaning up against the car, I believe they are in Louisiana, as them Cajuns are known to shoot fish. 

19?? Nash Dealership Drum meeting . All the major Nash dealers were crowded into a room, given drums, and told to beat them on cue according to the widow of the owner of the dealership I would later buy out in the 90s, P. K. Williams on Congress street in Austin, Texas. She indicated that she never knew why they rounded up the dealers like this once a year, but spouses were invited, they just could not attend the meetings, not that they would want to be in there with all those drums and Cuban cigars. Not sure if that is a pitcher of ice water on the middle of the table or a pitcher of Stoli. P. K. Williams was one of the highest volume Nash dealers in Texas. He would morph into Rambler then AMC before closing. He is pictured directly below the "H" in the "Sell Nash" banner on the back wall. Ironically, AMC President William V. Luneberg would later say in 1971: "We want to be recognized as a company that marches to the beat of it's own drums;" when he was describing AMCs 'philosophy of difference'. 

1947 Nash Disabled Veterans Giveaway Raffle car. Really nice photo of our nation's veterans selling raffle tickets to a brand new Nash automobile in the late 1940s. The sign reads "is this Nash yours?" the car was donated by longtime Nash dealership P. K. Williams of Congress street in Austin, Texas. God Bless our great nation's veterans.


1947 Nash Ambassador Twin Beds Bob Hope This was a specially built Nash Ambassador '47 for shows and events. There was no passenger side door, it was to specifically 'sell' the unique Nash feature of TWIN BEDS that could sleep 3-4 people inside the vehicle. So it was a big draw at shows, which in turn, would translate into Nash sales. In this rare photo, the late, great comedian Bob Hope is checking out the interior, and chances are cracking a few jokes, we miss & love you Bob! The fellow on the far right and far left are as yet (by me) unidentified. Look closely, that passenger side area is sealed shut, and has plexiglas over it! We miss your service to the USO Bob.

1949 Nash Airflyte Mystery Alan Funt Candid Camera...not uncommon for dealerships to build momentum for "new" models by papering over big dealership showroom windows like this. P. K. Williams Nash in Austin, Texas was totally covered up before the big night opening showcasing the 1949 Nash lineup. Note Candid Camera's Alan Funt on funny poster. 

1949 Airflyte side view Austin Texas P. K. Williams Great looking side view of night time grand opening, unveiling, of the all new 1949 Nash at P. K. Williams Nash Dealership on Congress avenue in September 1948. The wall of secrecy, papered big glass windows, had come down, now was time to party and sell some Nashes, see other photos below for covered up windows.

 1949 Nash Airflite, grand opening night, P. K. Williams dealership, Commerce Street, Austin, Texas. The dealership had been closed up with huge paper over the windows for weeks to build anticipation of the new Nash models!

1949 Nash Airflite Showroom! P. K. Williams had their dealership windows covered for weeks in anticipation of their new Nash models, didn't want to give the public a sneak peek. When the time was right they had a grand opening, of which a number of the photos are shown here. This great looking night shot shows the monster Nash on the showroom floor with a buzz of activity in the dealership! 

1949 Nash garage opening. When the doors of P. K. Williams Nash dealership opened, the posters all down, a large crowd gathered to come see the new Nashes including 600, Statesmen and Ambassadors. The Service area had been cleaned up and new cars placed in it, note mechanic bins and tool areas, banners, flowers, and of course, new Nash models for 1949!

1950 Nash Showroom: Midnight on Congress Street A wonderful photo, timeless as it is captivating. This photo was taken around midnight on congress street in Austin, Texas in the Summer. Not only was the dealership lit up to capture attention from passers by, note how clean it was. P. K. Willams Nash. I have a few day...and night photos of this wonderful dealership I bought the archives out, this is one of 5 of my favorites.
 

Merry Christmas from P. K Williams...we do things big here in Texas so have two Santas. Photo circa late 1940s of P. K. Williams Nash Rambler dealership in Austin, Texas at Christmas time!

1950 P. K. Williams Nash Dealership Texaco station,  Commerce Street, Austin, TX. A stunning night photo. My uncle Buster owned a Conoco Station in Corpus Christi, TX in the 60s and this is how it looked at night as they also sold new cars. You look at this photo and it simply takes you back into another time, where people trusted each other; the tire racks are left out, Coke machines, even a garage door open at a late hour. This is one of my favorite photos.


1951 Nash Rambler convertible Lois Lane from the Superman series in the early 1950s. Showroom facing Commerce Street. P. K. Williams dealership, Austin, TX, circa September 1949. Striking not only in the showroom scene but also on Commerce street downtown Austin behind and outside the huge glass panes with lots of old cars, the Travis Hotel, pubs and such showing life in Austin over 1/2 a century ago!

1951 Nash Healey with model This photoshows the new 1951 Nash with models....man behind the wheel, lady outside. Comes with acopy of my Austin American Statesmen press write up letting people know they can come the 'P. K. Williams Nash Dealership, 200 Congress Avenue (Austin, Texas, from the Austin
American Statesman newspaper) to view the new 'sports car'.

1951 Nash Healey Roadster 1951 Nash with models....this photo shows them both INSIDE the vehicle as
opposed to her outside in other photo. Comes with a copy of my Austin American Statesmen
press write up letting people know they can come the 'P. K. Williams Nash Dealership, 200
Congress Avenue (Austin, Texas, from the Austin American Statesman newspaper) to view the
new 'sports car' and it is capable of 125 MILES PER HOUR and weighs only 2600 pounds!'

1952 Nash Healey new sports car, FIRST ONE IN TEXAS! Nash Healey AMC Rambler First One in Texas Showroom LISTED1952 Nash Healey new sports car, FIRST ONE IN TEXAS! Proclaims the huge
banner with the new Nash roadster in the showroom. P. K. Williams dealerships, downtown Austin, TX. on Congress Street September 1952. A flyboy bought this car, which was also used in a Parade at the Texas State Fair in Dallas! Note the huge amount of crickets at the bottom of the showroom window. Here in The Great State of Texas, several times a year we have these cricket outbreaks, sometimes so many even freeway overpasses are shut down due to a carpet of them! Comes with a copy of the old faded Austin American Statesman newspaper clipping
.

1952 Nash Healey New Owner! I have the original newspaper article from the Austin American Statesman dated Friday, Oct 3, 1952. (That does not go with the photo, sorry) here is what it states: SPEED TO BURN: This custom built 1952 Nash Healey car was delivered to Technical Sergeant S. R. Baty of Bergstrom Field by the P. K. Williams Nash Company. Sgt. Baty and Mrs Baty are seated in the car preparatory to driving away as Williams looks on. The car, capable of 144 miles per hour, will lead the parade in Dallas Saturday as the State Fair of Texas is opened. Senator Lyndon B. Johnson will be a passenger." The other yellowed newspaper article reads: "Thurs Sept. 18, 1952: FIRST SHOWING; Nash motors fast new Nash Healey sports car will be placed on display for the first time Thursday at P. K. Williams Nash Company, 200 Congress Avenue. The new car has a estimated speed of 125+ mile a hour and is powered by the new "Dual Jetfire" Ambassador engine. The car stands only 38 inches from road to hood top, weighs 2600 pounds, and has a wheel base of 102 inches, a overall length of 170 inches, and a width of 66 inches. The front grill follows the design of the familiar Nash "Airflite" chrome barred racing scoop".

1952 Nash Healey New Owner II/Seals With A Handshake! P. K. Williams proudly shakes the hand of our serviceman as he fixes to take delivery of his new Nash Healey! See story above! Sold Out.

1952 Marilyn Monroe Grand Marshall Nash From the P. K. Williams Nash dealership, Austin, Texas is a rather rare photo of the beautiful Marilyn Monroe as Grand Marshall in a Miss America parade sitting in back of a opened top Nash Ambassador. On back is scribbled, and barely legible, 1952, Boardwalk, Atlantic City, NJ. The photo is roughly 9 1/2 x 7 and has some stains in upper corner.

1952 Marilyn Monroe Grand Marshall Parade wave. Same parade as above, except view of the big Nash and Marilyn waves to throngs of fans on the parade route.

1952 Texas vs Notre Dame Nash! NBC Sports Director Bill Stern was a ardent Nash promoter, and was always a welcome guest of P. K Williams. I would later buy out P. K. Williams Austin, Texas dealership in the early 90s and ended up with lots of wonderful photos. Usually P. K. would lend Bill a Nash for major games, like the Texas-SMU game where Stern would park a Rambler on the field before 70,000 spectators according to the dated yellow newspaper article with another photo. But this photo according to the NASH NEWS states: "When Bill Stern, famous NBC Sports Reporter and Nash Owner, arrived in Austin, Texas, to describe the University of Texas-Notre Dame football game over a live nation wide hookup, he was welcomed by P. K. Williams, partner in P. K. Williams Nash Company Austin Dealer who placed a car at his disposal for the duration of his visit. Pictured with the courtesy car are (left to right) Bill Stern; P. K. Williams; and Glenn Brown, local sports announcer. 

1953 Nash Healey Rangers Polo Game 1952 Nash in polo setting. Comes with a copy of my Austin American Statesmen photo and press write up from Thursday September 18th, 1952. Please note this photo has a vertical crease on right side.


1953 Nash Ambassador Canton Speedway Pace Car Beautiful and rare photo of a brand new 53 Nash Ambassador Custom, which was used by Canton Speedway for their Pace Car!

1953 Nash "Free Gas For a Year!!". This Awesome 8X10 photo shows the new owners of a Nash in front of the dealership in 1953. P. K. Williams was a Preston Tucker like figure, and I would have loved to meet him in his day. A real showman and hog for press. From the Austin American Statesman newspaper that accompanied the original photo, the yellowed paper has the original newspaper clipping with this photo (the original 1953 newspaper article does not come with photo) but here is what it says: Friday, July 3, 1953 The Austin American Statesman, Austin, Texas: BONUS RIDING-Mr. and Mrs. Lon Alsup are shown taking delivery of a new 1953 Nash which is accompanied with an order for a year's supply of gasoline. This is a special offer made by P. K. Williams Nash Company as part of the observance of the firm's ninth anniversary in Austin. Left to right are Alsup, Mrs. Alsup, and P. K. Williams, owner of this automobile firm.


  1953 Nash Statesman Miss America Colleen Hutchins Crowned just prior to the television era, Colleen stood over six feet in heels, and was said to have stopped a basketball game at the University of
Pennsylvania by arriving late and walking down the sidelines. As a Miss America contestant she was not only an accomplished athlete, but had already achieved a undergraduate degree and was well on her way to earning a Masters Degree in Drama. After Colleen's year of service as Miss America, she
performed on Broadway and toured Europe. She married, and her husband was a physician and a member of the New York Knicks. They honeymooned at Queen Elizabeth's Coronation. The Hutchins made Wiesbaden, Germany, their home for some time, developing lifelong friendships with many prominent Europeans. They later settled in Bel Air, California, and raised four All American College and Olympic athletes who are now accomplished professionals in their own right. Colleen and her family have enjoyed a happy and fulfilling life, contributing to many social and community causes. She now resides in Palm Springs, California, continuing to devote much energy to her philanthropic objectives and enjoying the opportunity to guide her grandchildren in their athletic and scholastic accomplishments. "Here She Is....Miss America....WITH A NASH STATESMAN!" Of course that would stop traffic.

