AMC AMX / 3rd

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AMC
AMC AMX / 3rd
AMC AMX / 3rd
AMX / 3rd
Production period: 1969-1970
Class : Sports car
Body versions : Coupe
Engines: Otto engine :
6.4 liters (295 PS / 217 kW)
Length: 4460 mm
Width: 1902 mm
Height: 1105 mm
Wheelbase : 2675 mm
Empty weight : 1402 kg

The AMC AMX / 3 (alternative spelling: AMX III ) is a mid-engine sports car from the US automobile manufacturer American Motors Corporation (AMC), which was presented in March 1970 and was to go into series production at Karmann in Germany from 1971 . With this car, AMC wanted to oppose a competitor to the similarly designed De Tomaso Pantera . The body design and the drive came from AMC, the chassis and chassis were developed in Europe. The construction was generally attributed to Giotto Bizzarrini . However, only individual components such as the suspension come from him. In addition to Bizzarrini, Italdesign , Autocostruzioni SD and BMW were also involved in the development. Shortly after the presentation, AMC abandoned the project without giving a reason after about half a dozen cars were built. Several attempts to revive the construction without AMC participation under the brand name Bizzarrini - including as Bizzarrini Sciabola - were unsuccessful. An AMX / 3 chassis formed the technical basis for the Iso Varedo concept vehicle in 1972 .

background

First AMX series (1968–1970)
Inspiration and direct competitor: De Tomaso Pantera

The AMX / 3 was created as a reaction to the AMC Group's economic crisis. AMC, the smallest of the four large US car companies, had to accept considerable losses in the first half of the 1960s, which was mainly explained by a technically undemanding model range that was often perceived as conservative. Therefore, at the end of the decade, AMC initially tried to appeal to younger buyers with sporty versions of the volume models, but was largely unsuccessful. The Javelin pony car introduced in the 1968 model year came three years too late compared to the competition, and the two-seater AMX hatchback coupé derived from the Javelin received good press as an early muscle car , but sold - possibly because it was too stylistically close to the Standard models from AMC - significantly worse than expected.

In order to give the AMC brand a sporty image, since 1967 the management has pursued the goal of adding a high-performance sports car with a mid-engine to the model range . This was triggered above all, the motorsport successes of suitably constructed Ford GT40 , the Ford understood effective advertising to use and also the GM brand Chevrolet to the development of the concept cars Astro II had initiated. In the spring of 1968 AMC first showed the AMC AMX / 2, stylistically influenced by De Tomaso Mangusta , which was a pure show car and in this form had no prospect of series production. This design was further developed into the AMX / 3, which was already designed close to series production.

In autumn 1968 the decision was made to mass-produce the AMX / 3. The main rival was supposed to be De Tomaso Pantera, which was still in development at the time and it was already clear that Ford would sell it in the USA through its dealer network.

After several prototypes had been completed, AMC had advertising photos produced in front of the Colosseum in Rome in March 1970 . On March 23, 1970, AMC presented the car to the Italian press in Rome and to the American press on April 4, 1970 in New York . Both dates were each one day before the local presentation of De Tomaso Pantera. From April 5, 1970, the AMX / 3 was finally at the New York Auto Show , where the Pantera also made its debut. In support, Giotto Bizzarrini drove a few demonstration laps on Michigan Speedway . A little later - depending on the source at the end of April or in the summer of 1970 - AMC surprisingly gave up the AMX / 3. Reasons for the termination were not given. By then, AMC had invested around US $ 2 million in the project.

Model name

The usual lettering

The abbreviation AMX stands for A merican M otors E x perimental (analogously: test model of the American Motors Company). AMC has been using them since 1968 for a series-produced sports car with a front engine. The mid-engine coupé was named AMX / 3 at the beginning of the development phase; it was also intended as the sales name for the series model that was ultimately not realized. Typographically, the 3 - for the third experimental vehicle - was usually connected with a slash. This lettering can be found on some prototypes. In contrast to this, however, AMC used the notation AMX III for at least one prototype. A contemporary sketch also shows a vehicle with the lettering AMX / K, where the K stands for the body manufacturer Karmann.

