AMC AMX III

AMC AMX/3
1970 AMC AMX.3 proto, fL
Overview
Type	Coupé
Manufacturer	AMC
Production	1969-1970
Powertrain
Electric motor	Petrol engine: 6.4 litres (295 hp / 217 kW)
Dimensions
Length	4460
Width	1902
Height	1105
Curb weight	1402

The AMC AMX/3 (alternate spelling: AMX III) is a mid-engine sports car made by the US Automobile manufacturer American Motors Corporation (AMC), which was presented in March 1970 and was to be mass-produced in Germany by Karmann from 1971. With this car, AMC wanted to counter the similarly designed De Tomaso Pantera with a competitor. The body design and drivetrain came from AMC, the chassis and suspension were developed in Europe. The design was generally attributed to Giotto Bizzarrini. However, only individual components such as the suspension come from him. In addition to Bizzarrini, Italdesign, Autocostruzioni S.D. and BMW were also involved in the development. Shortly after the presentation, AMC abandoned the project without giving any reason, after about half a dozen cars had been created. Several attempts to revive the design without AMC involvement under the Bizzarrini brand name - including as the Bizzarrini Sciabola - were unsuccessful. An AMX/3 chassis formed the technical basis for the Iso Varedo concept car in 1972.

Background

First AMX series (1968-1970)

The AMX/3 was created in response to the economic crisis of the AMC Group. AMC, the smallest of the four major US car companies, had suffered significant losses in the first half of the 1960s, which was mainly explained by a technically undemanding model range that was often perceived as staid. AMC therefore initially tried to appeal to younger buyers at the end of the decade with sporty variants of the volume models, but was largely unsuccessful. Introduced for the 1968 model year, the pony car Javelin was three years late compared to the competition, and the Javelin-derived two-seat hatchback AMX received good press as an early muscle car, but sold much worse than expected - possibly because of too much stylistic proximity to AMC's standard models.

In order to give the AMC brand a sporty image, the management had been pursuing the goal of adding a high-performance sports car with a mid-engine to the model range since 1967. This was mainly triggered by the motor racing successes of the appropriately designed Ford GT40, which Ford knew how to use for advertising and which had also prompted the GM brand Chevrolet to develop the Astro II concept car. In the spring of 1968, AMC initially showed the stylistically De Tomaso Mangusta-influenced AMC AMX/2, which was purely a show car and had no prospect of series production in this form. This design was further developed into the AMX/3, which was already a near-production design.

In autumn 1968, the decision was made to produce the AMX/3 in series. Its primary rival was to be the De Tomaso Pantera, which was still in development at the time, of which it was already clear that Ford would distribute it in the USA through its dealer network..

After several prototypes were completed, AMC had promotional photos produced in March 1970 in front of the Colosseum in Rome. AMC presented the car to the Italian press in Rome on 23 March 1970 and to the American press in New York on 4 April 1970. Both dates were one day before the local presentation of the De Tomaso Pantera. From 5 April 1970, the AMX/3 was finally on display at the New York Auto Show, where the Pantera also made its debut. In support, Giotto Bizzarrini drove a few demonstration laps at the Michigan Speedway. However, a little later - depending on the source at the end of April or in the summer of 1970 - AMC surprisingly abandoned the AMX/3. Reasons for the termination were not given. By then, AMC had invested about US$2 million in the project.

Model designation

The usual lettering

The abbreviation AMX stands for American Motors Experimental (mutatis mutandis: experimental model of the American Motors Company). From 1968 onwards, AMC used it for a series-produced front-engined sports car. At the beginning of the development phase, the mid-engined coupé was given the designation AMX/3; this was also intended as the sales designation of the production model that was ultimately not realised. The 3 - for the third experimental vehicle - was typographically mostly connected with a slash. This lettering can be found on some prototypes. However, AMC deviated from this and used the spelling AMX III on at least one prototype. A contemporary sketch also shows a vehicle with the lettering AMX/K, where the K stands for the body manufacturer Karmann.

History of development

The development history of the AMC AMX/3 is not clear in all details. It started with the body design, for which a chassis and a chassis and a body structure were constructed in further steps within seven months, before a test programme with several prototypes was carried out. Numerous European service providers were involved in this process, three of whom were closely connected in business at the time.