1953 Nash Rambler Ambassador with Miss America Stunningly beautiful and over 6 feet Miss America 1952 Colleen Hutchins poses next to a brand new Nash Ambassador! "Crowned just prior to the television era, Colleen stood over six feet in heels, and was said to have stopped a basketball game at the University of Pennsylvania by arriving late and walking down the sidelines. As a Miss America contestant she was not only an accomplished athlete, but had already achieved a undergraduate degree and was well on her way to earning a Masters Degree in Drama. After Colleen's year of service as Miss America, she performed on Broadway and toured Europe. She married, and her husband was a physician and a member of the New York Knicks. They honeymooned at Queen Elizabeth's Coronation. The Hutchins made Wiesbaden, Germany, their home for some time, developing lifelong friendships with many prominent Europeans. They later settled in Bel Air, California, and raised four All American College and Olympic athletes who are now accomplished professionals in their own right. Colleen and her family have enjoyed a happy and fulfilling life, contributing to many social and community causes. She now resides in Palm Springs,
California, continuing to devote much energy to her philanthropic objectives and enjoying the opportunity to guide her grandchildren in their athletic and scholastic accomplishments."


1953 Ambassador w/ Miss American 53 Colleen Hutchins. (Full photo). One of my favorite photos is of the breathtakingly beautiful (and tall at 6'2"!!) Colleen Hutchins who was crowned Miss America in 1952...standing next to a equally beautiful 53 Nash AMC Ambassador in this Nash Press Photo.

1953 Nash Ambassador Country Club with beautiful model. Top of the line offering from Nash, traditional Nash photo with backlit interior, and heavy curtains in background taken in Kenosha studio.

57 Metropolitian Convertible Nash Metropolitian convertible complete with pretty girl. The vehicle sports wide white walls, continental kit and bumper guards. This is a copy of my almost disentrigrated original
print. There is a small stain in window if you look closely. There is a M1 at lower right of photo from factory.

57 Metropolitian hardtop with Betty & Veronica on fence The photo shows a stunning little Metropolitian with two pretty girls looking at the driver. Archie inside the Metro will have to choose between Betty &
Vernonica on the fence, don't think he can fit both in the Met. The little Met sports a continental kit, wide white wall tires, and bumper guards. Looks to have ram air!

57 Metropolitian hardtop front angle from the legendary P. K. Williams Nash dealership buyout, Austin,
Texas. This is a great looking front angle of the little Metro, showing it's "ram air" scoop, also bumper guards, ultra wide white wall tires, and if you look closely, continental kit. Looks like poor Betty will be 2nd place as Archie in the car chose Veronica again.


57 Nash Metropolitian convertible with bathing beauties. Excellent "staged" shot of AMC's Nash Metropolitian convertible at a beach. A speedboat was used to create the wake so girl on surfboard could 'catch a wave' I do not know how many takes it took to get this photo, probably a few considering on the right the water is as smooth as glass!

1957 Rebel, America's FIRST MUSCLECAR; the fastest production car for 1957 (sans the fuelie Vette) only 1500 of these gold and silver beauties made, very few exist. I have only ever seen one of them, and that was at the 1998 AMC Nationals in Kenosha.

1959 Rambler Ambassador; beautiful top of the line finned 1959 Ambassador shown in front of rolling hill with mansion and good looking ladies!

1959 Mobil 1 Los Angeles to New York Cross Country Rambler In front of American Motors headquarters (note above the door etched is "I've Thought Of A Better Way: Kelvin") a beautiful Cross Country Rambler
station wagon prepares for the jounrney from coast to coast. You can learn more about this neat run if you google 'mobil rambler cross country'. I do not know who the American Motors executive is nor the person behind the wheel. I believe the exec might be Thomas J. Coupe, who was head of Public Relations for AMC in late 50s/early 60s.

1959 Rambler SouthWestern Bell Fleet Vehicle  P. K. Williams Nash & Rambler dealership, Commerce Street, Austin, TX. New Rambler is a Southwestern Bell Fleet vehicle, inside showroom has a Ambassador and Metropolitian! Free gas when you buy a Rambler here, this is a great front angled view of the dealership with cars inside the showroom behind this fleet vehicle clearly visible. Note wonderful signs in the window: FREE GASOLINE good anyplace in the US when you buy a new American or Metropolitian! A banner reads: "Get on the Rambler Bandwagon and save!" and of course there is a "Nash Service" neon sign lit up in center glass. The Texas license plate appears to be from 1959.

1959 Rambler Custom Wagon with bathing beauties. Beached Rambler! Beautiful Girls! You don't get any better than this. 


1964 Rambler Ambassador in showroom Barton Motors, Staunton, VA. I have another showroom photo of same without the car. Barton Motors was owned and operated by my friend Linn Barton, a third generation Nash, Rambler & AMC family dealership!


1964 Rambler Typhoon with 7 page Press Release: The car that the press release lives in infamy about how 'the only race we care about is the human race' then AMC would do a 360 and crank out performance models like AMX, Javelin & SC/Rambler only a few years after saying they frowned upon performance (read: muscle cars!!) in the memo. A copy of the five page memo comes with photo!

1964 Rambler Tarpon Prototype.

1965 Classic in a American Motors Rambler car lot. This is how they appeared in the mid 1960s. Note the "Rambler Select Used Cars" sign in the background, flags blowing in the wind, streetlamp is a old style type. The salesman leaning on the vehicle talking to the pretty red headed lady sitting in the Rambler Classic two door wants to make a sale! In the background left to right is a red 67 Rebel, a year unknown light blue Marlin, just over the rear glass of the red Classic the lady is sitting in is a gold Rambler, possibly a rogue or American, and immediately behind that is a light yellow early 60s Rambler, about 8 cars in the photo at this Rambler Dealership! The photo is 7X10, not 8X10. What is unusual is it is COLOR, so all the neat cars, shadows, salesmans hat, roof across the street, everything jumps out at you. For you AMC and Rambler fans who were familiar with AMC car lots, this photo takes you back into another time. I grew up at AMC & Rambler dealerships as my father, Homer T. Stakes Sr. worked for AMC in Corpus Christi, for many years.


1965 AMX Tangerine; Built in 1965, first shown in January 1966. This is a extremely early photo of the car at a quiet moment in a closed auto show after hours in Detroit. The car is wearing Candy Apple Red. However this special DINOC paint appeared orange in different lights or shadows, such as this photo looks like it is Tangerine. A color shifting paint in 1965! The same car would later be painted a metallic blue as seen below.

1965-66 AMX prototype CLAY, November 1965. Concept AMX made out of clay. It was covered with a 1960s film called Di-noc and painted gold. This photo shows it at AMC's Design Studios in November 1965. It would later appear in fiberglass and was painted a light blue/silver. As it evolved, it would then have gas filler caps added on both side, and color would change from blue/silver to tangerine, officially candy apple pearl red, which was a unusual color shifting paint, and changed colors with the lighting and shadows!  A 290V8, complete interior, full length console, buckets, basically a new car was quickly finished for the New York Auto Show in June 1966. 


1965-66 AMC AMX (some call it the AMX One) prototype. SIDE. The "real" AMX 1 STILL EXISTS and is in a friend's private collection in Canada, along with the real AMX II and several other one of a kind AMCs. That in itself is quite a feat as many AMC prototypes were commonly destroyed by AMC after auto shows. Photo is 5X10.

1965-66 AMC AMX Prototype BLUE. This photo is from early 1967 and shows the car in METALLIC BLUE. The car was painted TANGERINE first by AMC for the Auto Show circuit; then later would be blue. Look closely at AMC's display. Then look around it before this show opened: there is a GTX on the right, along with a Barracuda in the background. Also is a Ford, possibly Model A. Behind AMC's display is some Hot Rods. And yes, that is a Corvette split window coupe on a pole behind it. 

1965-66 AMX prototype/Daytona 500 on centerfield at the Daytona 500 summer of 1966. Rare, seldom seen photo of the Vignale AMX (AMX-1) after the New York Auto Show in 26 June 1966. Band in background is unknown. Photo for shareholders.

1966 American USCA challenge Economy Run, driver was Les Viland & co-driver Tommy Thomas in 1967 as AMC won the economy run. In the "run" from Los Angeles to Detroit, the Rambler was averaging 23+ MPG. The MPG decal is not on car as it was not official yet. The gentlemen are unknown. You can see AMC's original films of the runs, and eventual ads for the new $1836.00
Rambler on youtube by searching '67 AMC Rambler Economy Run'.

 1967 U. S. Mail Postal Ambassador Fleet Car. One of the hundreds of new Ambassador fleet vehicles the U S Government ordered from American Motors in 1966; many of these were right hand drive while others were regular left hand drive. The engine designations ranged from 232-6 for mostly rural routes, to 290 & 343 Typhoons for supervisors. 

1965-67 Marlin American Motors press photo showing the beautiful lines from above of the Rambler Marlin. I believe this is a 65, possibly 66, as it has the old style V8 engine size on rear and also "R" spinner center caps, which were later discontinued due to Fed regulations. The car also appears to have the rare Vibratone, with the dual speakers seen in back glass. 7x10

1967 Grant Rebel SST launching AMC had done a about face from just months earlier with the Typhoon, and now were tossing their hats into the horsepower ring, and sponsoring different teams...and drivers. This Rebel was turning 9 second 1/4 mile times in 1967, and AMC with the likes of Hayden Proffitt...had served notice. Photo has small border.

AMC 67 Grant Rambler Rebel SST Funny Car at Irwindale  Hayden Proffitt's formidable Funny Car Rambler Rebel SST in 1967 at Irwindale. Powered by Grant Industries, this was the National Speed Record
Holder! What was he running in 1967? A factory 343 Typhoon engine that was bored out to 443 CID and with a Supercharger was 1200 HORSEPOWER @ 9000RPM. So rather rare to see this Rebel, then the 68 Grant Rebel sitting still, much less with both front wheels on the ground. 7x10

1967 Rebel SST Convertible, 343V8. *RARE COLOR* photo of the new look intermediate Rebel ragtop!  Only 1686 were built! Good looking model. AMC's new "MOD" look for 1967. 

1968 Grant Rebel SST Hayden Proffitt Funny Car X-Ray American Motors 1968 Rebel SST Funny Car by Grant Industries was a huge draw in the 1960s, driven by legendary Hayden Proffitt. This wheelstanding
monster was rewriting record books across the US. This is a odd cutaway 6 x10 photo of the Grant Rebel SST Funny Car showing engine, rollbar, tube frame, headers, even driver.

