AMC (American Motors) Gremlin History
Catalog record
This is a brief catalog introduction with limited source documentation. A licensed, identity-checked lead photograph has not yet been added for this page. Detailed year, configuration and ownership coverage must be identified separately; this page is not a complete vehicle catalog.
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Launched on April Fools' Day, 1970, the Gremlin was the first subcompact from a domestic US automaker, beating the Ford Pinto and Chevrolet Vega to market. AMC created it cleverly and cheaply by chopping the tail off its Hornet compact into a stubby Kammback shape — Dick Teague famously sketched the idea on an airline napkin. AMC pitched it as 'the first American-built import.'
It offered an unusually wide range of engines for a small car, from AMC's 232 and 258 sixes up to a 304 V8, and even a 2.0-liter VW/Audi four added in 1977. The popular X package (from 1971) added stripes, bucket seats, and slotted wheels, while the 1973 Levi's edition trimmed the interior in copper-riveted denim-look spun nylon (real denim was barred by fire codes).
The Gremlin sold strongly for AMC — 671,475 were built before the restyled Spirit replaced it after 1978 — and it remains an icon of 1970s American small-car styling.
Body styles
- Two-door sedan / hatchback (Kammback)
Notable special editions & performance variants
Levi's edition
Interior trimmed in denim-look spun nylon with copper rivets and red Levi's tabs (real denim was barred by fire codes).
X package
Sporty appearance option (about $300 at launch): bodyside stripes, bucket seats, slotted wheels, blackout grille, and 'X' decals.
Related models
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