Back in 1954 two automobile manufacturers combined to create the largest corporate merger in U.S. history at the time.  The Hudson and Nash Kelvinator merger created the American Motor Corporation an automobile manufacturer who was expected to fare better against the big three(GM, Ford, Chrysler) as both Nash and Husdon were struggling against the more popular and established manufacturers.    

After initially designing compact cars, AMC decided to enter into a more performance oriented automotive segment which began with the 1966 Auto Show Circuit.  The AMX which stands for American Motors eXperimental was originally designed in 1965 by Richard A. Teague who is also known for designing the Oldsmobile Rocket, and the Jeep Cherokee (XJ).   After taking the AMX on the 1966 Auto Show Circuit to a huge and positive response the executives at AMC decided it was necessary to put the AMX into production quickly.  The AMX became the first 2 seat American steel bodied car since the 1957 Thunderbird and immediately became a direct competitor to the Chevrolet Corvette which had a 1” longer wheelbase.   In early 1968 the car was introduced with a price tag of $3,245 which was 25% less than the Corvette.

To get the project off on the right start AMC created two specially prepared AMX’s for track time at Goodyears track in Texas and brought World Land Speed Record holder Craig Breedlove to put the AMX to the test.  These highly modified cars were able to set 106 Speed and Endurance records which also helped to boost sales.  The specially prepared cars were also taken to the Bonneville Salt Flats where Breedlove managed to take the AMX to an official speed of 189 MPH in a sanctioned run and even hit 200 MPH in an unofficial run. 

The 1969 and 1970 AMX were awarded the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) “Best Engineered Car of the Year”.  The AMX was the first car to offer some of the safety feature that no other manufacturer used at the time like, injection molded one piece dashboards, chemically hardened windshields developed by Corning to give under impact and crumble as opposed to break into larger more dangerous pieces and new windshield sealing technology. 

During the time that the AMX was manufactured it had extensive performance and racing success on drag strips where the AMX was a regular contender or even in SCCA where it took second in the 1969 National Championship behind the Chevrolet Corvette. 

In the three years of AMX production under 20,000 models were produced and only a handful of the variations like the “GO” package were ever produced making the AMX  a highly collectible car for both muscle car and sports car enthusiasts.  In recent years it has become a HIGHLY sought after car and many of the collector and auction organizations have bestowed high accolades for the AMX.  In 2007 Hemmings listed it as one of the “21 Hottest cars that collectors want now and will want in the future”.