AMC Classic Cars

America's only two-seat sports car besides the Corvette — and it ran 0–60 in under 7 seconds.

The AMX was the performance halo of American Motors Corporation and America's only two-seat production performance car besides the Corvette from 1968–70. Its 390 cubic inch V8, light weight, and aggressive styling made it a legitimate muscle car at a competitive price. Craig Breedlove drove a modified AMX to 186.088 mph on the Bonneville Salt Flats in 1968, setting 106 speed records.

Small, light, and surprisingly fast — AMC's compact muscle sleeper.

The AMC Hornet SC 360 was a compact muscle car built around a simple premise: drop AMC's 360 V8 into the lightweight Hornet body. At roughly 3,000 lbs with a Go-Package that added a cold-air hood scoop and handling upgrades, it was one of the better power-to-weight ratios AMC offered. It went largely unnoticed at the time, which makes it a genuine sleeper collectible today.

The underdog pony car — Mark Donohue drove it to Trans-Am championships against factory Mustangs and Camaros.

The Javelin was American Motors' pony car entry, and it competed credibly with the Mustang and Camaro despite AMC's limited resources. Driven by Roger Penske and Mark Donohue, the Javelin won the Trans-Am Manufacturers Championship in 1971 and 1972 — beating factory-backed teams from Ford and Chevrolet. The Javelin AMX with the 401 V8 is the most collectible variant.

AMC's last true muscle car — more power than it gets credit for.

The 1971 AMC Matador The Machine was AMC's attempt to extend the muscle car formula into the next generation. Based on the Matador two-door, it offered the 401 V8 with a cold-air Go-Package hood scoop, functional scoops, and bold graphics in red, white, and blue. It was heavier than its Rebel Machine predecessor but still offered genuine performance credentials at a competitive price.

One year only, 2,326 built, 340 hp — AMC's most aggressive muscle statement.

The Rebel Machine was a one-year-only special edition built to prove AMC was serious about performance. Only 2,326 were produced, all with the 340 hp 390 V8, a functional hood scoop, and a red-white-blue paint scheme or white-and-red combination. It ran the quarter mile in the mid-14s from the factory — honest performance from an honest small company that couldn't afford pretense.

The Scrambler — AMC's budget muscle car that shocked the competition.

The SC/Rambler (nicknamed the Scrambler) was a one-year-only collaboration between AMC and Hurst Performance that stuffed a 390 cubic inch V8 into the humble Rambler Rogue body. Built to a tight price point, it ran the quarter mile in the low 14s stock — faster than many better-known muscle cars of the era. Its wild red, white, and blue graphics made it impossible to ignore.