American · 1978–1983
American AMC Spirit
The AMC Spirit is a subcompact car sold by American Motors Corporation (AMC) from 1979 through 1983. Replacing the AMC Gremlin, the Spirit was available in two different body styles, both were two-door hatchbacks – but neither was marketed as such. Instead, AMC offered a restyled Gremlin either as a "Spirit Kammback" or "sedan", while an additional model with a more gently sloping rear was introduced as the "Spirit Liftback" or "coupe". Due to budget constraints, the Spirit shared the Gremlin's platform – its floorpan, powertrains, and many other parts were carried over. AMC also offered a four-wheel drive cross-over version using the Spirit's bodywork, marketed from 1981 through 1983 model years as the AMC Eagle SX/4 and Eagle Kammback (1981–1982 only). Spirits were manufactured by AMC in Wisconsin and Ontario, as well as under license by Vehículos Automotores Mexicanos (VAM) in Mexico, where they retained the Gremlin name on the restyled models. Performance versions of the AMC Spirit competed in road racing. In 1979, B.F. Goodrich sponsored a two-car team of Spirit AMXs in the Nürburgring 24 Hours. The AMXs were the first American team entries with a pair of hastily homologated cars. They finished first and second in their class out of a 120-car total field and were the only racers running street tires. Spirits were also privately campaigned in the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) Champion Spark Plug Challenge and Racing Stock Class events, as well as in drag racing.
Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Generations & variants
Photos
Sources
- Wikidata / Wikipedia profiles — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/cars/Q294717CC0 / CC BY-SA 4.0
- Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AMC_SpiritCC BY-SA 4.0 · Intro text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1374728459 · retrieved 2026-10-01
- Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.