1968 Javelin AMC's all new ponycar! The timeless Javelin! This photo shows AMC's new pride and joy. Note the mag styled hubcaps. The car was a 343V8 Typhoon, loaded. License plate reads '68 Javelin'. The caption on the bottom shows: FOR P.M. RELEASE, TUESDAY, AUGUST 22, 1967. "American Motors' new entry in the sporty car field is the sleek, low profiled Javelin hardtop, available in two versions, standard and the SST model shown. Exceptionally roomy inside with full, four passenger seating, the Javelin's classic appearance is enhanced by the fast angle windshield, narrow, dual pin stripes that follow the graceful body contours, and twin Venturi grille. American Motors Corporation, Detroit, Michigan, 48232.

1968 Javelin LOOK Magazine/Jim Nabors CBS Show; beautiful 1968 Javelin (August 1967) color photo used for the LOOK Magazine photo shoot to coincide with the Jim Nabors CBS comedy show. Red on red SST, 343V8, redlines, duals, timeless photo from original negative, complete with imperfections (tiny black lines)!

1968 Rebel SST LOOK Magazine/Jim Nabors CBS Show; beautiful 1968 Rebel SST (August 1967) color photo used for the LOOK Magazine photo shoot to coincide with the Jim Nabors CBS comedy show. Appears to be Scrab Gold, white top, 343V8, redlines, Turbocast covers, factory dash mounted tachometer,  a timeless photo from original negative, complete with imperfections (tiny black lines)!

1968 Javelin LOOK magazine/Jim Nabors cover; AMC's Marketing Department put together a series of photos of how their new Javelin would look on the cover, and television in September 1967. The LOOK cover photo here shows a moving red, 68 Javelin photo on a LOOK cover. It was never used on a LOOK cover, but was used in subsequent LOOK advertising, this is Marketing's rough draft.

1968 Javelin Jim Nabors/LOOK Magazine television photo. AMC's Marketing Department photo of hand drawn, crude, 'television' with new 1968 Javelin (late August 1967) in the middle to illustrate what  AMC's their ad would look like on television during the Jim Nabors comedy hour. The Javelin is NOT, right hand drive, the photo marketing used was inserted into the television backwards, note the backwards license plate, and driver on right side. This red 68 Javelin sports rare spinner hubcaps, and the large upper white Go Pack stripe, it was not same Matador Red Javelin used for earlier LOOK & Jim Neighbors stills.

1968 Javelin & 1968 Rebel press release photo Great looking twin photo of the all NEW 1968 Javelin and the hot selling 68 Rebel, this one in a two door hardtop! The Javelin RELEASE DATE is Aug 22,
1967 while the Rebel is Aug 27, 1967. Production began on all 1968 AMCs on Aug 1st 1967, with the first new models appearing in excited dealer showrooms September 14th-16th, 1967. The Javelin alone saw 55124 models sold in the calander year, while the Rebel had sales of 21673 two doors, not
counting convertibles, four door and wagons!

1968 AMX X-ray...rare cut away view of American Motors new two seater; this particular photo was given to shareholders and dealers alike.

1968 Team AMX SCCA One of the rarest AMX photos you will ever see is this one of the Team AMX SCCA Race Team. Somewhere in my vast photo collection is another photo showing the whole team, of which 3 men are unidentified. however, this was the crux of the team itself and in COLOR. The tall skinny fellow on the left is James Alexander, Team Manager. In the middle is legendary Ike Knupp. To the right is Phil Toney. The AMX did great winning the Central Division Championship and finishing second at the National runoffs at Daytona! Look closely....the powerful 68 AMX sports a  343 with no headrests, American Racing rims, Hurst mirrors (these bullet mirrors would be used next year on the Hurst SC/Rambler).

1968 Craig Breedlove AMX Racing Team World Record holder in many land speed categories, AMC hero drove his 'Spirit of America' jet car to a land speed record in 1965 of 600.601 MPH. At 26, he was first man to ever drive 400mph, at 27 first to go 500mph, and at 28, first to go 600mph. AMC fans know him (and wife Lee) for shattering 109 national and international records in a new 1968 AMX however. Here is a nice color 7x9 photo of the legend Craig Breedlove wearing his AMC coveralls with the "AM AMX RACING TEAM" patch on front in a pensive moment, probably thinking about going 1000mph.

1968 AMX Craig & Lee Breedlove, Marshall, Texas Even before the AMX was introduced it had already broken 106 national and international speed records at the hands of Craig & wife Lee, Breedlove. One was a 290, the other a 390. Some remarkable accomplishments: Class C average speed for 24 hours 140.790.mph; class B in 1000 kilometers standing/start the AMX averaged 156.548mph, and 75 mile flying standing start it averaged a whopping 174.295mph. ***ALL** records in the books were broken by Craig, Lee & the AMX from 25kilometers up to 5000 kilometers and from 1 hour up to 24 hours; along with standing to flying starts. Absolutely amazing. And in 1968. Here is a black & white AMC Press Photo showing the #2 AMX; along with Craig & Lee in San Angelo, Texas,  where these records were shattered.

1968 AMX Breedlove Display Chicago O'Hare Airport. After Craig & Lee Breedlove shattered 106 national and international records with the new American Motors AMX...it was time to show it off...And why
not!!!  AMC took both the Record Shattering AMXs on tours....of US AIRPORTS. The exposure factor was huge. The original press release at the time said it best: "Visitors to Chicago's O'Hare Airport now can get a close up view of another type of "flying" machine. It is American Motors Corporation's new AMX, a two place sports car, which recently smashed 106 American, national and international speed records. The car was driven by Craig Breedlove, World Land Speed Record Holder, and his wife, Lee, holder of the Women's Land Speed mark." Note the platform, metal stanchions, massive 'AMX 390' background and crew racing team jacket hung off to side, as you could fill out a raffle ticket passing thru airport and win a cool jacket.

1968 AMX Breedlove Display Detroit Metropolitan Airport. Same great display as above put together by legendary Guy Hadsall Jr, except this display at Detroit, Michigan.

1968 AMX Breedlove (FRONT ANGLE) Display Detroit Metropolitan Airport. Note TWA & Same great display as above put together by legendary Guy Hadsall Jr, except this display at Detroit, Michigan.

1968 Javelin AMC's new ponycar: COLOR. This mailer was sent to prospective buyers in August 1967.

1968 NASCAR Racecar Jim Paschal A veteran of 22 years of racing; Jim lives in High Point, NC. His first race was with his dad's 46 Ford at the old Charlotte Dirt track. Formerly a top mechanic, Jim started Grand National racing in 1949, the year the circuit started! Paschal's career has spanned every era of stock car racing-from the modified days of the bull rings right up thru the super speedways. NASCAR records show Jim has won 21 races. His biggest win came in 1964 when he drove a Petty Plymouth to victory in the World 600 at Charlotte; the longest race on the NASCAR trail. He won it again in 1966. At the time, Jim had driver 49,997 miles in 324 races and had won $257,393 in prize money. (1968). This photo is of him in the new 68 Javelin he was racing for the Huggins Javelin racing Team on the NASCAR Grand Touring Circuit.

1968 AMX Commercial Proof/Stills: American Motors Press Release photo shows a series
of still shots, 12 in all, from the filming of a nationally broadcast television commercial for AMC for their new two seat AMX back in late 1967/early 1968 before the AMX would be formally introduced to public at
Daytona. Was used on ABC, NBC and CBS. I do not know of the location, chances are might have been the test track at Burlington, WI judging from landscape!

1968 AMX LOOK magazine; close up view of the 'new' AMX for the LOOK magazine photo shoot in late December 1967. A teaser photo which shows close up of grille and emblem, nothing more, leaving the public guess. Has ghostly face in J trim smiling, I do not know if this was supposed to be in the photo but adds to the mystique of AMC's marketing. Photo from original negative.

1968 AMC AMX SILVER photo! With 7 page memo! The car is a base model AMX, note the 290 emblems and factory stock hubcaps, and no stripes, non Go Pack. Beautiful photo.


1968 Rebel Convertible SST *RARE COLOR* photo of the LAST YEAR FOR ANY AMC CONVERTIBLE Series, only 823 built. I own the documented heaviest optioned one off the assembly line with a staggering 38 options. Base price was $2995, as optioned mine was a whopping $4500, you could have bought a Hemi Mopar! Here is a wonderful studio shot of the Rebel, good looking girl in bikini included. There are LESS THAN 100 1968 Rebel convertibles known to still exist.


1968 AMX RED Daytona Introduction/with 7 page Press Release! For PM Release Thursday, February 15, 1968. DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. Feb 15th. American Motors Corporation today demonstrated the new AMX, a racy two place sports coupe with many of the design charistics of a high performance sports car. More than 100 newsmen from throughout the United states and Canada saw the car, whihc was conceived as
a unique addition to the expanding field of personal cars. A team of professional racing drivers took the AMX around Daytona Speedway at over 130 MPH+ speeds to demonstrate its performance and handling capabilities. A stunning, almost 3D photo of a red 1968 early production AMX. 


1968 AMC AMX Dick Teague's custom BIG BAD! You can see this legendary designers personal tastes on this monster as it sports a solid white (bumpers painted; this would be used for the 69 Big Bad Colored cars!) paint job, fog lights in grill, 390 emblems on the fenders, gas tank filler cap on the 1/4 panel (like some Chargers) front spoiler, and Trendsetter side exhausts. The AMC building behind it has the quote in stone: : "I've thought of a better way--Kelvin"


1968 AMC AMX GT. One of a kind *COLOR PHOTO* this awesome car was built for the New York Auto Show. It has a AMX front clip, and a Gremlin rear end and custom red, white & blue paint. Sadly it was destroyed after the auto show, and few photos of it exist!


1968 AMC PINK AMX  Angela Dorian With Memo. (Victoria Vetri) Playboy Playmate of the Year receiving her keys to her new (and one of a handful, 9-15 painted PINK from the factory, the AMX dash serial had her size of AMX #362335 on the dash) the gentleman giving her the keys is Vice President of Marketing R. W. MeNealy. I was so impressed with this photo I went to ebay and bought the original Playboy book she appeared in. She is a stunning woman. And I may add that she still owns the AMX, which is now painted black, and is just as beautiful as when this photo was shot in 1968. There is a national fan club for her also. November 67 is the issue. See Mission AMX on my site for more. *In 2010, Angela Dorian tried to kill boyfriend and was booked into LA County Jail on attempted murder charge. 

1968 Pink AMC AMX Victoria Vetri Angela Dorian Playmate of the Year.  The newly crowned Playboy Playmate of the Year sits in one of the "Playmate Pink" American Motors AMXs produced and distributed in the US for Playboy VIP Clubs. Beautiful Angela Dorian would later turn her 'screen name' to Victoria Vetri and was awarded a BRAND NEW Pink AMX for being chosen by Playboy readers as Playmate Of The Year 1968. Here is Angela sitting behind the wheel of one of the VIP Club's pink AMXs while she toured the country.

 1968 Javelin/100 Field Of Dreams. AMC was kicking some serious ASS in 1968 Trans Am racing. Drivers Peter Revson & George Follmer, Ron Kaplan Chief Engineer, Jim Jeffords Team Manager for JAVELIN RACING TEAM, along with Carl Chakmakian former race car driver hisself made Javelin a force to contend with. The Javelins were using a 304V8 in 68, a modified version of the 290V8, and pulling over 400hp which could do a whopping 160mph in the straights to a slow 25mph in the turns! This particular shows the Illinois Zone Office, which come race day at the track, had gathered 100 Dealers....and Javelins....for the race! Rows upon rows of brand new spanking shiny Javelins drew crowds all day. You will never see 100 Javelins all together like this, even at any national meet. You can read the original Press article, along with several Pace Car photos in my AMC DEALERSHIP file near top. 

