1979 AMC Spirit AMX

For 1979 the AMX name moved onto AMC's new Spirit liftback body, offered with either the 258 six or a 304 two-barrel V8. Wikipedia describes the Spirit AMX package as color-matched fender flares and air dam (switching to flat black for 1980), a Rally-Tuned suspension with larger sway bars and adjustable Gabriel Strider shocks, 14-inch wheels wearing ER60x14 raised-white-letter radials, a rear spoiler, stripes and decals, and a Rallye gauge package, though that description has not yet been checked against AMC's own 1979 or 1980 literature. AMX served as the Spirit's performance-image model for 1979 and 1980 before being replaced by the Eagle SX/4.^1,2

No Spirit AMX production figure was found in any primary source consulted; Wikipedia's Spirit production table combines every Spirit trim without a breakdown, and this record's own notes state plainly that missing is not zero. The one figure available comes from an unattributed secondary press account, which states that AMC "delivered only 3,657 units in 1979," a delivered rather than built count, with no split by engine or transmission. The record identifies an AMC production report or the Standard Catalog of American Cars 1976-1999 as the sources most likely to establish a primary figure, but notes the relevant Standard Catalog volume is only available as a lending-only archive.org item that has not been read.^2,3

The AMX carried a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $6,090 effective July 1978. Its standard 258 six was rated 110 hp as reported by a secondary press source with the rating basis unstated, while the optional 304 two-barrel V8, described elsewhere as the largest engine offered on the 1979 line, was rated 125 hp under the same unstated basis. Standard AMX equipment ran to a 4-speed floor-shift manual, the G.T. Rally-Tuned suspension, halogen high-beam headlamps, a gauge package with tachometer, Caberfae corduroy or Sport Vinyl custom bucket seats, a full-length console, a leather-wrapped sport steering wheel, black bumpers with guards, a front air dam and rear spoiler, fender flares with accent stripes, Turbocast II aluminum wheels, ER60x14 Flexten raised-white-letter radials, and AMX graphics with a hood flame decal.^4,3,2

Options available on the AMX included power steering, power front disc brakes, and power door locks; a choice of AM, AM/FM stereo with four speakers, or AM/FM/CB with four speakers; an air conditioning package bundling heavy-duty cooling and alternator, a flex fan, tinted glass, and power steering; a pop-up moon roof; turbine forged aluminum wheels; and equipment groups covering light, convenience, protection, and handling (the handling package excluded if the G.T. package was already fitted), plus heavy-duty cooling, an auxiliary automatic transmission cooler for V8 cars, a cold-climate group, and an altitude-driveability option. Heavy-duty items extended to a stronger battery, air shocks, manual heavy-duty shocks, and a Twin-Grip limited-slip differential.

On a 96-inch wheelbase, the AMX measured 168.5 inches long, 71.8 inches wide, and 51.6 inches tall, with a 58.1-inch front and 57.5-inch rear track, 24.8 cubic feet of cargo volume, and a curb weight of 2,970 lb. Axle ratios varied by engine, transmission, and emissions region: the 258 ran 2.53:1 in 49 states with either transmission (2.73:1 in California), while the 304 ran 2.87:1 with the 4-speed and 2.56:1 with the automatic, rising to 2.87:1 at high altitude or with the Twin-Grip differential. AMC's 1979 color chart marked nine of its colors "All Carlines Except AMX" and one for the Pacer only, leaving six colors for the AMX: Olympic White, Classic Black, Wedgwood Blue, Saxon Yellow, Morocco Buff, and Firecracker Red, with no per-color production figures known.