Development history

The development history of the AMC AMX / 3 has not been clarified in every detail. It all started with the body design, for which a chassis and running gear as well as a body structure were constructed in further steps within seven months before a test program with several prototypes was carried out. Numerous European service providers were involved in this process, three of which were closely related in business at the time.

Planning at AMC

The decision to outsource the development and production of the AMX / 3 to European companies was for financial reasons. The management hoped this would keep production costs and sales prices down. Series production was to be carried out by the German bodywork manufacturer Karmann, who had been assembling the AMC Javelin for Europe since 1968 from disassembled parts sets in Rheine . The simulation games planned to increase the production of the AMX / 3 after an initial series of 24 cars to 1000, according to other sources even 5000 cars annually, which were to be sold in the USA as well as in Europe. Other sources say AMC initially set 5,000 vehicles per year as a production target and later reduced that to 24 cars per year. The planned sales price was US $ 10,000 to 12,000. That was about three times that of a contemporary Ford Mustang , while a Ferrari 365 GTB / 4 “Daytona” was on sale for US $ 19,900.

AMC Design Center

The body design of the AMX / 3 originated in the spring of 1968. It was attributed to AMC's own design studio, which Richard "Dick" Teague ran. The detailed work was done by Vince Geraci, Jack Kenitz, Chuck Mashigan and Robert "Bob" Nixon. Teague indicated in later years that "a lot of work" had been outsourced to the specialist Creative Industries of Detroit during the design process , but did not specify this.

In autumn 1968, based on the drafts of the AMC designers, a 1: 1 model made of glass fiber reinforced plastic , called a push mobile , was created , which was not ready to drive , had no motor, no steering and no interior and was held together inside by a metal frame. After its completion, it was compared to an alternative proposal from Giorgio Giugiaro's studio Italdesign in a design competition , which was created under time pressure parallel to the Bizzarrini Manta show car and was perceived as “heavy and immature” or “unfinished and loveless”. In the end, the AMC draft won.

Bizzarrini and Italdesign

Unnamed service provider for the AMX / 3 project: Italdesign

Because AMC only had series vehicles with front-engine and rear-wheel drive in its range in the 1960s, the AMX / 3, designed as a mid-engine vehicle, could not build on existing series technology. “In the absence of its own know-how”, AMC was looking for a way to have the technology of the mid-engine sports car constructed by an external specialist company, whereby European service providers were used primarily for cost reasons. In the early planning phase, AMC considered having the AMX / 3 designed entirely by BMW, but this failed due to a lack of capacity at BMW. On the mediation of Pininfarina or Karmann, AMC then entered into a connection in November 1968 with the engineer Giotto Bizzarrini, who had designed racing and sports cars for Alfa Romeo , Ferrari , ATS , Lamborghini , Iso and his own brand since 1954 and who had the reputation of to be one of the best automotive engineers in Italy. Bizzarrini, who had lost his business a month earlier due to bankruptcy, then worked as a freelance designer for AMC. In December 1968 he made the first drawings for chassis parts. AMC then advertised the AMX / 3 as a Bizzarrini design. In fact, Bizzarrini's contributions are limited to individual components of the car. Giotto Bizzarrini later stated that AMC had asked him to have "a chassis and suspension". However, only the suspension is proven to be a Bizzarrini construction. The frame, on the other hand, was developed by Giorgio Giugiaro's company Italdesign, which saw itself not only as a design studio, but also as a construction service provider. On whose initiative Italdesign was involved and how exactly the division of labor with Bizzarrini was, is not clear. Italdesign's engagement lasted from December 1968 to June 1969; AMC did not make it publicly known.

Autocostruzioni SD (Diomante)

According to a source, AMC initially commissioned the Turin-based body manufacturer Coggiola to build the prototypes. Coggiola started the first AMX / 3 in late autumn 1968 but never finished it. For unknown reasons, prototype construction was transferred to the newly founded company Autofficina Salvatore Diomante at the turn of the year 1968/69, which was renamed Autocostruzioni SD a little later. The company is also popularly known as Diomante. Its founder, Salvatore Diomante, was factory manager at Automobili Bizzarini until 1968. Diomante was first based in the previous Bizzarrini plant in Livorno . This is where the first prototype of the AMX / 3 was created in the spring of 1969 - possibly on the basis of Coggiola's preliminary work. Later Diomante moved the company to Moncalieri near Turin; all other AMX / 3 were built there.