1968 Generation Gap Hurst Javelin. The  Generation Gap Javelin was the full blown Javelin that appeared in several ads and commercials in 68-69. Wearing original Michigan plates from 1969 it is flanked by a beautiful blonde model in bellbottoms. Goodyears on American Racing Mags stick out and if you look closely, there is a huge exhaust that pops out right before rear wheel. It has Hurst mirrors like SC/Rambler and Olds because it was PREPARED by Hurst. The 'Generation Gap Javelin' also had racing interior, and stunning candy tangerine paint, similar to the AMX 1 prototype. The side of it (also few have ever seen) has graphics of 'BUTCHERED?? It's a GREAT CAR dad! I only made it BETTER!' The engine was a
souped up AMX 390V8 and the Supercharger was compliments of Hurst.  The Javelin was street legal. The Javelin was given away to the ICAS champion of the Critt-Co tour winner in 1970 and never seen since.

1968 AMC Rebel Grant Funny Car Hayden Proffitt AMC upped the ante with their 68 Rebel, dropping the 'Rambler' moniker and with Legendary Hayden Proffitt still behind the wheel, the ET's now dropped
into the EIGHTS with this record setting, crowd pleasing 343 Typhoon pushing1200 HORSEPOWER @ 9000RPM. And the Rebel now wore AMC's Corporate colors of red, white and blue.  7x10

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1969 Stolen AMX Exclusive photos
This altered 1969 AMX was customized in AMC's skunkworks. It is my understanding that the car was totalled out from behind at AMC's Burlington Test Track. Instead of stripping it & scrapping it, several worked decided to customize it with a Rambler Rogue rear end. The project manager is shown in one photo on the left of car with crew that worked on this project.  There are no known front angles of this car known to exist. The project manager and employees shown are unknown. The car was stolen off the streets of Kenosha Wisconsin and has never been seen again, one of American Motors biggest mysteries in storied past. Exclusive one of a kind photos...these are ONLY KNOWN photos to exist of this vehicle.
Photo #1: Stolen AMX with Project Manager & whole crew.

Photo #2 Stolen AMX rear showing great custom work, note Manufacturer plates

Photo #3 Stolen AMX with two of the crew members who worked on this project
 
Photo #4 Stolen AMX driver side 1/4 rear view

Photo #5 Stolen AMX passenger side 1/4 rear view

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1969 AMX & Javelin press release photo Great looking black and white press release photo of the hot selling Javelin and beautiful AMX. Note 'new' changes featured like 'large face 0-8000RPM tachometer' and 'leather seats' are also highlighted here! The RELEASE DATE for the Javelin is September 4th, 1968 and the AMX is September 9 1968. (production began Aug 1st, 68 for the 69 models)

1969 AMX press release photo at racetrack color. It's generally agreed that this was legendary & beautiful Lee Breedlove behind the wheel of this iconic 1969 Bittersweet Orange AMX for this press photos, which was distributed to dealers.

1969 Hurst SC/Rambler with memo. The little Hurst SC/Rambler would make it's debut at the Chicago Auto Show March 8 thru 16th, 1969. The Rambler would be built at Kenosha with on-site modifications by Hurst. Weighing in at 3160 pounds, and suggested retail price of $2998, this beast would turn a 1/4 mile at 14.3 off the showroom floor. AM's Vice President of Marketing mentions in the 2 page memo "The SC/Rambler is the ideal vehicle for the motorist who wants better than average performance and also a car that is uniquely different from 70 million others on the streets today." That was true in 1969....and true now. The photo is almost surreal and breathtakingly clear of a "A" paint SC/Rambler. The photo is 6x10 and full color and as with some American Motors photos, has a light placed on the floor shining upwards to illuminate the interior....in this case the steering wheel and red, white and blue headrests!

1969 Baja Hurst SC/Rambler With Memo. One of 12 made. 2 known to exist. Possibly one of the most unusual photos I have is of one of the dozen Hurst SC/Ramblers used for racing in the Mexican Baja race. Yes, these had the 390 AMX engine, and were prepared by Hurst, but also modified heavily by Garner's AIR (American International Racers) Team. Bumped from 315 to now 410 horsepower, AIR Team could blast down the Baja at speeds as high as 140 miles per hour & 7000 RPM. While modified with lift kits, front/rear springs, cut wheelwells, Goodyear 10x15 tires, roll cages, no glass and 44 gallon fuel cells.....two of these special SC/Ramblers were modified to FOUR WHEEL DRIVE chassis!

1969 Baja SC/Rambler AT SPEED American Motors Hurst SC/Rambler; 390 4x4 Baja; James Garner' s Air America (American International Racers) one of 10 SC/Rambler raced in the grueling 600 mile Baja race; this dusty photo shows one over 100 mph. Has 2 small stains above car. Photographer unknown. Great 'action' photo

1969 AMX Pike's Peak Official Pace Car, with MEMO. June 29, 1969 American Motors Press Release photo of the 1969 AMX Pace Car used for the Pike's Peak run June 29th, 1969. COME WITH TWO PAGE
MEMO! Note base AMX here with non round ribbed mirror, hubcaps, and 290V8 badge on the 1/4 panel.

1969 (& 68) Pikes Peak AMX & Javelin parade thru mountains in show of support for the AMX, which was the Pikes Peak Official Pace Car for the event June 29th, 1969. AMC Dealers shipped in numerous dealers from US for this event, filling up Colorado hotels of which Pikes Peak AMXs were displayed in lobbys, many as courtesy cars. This press photo would later appear in AMC's magazine with details of the event.


1969 AMC Javelin in Big Bad Orange *RARE COLOR* studio shot showing the "MOD" package for 1969: roof spoiler, twin non functional hood scoops, and simulated side exhausts! Few were built, see production codes for numbers on the Big Bad colors.

1969 AMC Javelin in Big Bad Blue AMC took 65,000+ people on a psychedelic trip in their display at the Chicago Auto Show in 69. In their "MOD, MOD, WORLD" a Big Bad Orange Javelin, complete with MOD package, mini skirt wearing spokeswomen, strobe light flashing, neon colored walls, let you know You Are Experienced. There were more than 50 orders taken for a special air conditioned Rambler model
at the exhibit. A AMC spokesman also lamented that over 25,000 AMX/2 drawings were given out, whihc exhausted their supply before show's end. The "new" Big Bad colors: Orange, Green & Blue would appear starting Janauary 1969. It was a $34.00 extra fee on this option (see other auctions for Big Bad pix) for he Javelin, however was free for the AMX. It was also a option in 69 for Rambler and Rebel, including the Rebel Raider. The MOD package would live on for 70 AMX & Javelin as would the Big Bad colors, which could also now be had on Rebel (inc. Machine), Hornet and Gremlin.


1969 AMC AMX II Bob Nixon's design, the AMX 2. While a roller, this stunning designed
prototype would later end up shoved up top a used car lot pole at Twin Pines Auto Sales in PA. Yup, a advertising gimmick. Lucky for us AMCers it was brought down and is in a museum now. This is a beautiful front and rear view of what AMC 'was thinking about' back then. It would have been a rear
engine vehicle.The "what ifs" question here has been debated with AMC fans since 1968/9 with this one! 


 1969 Hurst Super Stock AMX Drag On Lady #1 with driver Shirley Shahan working on the 10 second 1/4 mile 390 engine! PLANET HOUSTON EXCLUSIVE PHOTO YOU WILL NOT FIND ANYWHERE ELSE. Circa 1969 in Nevada.; this car still exists and sold for $40,000 in 1997 to a private collector in Little Rock,  Arkansas where so far as I know, remains today. Original photo dispels two myths: One, she didn't work on her own car: she did, including the drag On Lady Hornet & Gremlin versions, and two, note the wiper motor.

1969 Hurst Super Stock AMX Drag On lady #2 with Shirley Shahan posing beside her factory sponsored car. Take a moment to imagine what it would have been like being a woman kicking some serious Brand X asses in 1969 on the race circuit. A woman running 9s and 10s demanding RESPECT. Shirley is still around, as is her husband H. L. Shahan, although divorced, she appeared at the AMC Nationals signing autographs with other AMC legends in 2002. THIS IS A PLANET HOUSTON EXCLUSIVE PHOTO.

1969 Hurst Super Stock AMX Drag On Lady Shirley Shahan sitting. American Motors press photo of legendary (and fan favorite!!!) NHRA Drag On Lady Shirley Shahan sitting in the driver's seat of her 1969 AMC/Hurst Super Stock AMX. She had just been signed to campaign the formidable Hurst prepared Super Stock AMX by AMC and this press photo from spring of 1969 shows Shirley with her helmet, go go boots and classic hairdo ready to rumble. Note several items in the Drag On Lady AMX: wiper switch, sunvisors
and Ventilair Vinyl seats.
 

1969 Super Stock Javelin. *RARE COLOR* photo of Ron Root's 69 Javelin 390cid pumping out 460hp was running 119.21 @ 11.75 seconds in the 1/4 mile in 69. Sponsored by the Southern California AMC Dealers Association, this Javelin many feared to line up against. And understandably so...

1969 Funny Car Gary Crane Travelin Javelin;  Based out of Torrance, California and owned by Gary Crane, the Travelin Javelin was turning high sevens at over 180 miles per hour in 1969. It ran a variety of engines, from AMC and Mopar in the late 1960s. It did most of it's destruction on the track however with a cast iron Keith Black Hemi, and sported a great....and colorful....DIFFERENT paint job on either side of the
Javelin. As with many AMCs at the track, it was a real crowd pleaser. Some photos I have seen of this car from rear angle you will notice the Droke Brothers XP Package which was sold thru AMC Dealers, and consisted of a flattened rear spoiler and 1/4 extensions to name a few, not visible in this photo however! 7x10

AMC Super Stock SS/AMX Hurst Pete's Patriot Kearney NE;  Wallace "Pete" Peterson out of Kearney, Nebraska was co-owner of one of the oldest Nash Dealerships in the US, Peterson Motor Company. "Pete" was owner and founder of the well known Pete's Patriot Racing Team, of which legendary Lou Downing drove this Hurst prepared AMC Super Stock AMX for. NHRA records were made to be broken and this one broke most in 1969. Mention 'Pete's Patriot SS/AMX' and most, if not all AMC fans remember this....and the Shirley Shahan Drag On Lady SS/AMX easily. This was SS/AMX #39 launching hard on another record run in summer of 1969. 7x10

1969 SS/AMX Pete's Patriot Super Stock AMX EARLY/Late; launching hard off the line. This photo shows it in it's EARLY years, & LATE 90s; of which you can still see this formidable competitor at vintage drags and of course, flying the red, white and blue at AMC meets. This was Super Stock AMX #39. Great looking dual photo.

