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The AMC Pacer was a two-door, compact car
produced in the USA by American Motors Corporation between 1975
and 1980, although design started in 1971. Its unusual, bulbous
look and differently-sized doors still make it an easily
recognized icon of the 1970s.
The shape is highly rounded, even bulging from some aspects,
with a huge glass area huge, especially for the time. It was
very wide for a small car, almost as wide as an American
full-size car.
One unusual feature is that the passenger-side door is four
inches longer than the driver's side, the rationale being to
encourage rear-seat passengers to enter the car from the safer
side.
AMC's chief stylist Richard Teague began work on the car as
early as 1971, anticipating an increased demand for smaller
vehicles in the 1970s. This was before the fuel crisis or the
flood of small foreign imports into the US market, so
development was rather forward-thinking for the time. Teague's
original design featured front wheel drive and the use of a
Wankel rotary engine from General Motors, who were at the time
seriously intending wide-scale use of rotaries in production
cars.
The fuel crisis killed off the Wankel rotary; GM cancelled
development in 1974, unable to make an fuel-efficient powerplant
with the technology available at the time. This left the Pacer
without an engine, and while a replacement was quickly found,
this was in the form of AMC's existing straight-6 engine and
transmission, necessitating rear wheel drive. The Pacer design
didn't have room for the transmission tunnel required, but AMC
couldn't afford the time or money to completely redesign.
Instead, the space was created by the simple expedient of
widening the Pacer six inches to give room for the driveshaft.
This left the Pacer unusually wide for a compact car, but gave
it a very good ride and plenty of interior space.
In its first year of production, the Pacer sold well, with
145,528 units. It was an American designed and built compact
car, and that was enough. Competition was not too stiff from
American makes, most of whom had been blindsided by the oil
crisis and the sudden demand for compact, economy vehicles (some
to the extent that they had to import cars from their European
subsidiaries or affiliates), while many buyers did not desire a
foreign-built vehicle (they were also quite expensive). Sales
fell rapidly from there, however, and production ceased in 1980
with only 280,000 cars built. Improved competition and
resistance to the Pacer's unusual styling are often cited as the
reasons.
The Pacer's drawbacks, aside from unusual looks, included a lack
of cargo space (thanks to the fuel tank being relocated to the
trunk) and a lack of power; the Pacer was quite heavy and the
AMC straight six quite old and underpowered. In 1976, a 4.2
litre High Output engine was offered, which helped the
performance at the then-unacceptable cost of much higher fuel
consumption. A 5.0 litre V8 was offered from 1978, but by then
the Pacer was old and outmoded, and it did little for sales.
A station wagon body style was offered from 1977, and was rare.
It featured simulated wood-grain panelling on the lower
bodysides and the rear door.
Pacers made a number of movie appearances, largely out of being
a 1970s icon and being commonly considered an ugly or
weird-looking car. The best known was in the popular 1992 comedy
Wayne's World and its sequel, featuring a number of Pacers
including a convertible and a stretch Pacer limousine.
A number of TV shows and commercials have used Pacers when they
wanted a 1970s feel.
As of 2003 a Pacer is not a highly valuable car, though many now
have 'classic' status at 25 years old or more. The maximum value
listed for any Pacer in the N.A.D.A. appraisal guide is almost
$7,000 US for a 1977 Pacer station wagon in perfect condition.
The cars do have a cult following, especially among fans of the
1970s look.
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