The AMC Pacer is a two-door compact car produced in the United States by American Motors Corporation (AMC) from 1975 through the 1980 model year. The Pacer was also made in Mexico by Vehículos Automotores Mexicanos (VAM) from 1976 until 1979 and positioned as a premium-priced luxury car.

Design work began in 1971. The rounded shape and large glass area were unusual compared with the three-box designs of the era. The Pacer's width is equal to full-sized domestic vehicles at the time, and AMC promoted this unique design feature as "the first wide small car". The Pacer was the first modern, mass-produced, U.S. automobile design using the cab forward concept.

Upon its introduction, reviews used descriptions such as "futuristic, bold, and unique". The Pacer featured an aerodynamic "jellybean" styling, numerous innovations such as different door lengths. This was noted "as a space-efficient car, seemingly from the future". The Pacer stood out at a time when "Detroit was still rolling out boat-sized gas guzzlers."

Design

American Motors' chief stylist Dick Teague began work on the Pacer in 1971, anticipating an increase in demand for smaller vehicles throughout the decade. The new car was designed to offer the interior room and feel of a big vehicle that drivers of traditional domestic automobiles were accustomed to, but in a much smaller, aerodynamic, and purposefully distinctive exterior package. American Motors called it "Project Amigo" as a fresh design "featuring a body style not seen before, using the latest technology and exceeding upcoming safety regulations". American Motors explored many unique solutions to what Teague called the "Urban Concept" car. Not only different sized doors for the driver and passenger sides were considered, but also using a Wankel engine and front-wheel-drive. The Pacer featured a rounded and aerodynamic "jellybean" styling and it was also described as "the seventies answer to George Jetson's mode of transportation" at a time when "Detroit was still rolling out boat-sized gas guzzlers." Even before its introduction, AMC's Board Chairman Roy D. Chapin Jr. described "It will be a visibly different car, maybe even controversial. It's an idea that represents a transition between what has been and what's coming. Today versus tomorrow." According to Popular Mechanics, "This is the first time in the history of the American automobile industry that a car manufacturer has said in advance of bringing out a new product that some people may not like." The Pacer was in sharp contrast to the conventional boxy and rectilinear automobile body styles of the 1970s. Road and Track described the car's styling "with all those rounded corners, the lack of distinct edges, and acre upon acre of curvilinear surfaces".

thumb|right|Pacer's dashboard design for safety and ease of service instrument panel

thumb|right|upright|Isolated wishbone front suspension

thumb|Engine bay with

thumb|right|upright|Hidden [[windshield wipers]]

American Motors explored many futuristic ideas, but the automaker needed more resources to build components from scratch. Instead, they needed to use outside suppliers or adapt existing components and parts in their production facilities. Unique for a comparatively small car, the Pacer was as wide as a full-size American car of the era. American Motors did not describe it as "cab forward". Nevertheless, the Pacer's layout included wheels pushed to the corners (short overhangs), a relatively wide body, and A-pillars moved forward. The windshield was placed over part of the engine compartment, with the bottom edge of the glass forward of the firewall. Contrary to some reports, the Pacer was not widened to accommodate the rear-wheel drive configuration. The editor of Road & Track asserted that front-wheel drive, as well as a transverse mid-engined configuration, were among "various mechanical layouts ... tossed around by the idea people at AMC," adding that "it's unlikely they ever had much hope of being able to produce anything other than their traditional front engine and rear drive, using components already in production."

The introductory 1975 AMC advertising and literature proclaimed it "the first wide small car". The width was dictated partly by marketing strategy—American drivers were accustomed to large vehicles, and the Pacer's occupants had the impression of being in a larger car—and partly because AMC's assembly lines were already set up for full-size vehicles.

Teague's low-drag design was highly innovative, predating the fuel crisis and the flood of small imports into the American market. Pacer's drag coefficient of 0.43 was relatively low for that time. Teague even eliminated rain gutters, smoothly blending the tops of the doors into the roof—an aerodynamic detail that, although criticized at the time for allowing rain onto the front seat, has become the norm in today's designs.

Also unique was that the passenger door was four inches (101 mm) longer than the driver's door on the left side. This innovation made passenger egress easier, particularly from the rear seats. This innovation made it safer for passengers to use the curbside in countries that drive on the right.