1969 Hot Wheels Mattel Ed Shaver AMX.  Rare Ed Shaver Hot Wheels Racing Team photo taken in United Kingdom. To learn more about this legend, there is a file on my site here about him, his legacy, and the most collectible Hot Wheels AMX produced. 7x10

1969 Hot Wheels Mattel Ed Shaver AMX vs Opus One in UK. Legendary Ed Shaver's Hot Wheels Drag Team AMX lined up against the Opus One Dragster on outskirts of London, England in 1969. I do not know who won the race, but the Shaver AMX was at the time, whipping up on competition, so my $$$ or British pounds would have been on Ed's AMX. Odd 8x10

1969 Hurst Super Stock SS/AMX Wentworth Irvin Rambler; The Wentworth & Irvin Super Stock AMX was one of TWO raced by Wentworth & Irwin Rambler of Portland, Oregon, this particular location was located at 21st & Washington. ThisSS/AMX shown was driven by Richard Schroeder and was known as the AMX Wynn's Stander, and was a huge crowd pleaser, usually launching high and going most of the track on two wheels. The green, yellow and white paint changed several times in several seasons. 7x10

1969 SS/B AMX The SteakMaker Dragster The Steakmaker SS/b AMX fixing to unleash yet another formidable run on the 1/4 mile. 8x10 color. Track is in Kearney, Nebraska.

1969 Hurst Super Stock AMX The Buran Hustler, Milwaukee, WI Buran Rambler Inc. The formidable Buran Hustler Super Stock AMX sits in off to the side of Buran Rambler Inc in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in late 1969 shortly after delivery. Only 52/53 SS/AMXs made, this is SS/AMX #38 and resides about 189 miles west of me in Houston. These are some of the most collectible of all AMXs. This is the earliest known photo of this car. Note the new Rambler, Javelin and Rebel on the dealer lot, quite a sight and makes any AMC fan's heart skip a beat. Photo is 7x9.

1969 Kenosha Assembly Line/Javelin Sheetmetal:. The smaller AMCs were usually built on East Line like Javelin (with a worker looking thru dozens of Javelin's sheetmetal) Rogue, Rambler, American, AMX while West Line was usually reserved for larger AMC models like Ambassador, Rebel, Matador, but many times the West line would have to be changed out for smaller AMCs due to high demand.

1969 American Motors worker's in "the pits" which was the final checkup in the old Kenosha Wisconsin AMC plant looks over the completed vehicles from inside, and down under in two lines, East & West. Once everything checks out ok, the cars would go onto marshalling yards then by truck, train or rail to
you and me! Looks closely that is a new 69 Javelin up front, off to left is a 69 Rebel barely visible, behind the Javelin is a Ambassador and it appears a Rambler behind that. 7x 9/12.

1969 Merry Go Round. That is what this section of the Kenosha plant building your classic American Motors was called. This is the EAST LINE on end. That is sparks flying from the worker in foreground welding a panel on that Javelin.....in front of this Javelin is a AMX and another in front of it.

1969 AMC East Line, Javelin, Kenosha, Wisconsin, showing suspension work being done from underneath; a worker shown in mask appears to be spraying undercoating near/around front suspenion area. The 68 or 69 Javelin has a 390 emblem, and looking closer, it has a vinyl trim 1/4 panel extension
chrome piece. Note the shiny black twin grip rear end, and gloss on the drums; you can also see reflection on bottom of gas tank. Look even closer and you will discover the whole car is suspended in air with four large braces, 2 per side, as it rolls along the line early in production. This is a copy of my old original bought at a AMC National meet in 1970s. Historical! 8x10.

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1969 AMC Dealer Mystery Trip to LAX *exclusive photos*
     Read article.
   Doug Thorley's Javelin 1 rear engined dragster with Ike Knupp

        Lee Breedlove & Craig giving tutorial on how to break 106 national & international records

  
        Hayden Proffitt lighting up the Los Angeles airport tarmac with the '68 Grant Rebel SST


  Dealers having adult beverage admiring the 1200 horses the 1968 Grant Rebel SST funny car churns out
 

                 SoCal Dealers Funny Car Javelin driven by Ron Root blasts down LAX American Airlines tarma

 
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AMC Kenosha factories/complex helicopter photo Taken from the air is this 8x10 black and white photo showing American Motors plants sprawled all over many blocks of Kenosha, Wisconsin. The photo has the surrounding neighborhoods shaded in, while the factories themselves are highlighted in 1950s technology as shown. Too bad this photo was not taken from higher up back then as would have captured more of the expansive Kenosha AMC Complex, especially in the Northeast. Most everything you see in this photo from 40+ years ago is now sadly gone. I am not sure what this photo was used for, possibly shareholders or Kenosha Chamber of Commerce.

AMC Kenosha factories/complex helicopter photo BLACKOUT; same as above except this one is shaded in by AMC to show ONLY the factories. In the corner is some dates and numbers. Again, same photo as above but touched up by AMC decades ago.

1970 Gremlin introduction at the New York Auto Show April 1970. AMC was in financial trouble in 1970, suffering a 2nd 1/4 loss of $10 million or 41 cents per share. This, along with the strike affected first 1/4, where they incurred a loss of $15.6 million, resulted in a net loss in the first 1/2 of the fiscal year of a whopping $25 million. (And people ask why the 70 AMX didn't sell, the 70 Javelin saw only 1/2 of the production of 69 and the Rebel, including the Machine, was a flop.) The losses stated above had no benefit of tax credit. The strike mentioned above, closed the plants for five weeks in the fall, and cost AMC a whopping $23 million loss and 36,000 vehicles plus interruption of momentum in the market at a really critical time. AMC also had just bought Jeep for $40 million, so you can see how this all affected AMC. In other words, WE ALMOST LOST AMC IN 1970. Enter the Gremlin to save the day! That, along with Hornet, would be AMC's Bread and Butter cars for years, selling really well. The Gremlin was A MAJOR ATTRACTION at this huge show. Gremlin sales EXCEEDED SUPPLY and production had to be increased 30% due to consumer demand! Again, photo is grainy, but looks really great framed, and is 5 1/2 inches high and 10 inches across. 

1970 Gremlin Dragster "FUNNY CAR"  Lou Azar's "FUNNY GREMLIN" twas turning 11 second quarter mile times which was unheard of for a funny car. Black & White.

1970 Funny Gremlin Dragster in color. Same as above but in rare color with small border.


1970 AMC AMX In Studio. AMC released a majority of their press release photos in black and white as they simply showed up better in media. This car is a 390V8, note the silver stripes in the grill, something oft debated with AMC fans. My guess is that the car in the photo was probably Golden Lime Metallic with the upper reverse C stripe. The actual photo itself is 5 inches from top to bottom and 10 inches across, (as original is) but the photo has border enough to easily fit in a 8X10 frame.


1970 AMX with Slinky model. The caption on the bottom reads: FOR PM RELEASE TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 9, 1969. American Motors' sporty two place AMX for 1970 is slightly longer than its 1969 counterpart and features increased horsepower and performance. A 360 cubic inch four barrel V8, rated at 290 horsepower, and four on the floor transmission are standard. For 1970, the AMX has a longer hood with a new stamped in power blister. With a new optional performance package, the dual power blister openings become part of a new functional ram air induction system. The longer hood and a slight reduction in height, achieved through new 78 Aspect Ratio fiberglass belted tires, give the AMX a lower silhouette."

1970 AMX with slinky model COLOR. Same as above but this photo was for Dealers, not Press.

1970 AMX Design Studio w/model. New 1970 AMX in Kenosha studio with pretty model leaning against vehicle. August 1969.

1970 AMC Rebel Machine Dallas, Texas 1969 introduction. American Motors 'New Supercar' press photo from the NHRA Nationals in Dallas Texas in October 1969. This was AMC officially introduced the new red, white & blue Rebels to the public, of which got Press Release Kits from AMC.


1970 AMC Rebel Machine 'speed photo'   this is a side shot showing the car accelerating, nice side view of the only year Rebel Machine and last year of the great Rebel Series!


1970 AMC Rebel Machine "Tri" photo: this unique three in one shot shows a great 1/4 panel rear angled view, a close up of THE MACHINE on the side of the car, and a close up of the 0-8000RPM tachometer on the hood! The car was a red, white and blue painted vehicle. See my Planet Houston Registries list for more information about these rare birds.

1970 AMC AMX III in Rome, Italy. Only 6 of these were built by Bizzarini and AMC in 1970, a design by Dick Teague. All 390, transaxled. All six are still known to exist, the last one was "found" in a Detroit basement in 1999. Many of the unfinished parts and bodies are still known to exist, and one customizer is said to start reproducing them in the near future!

1970 AMX 3 Dick Teague & Giotto Bizzarrini Rome Italy photo shoot. This photo taken in Rome in 1969, shows AMC styling chief Dick Teague (L) with visionary & auto designer Giotto Bizzarrini (R) with a production prototype 1970 AMX/3 near Colosseum before shoot, one of the models in background; the actual press photo would be given to dealers later with memo.

1970-71 Mark Donohue Trans Am Javelin Michigan International Speedway Dealer Promotional photo Mark Donohue stands proudly next to the new generation Javelin AMX at Michigan International Speedway in this 1970 photo. Note only Sunoco is logoed sponsor in this early photo of the #6 Trans Am Javelin. This black & white AMC press photo was for dealers ONLY and is rarely seen. Worth noting is Mark's red, white and blue AMC Racing Team jacket, the new front underbody spoiler, all lights intact, but has hood pins added, and you can see the huge side exhaust protruding from under door, and also roll bar. Also worth noting is the rounded edge front amber marker on fender, (regular production saw squared edged ones in 70-71) stainless wheelwell trim, rocker moldings, so this ultra early shot is before Team owner Roger Penske got ahold of it! 

1971 Mark Donohue Elkhart Lake Javelin AMX Autographed. Possibly one of the rarest of all my photos, simply because of Captain Nice's autograph. Shows his car with him in it at speed at Elkhart Lake in 1971. 

1971 Shirley Shahan Drag On Lady Gremlin. The Shahans, better know as H.L. & Shirley raced a variety of AMC vehicles thru the years, some more well know than others like the Drag On Lady Hurst Super Stock AMX! They also raced Hortnet & Gremlin. This is a rare copy of my Polaroid photo with Shirley standing next to their 1971 Gremlin. It is my understanding the car still exists although I have not heard or seen it's whereabouts since early 1990s. The Gremlin was running 9's @ 140mph for the Shahans in 1971-72. 7x10.

1971 Sunoco Penske AMX Xray! photo of the Roger Penske owned and Mark Donohue driven terror of the circuit. It took about 300 hours and $60K (in 1971 $$) to build this Trans Am winner. This shows the cutaway insides of the car over the skin. If you own a 71-74 Javelin or AMX, or are a fan of the Trans Am cars or Mark Donohue or Roger Penske legends this photo is a must for your collection.

 
1971 AMC AMX in your face shot: This unique photo shows a 401 new bodied AMX close up and personal, of which these had the most powerful production engine AMC ever produced with the 401 sporting 330hp in 71. Note one year only wire mesh grill in silver, not black, also only 71-72 would have these types of front bumper guards, and length of car chrome strips side body moldings.