BMW

Development workers

BMW was finally commissioned with test drives and the revision of the chassis, where the project was given the development code E18. From June 1969, BMW undertook test drives with the first prototype and discovered considerable deficits. The chassis turned out to be clearly too weak, so that it deformed equally under strong acceleration and strong deceleration. In addition, the straight-line stability was poor and the engine was not cooled enough. Bizzarrini revised the chassis, and the cooling was modified. The second prototype, which was probably delivered to BMW in the late summer of 1969, was, in the opinion of the testers, significantly improved. BMW involvement ended in January 1970 after AMC stopped funding the test program.

In contrast to Italdesign's involvement, BMW's involvement in the development of the AMX / 3 was already explicitly discussed in the contemporary Italian and English-language press.

Model description

Chassis and running gear

The AMX / 3 has a semi-monocoque with a central center beam and box sills. This differs from Giotto Bizzarrini's earlier designs, which often have a tubular frame . All wheels are individually suspended on double wishbones . The wheel carriers are cast from aluminum. The lower rear wishbones are trapezoidal. On each wheel are coil springs and double telescopic shock absorbers ; at the rear there are two springs and shock absorbers. The Dutch manufacturer Koni built the shock absorbers according to Bizzarrini's specifications. The braking system with four disc brakes came from Girling according to Bizzarrini's original concept , but was replaced by one from ATE after the first tests at BMW in the summer of 1969 . The weight distribution is 43:57. The front tires are 205/70 VR 15, the rear 225/70 VR 15.

body

AMX / 3 (fifth prototype)
Short rear overhang, two-piece side window: the original AMX / 3 design

The hatchback body, handcrafted from sheet steel, is welded to the floor pan to form a self-supporting unit. With a height of 1.10 m it is very flat, but with 1.92 m it is extraordinarily wide.

The design of the AMX / 3 is described as "dramatic". The most striking design details are the profiled fenders and the pronounced curve above the rear wheels. The AMC designers took the basic idea for this from Studio GT , a prototype designed in 1966 and shown for the first time in 1968 by the Italian bodywork manufacturer Neri e Bonacini . It also provided the model for the side windows that taper towards the rear. The vehicle nose is angled. The foothills of the front fenders protrude, the middle part of the front fairing is pointed like an arrow. In the wings are folding headlights inserted. The front hood is heavily divided. To the left and right of a bridge painted in body color, it has black openings for the radiator. Some, but not all vehicles have an additional, transverse air inlet opening in front of it. It was not included in the original design by the AMC designers. Some prototypes had round tail lights from the Fiat 850 at the rear . Richard Teague partially replaced them with narrow, horizontally arranged rear lights, which were taken over from the Pontiac Firebird of the first and second series (AMX / 3 No. 5). The large tailgate, in which the engine cover and the rear window are integrated, is attached to the rear of the vehicle and is held open by two gas pressure springs . An extendable wing was provided at the rear, but this was not implemented in any of the prototypes. Diomante dummies installed on some, but not all, of the cars. At least one vehicle (No. 5) was later given a functional rear wing during restoration work.

During 1969, AMC revised the design of the AMX / 3 in some details. The rear overhang was slightly lengthened for technical reasons. In addition, the front hood in this version is shaped to cover the windshield wipers located at the bottom of the windshield. The side windows in the doors are now one-piece, i.e. without front triangular windows. Diomante only made these changes to cars produced after AMC withdrew, and not all of them either. The changes can only be found in the fourth and sixth AMX / 3 and in the subsequently completed seventh car, but not in the fifth prototype.

drive

engine

6.4 liter eight-cylinder engine from AMC in "Machine" version

The AMX / 3 are of eight-cylinder - V-engines driven by AMC, which are installed along in motor means located between the seats and the rear axle.