Planning at AMC

The decision to outsource the development and production of the AMX/3 to European operations had financial reasons. The management hoped to keep production costs and the sales price low in this way. Series production was to be undertaken by the German coachbuilder Karmann, who, in Rheine, had been assembling AMC Javelins destined for Europe since 1968 from disassembled parts kits. The schematics called for increasing production of the AMX/3 to 1000, after an initial run of 24 cars according to other sources as many as 5000 cars annually to be sold in both the US and Europe. Other sources suggest AMC initially issued 5000 cars a year as a production target and later reduced this to 24 cars a year. The asking price was expected to be US$10,000 to $12,000 . This was about three times the price of a contemporary Ford Mustang, While a Ferrari 365 GTB/4 "Daytona" was offered for US$19,900 

AMC Design Centre

The AMX/3's body design was created in the spring of 1968 and was credited to AMC's own design studio, headed by Richard "Dick" Teague. The detail work was done by Vince Geraci, Jack Kenitz, Chuck Mashigan and Robert "Bob" Nixon. Teague suggested in later years that "a lot of work" had been outsourced to the specialist Creative Industries of Detroit company during the design process, but did not specify.

In the autumn of 1968, a 1:1 model made of glass-fibre reinforced plastic, known as the Pushmobile, was created from the designs of the AMC designers. It was not roadworthy, had no engine, no steering and no interior and was held together inside by a metal framework. After its completion, it was contrasted in a design competition with an alternative proposal by Giorgio Giugiaro's Studio Italdesign, which had been created under time pressure in parallel with the Bizzarrini Manta show car and was perceived as "heavy and immature" or "unfinished and loveless". In the end, the AMC design won.

Bizzarrini and Italdesign

Because AMC had only front-engine, rear-wheel-drive production cars in its 1960s lineup, the AMX/3, designed as a mid-engine car, could not build on existing production technology. "For lack of own know-how" AMC looked for a possibility to have the technology of the mid-engine sports car constructed by an external specialist company, using European service providers mainly for cost reasons. In the early planning phase, AMC considered having the AMX/3 constructed entirely by BMW, but this failed due to a lack of capacity at BMW. On Pininfarinas or Karmanns AMC then entered into an association in November 1968 with the engineer Giotto Bizzarrini, who had been building racing and sports cars for Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, A.T.S., Lamborghini, Iso and had designed his own brand and had the reputation of being one of the best automotive engineers in Italy. Bizzarrini, who had lost his business to bankruptcy a month earlier, then worked as a freelance designer for AMC. He produced the first drawings for chassis parts as early as December 1968. AMC then promoted the AMX/3 as a Bizzarrini design. In fact, however, Bizzarrini's contributions are limited to individual components of the car. Giotto Bizzarrini later stated that AMC had asked him for "a chassis and suspension". However, only the suspension is proven to be a Bizzarrini design. The frame, on the other hand, was developed by Giorgio Giugiaro's company Italdesign, which saw itself not only as a design studio but also as a construction service provider. On whose initiative Italdesign became involved and how exactly the division of labour with Bizzarrini was is not clear. Italdesign's involvement lasted from December 1968 to June 1969; however, AMC did not make it public.

Autocostruzioni S.D. (Diomante)

According to one source, AMC initially commissioned the Turin coachbuilder Coggiola to build the prototypes. Coggiola began work on the first AMX/3 in late autumn 1968, but did not finish it. For unknown reasons, prototype construction was transferred at the turn of 1968/69 to the newly founded company Autofficina Salvatore Diomante, which was renamed Autocostruzioni S.D. shortly afterwards. The farm is also commonly known as Diomante. Its founder Salvatore Diomante had been plant manager at Automobili Bizzarini until 1968. Diomante was first based at the previous Bizzarrini plant in Livorno. It was here - possibly on the basis of Coggiola's preliminary work - that the first prototype of the AMX/3 was built in the spring of 1969. Diomante later moved operations to Moncalieri near Turin; all the remaining AMX/3s were built there.