1971 AMC AMX on the track: For AM Release Tuesday September 15, 1970 This particular car in the photo shows the hood T stripe that never saw production. As with most Press Release photos, this one also does not have a antennae mounted. Information provided on the new style 71 AMX is at the bottom of the photo. Note Rebel Machine 15" rims on the vehicle; these rims are commonly called "Rebel Machine" rims, although the proper name is styled 15" road rims, AND THEY WERE A OPTION ON ANY 1970 THRU 1972 Ambassador, AMX, Javelin, Matador or Rebel.

1971 AMC Trans Am Javelin AMX Roy Woods George Follmer signed American Motors Trans Am Javelin going thru the paces at either Watkins Glen or Elkhart Lake (sorry, don't remember) in 1971, this is the formidable Roy Woods Racing Team. The photo is signed by George Follmer, the LEGENDARY driver who raced in Can Am & Trans Am to name a few, and in 1972 **WON** the Trans Am Championship for AMC driving this Roy Woods Javelin, taking 4 wins in 6 starts.

1971 Trans Am Javelin; Mark Donohue leading the pack in the Team Penske Javelin 1971. AMC won the Trans Am championship in 1971 and 1972. This Sunoco-Goodyear-Sears Javelin prepared by Roger Penske, driven by Mark Donohue had scored 6 wins already when this photo was taken. And a high finish at the Michigan International Raceway would sew up the championship for them! The Trans Am Championship race at MIS was 70 laps (209.70 miles) for a $30,000 purse; the track is just under three miles in length (2.997 miles) and 40 cars participated. Last time Donohue ran the MIS, July 18th, he won a USAC sanctioned 200 miles race for indy cars on the two mile oval.

1971 AMX Javelin Roy Woods Trans Am Autographed. This Trans Am Javelin was in Texas for years, based in the Gonzalez collection. Quite breathtaking to sit in this thing, knowing it's history. 


1971 AMC SC/360 Hornet! Only Press Release Photo AMC offered of these rare cars. The SC/360 is often looked upon as AMC's 'forgotten musclecar'. Only 784 were produced. The car in the photo was allegedly Electric Blue. Note no trim rings, this is how them came. These were bare bones, no nonsense musclecars, read the info on my Registry. This is a real nice photo, but damn, the model looks like a Klingon woman. Photo is 9 1/2 inches across, and 6 inches from top to bottom. Caption on the bottom reads: FOR A.M. RELEASE, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 1970. Public Relations---American Motors, Detroit, Mich. 48232. This was...THE ULTIMATE HORNET. Too bad they were 'limited' with the 290hp 360V8 and AMC didn't take it one step further with a 330hp 401 that year!

1972 LAPD (police) Matador American Motors executives Stuart Reed (C) VP Manufacturing & John F Anderson (R) VP Engineering/Research, stand with a unidentified Los Angeles Police Officer in 1971 next to new 1972 AMC Matador 401. LAPD ordered a substantial amount of these 401 Matadors after testing them against Plymouth & Dodge. The rest is history. The press photo was inhouse to share holders in memo about AMC's growing 'Fleet Sales'. The 73 & 73 Matadors were also featured in CHiPs & Adam 12 Series, along with Dukes of Hazzard shows. Note LAPD Matty does not have all police decals and logos in this early photo.

1972 Trailer-Train Milwaukee marshalling yard November 1971. Loaded with over 32 Gremlins, Hornets & Sportabout models on lower two levels, on top is a red 72 Javelin SST, behind it a number of Matadors & Ambassadors. The Gremlins are in a wide array of 1972 colors, and were AMC's top selling vehicle. How many of you ever saw one of these Trailer Trains loaded with new American Cars, much less American Motors cars? 

1972 Pierre Cardin Javelin w/memo; only 4152 Pierre Cardin Javelin produced by AMC from 1972 thru 1974, they are some of the more collectible AMC's other there with their striking seats, headliner, door panel inserts in Chinese Red, silver, plum and whileon back background. This Kenosha Studio photo PREDATES the release of the Javelin.....December 15th, 1971, so was probably taken late November 1971.***BONUS*** I will also enclose a complimentary Product Information Bulletin, AM-72-5, dated 12/15/71 to you: TO: All American Motors Dealers. SUBJECT: New "Cardin" interior. In it, AMC let's dealers know production of the new Cardin interior will begin Feb 1st, 1972 and will be priced at $84.95 ADP. And of course the announcement will happen at Chicago Auto Show Feb 26th-Mar 5th (1972) and legendary designer PIERRE CARDIN himself will be present to launch the program to the press (Feb 25th). The rare memo is signed by the late, great, Carl Chakmakian, Manager of AMC Product Information Department.

1972 Team Highball Levis Gremlin George Alderman & Amos Johnson Autographed One of the more famous photos of the Team AMC Levi's Gremlin in 1972/3 leading the pack. This one is a copy of my original SIGNED by both Amos Johnson and George Alderman, which are both IMSA racing legends. The Gremlin was sponsored by Levi's and Dick Holland Motors. Drivers also included Whit Diggett, James Muller of the ZERO GREMLIN. 

1972 Drag Gremlin Bob King Dealership. Great looking photo of the Bob King Gremlin sitting in front of their dealership in 1972. If you look closely you can see a little Hornet behind it, and also in the window is a poster with "Gremlin Wins Again!" with the famous photo above with Amos Johnson Team Highball! 
*this photo was removed as per the original owners request and is no longer for sale.

1972 Gremlin Kenosha Assembly Line UAW. Unusual photo of a Gremlin getting final touches on the East Line in Kenosha, Wisconsin in 1972. There is a worker under car in 'the pit' while another on the right has a cigarette hanging out mouth. Gotta luv them United Auto Workers. Many parts can be seen in rafters in upper left although unidentifiable. 


1972 Astro Spiral Javelin: This fleet of unusual cars were part of the J. M. Productions Hells' Drivers tour, which also included many Gremlins, Matadors and Hornets. This "Stunt" of driving a car roughly 42mph up a ramp, spinning in a 360 degree turn and landing on another ramp was first performed in the Houston Astrodome here in the early 1970s, 1972 to be exact. It was also unheard of because the feat was done on computers first, which is common nowadays. Driver Chick Galiano gears up in this photo in the cavernous Astrodome...


1972 Astro Spiral Javelin IN AIR: with flashbulbs popping, hearts thumping, breath holding, beer spilling in the Astrodome, Chick performs a never before done stunt before a sellout crowd of over 66,000 people in 1972!! A almost near perfect landing and the crowd was on it's feet; and word quickly spread about this amazing triumph in a six cylinder 72 Javelin. Several of these cars (I understand there was six used in the tour) still exist in Buffalo, NY.

1972 Astro Spiral Javelin COLOR  J & M Production Astro Spiral AMC Javelin over 30 feet upside down in the air! This death defying stunt was first done here in Houston at the Astrodome. It would later appear at thrill shows all over the country. There were 6 of these special six cyinder Javelins used, mostly stipped with no options and beefy front ends and if you ever saw them land after doing a 360 you would know why. The most famous of this particular jumps was utilized the the James Bond (AMCers call it a AMC Cult Classic!!) film "The Man With The Golden Gun" whereas a red 360V8 powered Hornet hatchback performs same stunt over a canal in Thailand.

1972-76 AMC Interiors. With Pierre Cardin Memo. One of the strangest photos is this one showing what was AMC's attempt to spruce up their image, which it did. They brought on Gucci to do the Hornets; Pierre Cardin to do the Javelins and AMXs; Oleg Cassini to do the Matador; and Levi's touched up a number of the Gremlin and Hornet Series. This photo shows the different interiors and was part of the 1973 Press Release Kit. If you would like to see these great interiors in color, you can find them in the 72-74 (and some 75-76) AMC Color Catalogs listed above. 

1972 Wally Booth Gremlin COLOR Autographed Wally Booth had quite a resume. Twice voted 'one of the top 10 pro stock drivers' by Popular Hot Rodding; Five time national NHRAMeet Runner Up; 70% match race win record in 1970 and 1971; Memember of the US Race team. The Gremlin had a wheelbase of 96 inches, wtight 2300lbs, wheels were Cragar Super Trick aluminum; all fiberglass by Anderson Industries, tachometer by Moroso; Shifter by Hurst; Transmission by Borg Warner. The AMC 360 used was bored and destroked. Displacement was 340cu in; bore 4.160 in; storke 3.125 in; comprsssion ratio 13.2:1; carbs 2X4 Holley 4 barrels; intake Edelbrock Tunnel Ram; Camshaft by General Kinetics; ingnition by Cragar VAP; Spark plugs provided by Champion; and oil by Kendall GT-1.

1972 AMC Pro Stock Gremlin X Wally Booth Waving; Legendary and fan favorite Wally Booth fixing to climb into his 72 Pro Stock Gremlin X at a unidentified, and foggy... drag strip in 1971. 7x10

1972 Wally Booth Gremlin X Launching Autographed One of THREE autographed photos from AMC and Racing Legend Wally Booth in my personal collection. This 8x10 is full color and suitable for framing. This is 1973 and the last year Wally Booth would use the Gremlin X; changing to a new sleeker Hornet X hatchback for the 74 season. Wally Booth, American Motors drag racing star in 1973, jumped off to the fastest start in his 10 year career that season. Beginning with the National Hot Rod Associations's Gatornationals at Gainsville, FL in March, where he won the Pro Stock Eliminator title, Booth went on to win FIVE MAJOR EVENTS before faulting at the start of a run! The string of victories had given him an early points lead for the 1974 Pro Stock Elimination World Championship, well in front of defending titleholder Wayne Gapp. Booth was part of the formidable Booth-Arons (Dick Arons) team. The Gremlin was turning mid 9 second 1/4 mile ET's at over 142 MPH....

1972 AMC Wally Booth Pro Stock Gremlin X Posing; Legendary driver Wally Booth stands next to the record setting American Motors Pro stock Gremlin X which was taking out competitors on the NHRA
circuit left and right in 1972, running 9 second 1/4 miles over 142 MPH. This photo is slightly foggy from my Polaroid photo.

1972 Wally Booth Gremlin X National Trail Raceway. Booth launching hard on another record shattering run. Photo has small border. Rare.

1972 AMC Pro Stock Gremlin X Smith & Childree Alabama;  From Alabama came the 1972 Gremlin X from Smith & Childree, located in Birmingham. This Pro Stock Gremlin was punching out timeslips in the 9 second range at 145 miles per hour, comparable to what Wally Booth, Maskin & Kanners and others were turning. This 7x10 color photo shows the S&C Gremlin lifting off at a unknown track.

