It’s hard to forget this two-page spread from American Motors that ran in just about every automotive magazine in 1970. Sure – go ahead and laugh. To be honest, I did as well when my dad brought one home on occasion (it was a company car – he didn’t actually go out and purchase one). But it handled well, sipped fuel and was very likely to cost very little when it came time to insure it. Which is probably why CL&P (Connecticut Light & Power) had a fleet of these for a few years. In my mind, I remember dad cruising home during one of the ice storms in the Seventies; there it sat in the driveway nearly encapsulated in 3/16-inch thick ice, engine still warm from the hour-plus long trip.

Couple of things to look for here – well, actually one: the continued comparison to the VW (any guess as to which one?). In-office AMC aficionado Daniel Strohl reminded me that when VW lowered the price of their primary passenger car, AMC beat their M.S.R.P. by (roughly) $1, achieved by removing the Gremlin’s rear seat. I didn’t notice it when I was little, but I see the subliminal patriotism in the ad: white car, red stripe and interior, and the blue hue of the background.

Surely I’m not the only one with some sort of Gremlin memory – what’s yours?

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