by Linda Ann Nickerson

Created on: April 04, 2007   Last Updated: April 18, 2007

The 1970s. Platform shoes, disco, big hair, and the AMC Gremlin.

As fledgling drivers, my friends and I begged our parents for car keys. We offered to run meaningless errands, just to have access to the family wheels. We were proud as peacocks to pilot anything that ran.

All except my friend Liz. Her family had a Gremlin.

What is a Gremlin?

Introduced on April Fool's Day in 1970, the AMC Gremlin was the first American sub-compact car. The gas crisis raged, and long lines formed at the pumps.

American Motors Company claimed to have the answer. A tiny lopsided jalopy with outrageously economical gas mileage cruised onto the scene on all six cylinders. The 128-horsepower vehicle looked as if it had left its hind half back in the showroom. (Essentially, that's exactly what happened. AMC designer Richard Teague chopped the back end off the AMC Hornet. According to automotive legend, he may have sketched out the car on a Northwest Orient barf bag, while traveling.)

Weighing more than European and Japanese sub-compacts, and boasting twice the horsepower, the Gremlin hugged the highways with it wider wheel base. Passengers appreciated the wider front and back seats.

The Gremlin tended to be front-heavy and a bumpy ride, with its shorter springs and shocks. Even so, AMC produced nine models throughout the 1970s.

The two-door hatchback listed for $1,879 in 1971. (The rear-seat option was extra.)

Oh, but this little car was uglier than sin! Scotch plaid or Levi denim interiors did not help. Even the free decals and hockey-stick side striping did little to camouflage its form.

Seriously, Marge Simpson (from THE SIMPSONS) drove one in high school! Need we say more?

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