BMW

development helper

Test drives and the revision of the chassis were eventually commissioned to BMW, where the project was given the development code E18. BMW undertook test drives with the first prototype starting in June 1969 and found significant deficiencies. Thus, the chassis proved to be clearly too weakly designed, so that it deformed equally under strong acceleration and strong deceleration. In addition, the straight-line running was poor and the cooling of the engine was not sufficient. Bizzarrini revised the chassis, and the cooling system was also modified. The second prototype, which was probably delivered to BMW in late summer 1969, was significantly improved in the opinion of the testers. BMW's involvement ended in January 1970 after AMC stopped funding the test programme.

Unlike Italdesign's involvement, BMW's participation in the development of the AMX/3 was already explicitly thematised in the contemporary Italian and English-language press.

Model description

Chassis and running gear

The AMX/3 has a semi-monocoque with a central centre beam and box sills. This distinguishes it from Giotto Bizzarrini's earlier designs, many of which have a tube frame. All wheels are suspended on double wishbones single. The wheel carriers are cast from aluminium. The rear lower wishbones are trapezoidal. At each wheel there are Coil Springs and double Telescopic Shock Absorber; at the rear the springs and shock absorbers are each double. The shock absorbers were built by the Dutch manufacturer Koni according to Bizzarrini's specifications. The brake system with four disc brakes came from Girling according to Bizzarrini's original conception, but was replaced by one from ATE after the first tests at BMW in the summer of 1969. The weight distribution is 43:57. The front tyres are 205/70 VR 15, the rear 225/70 VR 15.

Body

AMX/3 (fifth prototype)

Short rear overhang, two-piece side window: the original AMX/3 design

The handcrafted sheet steel hatchback body is joined to the floor pan to form a self-supporting. Unit welded. With a height of 1.10 m, it is very flat, but exceptionally wide at 1.92 m.

The design of the AMX/3 is described as "dramatic" The most striking design details are the profiled mudguards and the pronounced sweep over the rear wheels. The AMC designers took the basic idea for this from the Studio GT, a prototype designed by the Italian coachbuilder Neri e Bonacini in 1966 and first shown in 1968. He also provided the model for the tapered side windows towards the rear. The nose of the vehicle is angled. The extensions of the front mudguards protrude, the central part of the front fairing is pointed like an arrow. Inserted into the mudguards are flip-up headlights. The front bonnet is strongly subdivided. To the left and right of a bar painted in body colour, it has openings for the radiators in black. On some, but not all, vehicles, there is another transversely oriented air intake opening in front of it. It was not included in the original design by the AMC designers. Some prototypes had round tail lights from the Fiat 850 at the rear. Richard Teague partially replaced them later with narrow, horizontally arranged tail lights, which were adopted from the Pontiac Firebird of the first or second series (AMX/3 No. 5). The large tailgate, which incorporates the engine cover and rear window, is hinged at the rear of the vehicle and is held open by two gas strutss. A retractable wing was provided at the rear, but this was not realised on any of the prototypes. Diomante dummies installed on some, but not all, of the wagons. However, at least one vehicle (No. 5) later received a functional rear wing during restoration work.

During 1969, AMC revised the design of the AMX/3 in some details. The rear overhang was slightly extended for technical reasons. In addition, the front bonnet in this version is shaped to cover the windscreen wipers located at the lower edge of the windscreen. The side windows in the doors are now one-piece, i.e. without front triangular windows. Diomante implemented these changes only on cars produced after AMC's withdrawal, and even here not on all of them. The changes are only found on the fourth and sixth AMX/3s and the subsequently completed seventh car, but not on the fifth prototype.

Drive

Motor

6.4-litre eight-cylinder AMC "Machine" engine

The AMX/3 are powered by AMC eight-cylinderV-engines mounted longitudinally in mid-engine position between the seats and the rear axle.

