how many amcs left

How Many AMCs Are Left??

Updated 2019

So how many AMCs of certain model left? AMC fans, buyers, & sellers ask me almost DAILY. Let's start with production, (how many made calendar year) then colors,
then options and try to break it down. NO! There is no breakdowns of regular production colors like Wild Plum Metallic. AMC didn't keep those figures, only big bad. If your car is Classic Black, before 1973 even though this was a regular production color AMC would still soak you $54 on a "surcharge" to pain it black. $54 in say 1968 dollars was a LOT of money. You have popular colors and not so popular colors, some years like 1970, AMC seemed to paint half or production that horrible Golden Lime Metallic since they probably got great deal from their paint suppliers DuPont, Rinshed Mason & Martin Senoir. Maybe OTHER automakers didn't want it, but LOTS of 1970 AMCs were painted that color, not because popular, but because AMC had a lot of it obviously, so much it extended in1 1971 production as a 'carry over color'. White popular in 1968, as was Matador Red in 1968-90, while Bittersweet Orange popular in 1969, Maxi Blue in 1974. Black was extremely popular in 1973-74 no more surcharge. Plum was also high on list same years. Tijuana Tan & Moroccan Brown both bottom dwellers in 1970. Same for Hunter Green, Skyway Blue & Admiral Blue for 72, few people wanted those although stunning colors.

There is a company in Hemming's (AIG) that has advertised for many years that "HOW MANY ARE LEFT?" where they will charge you $25+++ to tell you a number. Bullshit. They look at how many are registered in different states. That is not accurate. For instance, how many of you have a AMC? Of those, how many are licensed? Or "road worthy?" Myself included. I have 17 AMCs, but only 10 are in the computers in the State of Texas. Many states like Texas, dump a vehicle off computers after only 2 years. There are 18 million vehicles in Houston. And only 254 AMCs are registered. (2010) I have 10 registered, and 7 are not. So how did I come up with this idea?

My guesses here, and that is all it is, is nothing more than a compilation of cars I have documented at many different local, and national shows since the 1970s. In Kenosha 1998 Homecoming, I'm not sure how many of you got photos of every car there. I did. Over 1000 cars. And wrote down VIN numbers & many cases, door tag numbers much to the chagrin of some of the owners, but no one seemed bothered by it either, the numbers for own research and documentation. It's what I DO. (Unless it was late arrival or early leave the field). Some cars have a better survival than others. While we hold these cars in high regard, others don't. I can't begin to tell you how many SC/Ramblers and Rebel Machines I have seen crushed for example. Some have a unusual high rate of cannibalism. Have seen people buy a whole running, driving AMX only to use it as a parts car, especially sheetmetal like 1/4 panels. Some are not willing to spend the money on individual parts, especially model year 1970, that is why that is the most cannibalized year of all, too many one year only items unique to 1970. Others had some serious quality control problems like 1976 thru 79, especially with rusting. Others were more venerable to rust like any convertible AMC made. Side note on 1970: many of the items everyone destroyed the cars for in 1970s and 1980s like ram air, dash eyebrow, grille, simulated exhaust moldings, dash woodgrain overlays, tail lights, tail light housings, back up lens, Hurst shifters, many of these items have been reproduced as technology continues to improve. It does not bring back all those AMCs destroyed for parts in past decade, nothing will, but quality of survivors has improved as more and more parts are reproduced for the remaining cars.

So let me attempt to tell you for free. And no charge, and I specialize in them and have for years and again, have documented many. No Ford, No Chevy, No Mopar. I may be way off base, chances are my figures here (unscientific!) are probably going to be closer than anyone else's guesses. And that is all it is, speculation. Guesswork. Some will tell you that generally 10% of a certain model is still around 25 years later. I think that is too high.

When you look at the big picture, just about every auto American Motors made is "rare" this far into the game after AMC's demise. The late, great Dick Teague (shown on left with Giotto Bizzarrini in Rome with 70 AMX/3) who designed many cars like AMX, Javelin, Pacer, Gremlin used to marvel at people restoring his creations in the 1980s; like the AMX. He said the cars were not intended to last that long in a interview in the late 1980s. Not that they were not good, solid cars, but many of them were beat to shit. Many muscle cars are, then and now. New and old.