The prototypes were the most powerful AMC engines of the time and had been available from the factory in the Rebel The Machine muscle car since 1969 . The engine block is made of gray cast iron . The forged crankshaft has five bearings. The engine has a central camshaft . There is an inlet and an outlet valve for each cylinder, each of which is operated via a tappet , push rod and rocker arm . The motor is designed with a short stroke ( bore  ×  stroke : 105.79 × 90.77 mm); the displacement is 6383 cm³ (390 in³). The Machine version has a Carter quadruple carburetor . The compression ratio is 10: 1. The gross engine power according to SAE  J245 / J1995 was charged with 340 hp (254 kW) at 5100 min -1 stated, the maximum torque at 430 lb f · ft (583 N · m) at 3600 min -1 . Measured against the DIN 70020 standard that was common in Europe at the time , the engine output corresponds to around 295 hp (217 kW). The water cooler is located in the front of the car; it is connected to two electrically operated fans. In the course of the testing process, coolers from Behr were installed.

Series production of the 390 engine ended in 1970; then AMC used a slightly larger version with a displacement of 6.6 liters (6573 cm³, 401 in³) in its muscle cars , with a gross output of 330 bhp (246 kW) according to the SAE-J245 / J1995 standard. In the literature it is assumed that AMC would have equipped the AMX / 3 with the new 6.6 liter version in the case of series production.

According to a source, the first prototype was also equipped with a BMW eight-cylinder engine from the M09 series, which is still under development, and tested in Italy. The 4.5-liter version with around 240 HP (177 kW) according to DIN 70020 is said to have been discussed at times as an alternative drive for the European version of the AMX / 3.

transmission

For most vehicles, the power transmission is carried out by a transmission from Oto Melara , a subsidiary of the Italian state-owned company IRI, which is primarily active in the armaments sector . It has four manual gears and is combined with the differential in one housing. In at least one car, a manual five-speed transmission from ZF is installed instead . It is unclear why not all vehicles were equipped with the ZF transmission; the representations in the documentation for the AMX / 3 differ greatly on this point. Some sources suspect that the ZF transmission was too expensive, others claim that it could not withstand the high torque of the AMC engine. Still others believe that the ZF design did not fit well into the narrow frame of the AMX / 3.

Performance

The development of the AMX / 3 was based on the management target that the car should reach a top speed of at least 160 mph (257 km / h). The first prototype did not meet these requirements. With its original shape, the car had too much buoyancy so that it would lift up front at high speeds. Initially, the top speed was only 145 mph (233 km / h), although the engine had reserves for higher performance. A quarter of a year later, Giotto Bizzarrini and racing driver Antonio Nieri tried out different front spoilers during test drives with the second prototype. With them, the second AMX / 3 at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza reached a top speed of 170 mph (273 km / h). It almost reached the value of a Ferrari 365 GTB / 4 “Daytona”. Nieri's fastest lap time in the AMX / 3 was 1:56 min in Monza. The car thus equalized the values ​​that a Bizzarrini GT 5300 had achieved a few years earlier .

The original vehicles

In February 1969, Diomante began building the AMX / 3 vehicles. Exactly how many cars were made and which of them are to be regarded as original vehicles is not fully understood.

In 1971, Giotto Bizzarrini spoke of the fact that by the time AMC withdrew, three AMX / 3 vehicles had been completed and two more vehicles were nearly completed. He did not mention any other cars or chassis. Deviating from this, most sources today do not assume five, but six original AMX / 3s, to which a number of younger vehicles, which is individually estimated, is inconsistent. This is based on the assumption that by the time AMC withdrew in the spring of 1970, Diomante had largely completed a batch of five cars - including three roadworthy prototypes - and had begun building five more chassis. At least one car from the second installment was completed shortly afterwards. In addition, at least three other cars are associated with the AMX / 3, which are also said to be based on original chassis. These cars are not consistently recognized as original AMX / 3 in the literature. Another question is whether new chassis were made after 1970.

On the basis of the common differentiation, the following vehicles can be distinguished:

Six originals

No. 1: First prototype

The first prototype of the AMX / 3, originally painted in light green, was made in the spring of 1969. The car has no chassis number. From March 1969, Diomante manufactured its essential parts in Livorno, but Diomante's mechanics did not complete it until June 1969 at BMW in Munich. BMW carried out a test program with him that lasted from June to at least September 1969. At the end of 1969 the car went back to Diomante, where it was stored for several years in an incomplete condition - possibly as a parts donor for other AMX / 3. Around 1973 AMC took over the chassis without gearbox and engine and introduced it to the USA. It went through several collectors' hands before the restoration of the now yellow painted car began after another change of ownership in autumn 2019.