In the prototypes, these are the most powerful AMC engines of the time, which had been available from the factory in the muscle car Rebel The Machine since 1969. The engine block is made of gray cast iron. The forged crankshaft has five bearings. The engine has a central camshaft. For each cylinder there is a Inlet and a Exhaust, which are actuated respectively by Tappet, Bushrods and Rocker Arm. The engine is short-stroke (bore × stroke: 105.79 × 90.77 mm); the displacement is 6383 cm³ (390 in³). The The-Machine version has a four-barrel carburettor from Carter. The compression ratio is 10 : 1. The engine gross power according to SAE J245/J1995 was rated at 340 bhp (254 kW) at 5100 min^-1, maximum torque at 430 lb_f-ft (583 N-m) at 3600 min^-1. Measured with the standard DIN 70020 used in Europe at the time, the engine power corresponds to around 295 hp (217 kW). The Water cooler is located in the front of the car; it is connected to two electrically operated blowers. Coolers from Behr were installed during the testing process.

Series production of the 390 engine ended in 1970; thereafter AMC used a slightly enlarged 6.6-litre (6573 cc, 401 in³) version in its muscle cars, with a gross power output of 330 bhp (246 kW) to SAE-J245/J1995 standards. In the literature it is assumed that AMC would have equipped the AMX/3 with the new 6.6-litre version in the event of series production.

According to one source, the first prototype was also used on a trial basis in autumn 1969 with a BMW eight-cylinder engine from the M09 series, which was still under development equipped and tested in Italy. The 4.5-litre version, which produces around 240 hp (177 kW) according to DIN 70020, is said to have been discussed at times as an alternative powerplant for the European version of the AMX/3.

Gearbox

In most vehicles, the power transmission is provided by a gearbox made by Oto Melara, a subsidiary of the Italian state-owned IRI, which is primarily active in the armament sector. It has four gears that can be shifted manually and is united with the differential in one housing. At least one car has a manual five-speed transmission from ZF fitted instead. It is unclear why not all cars were equipped with the ZF transmission; the accounts in the documentation on the AMX/3 differ widely on this point. Some sources suggest that the ZF transmission was too expensive, Others claim it could not have withstood the high torque of the AMC engine. Still others feel the ZF design did not fit well within the AMX/3's tight frame.

Driving performance

The development of the AMX/3 was based on the management's target that the car had to reach a top speed of at least 160 mph (257 km/h). The first prototype did not meet these requirements. With the original shape, the car had too much lift, so that it lifted at the front at high speeds. Initially, only 145 mph (233 km/h) was achieved as top speed, although the engine had reserves for higher performance. A quarter of a year later, Giotto Bizzarrini and the racing driver Antonio Nieri tried out different front spoilers during test drives with the second prototype. With them, the second AMX/3 reached a top speed of 170 mph (273 km/h) at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza. This almost equalled that of a Ferrari 365 GTB/4 "Daytona". Nieri's fastest lap time in the AMX/3 was 1:56 min at Monza. The car thus equalled the values achieved a few years earlier by a Bizzarrini GT 5300.

The original vehicles

In February 1969, Diomante began building the AMX/3 vehicles. Exactly how many cars were created and which of them are to be regarded as original vehicles has not been fully clarified.

In 1971, Giotto Bizzarrini spoke of three AMX/3s being completed and two other cars almost finished at the time of AMC's withdrawal. He did not mention any other cars or chassis. Deviating from this, most sources today assume not five, but six original AMX/3s, to which a number of younger cars, inconsistently estimated in detail, were added. This is based on the assumption that by the time AMC withdrew in the spring of 1970, Diomante had largely completed a tranche of five cars - including three road-ready prototypes - and had begun building five more chassis. Of the second tranche, at least one more car was completed shortly afterwards. Furthermore, at least three other cars are associated with the AMX/3, which are allegedly also based on original chassis. These cars are not consistently recognised in the literature as original AMX/3. Another question is whether new chassis were still being produced after 1970.

Based on the common differentiation, the following vehicles can be distinguished:

Six originals

No. 1: First prototype

The first prototype AMX/3, originally painted light green, was built in the spring of 1969. The car has no chassis number. Diomante still manufactured its essential parts in Livorno from March 1969, though Diomante's mechanics did not complete it until June 1969 at BMW in Munich. With it, BMW carried out a test programme that lasted from June to at least September 1969. At the end of 1969, the car went back to Diomante, where it was stored in incomplete condition - possibly as a parts donor for other AMX/3s - for a few years. Around 1973, AMC took over the chassis without gearbox and engine and imported it to the USA. Here it passed through several collectors' hands before restoration of the now yellow-painted car began after another change of ownership in autumn 2019.

