(Updated...) 167 photos from the 2022 AMC American Motors Annual Convention...Javelins, AMXs, and (yes) Gremlins galore....

[tim boyd]

The 2022 AMC/American Motors National Convention was held at the Sheraton Novi (Michigan near Detroit) on the Saturday August 13.

I and my good friend/automotive historian-journalist Ed Ostrowski attended the event and the following images give a good idea of what there was to see.

The heaviest participation appeared to be car owners/restorers covering the early 1960's to early 1970's period. The turnout of Javelins, AMXs, and yes, Gremlins(!) was particularly impressive. Check out the pictures below and enjoy!

Great modeling inspiration awaits....and thanks for looking....TIM

Edited September 10, 2022 by tim boyd

[Danno]

Fantastic!!   Thanks, Tim.

 

Now . . . 

Wot's dat????

 

[Russell C]

4 hours ago, Danno said:

Wot's dat????

I recognize that one from an older Hemmings article I bookmarked into my links pile for custom pickups. Article says it is a "Gremlin Sport" but I'd add the word "Hornet" in front of that. Scroll down this page for the section about it: https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2012/07/17/this-is-why-you-dont-feed-them-after-midnight

 

[espo]

Thank you for the pictures Tim. I always admired what AMC was able to produce with the limited recourses that they had to work with. These were really underappreciated cars in their day and now.  

[Danno]

Thanks, Russell!  Great stuff. 

[Claude Thibodeau]

Hi Tim!

Thanks for the photo gallery. Very stimulating for an AMC nut like yours truly!

CT

[tim boyd]

Guys.....glad you enjoyed the pix.  

For those AMC guys who just can't get enough....here's a link to my photo coverage of the AMC Great Lakes meet held at Greenmead Village in Livonia, Michigan, a few years ago.  (Ironically, this location was less than a mile away from the host hotel for the 2022 national convention...)   Best ////TB 

[NYLIBUD]

Great pics,AMC,is one of my favorite car companies.From AMXs,to Pacers,to Gremlins,and more..And they never seemed to get the recognition they deserved.Thanks for the post.

[foghorn62]

I’ve been a huge fan of the AMC brand since the Rambler days when George Romney was the CEO.  I even bought ten shares of their stock so I could get their annual report, just for the pictures.  Javelins and the AMX were my faves of course, but I’ve always had a soft spot for Gremlins as well.  To this day, the AMX II is one of my favorite exotic car designs, followed closely by the AMX III.  I was hoping to see one in your photos Tim, but nuts!

I seem to recall a T-top Gremlin that you built for an AMT kit box photo Tim.  Do you still have that build?  How about sharing a few pics with us?

TS

[tim boyd]

10 hours ago, foghorn62 said:

I’ve been a huge fan of the AMC brand since the Rambler days when George Romney was the CEO.  I even bought ten shares of their stock so I could get their annual report, just for the pictures.  Javelins and the AMX were my faves of course, but I’ve always had a soft spot for Gremlins as well.  To this day, the AMX II is one of my favorite exotic car designs, followed closely by the AMIX III.  I was hoping to see one in your photos Tim, but nuts!

I seem to recall a T-top Gremlin that you built for an AMT kit box photo Tim.  Do you still have that build?  How about sharing a few pics with us?

TS

Hi Tim....your memory is correct....AMT was planning a series of five mid-1970's "custom" kits based on adding parts to their Capri, Gremlin, Matador, and two other annual kitools I can't seem to recall at the moment (one may have been a Mustang II, and the other a Chevy Monza hatchback).   They wanted to have buildups to show their sales reps at their 1976 or 1977 annual national sales meeting. 

So, AMT contracted me to build the Capri and Gremlin versions.  The Capri version used parts from an earlier release, so that was a box stock buildup (although the fender flares required some bodywork and putting to make presentable). 

The Gremlin, on the other hand, required new tooling for the custom parts, which of course did not yet exist at the time AMT needed the model.  So, they gave me a complete set of blueprints and I scratchbuilt the all-new front-end parts and grille, cut out the T-Top, and did the custom rear roll pan.  I painted the model a pearl greenish-blue, simulated the Levis interior, and finished it to a very high level.  When I presented it to the AMT management team, they voiced that I had gone way beyond what they were expecting with the quality of the build.  Sadly, at that time I did not have a camera or photography skills, so I think the only pix might be an out of focus shot on top of my bed.  Uggh...    It was, I recall, a very well turned-out model and I wish I had it in my display case....   Thanks for bringing back the memories, Tim.   TB

*****

PS - I share your admiration for the AMX II and III, and the second gen Javelin ('71-'74) is a sleeper fave too...plus that Blue Metallic 1968(?) Rebel at the show with the redlines has me wondering what it would take to buy a Jo-Han annual kit of that topic.  Probably several hun....and that's way too rich for my modeling budget.  Oh well... 

 

Edited September 10, 2022 by tim boyd

[foghorn62]

50 minutes ago, tim boyd said:that Blue Metallic 1968(?) Rebel at the show with the redlines has me wondering what it would take to buy a Jo-Han annual kit of that topic.  Probably several hun....and that's way too rich for my modeling budget.  Oh well... 

 

I see why you are attracted to that one Tim.  From that angle, it has MOPAR written all over it!  Preview of things to come?

TS

[Horrorshow]

My brother had a brand new 1969 AM Javelin, big bad green, he is 14 years older than me, he used to take me to Dragway Park in Cayuga Ontario almost every Sunday. He would race it, he won a few trophies. He sold it in 1974. He still regrets it to this day. Great memories, thanks to everyone for the posts!

[Kenmojr]

Thanks for sharing, love these old AMCs....