In the Car Spotter section of the latest Collectible Auto mag.
The poor old Pacer has finally found its true mission in life, 50 years too late. An absurd roadside advertisement. It looks drivable but I doubt that it drives.
In 1975 it was an unjustifiable and atypical self-defeat for AMC. They already owned Willys. When you own Willys you should just let Willys be Willys, support it with capital, and STOP trying to do anything else. Kaiser was smart enough to play it that way, and succeeded.
Instead AMC splurged on a car that nobody wanted, originally designed around the idiotic Wankel engine that no sane engineer would approve. AMC should have stood back and let GM lose millions. Instead they helped GM to develop it, stupidly hoping to buy the result. When GM predictably pulled the rug, AMC had to hastily redesign the Pacer around its own excellent but LONG inline six. The result was a crowded passenger compartment, defeating the original purpose of a roomy small car. The low beltline made you feel insecure and exposed.
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The issue also includes an article on the transition from wood to metal station wagons around 1950. It answers one of my constant puzzles. Why so late? Every maker had a sedan delivery in the 20s and 30s, which could have become a proper wagon by cutting windows in the sides. Easy change.
Here’s a 1929 Hudson sedan delivery:
Why did they keep making wooden “depot hacks” that could only be used in good weather?
Answer: Chevy did make a real metal wagon with rolldown windows in 1935. It wasn’t popular so they reverted to the depot hack.