Engineers also took an entirely fresh approach with the Pacer's front suspension and engine mounting. It was the first U.S. small car to isolate the engine and suspension system noises from the passenger compartment. The entire front suspension was mounted on a crossmember isolated from the frame extensions by heavy rubber bushings. It is also different from all other AMC cars, with the coil spring between the two control arms seated on the lower wishbone arm at the bottom and in the suspension/engine mount crossmember at the top. The rear suspension was also isolated, requiring a unique tool to press the one-piece bushings in and out of the mounting brackets.

Other aspects of the Pacer were designed for ease of service, including the dashboard and instrument panel, which utilized a minimum number of easily accessible screws and featured a removable cover/bezel that did not require disconnecting the speedometer cable, as well as providing access to the instrument light bulbs. The Pacer's design was ranked to be equal with the new Aspen-Volare compacts as the most serviceable cars in the industry.

The Pacer was the second American production car, after the Ford Pinto, to feature rack-and-pinion steering. The system was mounted low at the front of the crossmember. The body was also designed with the aim that structural lines protected it from collision damage, and AMC engineers claimed that they succeeded in more than 50% of the car's surface.

thumb|Roll bar roof bump, 1975 Pacer X

thumb|Controversial styling with a large glass area

In the mid-1970s, the U.S. government mandated significant vehicle safety improvements starting with the 1980 model year cars. These included front-end crash testing, side crash testing, and rollover testing, as well as the installation of bumpers that would resist a impact at the front and at the rear. "Full-circle body protection was designed into the Pacer, starting with the energy-absorbing bumper mounts" through upper and lower box-section rails on each side extending back to the front pillars, as well as from the bases of the pillars behind the doors, the box-section members in the body floor curve up and continue past the rear wheel houses. The Pacer was designed from the start to meet the expected stringent safety specifications.

The low beltline and window design afforded the driver outstanding visibility. The Pacer had laminated safety glass in the windshield. The articulated front wipers were hidden when in their parked position, while a rear wiper and washer system was optional.

thumb|D/L [[coupe, before front end restyle]]

thumb|right|Restyled 1979 D/L coupe

General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler persuaded U.S. government authorities that modifying existing production cars to comply with the new regulations was not financially viable. They would face enormous expenses to produce new, safety-compliant vehicles. As a result of the lobbying, the requirements were reduced, including the deletion of several safety features. For example, production Pacers did not feature an actual roll bar over the passenger compartment, but the bump in the roof remained. The design of the Pacer was strong for a small car, making it solid and heavy with protection features that included strong and massive bumpers. The wide B-pillars were described by AMC as having "roll bar-like characteristics". Even with the Pacer's large glass area, passengers are not positioned near the windows because they all bow out from around seated occupants. The Pacer's wide stance also makes it stable and provides a unique feeling when inside the car, providing credence to the marketing phrase used by AMC: "You only ride like a Pacer if you're wide like a Pacer."

The Pacer's remaining safety features were not strongly advertised and seldom influenced a potential customer's purchasing decision. The car's extra weight—due in part to the safety equipment and the abundance of heavy glass—hurt fuel economy: production models tested by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) gave in the city, but or better on the highway (depending on driving habits and transmission), thanks to aerodynamic efficiency.

Initially, the car was designed to have a Wankel rotary engine. In 1973, AMC signed a licensing agreement with Curtiss-Wright to build Wankels for cars and Jeep-type vehicles. (The agreement also permitted Curtiss-Wright to sell rotaries elsewhere.) Later, AMC decided instead to purchase the engines from General Motors (GM), who were developing them for use in their cars. However, GM canceled development in 1974 for reasons that included durability issues, the fuel crisis, tooling costs (for the engines and a new product line designed to take advantage of the rotary's ultra-compact dimensions), and the upcoming (the late 1970s) U.S. emissions legislation. It was also thought that the high-revving Wankel would not suit Americans accustomed to low revs and high torque.

General Motors's change of plans left the Pacer without an engine. American Motors took a calculated risk and introduced the new model. The company's over-commitment to the project resulted in entrapment with so much money and effort in the car's design.

The "outside of the box" thinking incorporated by AMC in the Pacer as the first "wide, small car" attempted to capture a revolutionary change in the marketplace, but a radical departure from what was accepted by consumers as "good styling" was a risky strategy. Only the largest firms can stick with a radical element until it "grows", and the automaker's dominance in the marketplace may eventually establish it as a standard feature. A further complication was the purchasing dynamics and the Pacer's design was focused on maximizing the internal sense of space, while the market focused on external dimensions. Many of the attributes the Pacer incorporated became the goal of all manufacturers in the two decades that followed.

