1975 AMC Gremlin: The Legend Revisited! – Ignition Ep. 129
On this retro episode of Ignition presented by Tire Rack, we revisit a Legend, the 1975 AMC Gremlin. Actually, this is Roadkill’s 1975 AMC Gremlin, and it looks the part. What’s it doing here? Well, the Gremlin came out on April 1, 1970 – yes really – and this month marks the 45th Anniversary of this interesting little car. How does it drive? Will it survive the standard testing procedures with a massive exhaust leak? Will Carlos stay conscious long enough to finish his review? This week on Ignition, we answer most of these questions.
Ignition appears every other Monday on the Motor Trend Youtube channel. http://www.youtube.com/motortrend
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On this retro episode of Ignition presented by Tire Rack, we revisit a Legend, the 1975 AMC Gremlin. Actually, this is Roadkill’s 1975 AMC Gremlin, and it looks the part. What’s it doing here? Well, the Gremlin came out on April 1, 1970 – yes really – and this month marks the 45th Anniversary of this interesting little car. How does it drive? Will it survive the standard testing procedures with a massive exhaust leak? Will Carlos stay conscious long enough to finish his review? This week on Ignition, we answer most of these questions.
Ignition appears every other Monday on the Motor Trend Youtube channel. http://www.youtube.com/motortrend
Subscribe now to make sure you’re in on all the action!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsAegdhiYLEoaFGuJFVrqFQ?sub_confirmation=1
Facebook – http://facebook.com/motortrendmag & https://www.facebook.com/mt.ignition
Twitter – http://twitter.com/motortrend & https://twitter.com/mt_ignition
Google+ – https://plus.google.com/+motortrend/posts
Instagram – @mt_ignition
Website – http://www.motortrend.com
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Never take that car to a car wash and never put fuel in that car after
midnight.
Bet the budget was ruined by the 918, P1 video so they had to scale it back
for this episode :D
I really hope what you’re doing here is testing a new show idea for Carlos.
Just looking at cool and interesting cars with a super entertaining story.
This was an awesome show. Please, give Carlos a show doing nothing but
this. Just looking at cool cars. Forget 2015’s line up of vanilla, same
ole’ same ole’. This is way more entertaining:-)
Did they really make a Levi’s addition of this with a denim interior or was
that a joke ad I saw somewhere? XD
‘oh were going to make a fuel efficient small car ‘
3.8liter V6 with a 3 speed auto….
Well, 135 hp back then in a small compact was way more than what you’ve got
in Beetle, early Civic or Corolla. Even by today standards having 135 hp in
a cheap compact car is quite a lot!
No Freiburger? No Finnegan? No interest… GIMME MY ROADKILL!
I will still take one of these over a KIA Soul and Nisan Cube or any box
car of today. Even the Mino lol
Why is the carb next to the engine???
That was great, I laughed too hard at that video. Lol
Cough cough blown big block cough cough
why not actually upload on april 1
what is wrong with ex and in manifolds sharing bolts? Carlos is unable to
drive around cones and that makes it a bad car?
So this is MT scraping the bottom of that barrel.
For a car that was released on April Fool’s day and designs for it drawn on
a sick bag, I guess it’s only appropriate to call an ugly monster like that
a Gremlin. Small, no. Fuel efficient, no. Euro’s and Jap’s claimed victory
there.
What’s the song called that are playing when he are doing the figur 8
“test”??
Excellent work polishing that turd. Honestly though, I-6, manual box, rear
drive, and cheap as dirt. It should have been the first American drift car.
Too bad it was already 14 years older than the AE86.
Rebuild the carb and it will solve ALL running problems…Ive got the same
carb on my truck.
Needs a left front shock absorber.
It is called an ashtray it is for cigarette ashes and cigarette butts .
Maybe you’re too young
Still better looking than a GTR.
2:18 what’s up with the Ranchero music!?
this car would make a cool track car if you swapped the engine for
something better and stick a modern suspension under it
Cleavland Browns elf mascot on gas cap
Why does it not surprise me that the dweebs at Roadkill can’t manage to
rebuild a pissant carb like that to help the car actually run. I’d really
hate to see their lawnmowers, I’ll bet their carbs are beyond their scope
as there are no freebie handouts from Edelbrock for a Briggs.