No. 2: "The red Monza car"

With additional openings for cooling air: The second AMX/3 prototype

In the summer of 1969, the second prototype was built, bearing the chassis number WTDO 363 2/55/55. The car was referred to in AMC internal parlance as The Red Monza Car. Individual older sources consider the Monza car to be the fourth or fifth prototype; however, this has since been disproved. Stylistically, the Monza car is largely, but not entirely, the same as the first prototype. Key exterior distinguishing features are large air vents recessed into the wings in front of the rear wheel arches to improve cooling, and the horizontal air intake in the front fascia. Also new were the side position lights in the front and rear wings (Side Marker Lights), which the first prototype lacked in its original version. When designing the chassis of the second prototype, Giotto Bizzarrini took up the findings that the test drives with the first car had produced and implemented BMW's recommendations, at least in part.

From autumn 1969 (according to other sources: early 1970) the car went to BMW, where further tests were carried out. BMW certified that the car had significantly better torsional strength. In the spring of 1970, Bizzarrini organised speed tests with this chassis at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza. These tests are responsible for the unofficial designation of this vehicle. In February 1971, an Italian magazine tested the "red Monza car" in the Turin area.

Shortly afterwards, Diomante sold the car for US$6000 to a US collector who imported it into the US in November 1971. A sales document issued by Diomante incorrectly states the year of manufacture as 1967; this may be for tax reasons. After several changes of ownership, the car was restored in 1990 in California. Since then, it first appeared in red livery at classic car exhibitions. After a further revision in 2015, the car wears the contemporary AMC colour Bittersweet Orange. In January 2017, it sold for a price of $891,000 at a classic car auction. This was the highest price ever achieved for an AMC-branded car.

No. 3: Exhibit

The third AMX/3 (chassis number A0M397X631524Y) was completed in early 1970. Stylistically, it corresponds completely to the first prototype from 1969. Like this, it has no side air intakes in the rear wings and also no horizontal air intake in the front bonnet. Consistent with the second prototype, however, are the side marker lights in the mudguards. It is the first car in which the interior was also finished to the later series standard; the earlier cars initially had only provisional interiors.

In red livery, this car was photographed for publicity pictures in front of the Roman Colosseum in March 1970 and subsequently shown at press launches in Rome and New York and at the New York Auto Show in April 1970. AMC also featured the car in its Annual Report for 1970. In the following years, it remained with AMC. In 1978 it was taken over by Richard Teague, whose family still owns it. The car is repeatedly on loan to various US museums.

No. 4: "The Turin Car"

The fourth AMX/3 (chassis number WTDO 363 4/55/55) was referred to in AMC internal parlance as The Torino Car. It was the first AMX/3 to feature the styling changes from the autumn of 1969 - one-piece side windows and an extended rear. Diomante completed it only after AMC's withdrawal in the second half of 1970; however, it is assumed that it was assembled from components that had already been created in the winter of 1969/70. In October 1970, Bizzarrini exhibited car no. 4 at the Turin Motor Show. At the exhibition or immediately afterwards, the term Bizzarrini Sciabola was already being discussed as a possible model designation. In 1971, the car was bought by a US collector and imported to the USA.

No. 5: Direct to AMC

AMX/3, Chassis No. 5

The fifth car (chassis number A0M397X680492) was completed - before the fourth - in May or June 1970 immediately after AMC withdrew. The car corresponds to the original AMC design, i.e. it has side triangular windows in the doors and the short rear. Unlike the second, third and fourth cars, the fifth AMX/3 has no side marker lights.

AMC took over the car as early as the summer of 1970 and introduced it to the USA. The car was incomplete at the time - among other things, the instrument panel was missing - and did not have a tuned chassis. In 1978 Richard Teague bought the car and made stylistic changes to the rear end. Among other things, he had blacked-out second-series Pontiac Firebird taillights installed, which were still on the car in 2019. In 2006, the car was restored. In the process, it received a black-painted front spoiler. At an unknown date, a retractable rear wing was also retrofitted. Since 2006, the yellow-painted car has been shown at irregular intervals in the USA and Europe.

