AMC・グレムリン

AMC・グレムリン (GREMLIN) は、アメリカンモーターズが製造し、販売していた自動車。 1970年に発売した。 AMC・グレムリンはAMCのメキシコ子会社Vehículos Automotores Mexicanos（VAM）がメキシコで製造・販売した（1974～1983年）。

AMC・グレムリン
概要
別名	VAM・グレムリン (メキシコ)
製造国	アメリカ合衆国
販売期間	1970年-1978年 1974年–1983年 (メキシコ) 671,475 produced
デザイン	ディック・ティーグ
ボディ
ボディタイプ	サブコンパクト
エンジン位置	フロント
駆動方式	FR
系譜
後継	AMC・スピリット

1970年2月にデビューした革新的コンパクトカー。潔く一直線に断ち落としたテールのデザインが特徴的なボディは、AMCの標準的コンパクトカー、ホーネットのホイールベースを約30cmも短縮、更に独立したトランクを持たない2ボックススタイルとすることで合計約46cmも短い特異なスタイルとされた。インテリアのトリムは何種か選べたが、中にはブルージーンズが張られた“リーヴァイス・カスタムトリム”なるバージョンもあり、長らく造られるロングセラーとなった。エンジンは3.8ないしは4.2リッターの直6OHV、または5リッターのV-8OHV（オプション）を搭載。'77年にはフロントノーズをスラント化、同時に100mmほど全長を短縮するなど、最後のフェイスリフトを受ける。また省エネルギーが叫ばれた当時の風潮に合わせて、意外にもシリーズ初となる４気筒として、独アウディ100用のSOHC4気筒2000ccを搭載したモデルも追加している。翌'78年末には新たにホーネットから進化したコンコードのショート版という位置付けで、グレムリンにコンコードのノーズを組み合わせたニューモデル、スピリットとして再デビューを果たす。スピリットにはホーネット・ハッチバックを30cm短縮したクーペ版も追加され、二本立てのシリーズとなった。

Other markets

Canada

Canadian-built, base-model Gremlin

American Motors built an assembly plant in Brampton, Ontario, in 1961 for production of motor vehicles for the Canadian market as well as for the United States. The plant built and offered almost all AMC vehicles through the 1960s, allowing AMC to take advantage of the Canada–United States Automotive Products Agreement established between the two countries in 1965. By 1969 production at the Brampton Assembly had grown to such a size that AMC had the plant producing vehicles for the eastern half of the American continent while Kenosha produced vehicles for the western half of the continent. The plant ceased building the Ambassador after 1968 and imported the Javelin and later Matador from the United States but continued to build the Gremlin and Hornet throughout the 1970s.

With Canada moving to the metric system during the 1970s, late model Gremlins were built with their speedometers reading in kilometers per hour.

Mexico

VAM Gremlin in Mazatlán, Mexico

1979 VAM Gremlin X in Mexico City (missing side decals)

Vehiculos Automotores Mexicanos (VAM) manufactured Gremlins in Mexico under license and partial ownership (38% equity share) by AMC. Although the Gremlin was introduced to the U.S. and Canadian markets in 1970, VAM continued assembling its version of the Hornet still bearing the name Rambler American as its smallest, least expensive car until 1974. The fact that VAM already had three lines of products (the top limit permitted by legislation) from 1968 through 1973 made it impossible for the Gremlin to be offered. It was until the discontinuation of the Javelin line in 1973 that free space was available for Gremlin production, making 1974 its year of debut.

The 1974 Gremlin was the third VAM car not to bear the Rambler name since the 1968 Javelin and the 1972 Classic (Matador in the U.S.) models. Moreover, the Mexican market continued to use the Gremlin model name for VAM's version of the AMC Spirit sedan from 1979 through 1983, several years after the Gremlin nameplate was withdrawn in the U.S. market.

The VAM cars had trim, interiors, and model names that differed from the equivalent AMC-made models. All engines built by VAM were of AMC design, modified to deal with Mexico's lower octane gasoline and higher altitudes. The VAM Gremlin was the only car line of its time not to be available with VAM's 282 cu in (4.6 L) version of AMC's I6, due to the economy market segment focus of the cars. This is exactly the opposite case as the AMC Gremlin, which was offered with the option of a 304 V8. The three-speed manual transmission with overdrive, the four-speed manual transmission, the V8 and Audi four-cylinder engines were never available. Trim levels and versions like the two-seater, the Levis Gremlin, the Gremlin Custom, and the Gremlin GT were also never available.