Don’t forget the accidents these cars had with the gas tanks exploding in
collisions and all that fun stuff.
why a 3.8l I6 lol, why not go more economic with a 2.0 l instead???
Ummmm, back in the 1970’s when AMC was building the Gremlin The big three
was called the Big Four
I once owned a slant-six 1970 Dodge Dart and currently own a 1965 Volvo
122S that share a similar intake/exhaust manifold setup.
Heat soaked carburetors thanks to the exhaust manifold being RIGHT THERE
under the carb is/was a constant thing with both vehicles. Every hot start
is FOOT TO THE FLOOR AND CRANK CRANK CRANK. And then blip the throttle
once they cough to life to clear things out.
My First car was a Gremlin back in 79 . But mine had a 401 from a AMX .
“The Legend Revisited” HA! hardly, maybe a legendary pile of shit.
I bought a 77 gremlin in 79 for $600 from a dealer because the engine was
knocking. I popped the hood to take a. Look and for some reason grabbed the
fan and it was loose as hell, the water pump was shot. The car had 20k on
it and I offered them $500 to tow it away, they countered at $600 and I
drove it home with a stop at the parts store to grab a water pump and
thermostat along with some gasket sealer. I didn’t even buy antifreeze,
just a can of anti rust, and drove it for 3 years. Along the way I got rid
of the presto lite electronic distributed which had vacuum advance and
vacuum retard. The diaphragm went bad and it would suck air fuel mixture
into the distributed and ignite once in a while, so I had to get out and
pop the dist cap back on before driving away. A points type dist with curve
kit replaced it and pepped the engine up a little.
If this one needs a good home I’d love it! If not, take care of it. It will
make some nut all very happy. I know I would be!
Don’t knock Gremmy. Gremmy towed a Toyota Prius that puked and died on
Mike and David, then they got to smash the Prius with a tank. THAT EPISODE
WAS AWESOME!!!!!!!! It’s the first scene now on the intro for Roadkill.
Gremmy showed em that day alright.
whoot, the Prius beating Roadkill Gremin is back!
What a beast! Did you see the way it kicked up those stones??? Damn..
I laughed out loud when he punched the glovebox
Why didn’t you show backseat and trunk? Are they spacious?
a buddy of my Dad’s worked at AMC in Kenosha back in the 70’s. He had
access to all kinds of nutty factory parts (google “Group 19”-all the AMC
factory performance parts) he built a 401 Gremlin drag racer that was
stupid fast. All AMC V8’s are the same size externally so it’s zero trouble
to upgrade your 304 into a 401 (or bigger) Just don’t try to go around
corners without some serious suspension work…
put a big block and a 6 speed in that thing. that would be hilarious.
Still 36lb-ft more torque than a new Civic Si lol
0-60 gravel shot = genius.
BTW. People bought it because it was cheap transportation not because it
was ‘desirable’ or different.
I would say the Chevrolet Corvair was actually “the first American built
import”.
I want my roadkill!!!!!!
I want a gremlin in the worst way, they are so ugly. Please bolt in a
carburated jeep 4.6 stroker, a NV 3500 5 speed from a V8 Dakota using a
jeep bell housing and a 8.8 explorer rear axle with 373 gears and a posi.
The perfect roadkill episode!!!!
the fact that the original 232 is still running alive and well is testament
to AMC.
“Grim” (Pronounced as Grem) means “Ugly” in Danish
Everyone focuses on AMC’s Gremlin and Pacer, mocking them about being
weird. No one has the moxy to showcase their true bestsellers and fast cars
like the Rebel/Machine, Javelin/AMX, Ambassador SST and what not. Any one
of these cars outsold big three cars in their respective times on monthly
basis.
America’s import….that sounds familiar.
roadkill should update the gremy with a new 6ltr v8 w/8speed auto and
brakes and of course a handeling package b a great show frieburger could
run on the salt flats for a new __wreckerd__hehe