No. 2: "The red Monza car"

With additional openings for cooling air: the second AMX / 3 prototype

The second prototype was built in the summer of 1969, bearing the chassis number WTDO 363 2/55/55. The car was called The Red Monza Car in AMC's internal parlance . Individual older sources see the Monza car as the fourth or fifth prototype; but that has now been refuted. Stylistically, the Monza car largely, but not completely, corresponds to the first prototype. The main distinguishing features from the outside are the large air openings, which are let into the fenders in front of the rear wheel arches to improve cooling, and the horizontal air inlet in the front panel. The side marker lights in the front and rear fenders , which were missing in the original version of the first prototype, were also new . When designing the chassis of the second prototype, Giotto Bizzarrini took up the knowledge gained from the test drives with the first car and in any case partially implemented BMW's recommendations.

From autumn 1969 (according to other sources: early 1970) the car went to BMW, where further tests were carried out. BMW certified that the car had significantly better torsional strength. In the spring of 1970 Bizzarrini organized speed tests with this chassis at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza. These tests are responsible for the unofficial designation of this vehicle. In February 1971 an Italian magazine tested the “red Monza car” in the Turin area.

Shortly thereafter, Diomante sold the car for US $ 6,000 to a US collector who introduced it to the US in November 1971. In a sales document issued by Diomante, the year of construction 1967 is incorrectly given; this may have tax reasons. After several changes of ownership, the car was restored in California in 1990 . Since then, it has initially appeared in red at classic exhibitions. After another redesign in 2015, the car is now in the contemporary AMC color, Bittersweet Orange . In January 2017, it was sold at a classic car auction for $ 891,000. That was the highest price ever for an AMC car.

No. 3: exhibit

The third AMX / 3 (chassis number A0M397X631524Y) was completed in early 1970. Stylistically, it corresponds completely to the first prototype from 1969. Like this one, it has no side air intake openings in the rear fenders and no horizontal air intake in the front hood. In line with the second prototype, however, are the side marker lights in the fenders. It is the first car in which the interior was also finished according to the later series standard; the earlier cars initially only had provisional interiors.

This car was photographed in red livery in March 1970 for advertising images in front of the Roman Coliseum and then shown at the press presentations in Rome and New York and in April 1970 at the New York Auto Show . AMC also featured the car in its 1970 annual report . In the following years it stayed with AMC. In 1978 it was taken over by Richard Teague, whose family still owns it. The car is repeatedly exhibited on loan in various US museums.

No. 4: "The Turin car"

The fourth AMX / 3 (chassis number WTDO 363 4/55/55) was referred to as The Torino Car in AMC internal parlance . It was the first AMX / 3 with the stylistic changes from autumn 1969 - one-piece side windows and an extended rear. Diomante completed it only after the withdrawal from AMC in the second half of 1970; however, it is assumed that it was made up of components that were created in the winter of 1969/70. In October 1970, Bizzarrini exhibited the No. 4 car at the Turin Motor Show. At the exhibition or immediately afterwards, the term Bizzarrini Sciabola was already being discussed as a possible model name. In 1971 the car was bought by a US collector and introduced to the US.

No. 5: Directly to AMC

AMX / 3, chassis no.5

The fifth car (chassis number A0M397X680492) was completed - before the fourth - in May or June 1970, immediately after AMC's withdrawal. The car corresponds to the original AMC design, so it has triangular side windows in the doors and the short rear. Unlike the second, third and fourth cars, the fifth AMX / 3 has no side marker lights .

AMC already took over the car in the summer of 1970 and introduced it to the USA. At the time, the car was incomplete - among other things, the instrument panel was missing - and had no tuned chassis. In 1978 Richard Teague bought the car and made stylistic changes to the rear end. Among other things, he had darkened taillights of the second series of the Pontiac Firebird installed, which were still on the car in 2019. In 2006 the car was restored. He received a black painted front spoiler. At an unknown point in time, an extendable rear wing was also retrofitted. The yellow-painted car has been shown at irregular intervals in the USA and Europe since 2006.