1974

The introductory 1974 Gremlins became unique by incorporating the front clip of the 1974 U.S. AMC Hornet models. VAM never attempted to hide the relationship between the two models, which never harmed the sales or image of either model and was favored by the public. The launch of the Gremlin in Mexico also meant the resurrection of the 232 cu in (3.8 L) I6 engine that was discontinued in 1972. The engine was practically the same as in its final year except for a slightly lower compression ratio (8.3:1 instead of 8.5:1). The advertised output was still the same at 145 gross horsepower at 4,400 revolutions per minute and was restricted to one-barrel carburetors. In contrast, since 1973 all VAM-based Hornets had the 258 cu in (4.2 L) six as the standard and only engine. VAM Gremlins were basic economy cars with a full synchromesh manual 3-speed transmission, heavy-duty clutch, manual four-wheel drum brakes, manual steering, front sway bar, 3.31:1 rear gear ratio, rigid four-bladed cooling fan, collapsible steering column with anti-theft lock, base steering wheel, side marker and hazard lights, column-mounted shifters only, two-tone padded dashboard with silver-colored front surfaces, electric wipers and washers, monaural AM radio, cigarette lighter, front and rear ashtrays, locking glovebox, folding bench seats, two-point front seatbelts, flip-open rear side vents, roof rack, full carpeting with driver's side rubber mat, padded sun visors, sound-insulating cardboard-type headliner, dual coat hooks and round dome light. Factory options for 1974 included a column-mounted automatic transmission, power steering, power drum brakes, heater, parcel shelf, light group, remote-controlled driver and passenger side outside mirrors, sports steering wheel, bright molding package, wheel trim rings, and heavy-duty cooling. All VAM Gremlins used AMC's three-pod instrument cluster from the domestic-built Hornet with a blank in the third gauge position from the factory, which could be equipped with a universal tachometer or clock as dealership options. The introductory year production was 2,137.

1975

The 1975 Gremlin models were upgraded, and along with the improvements to the larger car lines VAM took 9% of the Mexican market. VAM Gremlin interiors now featured individual folding front seats with low backs and new door panels, the "two-tone" dashboard with silver-painted front surfaces was replaced by a color-keyed unit, and a new fuel economy gauge was standard on the third space of the instrument cluster. Manual front disk brakes and electronic ignition were among the mechanical upgrades, while the compression ratio of the engine was dropped to 7.6:1. Both transmissions now came only with a floor-mounted shifter. VAM Gremlins ordered with automatic transmissions now included a heater and power steering at no charge. The exterior featured a variation of AMC's "hockey stick" side decal and a new design for headlight bezels, grille, and parking lights at the front end that AMC originally developed for its Hornet models. Production doubled to over 4,200 VAM Gremlins.

1976

The Gremlin X version was added in 1976 as a separate model rather than an optional package. The X models included VAM's larger 258 cu in (4.2 L) I6, a 6000 RPM tachometer, sports steering wheel, 7.00X14 radial tires, Hurst linkage with T-shaped shifter for the manual transmissions, courtesy lights under the parcel shelf, heater, power steering, tinted windshield, bright molding package (drip rails, wheel arches, rocker panels), wheel trim rings, and an in-house two-color rally stripe that was unique to the Mexican market. The 1976 VAM Gremlin X also came with an interior featuring the "Navajo" pattern cloth upholstery that was optional on AMC's Pacer DL models built for the Canadian and U.S. markets. The base VAM Gremlin now also included luxurious seating with a center armrest that was never available in the U.S. models. Due to the debut of the Gremlin X and its sportier focus, the base Gremlin switched back to the standard column-mounted shifters for either transmission, but keeping the individual seat configuration. Both versions included revised gauges with a 160 km/h speedometer, new side panel designs, longer folding sun visors, and a styled round dome light lens. Sales for 1976 increased to over 6,000 units.

