AMC Pacer -original post date 4/23/2013

 

Last night, I got myself stranded in Mankato thanks to the relentless winter snowstorms we keep getting. Thankfully, I brought my trusty new iPad and my trusty old iPhone, so even now as I sit in Mankato, waiting for the sun to glare down on the icy roadways to make them a bit more hospitable to my Mustang, I have access to some photos.

I realized that before I really started going on Car Du Jour, I posted some pictures of cars that didn't get proper write ups, so today is a bit of a rerun. That said, I present the AMC Pacer that I spotted in the Haaf ramp several months ago. I decided to bring this one up to the forefront because it's in keeping with the 2 door hatchback direction that we left off with on the Volvo C30 last time... Though if you have to choose between the Volvo and the Pacer, definitely go for the Volvo.

You'll note that the Pacer in my photo is parked in an area meant for compact cars. That's fine, right? It's a compact car, isn't it? Well, that's only half right. The Pacer was sold from 1975-1980 and according to an old ad I saw, was marketed as the "Small Wide Car". That wasn't just a tag line. The Pacer had the same width as full-sized cars of its day, but was otherwise a compact. Kinda cheating on that compact car parking space, aren't you, Pacer? But that's ok, I've seen guys park F-150s in the Haaf's compact spots and justify it by saying that theirs is only a half ton trucks and not a Super-Duty -totally ignoring the fact that their truck is still a behemoth compared to the Fiesta next to it.

Back in the day, the Pacer's egg-like dimensions and styling were considered futuristic. Today, they're considered cheesy, which is fitting, considering these things were made at a plant in Kenosha, Wisconsin. I bet it's design was inspired by a cheese curd.... Mmmm, cheese curds... But I digress. Indeed, the disco-era kitsch of these little cars is undeniable, but it's also charming. You may remember a certain powder blue Pacer "Mirth-mobile" with itty bitty flame decals from a movie called Wayne's World, where it was the setting for a stirring rendition of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody. I bet that song is going to be stuck in your head all day now that I've brought it to mind. The point is that it's hard to look at a Pacer and not smile. Granted, it may be a laugh at the Pacer's cheesy little expense, but it's happiness none the less.

The Pacer featured a 3.8L straight 6 cylinder engine that only made 90 HP and 163 lb ft of torque. That's weak, and mileage wasn't all that hot either, getting you mid to high teens in the city and mid to high 20s on the highway. So why would anybody buy one? Because the Pacer has charisma, that's why. It's a silly little car that likes people. The Pacer, you see, was designed around its hypothetical occupants, starting with a spacious passenger compartment and built out from there. It even incorporated a passenger side door that was 4" longer than the driver's side to make it easier for passengers to get in and out of the car. At the time, it was a considerate way to design a vehicle... Not that AMC took into consideration how silly those passengers might feel for having to be seen inside the Pacer - but hey, it was futuristic in 1975. The price of a new Pacer would have started right around $3,600, which is about what you can expect a near mint example of one to be worth nowadays.

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