AMC bet everything on the Pacer then America walked away

AMC Bet Everything on the Pacer—Then America Walked Away In the 1970s, American Motors needed more than another new car. It needed a breakthrough. The AMC Pacer looked unlike anything else on American roads. It was extraordinarily wide, surrounded its passengers with curved glass and was promoted as the first “wide small car.” AMC believed its futuristic design could help the company challenge Detroit’s giants. But the Pacer’s story began changing before it even reached dealerships. It had been developed with a compact rotary engine in mind, but when that engine programme disappeared, AMC had to install a heavier conventional six-cylinder engine instead. The Pacer initially attracted enormous attention, but its weight, performance, fuel economy and unconventional appearance soon worked against it. As buyers moved towards more practical imported cars, AMC’s expensive gamble became one of the most recognisable disappointments in American automotive history. Was the Pacer fundamentally flawed—or was America simply not ready for it? Subscribe to Forgotten Detroit for the remarkable cars, engines and ideas the American motor industry built, buried and left behind. Some imagery in this documentary may be recreated or enhanced for historical illustration. #AMCPacer #AmericanMotors #AutomotiveHistory