1977

Starting with the 1977 models, all VAM Gremlins were powered by the 258 cu in (4.2 L) I6 regardless of trim level. The exterior featured the shorter new front end clip and rear end treatment as did the U.S. models. The 1977 Gremlin X model included a new digital tachometer and three-point retractable seatbelts, as well as new in-house VAM designs for the seats. The sporty side decal was slightly revised. The seatbelts on the base Gremlin were also changed to three-point units, which were fixed and lacked retractable mechanisms. The option list was expanded with the possibility of ordering a factory air conditioning system for the first time in the VAM line, which was available only in the X model. The previously optional dealership-offered universal air conditioning system remained available for the base model. The VAM Gremlin X (along with the 1977-1979 American ECD, Concord DL four-door equivalent) would be the only VAM car with the 258 I6 engines to be available with a factory air conditioning system, as all other VAM models with it would be 282 cu in (4.6 L) units. Around 6,800 VAM Gremlins were sold during 1977.

1978

Only a few changes were made to the 1978 VAM Gremlin. The dashboard design was from the new U.S. market Concord being restricted to the unit with black surfaces only (no wood imitation or brushed aluminum versions). For the Gremlin X, there was a new VAM logo on the steering wheel horn button, smaller pointy volcano hubcaps with bright exposed lug nuts, and a new full-length bodyside decal incorporated the "Gremlin X" logo on the rear quarter panel. The sporty model also got the set of four bumper guards as standard equipment. The base model got another set of new hubcaps with exposed lug nuts, but with a flat top instead. Production fell just below 6,000 VAM Gremlins.

Second Generation

詳細は「AMC Spirit#VAM models」を参照

VAM Gremlins used the updated body design of the U.S. and Canadian market AMC Spirit two-door sedan, as well as VAM versions of the Spirit Liftback, called the American GT and the Rally AMX. At the time, cars in Mexico took longer to be perceived as outdated than in the US and since the VAM Gremlin came to the public until 1974 instead of 1970, it was still relatively fresh among the Mexican buyers. Aside from this, the model kept a positive image throughout its whole run. It exceeded VAM's sales expectations in its first years. The company originally considered it a temporary low-volume model that would eventually be replaced by the upcoming Pacer model. In the end, the Gremlin stood and became VAM's all-time second best-selling line after the American. For these reasons VAM decided to keep the Gremlin name for the upcoming Spirit sedan model, being a testament to the very favorable image VAM cars in general held in Mexico. This was the third time a case like this happened within the company with Rebel and Matador models keeping the name Rambler Classic and the Hornet the Rambler American name.

Australia

One-off Australian Gremlin, first featured at the 1970 Sydney Motor Show

Badged as a "Rambler" this test car was converted from LHD to RHD for evaluation purposes.

AMC exported a fully built Gremlin to its Australian partner, Australian Motor Industries (AMI) of Port Melbourne, Victoria in 1970 for evaluation purposes. (AMI assembled and marketed other AMC models since 1961.) The evaluation model was painted in AMC's "Big Bad Orange" and was converted from left-hand drive to right-hand drive by Sydney Toyota dealer Bill Buckle Pty Ltd. The car featured AMC's 232 cu in (3.8 L) six-cylinder engine and a three-speed manual transmission. The car was presented at the 1970 Sydney Motor Show to gauge interest and test the market.

The car was featured on the front cover of the November 1970 issue of Australia's top motoring magazine, Wheels magazine. The magazine's review pointed to the likelihood that the "local content" requirements would force the price up to that of the high-priced, Australian-assembled Hornet, and probably price the car out of the market.

For marketing purposes, it was branded as a "Rambler Gremlin" in keeping with the use of the Rambler marque for all AMC vehicles sold in Australia despite that Rambler as a brand was retired in the United States at the end of the 1969 model year. However, no Gremlin models were put into production in Australia.

Right-hand-drive Gremlins were imported into Australia by U.S. servicemen.

Switzerland

Beginning in 1970 Zurich automotive importer J.H Heller AG began importing American Motors vehicles, specifically the Javelin, Gremlin and later the Pacer. Swiss market vehicles were shipped from AMC's Canadian plant.

United Kingdom

American Motors vehicles were exported to the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s and sold by Rambler Motors (A.M.C.) Ltd in London with dealers in London, Yorks, Kent, and Worcester. While earlier models such as the Rambler Classic, Rebel, Ambassador, and Matador had been exported as completed factory right-hand-drive vehicles, only left-hand-drive Gremlins were exported to the United Kingdom. A U.K company called C.T. Wooler, in Andover, Hampshire had been in the business for a long time converting LHD cars to RHD and entered into an agreement with AMC to convert AMC vehicles. C.T Wooler converted Gremlins as well as AMC Pacers and Jeeps.

関連項目

• AMC・ホーネット