Production and attributes

thumb|1977 Pacer DL station wagon with woodgrain

thumb|1977 Pacer wagon with a ride-on toy car (miniature automobile) for children attached to the roof rack

thumb|1978 Pacer DL station wagon

Coupe

American Motors began the development of an entirely new car in 1971. It invested $52 million in tooling and $8 million in associated expenses to bring out the Pacer. Production began in January and the Pacer was unveiled on 13 January 1975. Sales in AMC dealer showrooms began on 28 February 1975. The Pacer was designed to attract buyers of traditional large cars to a smaller package during a time when gasoline prices were projected to rise dramatically. The new car was well received and seen as futuristic by journalists and buyers. Pacer production, which started at 530 cars a day was increased to 700 a day by April, and went up to 800 per day in September.

The standard I6, with a single-barrel carburetor was optimized for low emissions (all vehicles at the time carried emissions-reducing devices, including exhaust gas recirculation); making the Pacer relatively low-powered ("The Pacer comes with either of two AMC inline six-cylinder engines, both producing 100 bhp, but the larger 258-cu-in. unit deliver[s] better mid-range torque" When equipped with the automatic transmission the Pacer's fuel economy was almost identical between the engines. None of the 1976 Pacer drivetrain configurations included catalytic converters and met California's more stringent antipollution standards. The design was identical to the coupe up to the B-pillar. A new roof extended from the B-pillar to a full-width rear hatch hinged at the roof line that provided an opening down to the top of the rear bumper. Rather than lengthening the coupe's wheelbase, the station wagon featured a extension, redesigned rear quarter panels, and rear side windows. The stretch made the wagon body design weigh only more than the coupe. The Pacer wagon also had a less unusual-looking body style with a squared-off back and straight, almost upright, rear-side windows. The wagon's rear side glass featured standard vent windows, while front vent windows were optional on all Pacers. The broad and rear liftgate eased the task of loading cargo as it opened to a wide, flat cargo area with of space, about 50% more than the coupe. Automobile buyers in the U.S. adjusted to smaller and lighter cars, mainly imports that offered better gas mileage; the AMC Pacer could not match German and Japanese cars. The design of the Pacer prompted changes to the Renault 5 to adapt it to some of the U.S. marketplace conditions. A total of 280,000 Pacers were built. Increasing competition from the Big Three U.S. automakers and the rapid consumer shift to imported cars during the late 1970s are the reasons for this outcome. Automobile buyers in the U.S. adjusted to smaller and lighter cars, particularly imports that offered better gas mileage; the AMC Pacer could not match German and Japanese cars. For 1978 a "Sport Package" replaced the X-Package, and included bucket seats, sports steering wheel, seven combinations of two-tone paint for upper and lower bodyside, and slot-styled road wheels with radial tires. The option package was available only with the I6 or V8 engine.

"D/L" Package: A more upscale edition, the D/L was available for the entire run of the Pacer production and became the base model in 1978. The package originally included a "Navajo design" seating fabric, a woodgrain instrument panel, and some interior features that were otherwise optional. The exterior had additional chrome accents, different wheel covers, and identification badging.

"Limited": Available in 1979–1980, the Limited had leather seats, extra soundproofing, and deeper-pile carpet (18-oz. vs. the standard 12-oz) as standard, plus amenities that were otherwise options, including AM radio, power door locks, power windows, and tilt steering wheel. The exterior had chrome accents, styled road wheels, and "Limited" badging.

"Sundowner": Available through AMC dealers in California for 1975 only, the Sundowner was a basic $3,599 (suggested retail price) Pacer with options that listed for $300 included at no extra cost. In addition to the mandatory California engine emissions controls and bumper guards, the package included "Basketry Weave" fabric upholstery with coordinated trim on the door panels, plus remote control exterior mirror, rear window washer and wiper, styled road wheels with whitewall tires, and a roof rack.

"Levi's" Package: Introduced for the 1977 model year to capitalize on the popularity of the Levi's Gremlin and Hornet, the Levi's Pacer had blue denim-like upholstery and door-panel trim, with small Levi's tags on the front seats. The copper buttons in AMC's other Levi's models were omitted, and a Levi's logo sticker was applied on the front fender. The version, which could be combined with the Pacer X package, did not sell in large numbers and it was dropped for the 1978 model year.

