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1976 AMC Pacer: Dangerfield's daily driver or bargain collectible?

Call me weird, but I’ve had a fondness for this little bugger since the first time I set eyes on one when it was first introduced at the Chicago Auto Show in 1975. One of those love it or hate it automobile designs, the Pacer is, I’d bet money, posted on somebody’s list of ‘worst automobiles of all time’. While its unusual shape was controversial, it made perfectly good sense to AMC’s chief designer Richard Teague who anticipated a growing demand for small, fuel-efficient cars and began Pacer planning way back in 1971.

Owners Club, the Vintage Thunderbird Club of America and the Edsel Club Like Rodney Dangerfield, this little car just never seemed to be able to command the respect that it truly deserved. To its credit, the Pacer was one of the first American automobiles with rack-and-pinion steering– a design which soon became common on all cars. An often overlooked design subtly was its bubble-shaped roof that was devoid of traditional rain gutters found on most cars of the era. This controversial move, on the part of Teague, was criticized by consumers for it often caused water to cascade down onto the seats and interior when the car door was opened during a downpour. But, guess what? Do you see rain gutters on any of today’s automobiles? No. And, speaking of those doors, one interesting feature Teague concocted was making the passenger side door a full four inches longer than the one on the driver’s side. This made for easier curb side, back seat loading of curtain-climbers as well as Schnuck’s grocery bags (which were nearly all paper at the time). This feature was used by designers of the Ford Windstar years down the road.

Pacer’s prismatic palette for 1976 consisted of ten ‘Luster-Guard’ acrylic, baked enamel shades borrowed from the other AMC models;

• Sand Tan
• Firecracker Red
• Burnished Bronze Metallic
• Brilliant Blue
• Medium Blue Metallic
• Seaspray Green
• Silver Frost Metallic
• Autumn Red Metallic
• Evergreen Metallic and
• Sunshine Yellow.

Five additional pigments, unique to the Pacer line, were Golden Jade Metallic; Aztec Copper Metallic; Marine Aqua Metallic; Brandywine Metallic and Alpine White.

Accent paint stripes were offered in Red; Gold; Black; Blue; Brown and White.

Vinyl roof coverings were available in Tan; Beige; Brown; Berry; Blue; White and Copper.

A lengthy, one might call it a laundry list, of convenience, performance and appearance options was available... more than you might expect for a relatively inexpensive compact car.

The uninformed may look down on the Pacer as one of those putt-putt, four cylinder weaklings like so many of the sub compact genera of the early seventies... i.e. Pinto, Vega and Valiant. But the Pacer never saw a four cylinder engine. As a matter of fact, the intended power plant was a GM version of the renowned Wankel, rotary engine which found its way into many a Mazda back ‘in the day’.

Due to production set backs, and GMs decision to shelve the rotary engine plan, an eleventh hour decision was made to drop the standard six cylinder AMC power plant into the otherwise all new Pacer.

Introductory Pacers of 1975 vintage were powered by a 232 cubic inch engine which produced 90 horsepower. Beginning in 1976, a larger, 258 cubic inch in line six was offered with either a single or two-barrel carburetor, producing 95 and 120 horses respectively. Big news came in 1978 when an optional 304 cubic inch V-8 was offered.

Unfortunately, this peppy little performer would only be available for model years 1977 and 1978.
I remember traveling with my first wife, from our home in North St. Louis county, down to DiSalvo AMC (located at 7701 Manchester Road) back in 1975, to look at the new Pacer. And I still recall, as if it were yesterday, sitting in the driver’s seat of a showroom-displayed Pacer, finished in ‘Sand Tan’– a very pleasing shade of... well, sand. The D/L’s interior was done in the optional ‘Basketry Print’ motif which included fairly convincing faux leather seat bolsters with a fabric insert styled a southwestern American Indian pattern. I felt like George Jetson as I imagined myself cruising down Interstate 270 in this little bubble of a car that seemed immense for its size.
"Revenge is sweet", as some like to say... for as soon as the divorce was final, the first thing my ‘X’ did was to go out and buy herself a Pacer! DRAT– that really ticked me off!!