1973 Gremlins Marshalling Yard: Milwaukee. One of these Gremlins was the 200,000th AMC Gremlin sold. Several base models are shown of the 12 shown, but two in the very front are X packages, and have rally stripes on them. Note the BIG Gremlin gas cap on one of them towards the rear and the car highest on the ramp. Look closely in the upper left and there is a Hornet on a transport, and to the left of that a Ambassador or Matador station wagon. The photo is of American Motors marshalling yard in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The Gremlin was first introduced to the buying public by AMC on April Fools Day (a car company with a sense of humor, that was refreshing!) in 1970,and thru April of 1973, US production of the hot selling Gremlin totaled 62,659; exceeding in only 7 months the ENTIRE 1972 model year of 61,717 units! This was the second year you could buy a Gremlin with a 304V8 also. 


1973 AMC Hornet Hatchback dragcar: C. Cook was the driver for this Daytona, FL AMC dealership in 1973. This was the FIRST YEAR of the NEW Hatchback Hornet model. Wished this photo was in color, as the hornet sports a r/w/b paint scheme, and to the front is a Gremlin X, and behind the Hornet is a 72 AMX with the window sticker!!!


1973 AMC NASCAR Matador #16 car (not #61 ) A real neat photo of the #16 AMC NASCAR Matador, owned by Roger Penske, and driven by Mark Donohue, later Bobby Allison would come on board AMCs NASCAR program, making them winners!


1973 AMC NASCAR Matador #61: Color. (Not #16 ) Roger Penske owned, Mark Donohue drive 1973 NASCAR Matador. Bobby Allison would later join the party in late 74.

1973 Gremlin & Javelin West Allis/Milwaukee Dealership COLOR Beautiful array of brand new American Motors cars in front of the new Milwaukee, West Allis Dealership in 1973/74. That is a red Javelin in background and other vehicles appear on showroom. This photo was also used in in a movie in 2007. 

1973 AMC SCCA Jeep Wagoneer Gene Henderson Pogue AUTOGRAPHED Gene Henderson had been active in rallying, and in PRO Rallying, since theearly days of the sport in the U.S.  He was the 1974 Sports Car Club of America PRO Rally Champion.  Henderson set the international rally scene on its ear when he won the FIA-sanctioned 1972 Press-On-Regardless in Michigan with -- Horrors! -- a Jeep Wagoneer!  The FIA reacted by banning 4WD, until the advent of the Audi Quattro a few years later.
Henderson went on to compete in the SCCA Production Class in the 1980s witha pair of factory-backed AMC Eagle SX4s, one for him, one for his son.  He also competed several times on the Alcan 5000 rally in Subarus provided by Subaru of America.  He remained active for many years as an organizer and rally worker. If you can ever find a copy of his book "Performance Rallying" buy it.
Gene passed away April 6th, 2005. What better way to remember this legend than with a copy of my signed photo showing Gene getting after it in the American Motors Jeep. The photo is unique as it was signed not only by Gene, but his Navigator Ken Pogue. A fantastic photo for those who love AMC, Jeep, Rally and of course the legend Gene.

1973 Jocko Maggiacomo STEED Trans Am Javelin WINNER Checkered Flag Surprising everyone.....Jocko Maggiacomo takes checkered flag May 5th, 1973 in the Trans Am Series at Lime Rock, Connecticut! Race was sponsored by Schaefer Beer. The team mate in passenger seat holding the WINNER'S FLAG is unidentified.  Besides being the underdog and taking out powerful Team BMW and winning this race; few photos exist of this Trans Am Javelin.

1973 Jocko Maggiacomo Trans Am STEED Javelin Color Side angle of Jocko in action in his Trans Am Javelin!

1973 Jocko Maggiacomo Trans Am Javelin AUTOGRAPHED. Jocko Maggiacomo proudly shows off his decal for winning the 1976 Trans Am championship with his Steed Javelin AMX! Signed by the winner! Extremely rare photo. Few photos of his Trans Am Javelin, and NASCAR Matador exist as most was lost when his speed shop in  Poughkeepsie, NY burned to ground many years ago.

1973 Jocko Maggiacomo Trans Am Javelin leading the pack! Track is unknown, this is a slightly grainy rare photo of Jocko Maggiacomo's Trans Am Javelin leading the pack. The "Steed" Javelin as it ws known, would end up winning the Trans Am Championship in 1976 after many races. Few photos exist of the Steed Javelin as Jocko's Speed Shop in NY burned down years ago, taking tons of parts and archives with it.

1973 Trans Am Javelin Jocko Maggiacomo pulling the STEED Javelin into the pits Beautiful photo front angle of the #63 Jocko's Speed Shop Trans Am Javelin. Their NASCAR Matador was built from a car found in a junkyard, so this is a fellow we can all relate to who brought it home with little support from AMC....he was the ultimate underdog!

1973 Trans Am Javelin Steed Jocko Maggiacomo at Lime Rock Early photo of Jocko's Trans Am Javelin with no decals on spoiler! Jocko's Racing at 309 South Road, Poughkeepsie, NY was the ultimate
underdog, overshadowed by Penske and Donohue; they put together the Steed Trans Am Javelin, then later the Matador (a story in itself) and won the SCCA Trans Am Championship in 1976! Results of Lime
Rock: americanmotorsracing.com This rare photo is of their effort at Lime Rock in 1973. Jocko's Racing was a Speed Shop carrying all sorts of speed equipment from completer racing suits and accessories, to tachometers, custom van flairs air cleaners, Holley items and much more for one's 60s/70s AMC, GM, Ford & Mopar.

1973 NASCAR Matador Dave Marcis smiling. Legendary NASCAR racer Dave Marcis posing next to "The Flying Brick" American Motors NASCAR Matador at Talladega, Alabama before the start of a race in
1973. Dave flashes his trademark smile in front of the Matador, which was a crowd favorite in it's red, white and blue paint scheme. 8x10 B&W.

1974 AMC Javelin stocker Tom Reffner Superamerica Blue Knight Javelin, 
American Motors Javelin stock car of Tom Reffner, Rudolph Wisconsin, even beat Bobby Allison with this Javelin known as The Blue Knight. The car was built by Ed Howe of Howe Racing; Tom won a staggering amount of races with this Javelin....67 in one season. At one point it had Traco AMC engine(s). This photo from 1975 early in the season.

1974 NASCAR Matador Jocko Maggiacomo Pocono side view (description next photo)

1974 NASCAR Matador Jocko Maggiacomo Pocoma head first. Jocko had been successful racing an ex-Penske/Donahue Javelin in theTrans-Am series and had even won the championship (for his class) one year.  So the team had an available supply of Traco engines that could be used in NASCAR. These where a little bit down on power from the ones Penske had, but this was good for reliability. There was very little help from AMC.  The team got no help from Penske or Allison either. The team built the Matador from a junkyard body and a Banjo Mathews frame.  They had never built an oval track car, so a team member went to the Daytona 500 and snuck in to the garage area with the help of some friends in the broadcasting business.  He spent three whole days, taking hundreds of pictures of every detail he could imagine.  With these they went to work and showed up at Pocono with the a car that no one in NASCAR knew was being built.  It had some different building techniques and details they had learned while road racing so it was tough getting it through tech. One of the few things they did get from AMC was the slope nose kit. NASCAR never allowed the nose pieces but did allow the rear side window changes.  This shrunk that large side window down to a  small port hole and greatly reduced lift. They never got the car to handle properly and coupled with the horsepower disadvantage, decided to  switch to GM.  The Chevy engines where built in their shop, and the Matador body was replaced by an Oldsmobile body.  They believe the only thing that was saved was a door panel which may be still hanging up in the workshop.

1974 AMC Matador with model. AMC's all new for 1974 Matador coupe with flashy model, nice angled photo from above. 

1974 Gremlin grilles....odd photo of Evart Company that was the supplier of American Motors parts showing dozens of new Gremlin grilles rolling down assembly line, along with other plastic parts they supplied AMC.

1974 Venezuelan Jeep Llanero Many Jeep folks have never even heard of it. Quite neat if you ask me. This rare 8x10 American Motors Press Photo touts the "new" and unique Venezuelan version of the Jeep CJ-7 called the Llanero. The Llanero means "plainsman" in spanish and was created for the high plateaus of Venezuela, where AMC had a plant. And a BIG market in the 1970s, along with plants in Cairo, Teheran, Costa Rica, Australia and had just started talks with Beijing.

1974 James Bond Hornet, Bangkok Thailand Dealership. Roger Moore don't look too happy about this photo, in front of a American Motors dealership in Bangkok, Thailand, in 1974. The Hornet in the background would later come crashing thru the window (see this photo in the SC/360 Registry file) this was for the AMC Cult Classic "THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN" movie from 1974. Of course the Matador coupe came from the same dealership. This Matador is still around and was owned by Cecil Hughes of England before he passed away in 2003. The Hornet, which does a heart pounding 360 over a canal, is owned by a gentleman in Iowa. The Hornet is a factory 360/727. If you have never seen this movie, go rent it or buy it on ebay. Sponsored by AMC!


1974 AMC Hornet Wally Booth dragcar Twin Photo: Wally Booth was lured to AMC where he proceeded to take his modified 9 @ 10 second Hornets and Gremlins on a can-of-whoopass tour of NHRA dragstrips across North America. This particular car was modified by Booth-Arons Racing. Wally Booth was at the 2002 AMC Nationals in Kenosha, Wisconsin, where two of his former dragcars were on display, and Wally was signing autographs!

1974 AMC Pro Stock Hornet X Wally Booth side photo. Great looking side photo slightly blurry as he took off on another record setting run in the all new Booth/Arons Pro Stock Hornet. Note front wheels starting to leave the ground! Track is unknown.

1974 Wally Booth NHRA Finals Autographed Wally Booth now commanding a new AMC Hornet Hatchback leading him into the NHRA Finals where he would bring home the Championship for AMC. The Hornet handled and launched better (his words in the press release) than the Gremlin he had been campaigning the previous year.  


1974 AMC Mexican VAM Gremlin: *RARE COLOR photo of a red/red Gremlin built by Vehiculos Automores Mexicanos. Some of the neat difference between the Mexican and US built AMCs wer subtle, some were real obvious! This 74 Gremlin sports a Hurst shifter, 1975 type 'Navaho' seats used for Pacer, and checkout the 74 Hornet front clip and VAM unique chrome centercaps. To the bottom of the right reads "Gremlin X 6 Cilindros" Most of the Mexican built AMCs sported the highly desirable 282cid six cylinder, not available in the US or Canada. In Houston here you can buy parts for your 282 at Auto Zones. 

1974 AMC NASCAR Dave Marcis & Gary Bettenhausen Autographed. Rare photo signed by two of the winningest drivers in NASCAR history, and they drove a AMC.


1974 NASCAR Matador Penske Prepared Bobby Allison Driven. Odd press photo given to fans at a number of tracks including Talladegga, Darlington.

1974 Southland AMC Dealership. Southland AMC Jeep looks to be a above average AMC dealership in roughly 1973/74. Shown are several new models including a Jeep Cherokee Cheif(?) Gremlin X in Maxi Blue; yellow CJ5 or CJ7 Renegade perhaps with black stripe, and off to side is a new Matador coupe. Beautiful tall American Motors pillar in front of Southland tells the world that this is where you can buy your NEW Matador coupe, or Gremlin 304V8 or rugged Jeep.


