Random Car Wednesday: 1978 AMC Pacer D/L

Welcome to this week's RCW on Shifting Gears. This week's chosen machine is a car that you either love or hate: the AMC Pacer. AMC took a gamble in the late sixties by developing a small car for the American market. At the time, most American cars were enormous land yachts, and if you wanted a small car you got a Volkswagen. AMC wanted a piece of the compact market, so in 1970 they introduced the Gremlin. In terms of looks and performance, the Gremlin was not exactly a world-beater. But it sold well enough, so in 1975 AMC added another compact to their lineup, the Pacer. It's an impressive car in that despite being very small, it still looks bloated and heavy. This Pacer is a D/L model, which was supposed to be a bit more upscale than the base model. The D/L package also included the ultra cool "Navajo design" seats. This particular Pacer is a 1978 model, and as such has the facelifted front end. I personally prefer the original design, but to each their own. This car is also rocking the factory two-tone paint scheme, which is interesting to say the least. Finally, the owner has given this Pacer the sporting credentials it doesn't deserve, in the form of Cragar S/S rims. I said before that you either love or hate the Pacer, and looking at this particular example I have to side with love. Party on, Garth.

1978 AMC Pacer D/L