Carl Green Enterprises (CGE) Pacers: these cars, modified by automobile designer Carl Green, had AMC V8 engines plus flares, air dams, and wings. with front and rear scuff molding extensions on the body sides. The two-tone treatment was changed in 1977 to an "up and over the roof" accent paint scheme for the remainder of production.

Moving toward more luxury features, power door locks became available in 1978, and in 1979, power windows were added to the options list. For both 1979 and 1980, a hood ornament and center chrome hood strip were added.

Show cars

thumb|right|1976 AMC Pacer Stinger show car

Pacer Stinger

For the 1976 auto show circuit, AMC developed a customized Pacer Stinger. The exterior featured matte black painted lower body panels and yellow pearl paint that faded to a pale yellow on the roof. The back half of the car had over-the-roof matte black "bumblebee stripes" that continued on the tailgate. The Stinger was fitted with oversize radial tires mounted on Jackman Star (brand) aluminum racing road wheels, a side-mounted exhaust, NACA duct on the hood, auxiliary Cibié (brand) driving lights, as well as a front spoiler and wheel well fender extensions. The Stinger's interior was black with a floor-mounted shifter and front bucket seats with a center console. Black and yellow stripes on the front and rear seats completed the "bumblebee" theme, while the black door panels had yellow side cushions.

AM Van

The 1977 AM Van is a custom van on a three-quarter scale with Pacer lines. Designed by Richard Teague and based on an existing car platform, but without an interior and no mechanical components. It never moved past the concept stage, but "inadvertently foreshadowed the minivan craze that would sweep America in the mid-1980s" as well as the "small worker van" market segment.

Crown Pacer

American Motors was evaluating the Pacer as a compact personal luxury model with the Crown Pacer concept car that was shown at the 1978 show circuit. Starting with the Detroit Auto Show in the fall of 1977, AMC aimed to create a luxury image for the Pacer.

Electric Pacers

thumb|right|1978 EVA Change of Pace front battery pack

Some AMC Pacers were converted to plug-in electric vehicles.

(EVA) of Cleveland was best known for its Change of Pace model – a built-to-order adaptation of the Pacer that was priced at $12,360 in 1978. The company converted over 100 units.

First available in the sedan version, power came from eighteen 6-volt lead–acid batteries to a series DC motor with a stock three-speed automatic transmission. The EVA Change of Pace sedan weighed and reached with a range. Vehicle tests that focused on the electrical drive system including the batteries, controller, and motor "found that the Pacer performance is approximately equal to the majority of the vehicles tested in the 1977 assessment." The electric Pacer wagon was one of the more expensive cars at $14,000. The Lead Industries Association (LIA) sponsored a tour for government and industry officials that featured an EVA Pacer wagon. Consolidated Edison in New York City purchased 40 modified AMC Pacers from EVA. The United States Army also included EVA Pacers in its inventory of special-purpose electric vehicles.

A video documentary about the Electric Vehicle Association's electric Pacers is titled "A Change of Pace." A fully restored wagon has had its original silicon-controlled rectifier (SCR) control replaced with a modern controller and the "hydraulically operated hybrid vehicle recharging system" removed because of its lack of efficiency to use compressed air from suspension travel to power a small generator to recharge the batteries.

International markets

Europe

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thumb|French advertisement comparing the Pacer's shape to a woman's buttocks, 1975|321x321px

thumb|AMC Pacer in Germany

American Motors exported the Pacer to several European nations. Jean-Charles, the AMC distributor in Paris, likened the rounded body of the Pacer to the buttocks of an attractive woman in magazine advertisements. Pacers exported to Europe were available in higher trim levels.

Sales were not very good, but in Belgium, a brand-new Pacer could be purchased as late as 1983.

United Kingdom

American Motors vehicles were exported to the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s and sold by Rambler Motors (A.M.C.) Ltd in London with dealers in London, York, Kent, and Worcester. While other models such as the Rambler Classic, Rebel, Ambassador, and Matador had been exported as completed factory right-hand-drive vehicles, the Pacer was only built with left-hand drive. A British company, C.T. Wooler, in Andover, Hampshire had been in the business for a long time converting LHD cars to RHD and entered into an agreement with AMC to convert its vehicles. C.T. Wooler converted the Pacer to right-hand drive by leaving the majority of the steering gear on the left-hand side of the car and running a chain-drive behind the dashboard from the steering wheel (now on the right-hand side) to the top of the steering column. The car retained its unequal-length doors, designed for LHD markets, meaning that in the United Kingdom, the longer door was on the driver's side, leaving the passengers to use the smaller door, which "in the typically confined British parking spot was virtually impossible". The Pacer was wider than a Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow and slightly longer than the then-current Ford Cortina. The VAM versions came with different engines, interiors, and other components because vehicles made in Mexico had to have at least 60% locally sourced parts. The engine was designed by AMC but was modified and built by VAM. A unique to Mexico straight-six engine was standard. It was designed to cope with low octane fuel and high altitudes. This engine featured dished pistons with a bore and stroke, as well as a unique head and exhaust porting design. Unavailable in Mexico were the V8 engine, four-speed transmission, three-speed transmission with an overdrive unit, or the station wagon body style.

