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American Motors AMX/3 - the giant killer that wasn't allowed to run

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Created on December 15, 2016

Reading time 6min

Written by:

Bruno von Rotz

Photos:

Mathieu Heurtault - Courtesy Gooding & Co

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Bruno von Rotz

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Kimball Studios / Courtesy of Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance

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Jürgen M. Wilms

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AMX

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Archiv

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Mathieu Heurtault - Courtesy Gooding & Co

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Bruno von Rotz

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Kimball Studios / Courtesy of Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance

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Jürgen M. Wilms

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AMX

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Archiv

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AMC AMX/3 (1969) - das Design stammte aus dem eigenen Hause, Dick Teague hiess der Chefdesigner von AMC

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AMC AMX/3 (1969) - damals war auch die hintere Motorhaube in Wagenfarbe gehalten

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AMC AMX/3 (1969) - 1,9 Meter breit, das war damals sicherlich sehr breit

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AMC AMX/3 (1969) - schön verteilte Rundungen

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AMC AMX/3 (1969) - kurzer Überhang hinten, das Gros des Gewichts ruhte auf der Hinterachse

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AMC AMX/3 (1969) - atemberaubende Formgebung

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AMC AMX/3 (1969) - strikt für zwei Personen

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AMC AMX/3 (1969) - der Wagen war ursprünglich rot

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AMC AMX/3 (1969) - der 6383 cm3 grosse V8-Motor sitzt vor der Hinterachse

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AMC AMX/3 (1969) - auch in der Aufsicht attraktiv

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AMC AMX/3 (1969) - sportliches, aber nicht unkomfortables Cockpit

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AMC AMX/3 (1969) - komplett instrumentiert

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AMC AMX/3 (1969) - AMC-Schriftzug auf dem Lenkrad

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AMC AMX/3 (1969) - Tacho bis 320 km/h, Schriftzüge von Veglia und Bizzarrini

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AMC AMX/3 (1969) - rund 345 SAE-PS soll der V8 damals geleistet haben

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AMC AMX/3 (1969) - Klappscheinwerfer erlaubten eine niedrige Front

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AMC AMX/3 (1969) - Blick auf die spitze Front

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AMC AMX/3 (1969) - Kofferraum und grosser Wasserkühler im Bug

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AMC AMX/3 (1969) - die Leichtmetallräder von Campagnolo

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AMC AMX/3 (1969) - Entlüftung des Motors

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AMC AMX/3 (1969) - schön gestaltete Rückleuchten

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AMX 2 (1969) - Mittelmotor-Coupé-Designstudie bestimmt für die Chicago Motor Show

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AMX 2 (1969) - Das Coupé war in kupferorange lackiert

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AMX 390 (1968) - der Achtzylinder überzeugte mit 315 PS und war für den AMX Sportwagen und den Javelin SST vorgesehen

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American Motors AMX/3 (1970) - Mittelmotorsportwagen mit V8-Power - gebaut bei Bizzarrini

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AMC AMX/3 (1970) - eindrückliches Design von hinten

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AMC AMX/3 (1970) - Cockpit und Motorraum

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AMC AMX/3 (1970) - Durchsichtszeichnung

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Bizzarrini Scabiola (1971) - alias AMC AMX/3 - aufgenommen am Autosalon von Turin 1971 (?)

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Bizzarrini Scabiola (1971) - alias AMC AMX/3 - aufgenommen am Autosalon von Turin 1971 (?)

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Bizzarrini Sciabola (1976) - die Bizzarrini-Variante des eingestellten Projekts AMC AMX/3 am Turiner Autosalon 1976

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AMC AMX/3 (1969) - aufgenommen im Jahr 2014

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AMC AMX/3 (1969) - anlässlich des Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este 2015

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AMC AMX/3 (1970) - am Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este 2015 in der Klasse H 'How fast is fast enough'

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AMC AMX/3 (1970) - am Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este 2015 in der Klasse H 'How fast is fast enough'

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AMC AMX/3 (1970) - am Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este 2015 in der Klasse H 'How fast is fast enough'

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AMC AMX/3 (1970) - am Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este 2015 in der Klasse H 'How fast is fast enough'

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AMC AMX/3 (1970) - am Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este 2015 in der Klasse H 'How fast is fast enough'

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American Motors AMX/3 (1969) - erster Platz in der Kategorie Bizzarrini

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Summary

Perhaps the AMC AMX/3 could have given the competition a run for their money, it certainly had what it took when it was launched in 1970. With a huge American mid-engine, Italian chassis technology, an exciting design and a comparatively low price, it could have been a smash hit. But it never went into series production. For various reasons. This report portrays one of the six AMX/3s built and still in existence and tells the exciting story of the mid-engined sports car.

This article contains the following chapters

Not out of nowhere
With the help of BMW and Bizzarrini
345 hp for 1400 kg
A lot of optimism
Difficulties and political intrigue
And yet a successor?
Six plus one
Further information

Estimated reading time: 6min

Preview (beginning of the article)

On March 24, 1970, a new sports car caused quite a stir at the Cavalieri Hilton Hotel in Rome. The AMX/3, as it was succinctly called, was a modern mid-engined sports coupé designed with V8 power for mass production and was intended to compete against the well-known European and semi-American super sports cars of the time, i.e. Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini, Aston Martin and De Tomaso. In 1968, the American Motors Company, now under the command of Roy Chapin, had already presented the AMX, a pure two-seater with large V8 engines. The car was well received, after all it was capable of over 200 km/h and not even expensive.

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