While some classic muscle cars have stuck around past their initial era, like Mustang, Camaro and Charger (even with a little bit of a break), others only saw their glory days for a few short years. Even fewer muscle cars saw their end early on as well as saw the end of their manufacturer in the last few decades.
One of these muscle cars is the AMC S/S AMX, a car built by the now extinct American Motors Corporation to rule the quarter mile. Never heard of it? Well, that’s why it’s this month’s Muscle Car You Should Know!
Image Contributed By: Eddie Stakes
Originally introduced in 1968, the AMC AMX was the only steel-bodied American-built two-seater car of its time. Recognized as a GT-style sports car, the AMX was considered, by some, to be a competitor to the only other American two-seater on the market at the time, the Chevrolet Corvette. But unlike the Corvette, the AMX was also put into the muscle car category, although a unique muscle car at that with a smaller passenger capacity and much shorter wheelbase than most other classic muscle cars.
Unfortunately, the AMX’s odd sports car/muscle car combination didn’t lead to high sales numbers, although the car was initially well received by media and enthusiasts alike. What the car did accomplish for AMC, however, was to bring in younger buyers to the company’s showrooms and start off the trend of a more performance-focused brand.
By the AMX’s second model year, not much had changed on the base car besides a $52 price increase, but AMC did introduce a handful of specialty AMXs, one of which was the Super Stock (S/S) AMX.
A True Super StockWhile some of the other specialty AMX models, like the California 500 with its brass plaques on the hood and Trendsetter Sidewinder sidepipes, were merely produced for looks, the S/S AMX was built, in correspondence with Hurst, specifically to dominate the quarter mile.
Image Contributed By: Mark Janaky
To do this, 1969 S/S AMX models were given a 390ci engine, the same one available in the regular AMX, a T-10 four-speed transmission, 70-amp battery, 4.44:1 rearend gears and manual drum brakes from the factory. The cars also received a heavy-duty cooling system, 14-inch steel wheels and a Frost White exterior/ Charcoal cloth and vinyl interior combination.
Though this sounds a bit like rubbish for a factory track car, Hurst and Crane were intrusted with doing the modifications that really set the AMX SS apart.
Once the S/S AMX models were produced and shipped (52 in all) from the AMC Kenosha, Wisconsin, factory to Hurst in Ferndale, Illinois, the engines were sent off to Crane, where they were equipped with dual 650cfm Holley 4-barrel carburetors, an Edelbrock aluminum cross-ram intake manifold, Mallory distributor, wires and coil, and aftermarket Doug’s headers and exhaust.
The S/S was also given a 12.3:1 compression ratio combined with the stock stroke by way of JE pistons and heads, which were ported, polished and received valve changes from Crane.
Image Contributed By: Eddie Stakes