1976

The initial VAM Pacers were the equivalents to AMC's domestic Pacer DL models, except for a longer list of standard equipment and had some of the features later included on AMC's "Limited" models. The VAM Pacer was offered in one version and had no model or trim badges. The standard engine was VAM's I6 producing with 7.7:1 compression ratio, 266-degree camshaft, and a Holley 2300 two-barrel carburetor coupled to a steel intake manifold. The initial production featured a T-150 three-speed manual transmission with a heavy-duty clutch and a 3.31:1 rear gear ratio. All VAM Pacers came with heavy-duty suspension (front sway bar with heavy-duty springs and shock absorbers), power brakes with front disks, power rack and pinion steering, a larger radiator with coolant recovery tank, rigid four-bladed cooling fan, and electronic ignition.

Standard convenience features included a custom luxury steering wheel, column-mounted manual shifter, woodgrain dashboard trim, inside hood release, individual reclining front seats with adjustable headrests, center folding armrest, fixed two-point seatbelts, two-speed electric wipers, electric washers integrated into the wiper arms, 140&nbsp;km/h speedometer, courtesy lights, monaural AM radio with a single in-dash speaker, electric analog clock, heater with windshield defroster, lighter, dashboard ashtray, locking glove box, tinted windshield, plastic door panels with cloth insert and pull strap, dual rear ashtrays, folding down rear bench seat, trunk carpet, sound-insulating cardboard-type headliner (US base model type), and round dome light.

The external appearance and equipment of the VAM Pacer consisted of a full bright molding package (wheel lips, top edges of the hood and fenders, window surrounds, rocker panels), a bright rear panel between the taillights and the rear license plate housing, protective side moldings, front and rear bumper guards, bumper nerfing strips, five-mile-per-hour bumpers with recovering shocks (only VAM car with this characteristic along with the Matador-based Classic line), five-spoke in-house VAM wheels, trim rings and full cover volcano center caps on the wheels, ER78x14 radial tires, driver's side manual remote mirror, radio antenna on the passenger's side fender, squared VAM logo emblems on the fenders, Pacer emblems on the fenders and bright rear panel and a two-step hood latch.

The positioning of the VAM Pacer was different compared to the initial marketing by AMC in its domestic market. The car was focused to be a futuristic and high-end luxury car from its introduction, while the AMC counterpart was first targeted as a small car to consumers accustomed to large vehicles and AMC later repositioned it as a more upscale model. With a high rate of dropouts, "anyone that officially finishes a Baja race is a winner." However, an impact resulted in the destruction of the Pacer's radiator giving the lead to the Ford truck after 21 hours and 20 minutes of racing. Small Cars magazine reported that "admiration was an obvious reaction".

Motor Trend magazine, which was one of many featuring the car on its cover, lauded the Pacer as "the most creative, most people-oriented auto born in the U.S. in 15 years," specifically praising the car's visibility and spacious cabin. He found the rack-and-pinion steering to be precise and the ride quality superior to that of typical short-wheelbase cars. The "tight turning radius" made parking "easy", although he criticized the oversized steering wheel. This review offered one of the first major technical critiques of the car. Testers found the "old-fashioned and unimaginative" engineering—specifically, the heavy inline-six engine and rear leaf springs—to be incompatible with the innovative body design. They also noted it held its own against the larger Dodge Dart, Chevrolet Nova, and Plymouth Valiant. They noted that rear legroom actually exceeded that of luxury "full-sizers" like the Buick Riviera and the Continental Mark IV."

As the years progressed and the mechanical underpinnings aged, initial enthusiasm shifted toward criticism of its performance and weight. By 1978, the initial excitement had cooled. As competitors introduced lighter, front-wheel-drive models, critics increasingly focused on the Pacer's lack of power and poor fuel economy. Recent retrospectives in Hemmings Classic Car magazine describe the Pacer as an "intriguing" and "brave" attempt to redefine the American car, concluding that "you don't get cars like this any more".