1974 AMC NASCAR Matador. DON'A'HUE New Bodystyle! Prepared by racing giant Roger Penske and driven by racing legend Mark Donohue, this is a early photo of the #16 NASCAR Matador in 1974. *Note the factory misspelling of Donohue on the photo! Yes, even AMC made mistakes.

1974 AMC NASCAR Matador. Bobby Allison Autographed. A PLANET HOUSTON AMX EXCLUSIVE PHOTO shows legendary Bobby Allison and Roger Penske next to the mighty NASCAR Matador! In the background is Drew Pearson's Mercury. This is the #12 Matador. 

**Dave Kanners Passed away in March 2009 after a valiant battle with cancer.**

1974 Maskins & Kanners Hornet X dragster rearview which was whipping up some serious ass on the NHRA national circuit in 1974. In stock trim it was capable of 8 second 1/4 mile times. The Troy based Michigan duo would take this monster all over the US in 1974 wrecking havoc at national events and match races. Awesome drag racing photo for you AMC fans to remember AMC's Glory Days!

1974 Maskins & Kanners Hornet X dragster/profile. The caption at the bottom reads: New Underdog threat--The AMC Hornet X of Dick Maskins and Dave Kanners has become a serious contender for national honors in the pro stock ranks as a result of a extensive winter testing program that has produced legal 8-second clockings in NHRA trim. The Troy, Michigan based duo will utilize their newly found horsepower to good advantage in 1974 with a full slate of appearances at national events and match races throughout the country." In other words, they were kicking some serious brand x ass and taking names. A real neat photo of the guys and the legendary Hornet X!!

1974 Dick Maskin and Dave Kanners front launching You can actually feel and hear this powerful Hornet X dragster by looking at this photo. Powered by Arons-Booth racing, Maskin & Kanners based out of
Detroit, MI would take AMC's Hornet to the NHRA Nationals running 8 second 1/4 miles. The front end is a full foot off the ground in this photo, which is a rare copy from my personal collection.

1974 Matador Coupe twin photo,  this was a introduction photo for AMCs new Matador coupe, the only all new car released in America that year. A nice unusual twin shot! I believe the vehicle was Sienna Orange.

1975 NASCAR Pacer Atlanta 500 Pace Car with Bobby Allison. The caption at bottom of photo is "Bobby Allison test drives American Motors' new Pacer" the press photo was for stockholders, but
(I understand) also given out at NASCAR events in the 1975 season. The Pacer is logoed up with Atlanta 500, and other decals, but I personally do not know if this car was the actual pace car for that event or sponsored display car, not much is know about the car Allison sitting in; Allison was racing for Penske NASCAR Matadors at this time.

1975 AMC NASCAR Matador Racing Team: Bobby Allison posing and smiling like he had drank too much of sponsor's Coca Cola's beverage! This is a legendary shot of a NASCAR legend. The #16 AMC NASCAR Matador in in the background. Note all the different sponsors.


1975 AMX Matador. This *RARE COLOR* photo is 4 1/2 inches high and 10 inches long. It shows a vehicle that will confuse many AMC fans: A Mexican VAM built 1975 AMX Matador! Note VAM license plate and VAM centercaps. AMX is in the stripe on the back, this is what they called the Matador in Mexico from 74-77. Growing up in Corpus Christi, TX, and having relatives and traveling to the interior regions of Mexico, I have seen about a dozen of these unusual AMXs.

1975 VAM Gremlin. Mexican market Gremlin showing off differences with American counterpart from rear view, photo is roughly 7x9 and rare color. Appeared in many Mexican and central American markets for AMC.

1974 NASCAR Matador Daytona: *RARE COLOR PHOTO* A wonderful shot of Gary Bettenhausen posing next to the Mighty Matador at Daytona! The stands are full of race fans, the weather clear, the sky is blue, and the racing was about to begin....


1975 AMC NASCAR Matador Racing Team, Southern 500. *VERY RARE COLOR PHOTO* A PLANET HOUSTON AMX EXCLUSIVE PHOTO. This is from the Lynn Barton Collection. Lynn is holding the flag on the left. Bobby Allison is holding his daughter and the trophy for winning this NASCAR race! Note little Davey Allison is next to Bobby in the arm cast, he would develop a huge following and become a racing legend himself before dying in a crash in the late 90s.


1975 AMC NASCAR Matador Racing Team in Pits; Darlington. *VERY RARE COLOR PHOTO* A PLANET HOUSTON AMX EXCLUSIVE PHOTO, this is from the Lynn Barton collection. Lynn is sitting on the hood of the car on the left in the pits. Note those crazy AMC logoed pants, do you have a pair? I have pants, shorts and a vest of this material!

1975 NASCAR Matador Gassing Up: at Darlington. A PLANET HOUSTON AMX EXCLUSIVE PHOTO, this is from the Lynn Barton Collection. Lynn is pictured here with his butt in the air holding the can behind the #16 Matador #16. Crew Chief Woody Woodson is to the left with blond hair.

1976 AMC Spirit Indy car, Jerry Sneva. Legendary race car driver Jerry Sneva posing next to the #73 National Engineering/Spirit AMC Indy car #73 in 1979. This car hit 184mph before dropping a piston and finishing 31st at Indy. The car sports "AMC EXPERIMENTAL" below the white line below Sneva and on the
rear spoiler is American Motors corporate logo.

1977 AMC Pacer station wagon gift with Santa Claus's Elf. Decades before Lexus & their annoying song and barrage of commercials around Christmas with a bow around their Pacer looking vehicles came out, AMC did it FIRST. So next time you hear Lexus chimes, think about this good looking car & equally good looking AMC Elf in your driveway!

1977 AMC Hornet AMX. Production figures vary on just how many of these were actually made, some say 5306; others say around 2500. Regardless, it was the final year for the strong selling Hornet Series, and AMC would go out with a bang with it. Sure wished they had dropped in the 360 and made available a 4 speed with it! This photo was release in 1976 by AMC and like many other press release photos, shows a number of things on the test vehicle that never saw production.


1978 AMC Concord AMX. The photo was released September 15th, 1977 of the first year Concord, and only year Concord AMX. I have always though this was the most flowing lines of any later model AMX. Note while you could get the new Concord AMX with a choice of colors, the black cars had several unique features to them, sort of like black 71 SC/360 Hornets did! Only 2540 produced, you could get either the 258-6 or 304V8 in one. Less than 200 are know to exist.

1978 Pacer Coupe In Studio

1978 Pacer Station Wagon In Studio

1979 AMC Auto Show Display   Unusual press photo of a American Motors Auto Show Display in 1979. I do not know where this auto show is/was. In the front is a loaded out Pacer, note sunroof, a seldom seen option on any AMC; it also sports Rally rims and bumper guards.  Behind it is a red AMX with black and orange stripes. In the rear is AMC's NEW creation which would be a good seller for them, this is it's 'debut' the new 1979 Spirit. This appears to be light blue with a brown stripe. Note the huge banner with 'SPIRIT' above it. To the left partially obscured by mirror and the convention center pole is a Pacer wagon with woodgrain trim. Behind it appears to be a Eagle wagon, although the Eagle wagon would not be formally introduced until 1980, it was not uncommon for AMC to load up their auto displays with prototypes to gauge public reactions!!! Behind it appears to be another Spirit. Note in the background the "American Motors Corporation/Renault" sign. Chances are there were a number of Renault models in this display however not in this photo.

1979 Spirit with Fire. Unusual photo given to shareholders of the new AMC Spirit in mid 1978, as this new vehicle would begin production Aug 1st, 1978. 


1979 AMC Spirit AMX  First year of the new Spirit, this clean little compact bodystyle sold well. It was the last year for any AMC V8 powered vehicles. Only 3657 were made, with about 1/2 of those having the 304V8. A good number of them remain in some form, as racers love them, especially if stuffing a AMC 401 in one! Photo was released Sepember 3rd, 1978. Note the 'Flaming Fireball' on the hood, totally different from the 'Flaming Bee' used for the 77 Hornet AMX and 78 Concord AMX.

1979 AMC Eagle X-Ray press photo American Motors wonderful 4x4 station wagon introduced in late 1979 as the American Eagle was revolutionary. I have three Eagles and all are driven DAILY in Houston, Texas, quite indestructible vehicles and well ahead of their time. This is a neat AMC 6x9 black and white 'x-ray' cutaway view of the new Eagle showing the all new 4x4 suspension.


1980 AMC AMX. The Axe had sadly already been given to both the slow selling AMX and Pacer Series in late 1979, and only those orders were filled that had already been ordered. Many original brochures and literature for 1980 don't even list, or show the AMX and Pacer, as AMC was focusing more on their hot selling Spirit, Concord...and new 1980 Eagle 4X4s. A pathetic 865 80 AMXs were sold, the LOWEST PRODUCTION of all 1968 thru 70, 1971-74, 1974-77 Mexican AMXs, 1977 AMX, 78 AMX and 79 AMX. You could only get the 1980 AMX with a 258-6. Less than 100 of these proud AMCs to last wear the AMX moniker are known to exist.

81 VAM AMC Lerma Spy photo #1 Extremely rare photo of the "stretched" Spirit in AMC's Mexico City
skunkworks. This is the only vehicle built in Mexico available in Mexico....in 1981. Not available in any other market, and few AMC fans have ever seen one. Note the stretched section with Targa on the Lerma, and the drawings in background on the wall. Photo is about 7x10, black & white. I have a small note from Jorge Pimentel of VAM (Vehiculos Automotores Mexicano) which is hand written: "Don, I am very pleased you have interest in "our baby" the line that we call SERIES 95/96. We still do not have the authority to release the pictures, so please cover up my reputation. Hope to see you soon, best regards, Jorge" A copy of that rare memo will be available UPON REQUEST.

81 VAM AMC Lerma Spy photo #2 Extremely rare photo of the "stretched" Spirit called the LERMA; in AMC's Mexico City skunkworks. This is the only vehicle built in Mexico available in Mexico....in 1981. Not avaialble in any other market, and few AMC fans have ever seen one. Note it is a FOUR DOOR Lerma, and the drawings in background on the wall. Photo is about 7x10, black & white. I have a small note from Jorge Pimentel of VAM (Vehiculos Automotores Mexicano) which is hand written: "don, I am very pleased you have interest in "our baby" the line that we call SERIES 95/96. We still do not have the authority to release the pictures, so please cover up my reputation. Hope to see you soon, best regards, Jorge" A copy of that rare memo will be available UPON REQUEST.


1982 Walker Brothers AMC & Jeep The caption on this Press Photo reads: BASIC BLACK---Black Jeep CJ's are becoming increasingly popular across the country. Like many status trends, this one started in California and spread nation wide. Prospect Pam Shaffer looks over the field of black Jeep CJ's at Walker Brothers Inc, a Los Angeles Jeep vehicle dealer. Walker Brothers was one of the highest
volume dealerships on west coast. Note in background beneath the SELECT USED CARS sign you will find Spirits, Pacers, Gremlins, Eagles, Kammbacks, aMX and even a few more Jeeps! 

Non AMC!

Judas Priest 8x10 signed by all five members! 

OJ Simpson SS/RS Chevy Camaro before he was murdering people! Signed!

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