PRESENT DAY VALUES
Pacer just might be the ‘value leader’ in the collectible car hobby as the Old Cars Price Guide estimates you can pick up a number one, show quality example of 1976 vintage, for just under seven thousand dollars. Later models, which had a modified grill treatment which I found very unflattering, can be had for five thousand or less... so says the OCPG.

For the full range of six price categories based on condition and other Buick models for 1956, pick up a copy of the Old Cars Price Guide at your local news stand, book store or classic car dealer.

Pacers may be cheap, but they aren’t all that common as I found while cruising the July issue of Auto Trader’s Classic Cars & Parts magazine. Although I was able to find such rarities as a 1960 Electra King and a 1914 Partin Palmer, not one Pacer was listed. I had a bit more luck on the web with a handful offered in various conditions and respective prices.

If you haven’t decided to take the plunge and buy yourself a computer, you’re long overdue... especially since I recently learned that Auto Trader has gone paperless and is no longer printing any of their books. Starting right now, if you want to search cars for sale through Auto Trader, you’ll have to do it on the internet. (Better get that computer hooked up Ron!) (The youngsters told us this was going to happen didn’t they?)

SCALE MODEL AVAILABILITY
A search of ‘scale18.com’ found no 1/18 scale die cast Pacers, however, I did find a 1/24 scale, AMT promo on one web site. It was available in six colors, one of which was the silver like the one my X drove. A quick search on Ebay found 19 Pacer models listed in scales from 1/16th, a remote control toy, down to 1/87th... HO scale.

Half a century of cleaning and detailing show cars, and half a decade managing one of the largest detailing shops in the metro St. Louis area qualifies Bruce Kunz to offer you his

Detailing Tip of the Week:

Cleaning those vintage wide whitewall tires can prove frustrating, but it’s much easier when you use Westley’s Bleech-White. This spray on product melts away dirt and grime in seconds. After spraying, use a stiff brush to agitate the solution, then wash it away with a flood of clear water. If your whitewalls are really yellow, or have stubborn scuffs and scrapes, the old reliable S.O.S. pad will do the trick.

Trivia Questions (answers below)

Trivia Answers of the Week:

1. What was the final year of Pacer production?
A. 1978
B. 1980
C. 1984
D. 1988

2. What was the name of the apartment complex in which the Jetsons lived, and in what city was it located?
The Jetsons lived in Skypad Apartments located in Orbit City.

3. The third biggest pop hit for the year 1976 was ‘If You Leave Me Now’. Who performed this popular hit song?
‘If You Leave Me Now’ peaked at number three on the Billboard top 100 charts for the year 1976. It was performed by the group Chicago.

4. Born August 27, 1976, this actress played on the hit television sitcom Roseanne and later Scrubs. What is her name?
Sarah Chalke.

5. The average price for a gallon of gas in 1976 was, A. $0.59
B. $0.89
C. $1.39
D. $1.79

6. Which U.S. president was serving in 1976?. 
Gerald Ford served as U.S. president from 1974-1977.

PAST and COMING Don’t Miss Auto Events

I was fortunate to be in attendance for the 2009 AMO (American Motors Owners Association) International Meet at the Gateway Center in Collinsville, Illinois last week.

The event drew a couple hundred AMCs from around the nation. It was a very well planned and exciting event with special attractions including AMC drag racer Shirley Shahan... the first woman to win an NHRA drag racing event. There was also a sizeable swap meet with AMC parts galore for collectors and/or restorers.

The event was hosted by Gateway AMC, the local chapter of the AMO. The weather was great and AMCs of all sorts were shown in the parking lot and inside the Gateway Convention Center as well. 

While there I had the pleasure of meeting some very friendly AMC owners and fanciers including Gateway AMC officers Gary Timmerman, John Schifko and Al Schlobohm who were all very helpful and cordial. These events don’t come to St. Louis often and it was a real treat to be a part of this show.

Don’t forget to attend the big, BIG Truck Show at the Kemp Auto Museum on Sunday, August 9th. You’ll see many great large trucks including my friend Delmar Bequtte’s fabulous Mack B-series eighteen wheeler with Trailmobile trailer. I’ll be there. Ask for me at the reception table.