<!-- Only add entries to this section if they had an appreciable effect on either the sales or public image of the car. -->

thumb|Wayne's World Pacer

thumb|Windshield cover to resemble Cars movie character

The AMC Pacer's distinct aesthetic — characterized by its "fishbowl" glass area and wide, rounded proportions — made it a recurring symbol of 1970s eccentricity in popular culture. Originally marketed as the "car of tomorrow," its polarizing design has since transformed from a "disastrous" automotive punchline to a celebrated cult icon.

In 1976, an AMC Pacer X was used as product placement in the hit French film The Wing or the Thigh (L'aile ou la cuisse), driven by the French actor Coluche.

The Golden Girls sitcom during the late 1980s refers to the car's then-tarnished reputation; the character Dorothy was jokingly described as "the biggest disappointment to hit the streets since the AMC Pacer".

The Pacer's most significant cultural reappearance occurred in the 1990s, where it transitioned from an "ugly duckling" to a cinematic star, often used to signify nostalgia or youthful counter-culture.

Wayne's World and Wayne's World 2 include perhaps the most famous Pacer in history: the 1976 "Mirthmobile" driven by Wayne Campbell and Garth Algar. After the movie's Pacer sat unused for two decades, it was restored to its movie specifications and sold for $37,000 at the 2016 Barrett-Jackson auction.

In the animated film, A Goofy Movie, Goofy's much-abused family car is a stylized, cartoonish version of a 1978 Pacer station wagon. Director Kevin Lima chose the design because his elementary school was located near an AMC dealership.

The Good Burger features a blue 1976 Pacer modified into the "Burgermobile," with a massive hamburger on the hood, pickle-themed hubcaps, and illuminated red arrows for turn signals. After falling into disrepair, the vehicle was restored by a collector in Daytona Beach, Florida. It was sold in 2019 to the owner of the Hi-Pointe Drive-In in St. Louis, Missouri.

In Cars 2, the Pacer was introduced to a new generation via the character "Acer" and a group of fellow 1975 Pacers who served as the film's "lemon" antagonists.

The Pacer's "goofy" cult status made it a popular choice for artists like Eminem, who featured a blue 1978 coupe in his music video for The Real Slim Shady.

Cultural retrospectives highlight that the Pacer was "years ahead of mainstream thinking" in terms of pedestrian-friendly design and space-efficient urban transport. While it was the "butt of jokes" for decades due to its fishbowl appearance and perceived lack of power, it is now ranked in lists of the "Cars In Movies That Became Pop-Culture Icons".

Legacy

thumb|1975 AMC Pacer in the [[AACA Museum collection]]

The AMC Pacer was one of the first American compact cars introduced during the 1970s fuel crisis. It has "inevitable quirks ... it remains a tangible slice of automobile history." The marketplace was changing and AMC developed an innovative and unconventional design that "collectors often value cars that represent significant moments in automotive history".

Hemmings Motor News noted that small cars have always played a role in U.S. automotive history, and that "among those produced during the late Seventies, the AMC Pacer was an economical giant, in a manner of speaking." Now old enough to be a "classic car", the Pacer has come to be regarded in some quarters as a 1970s design icon. According to Business Week, the 1970s were "infamous for disco, Watergate and some of the ugliest cars ever." The "roly-poly" Pacer was one of the few of that era that had "real personalities" and it embodies a sense of "artful desperation" making it "stand out from the crowd and epitomize at once the best and worst of the seventies".

According to CNN Money, Pacer values are on the rise. Cars of the 1970s era such as the Pacer are becoming collector's items.—ugly 1970s-era cars—prompted the CEO of a major collector-car insurance company to buy a Pacer The car has also become recognized by collectors in Europe.

Several national and regional AMC automobile clubs provide owner support. Pacers share the drivetrain as well as some parts and components with other AMC models, while new old stock (NOS), used, and some reproduction parts are available from vendors specializing in AMC vehicles.

Notes

References

  • AMC Rambler Club encourages and promotes the preservation, restoration, and collection of automobiles produced by American Motors Corporation as well as collecting information and printed matter relating to these cars
  • The American Motors Owners Association aiding and encouraging the use, enjoyment, preservation, and restoration of vehicles built by American Motors Corporation between 1954 and 1988 model years