Some vehicles like Big Bad Colored cars are few. I estimate for instance 13 1970 AMXs are know to exist in Big Bad Green. Some vehicles, like Rebel Machines in solid colors, like Big Bad Blue, my estimate is 5; or for Hileah Yellow 5-7. When you start 'crunching number' further like how many left 68 Rebel convertibles with a 343, the numbers drop dramatically. About 24. But for some, they are extinct. For instance, only 299 1969 AMXs were made with a 290V8/AT combination. Lowest production of all three years of two seaters. I passed on a 69 AMX 290/AT in Big Bad Orange for $2700 for sale in Texas. So 284 BBO 69 AMXs made, but how many of those would have been 290/AT? This is possibly the only one left in existence sadly.
While I love 290 and 343 AMCs, many do not and parted them out. For instance in 1989 a guy bought three rustfree 68-69 AMXs for $1500 in Washington. He cut the rustfree 1/4s off them, selling those for $800 each, the rest was profit. In 2012 I parted out three 74 AMXs, all rust buckets, but some might disagree and try to save them. Hard to same when unibody broken thru though. No one wanted, nor cared for the 304/904 setups in two of them, so sold for scrap for $189. A running 68 Ambassador (search youtube for 68 ambassador parting out) has a GOOD running, 290V8. No one wants it for $300 in 2 years of ads. Think about it, where are you going to find a running almost 50 year old engine for your classic 1966-69 AMC Ambassador, AMX, American, Javelin, Marlin, Rambler, Rebel should you wish to do a correct restoration of a VIN "N" coded car? Sadly this car will be hauled to scrap by time to read this due to LACK OF INTEREST.
How many Hurst SC/Ramblers started their lives as a "B" paint, only to be turned into a more popular "A" paint later? There is no way to determine this. I have often wrote about how many Donohues and Trans Am Javelins have been built after the initial run in 1970. Have built about a dozen "Donohues" myself thru the years. How many SC/360s were painted black, and of that tiny number, how many are left? Possibly 3.

You will see repeatedly on my site that RARITY DOES NOT EQUATE MARKET VALUE when it comes to AMC. Here is great example ONE OF ONE made, sold for dismal $6500 in 2012, it is the Ben Carco Raffle Giveaway AMX.

The bottom line is that NOW, just about "ANY" American Motors vehicle left is outright rare.

But when you start breaking it down, like how many Limelight Green 71 AMXs made with 401, the numbers were small in 1971. I have never seen a 1971 AMX in Limelight Green going back into when my dad worked at dealerships and 1000's of AMXs & Javelins documented since. There was a rare "amc window car" on ebay recently a G7 Alpine White 74 AMX 360/AT for sale for $12K in 2012. Beautiful car, 1975 color, built in the odditiy 'time window' mid July 74 thru end of November 74. Most thought someone doctored the door code, it was not, just one of those 74s painted 75 colors you won't find in any book. How many 74 AMXs with steel hoods? Unmolested vehicles built past the production extension the government gave AMC. They were built into October and November 1974. Production supposed to have stopped July 15st, 1974, began Aug 1, 1973 for 74 models, but AMC asked for, and received, a "extension" to continue to produce 1974 models to take advantage of changing emissions laws. AMC also ran out of 360V8 engines too, (due to selling 360s to Bricklin Car Company and International Harvester, the Holmes Foundry in Canada could not keep up with demand) this caused Bricklin to quickly modify and change to Ford drivetrain for 1975. And is probably a reason why so many 304 2 barrel (some with 3 speed standard!) 74 AMXs built & while AMC would later have the fiberglass non cowl induction hoods available again, but did they offer them to those whose cars had steel hoods? I don't know, another story for another day.

Also remember just because a car is in a Registry, does not mean it still exists.

This "How Many Are Left" list will show total production of that model on the left. Then a estimate as to how many remain on the right. For instance 74 AMX Production was 4960. Estimated survivors is 900.

The most cannibalized AMCs thru the years are: any 68-69 AMX with a 290 or 343. Any 70 AMX with a 360. 68-69 Javelins with a 232-6, 290V8, and 70 Javelins with a 232-6, 258-6 or 304. No market, no one wants them and for some models like the 299 69 AMX with 290V8/Automatic no one wanted them WHEN NEW.

Sadly most 232, 258 and 304 1971 thru 1974 Javelins end up parts cars. On the AMX side, the 304 and to lesser extent 360 cars are cannibalized. tHIS IS BOTH n AND p CODE 360s.

The HIGHEST RATE of canibalism lies with two models however, 1970 Javelin (even 390 cars) and 1974 AMXs. Even in the 1970s and 1980s everyone was parting out good 1970 Javelins to get the rare one year only 70 parts for their AMXs. On the 1974 AMX & Javelin models, no one wants a 304 AMX, never have. I like a 304 AMX, but also realize there is zero market for 304 cars. And AMC built a crap load of 304 AMXs in 1974 as discontinuation models, that is, build them (like 74 Ambassador also) which had been given axe, so use up the parts. In 2014 I parted out two 74 AMXs ok, three of them, all with 304V8s. One of them a running driving car could not sell for $2500. See the PARTING OUT AMX file for photos. I left the 304s in them, not one call for the engine/trans combo for only $100. And why would someone drop a $15000-$20000 restoration into a H code 304 car when it might be worth on a good day, $10K ? Even 50 years later!

I could go on here, but if the car does not have a 390 X code or 401 Z code, most people not interested. The fact is AMC didn't build a huge amount of those. See production figures below. I would estimate not ONE of the 71 'base' (795 Series) Z code 401 Javelins built (only 97 produced!!) remain. So if you had a 390 or 401 Ambassador, Rebel, Matador FOUR DOOR or WAGON it is a parts car in 1970s, 80s even now. There were NINE 71 Ambasador base four door models made with a 401. I guarantee you none left by 1980.