No. 6: The Sciabola

The sixth car was not completed until 1971. It, too, is assumed to be based on parts that had already been manufactured in 1970. Therefore, it is regularly recognised as original AMX/3. The body of the sixth AMX/3 has the 1969 modifications to the rear and side windows. However, like the first and third prototypes, the horizontal air intake in the front fairing is missing. The sixth car, unlike the earlier cars, has hardly any AMC accessories in the interior. Many components come from Fiat and Bertone instead. This applies to switches and instruments, but also to the double round rear lights (Fiat 850). The sixth AMX/3 still belongs to Salvatore Diomante. It was exhibited at the 1976 Turin Motor Show as the Bizzarrini Sciabola and photographed for a Sciabola brochure. In 1981, Richard Teague expressed the opinion that the sixth AMX/3 was the best car of the whole series: "a real gem" (a real gem).

Replicas on original chassis?

No. 7: A straggler

The seventh chassis, which was supposedly built as early as 1970, remained unused for several years. Salvatore Diomante sold it in 1971 in incomplete condition to Giorgio Giordanengo, who runs a business restoring classic Italian sports cars. Giordanengo completed the car with some delay, possibly as late as the 1980s. Stylistically, the body corresponds to that of the sixth vehicle. Diomante sold No. 7 in about 1992 to Belgian entrepreneur Roland D'Ieteren, the then managing director of the Brussels D'Ieteren Group. Over time, the car was equipped with different engines, including a twelve-cylinder engine from Ferrari and an eight-cylinder engine from Chevrolet.

No. 8: Iso Varedo

The eighth chassis did not receive an AMX/3 body. From autumn 1971 onwards, Giotto Bizzarrini constructed the Show Car Iso Varedo for Iso Rivolta on the basis of this model, the plastic bodywork of which was based on the Lamborghini Countach and designed by Ercole Spada. Unlike the AMX/3 models, the Varedo has an eight-cylinder V-engine from Ford (Cleveland series), making the powertrain similar to Iso Rivolta's production cars. The Varedo debuted at the 1972 Turin Motor Show. It is doubtful whether Iso intended to mass produce the Varedo. In fact, the car remained a one-off. It belongs to Iso's former owner Piero Rivolta, who has been exhibiting it in a museum in Florida for several years.

No. 9: AMX Spider?

Finally, the AMX/3 is associated with a Spider that first appeared in Brussels in 2002. Some sources claim that the car is based on the ninth and last known original chassis of the AMX/3 series. Diomante had sold it in 1971 together with chassis no. 7 to Giorgio Giordanengo, who had put a Spider body on it in about 1995 by order of Roland D'Ieteren. The body has no stylistic references to the AMX/3; rather, it is reminiscent of the Bizzarrini P 538 racing sports car, which was first shown in public in 1966. Unlike the regular AMX/3 vehicles, the Spider is equipped with a 5.4 litre eight-cylinder V-engine from Chevrolet in the style of the P 538. It has a ZF five-speed manual gearbox. However, some dispute the Spider's connection to the AMX/3. The reason given is that neither the wheelbase nor the track of the Spider match the AMX/3.

Possible reasons for failure

AMC did not publicly give a reason for abandoning AMX/3 at short notice. Most documentaries explain AMC's withdrawal with economic reasons. Apart from this, however, there are also numerous alternative explanations.

Overall economic situation at AMC

AMC was subjected to the longest strike in the company's history in the autumn of 1969, which directly affected the launch of the new volume model Hornet. This resulted in serious liquidity problems at the turn of 1969/70, which affected all divisions of the company but had a particular impact on special projects.

Inefficiency of the AMX/3 project

Many authors consider the AMX/3 project itself unprofitable. The AMX/3 could therefore not have been produced in Italy or Germany at the planned cost, and the advised sales price of US$10,000 to US$12,000 which was already well above that of the De Tomaso Pantera, could not have been achieved. Richard Teague, who had been desperate to realise the AMX/3 for emotional reasons, had kept the other corporate managers in the dark about the real costs of the project for too long.

Teague later confirmed the relevance of the cost development, but referred to specific occasion-related additional costs: The AMX/3 had been designed without consideration of the tightened US safety regulations, whose entry into force was already on the horizon at the beginning of the 1970s. Selling the AMX/3 in the US would have required extensive customisation, which included, in particular, the installation of safety bumpers. Their costs could not have been borne by AMC.

