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- Before the Pacer became a joke on Wayne’s World, it was a serious attempt at a different kind of small car.
- Designed to be roomy but compact, it initially sold well.
- This one has been treated to an uncommonly thorough restoration and appears to have been well cared for since.
Launched in 1975, the AMC Pacer was something of a breath of fresh air in the small-car segment. Compact but roomy, it had plenty of glass and a friendly, ducklike face. It was also reasonably thrifty to purchase and run, although it wasn’t much of a performer. Fast forward a few years, and the Pacer had become enough of a punchline to be a visual gag as the “hot rod” transportation of Garth and Wayne in 1992’s Wayne’s World. But don’t call it bogus—a Pacer knows how to party on. Bring a Trailer This most excellent red over white 1975 AMC Pacer X is up for sale on Bring a Trailer (which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos). Check it out Garth, an AM radio! We’ll have to get a tape deck installed so we can headbang to Queen. Galileo!Bring a Trailer Even without its star turn, a nicely preserved Pacer is charming as a part of AMC history. Always the underdog compared to the big domestic automakers, AMC built some unusual and likeable machines over the years, always managing to do more with less.The Pacer was designed by Richard “Dick” Teague, a graduate of California’s vaunted ArtCenter design school, and the pen behind one of the most beloved Jeep models of them all, the XJ Cherokee. Some of Teague’s more oddball styling work, the Pacer’s bubble-back look came from maximizing interior space first and then clothing it afterwards.Bring a Trailer This example was restored 20 years ago, with fresh glass at the time. There’s a little bit of wear here and there, but it overall looks like it’s only a couple of years old rather than at the half-century mark.Under the hood is a modest 232-cubic-inch inline six with a single-barrel carburetor, capable of producing 90 horsepower. To set your expectations about acceleration, consider that in C/D’s in-period testing, a Pacer with the larger, 258-ci six sauntered to 60 mph in 16.2 seconds. But hey, at least this car is equipped with a three-speed manual. It’s also equipped with 14-inch five-spoke alloys with white-letter tires. Bring a Trailer
In that 1975 test, C/D called the Pacer “a fresh-faced novelty.” Fifty years later, it still is.Related Stories
- 1975 AMC Pacer Tested: A Fresh-Faced Novelty
- 1976 AMC Pacer X Tested: Double-Barrel Pacer
And hey, should you be near the Petersen Museum in Los Angeles, stop in, and you can see the actual Mirthmobile Pacer from Wayne’s World, on display there for the foreseeable future.The auction ends on September 17.Brendan McAleerContributing EditorBrendan McAleer is a freelance writer and photographer based in North Vancouver, B.C., Canada. He grew up splitting his knuckles on British automobiles, came of age in the golden era of Japanese sport-compact performance, and began writing about cars and people in 2008. His particular interest is the intersection between humanity and machinery, whether it is the racing career of Walter Cronkite or Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki’s half-century obsession with the Citroën 2CV. He has taught both of his young daughters how to shift a manual transmission and is grateful for the excuse they provide to be perpetually buying Hot Wheels.
Source: caranddriver.com
