Learn Me: AMC Spirit GT

Saw an interesting car today, not interested in buying it myself, but I can't find much info on it. It's a AMC Spirit GT with a 4.2L engine common to Jeeps and with a 5 speed. The only info I can find on these really are about the engine and that it's related to that AWD Eagle they used to sell that I am somewhat familiar with.

Don't know anything about AMC, they are before my time I guess, i'm just curious if anyone knows much about these cars so I can expand my car knowledge, lol. Never seen one of these before but they look like a early model fox body mustang liftback. Seems like a interesting car that someone could build for cheap track day fun, no?

This is probably the only car i've seen in person that I can find almost no info on a google search, lol. Other than basic information.

Take the 4.2 crank and rods, acquire a 4.0L fuelie jeep engine, swap E36 M3 together and have a 250ish HP i6 that'll get milage.

IIRC these had a Peugeot transmission made of glass and straw. Test drove one a couple dozen years ago on a car lot and it was pretty apparent why someone had traded it.

We got our asses kicked by one in a compact-class demo derby about 15-years ago. It had a full rollcage which attached to tubular bumpers front and rear. There was no way it met the rules, so they must have been the organizer's buddy/family.

That was the only time I'd seen one since the 80's. I can't think they made too many, as the Eagle SX4 is way more common - and it would be a stretch calling any Eagle "common".

They were pretty much a restyled Gremlin with a sloping rather than near vertical hatch (which meant that not only did rear seat passengers not have legroom they also didn't have headroom!).

Jeff

Not a bad looking car. I've never seen one tho

I had a '79 Spirit with a 304, 4spd and cherry bombs back in the 80's. It was pretty much a pig but it sounded nice.

My cousin had one with a 1.7 Volkswagen engine with a 4 or 5 speed. This combo was interesting because this is the only VW rabbit engine in RWD configuration I have ever seen. Someone at AMC had a sense of humor.

The Spirit GT was the flared version of the regular Spirit, which was a 2-door hatchback Eagle/Concord, in RWD only. The SX/4 is the AWD Eagle drivetrain in a Spirit body. The Egle, Spirit, and Concord all share the floorpan, firewall, suspension, and some body parts with each other and the Gremlin and Hornet. They also used that chassis for the Bricklin SV-1.

The I-6 is either a 232 or 258 AMC I-6, and the 5-speed should be a T-5. Yes, that T5. AMC used them first. If you take the 258 and combine it with the later Jeep 4.0 (which is all the same engine family), you can make a ~280ci (4.6L) I-6. Hemming's is doing this with a Spirit AMX.

The Spirit could also be had with the AMC 304 V8. All AMC's use the same physical size block, which means a 390 or a 401 will literally just bolt right in. You don't have to change a single thing.

Ohhhh, sporty!

They also raced at the 24 Hours of Nurburgring with Bab's husband (James Brolin) as one of the drivers.

i built one a few years back. started out 258 four speed. did full poly bushings, stitch welded, got rid of the iso-rubber crap on the rear leaved and dropped it at the same time with stiffer springs and addco sway bars. 235/60/15 on dodge 15X7 wheels. handled good, autocrssed well. later swapped to 5.0 5 speed and it got totalled...

rust on these is evil. the amx version wes wicked....

fujioko wrote: I had a '79 Spirit with a 304, 4spd and cherry bombs back in the 80's. It was pretty much a pig but it sounded nice. My cousin had one with a 1.7 Volkswagen engine with a 4 or 5 speed. This combo was interesting because this is the only VW rabbit engine in RWD configuration I have ever seen. Someone at AMC had a sense of humor.

Drove a Gremlin with the same VW power train for a while in the early to mid 80s.

It was a truly awful car.