Intervention by competitors

In part, the discontinuation of the project is attributed to AMC's competitor Ford. In a direct comparison, Ford had recognised the superiority of the AMX/3 over its own Pantera and thereupon induced the economically ailing AMC group to forego production of the Pantera competitor in return for a monetary payment.

Other speculations involve Karmann and Volkswagen: Because the production of the AMC Javelin at Karmann ended almost at the same time as the AMX/3 project, an intervention of the Volkswagen Group is partly suspected, which wanted to prevent a commitment of Karmann to AMC and thus secure production capacities for its own models.

Insolvency of Bizzarini

Finally, the insolvency of Automobili Bizzarrini is also cited as a reason for abandoning the AMX/3 project: Giotto Bizzarrini had significant tax debts from the time his GT 5300 sports car was imported into the US. According to one assumption, AMC had feared being held liable for Giotto Bizzarrini's debts by the US tax authorities in the event of a long-term business relationship with him.

Revivals after AMC withdrawal: Bizzarrini Sciabola

After AMC withdrew from the project in July 1970, there were several attempts to revive the AMX/3 as the Bizzarrini AMX/3 or Bizzarrini Sciabola. The details of this are very uncertain; various documentations fundamentally contradict each other.

1970: 30 Bizzarrinis without AMC?

What is certain is that in the summer of 1970 AMC was prepared to let Bizzarrini build - possibly in the sense of compensation - about 30 AMX/3s, 20 of which were to be sold in Europe under the Bizzarrini brand, while 10 others were to be supplied to AMC. Subsequently, Bizzarrini exhibited an AMX/3 on its own stand at the Turin Motor Show in October 1970. This was the Torino Car called the fourth AMX/3. Contemporary sources show that Bizzarrini was already using the model name Sciabola (German: Schwert) at this stage.

Whether Bizzarrini and Diomante actually started series production or at least planned to do so is unclear; the sources on this are contradictory. In February 1971, the Italian men's magazine iO quoted Giotto Bizzarrini as saying that about 30 cars were to be produced annually at a unit price of 8 millionlire. A few years later, however, Giotto Bizzarrini explained that he had not accepted AMC's offer to produce the AMX/3 on his own responsibility because he had "not had the courage" or because he did not want to produce the AMX/3 himself. the memory of Automobili Bizzarrini's insolvency was still present. If this is true, then beyond the six original vehicles, no more AMX/3-bodied cars were produced from 1971 onwards. In fundamental disagreement, other sources speak of Diomante actually having "more or less completed" "a few" more cars after AMC's exit in the summer of 1970; in some cases production of nine more cars is assumed. However, at the beginning of 1971, AMC had refused the initially promised delivery of technical components for these cars without giving any reasons and had demanded the scrapping of all AMX/3 models. Diomante had destroyed the nine cars built from the summer of 1970 onwards, but not the original prototypes he had built up to 1970. Still others believe Diomante is still hiding some more AMX/3 bodies.

1976: Bizzarrini and Oto Melara: The Sciabola

1976 Giotto Bizzarrini exhibited a sports car called the Sciabola at the Turin Motor Show and published a sales brochure for it. The car presented was the sixth chassis of the AMX/3, which had been completed by Diomante in early 1971 and had been kept in Turin ever since. No further development over the original AMX/3 versions was apparent. The exhibition of the Sciabola was largely financed by Oto Melara and had the primary purpose of presenting the car as an advertising medium for Oto Melara gearboxes. Giotto Bizzarrini announced to the Italian press that the Sciabola would be handcrafted to order at a price of $23,800  However, production did not materialise. Chassis No. 6 still belongs to Salvatore Diomante.

Influences of the AMX/3 on later AMC models

AMC Matador Coupé

The lines of the AMX/3 influenced the design of some of AMC's later production models. This is especially true of the distinctive hip sweep in the rear wings.

For the 1973 model year, AMC first introduced the three-door hatchback version of the Hornet compact model, whose rear wings quoted the hip sweep of the AMX/3 in a toned-down form. The rear side windows taper to a point. In autumn 1973, the second edition of the Matador Coupé made its debut. Designed under the direction of Richard Teague, the hatchback coupe has AMX/3-inspired lines on the rear wings, which are more widely displayed than the Hornet. Also comparable are the rear side windows, which were also tapered in the original design, but in later years were covered by a vinyl cover on some versions. The US magazine Car and Driver awarded the Matador coupe in November 1973 as the best-designed car of the 1974 model year.

Ratings

Although the AMX/3 did not reach the mass production stage, it is not considered a failure today. Many - including Richard Teague himself - consider the AMX/3 the best design Teague realised at AMC. For his part, Giotto Bizzarrini believes that the AMX/3 is his best design. In some quarters, it has been suggested that mass production of the AMX/3 could have brought AMC many new customers and possibly saved the corporation.

This car was a milestone. It was born out of a unique project that brought together some of the brightest minds in the automotive world of the late 1960s and 1970s.

Inspirations and revivals

The California-registered company Sciabola Inc. has been trying to develop a replica of the AMX/3 since 2007. The company has now produced several bodyshells directly derived from the plastic model of the AMX/3 shown in 1969. However, until 2019, there was a lack of funding to develop the technology. There is no record of any sales of the new AMX/3 bodies to date.

Richard Teague's son Jeff, who is also an industrial designer and has worked for Ford, among others, designed the AMX/4 concept car and in 2010, the AMX/5. Both vehicles are intended as homages to the AMX/3 and are said to be an evolution of its design concept. In both cases, a plastic model was built; however, series production was not intended.

Technical data

AMC AMX/3
Engine:	Eight-cylinder petrol engine, V-arrangement
Engine capacity:	6392 cm³
bore × stroke:	105.79 × 90.77 mm
gross power according to SAE J245/J1995:	340 bhp (254 kW) at 5100 min-1
Max. Torque according to SAE J245/J1995:	430 lbf-ft (583 N-m) at 3600 min-1
Rated power according to DIN 70020:	295 hp (217 kW)
compression ratio:	10.0 : 1
mixture preparation:	1 quad carburettor
Valve timing:	Central camshaft; tappets, pushrods and rocker arms
Cooling:	Water cooling
transmission:	manual five-speed transmission (ZF) manual four-speed transmission (Oto Melara)
Front suspension:	individually on double wishbones of unequal length, coil springs, telescopic shock absorbers, anti-roll bar
Rear suspension:	individually on double wishbones, single wishbone above, trapezoidal wishbone below, two coil springs and telescopic shock absorbers per wheel
brakes:	internally ventilated disc brakes front and rear
Chassis:	Semi-monocoque
Bodywork:	Sheet steel, self-supporting
Wheelbase:	2675 mm
Dimensions (length × width × height):	4460 × 1902 × 1105 mm
Unladen weight:	1402 kg
Top speed:	approx. 270 km/h

Literature

• Wolfgang Blaube: Vorstellung und Entwicklungsgeschichte des AMC AMX/3. In: . Nr. 4, April 2011

• Marc Cranswick: The Cars of American Motors: An Illustrated History. McFarland, 2011, ISBN 978-0-7864-8570-3
• Winston Goodfellow: Giottos Meisterstück. Octane Magazin, Magazine Mai 2017, P. 64 ff.
• Larry G. Mitchell: AMC Muscle Cars: Muscle Car Color History. MotorBooks International, ISBN 978-1-61060-801-5
• Philippe Olczyk: Bizzarrini & Diomante. The Official History. 3. Vol 2017,ISBN 978-84-697-6659-0
• Alessandro Sannia: Enciclopedia dei carrozzieri italiani. Società Editrice Il Cammello, 2017, ISBN 978-88-96796-41-2
• Halwart Schrader, Georg Amtmann: Italienische Sportwagen. Stuttgart 1999, ISBN 3-613-01988-4

External Links

• AMC AMX at the Internet Movie Cars Database
• AMX390.com
• Website for AMC AMX/3
• AMX-perience.com
• JavelinAMX.com
• AMC Rambler Club – Club for 1958–1969 AMCs
• American Motors Owners – Club for 1958–1987 AMCs