No. 6: The Sciabola

The sixth car was not completed until 1971. He is also believed to be based on parts that were manufactured in 1970. That is why it is regularly recognized as the original AMX / 3. The body of the sixth AMX / 3 has the modifications of the year 1969 in the area of ​​the rear and the side windows. However, as with the first and third prototypes, the horizontal air intake in the front panel is missing. Unlike the earlier vehicles, the sixth car hardly has any AMC accessories in the interior. Instead, many components come from Fiat and Bertone . This applies to switches and instruments, but also to the double round tail lights (Fiat 850). The sixth AMX / 3 still belongs to Salvatore Diomante. It was exhibited at the Turin Motor Show in 1976 as Bizzarrini Sciabola and photographed for a Sciabola brochure. Richard Teague said in 1981 that the sixth AMX / 3 was the best car in the series: "a real gem" ( a real gem ).

Replicas on original chassis?

No. 7: A straggler

The seventh chassis, which is said to have been built in 1970, remained unused for a number of years. Salvatore Diomante sold it in an incomplete condition in 1971 to Giorgio Giordanengo, who runs a restoration company for classic Italian sports cars. Giordanengo completed the car some time later, possibly not until the 1980s. Stylistically, the structure corresponds to that of the sixth vehicle. Diomante sold No. 7 around 1992 to the Belgian entrepreneur Roland D'Ieteren , the then managing director of the Brussels D'Ieteren group. Over time, the car was equipped with a variety of engines, including a twelve-cylinder Ferrari and an eight-cylinder Chevrolet .

No. 8: Iso Varedo

The eighth chassis did not have an AMX / 3 body. On its basis Giotto Bizzarrini designed from autumn 1971 Iso Rivolta , the show car Iso Varedo whose the Lamborghini Countach ajar plastic body Ercole Spada had designed. Unlike the AMX / 3 models, the Varedo has an eight-cylinder V-engine from Ford (Cleveland series), with which the drive corresponds to Iso Rivolta's series vehicles. The Varedo made its debut at the 1972 Turin Motor Show. It is doubtful whether Iso intended to mass-produce the Varedo. In fact, the car remained a one-off. It belongs to Iso's former owner Piero Rivolta , who has been exhibiting it in a museum in Florida for several years .

No. 9: AMX Spider?

Finally, a Spider is associated with the AMX / 3 , which first appeared in Brussels in 2002 . Some sources claim the car was based on the ninth and final known original AMX / 3 chassis. Diomante sold it in 1971 together with chassis no. 7 to Giorgio Giordanengo, who put a Spider body on it around 1995 on behalf of Roland D'Ieterens. The structure has no stylistic references to the AMX / 3; rather, it is reminiscent of the Bizzarrini P 538 racing car , which was first shown publicly in 1966. Unlike the regular AMX / 3 vehicles, the Spider is equipped with a 5.4 liter eight-cylinder V-engine from Chevrolet based on the P 538 . It has a five-speed manual transmission from ZF. However, the connection between the Spider and the AMX / 3 is sometimes disputed. This is justified with the fact that neither the wheelbase nor the track of the Spider match the AMX / 3.

Possible reasons for failure

AMC did not publicly give any reason for abandoning the AMX / 3 at short notice. Most documentation explains AMC's withdrawal for economic reasons. Apart from that, there are also numerous alternative explanations.

Macroeconomic situation at AMC

In the fall of 1969, AMC was exposed to the longest strike in the company's history, which had a direct impact on the market launch of the new high-volume Hornet model . This resulted in serious liquidity problems at the turn of the year 1969/70, which affected all areas of the company, but mainly had an impact on special projects.

AMX / 3 project inefficiency

Costly: safety bumpers for the USA (here on a De Tomaso Pantera)

Many authors consider the AMX / 3 project in itself unprofitable. The AMX / 3 could not have been produced in Italy or Germany at the planned costs, and the proposed retail price of US $ 10,000 to 12,000, which was already well above that of the De Tomaso Pantera, could not have been achieved. Richard Teague, who for emotional reasons absolutely wanted to realize the AMX / 3, had left the other corporate managers in the dark for too long about the real costs of the project.

Teague later confirmed the relevance of the cost development, but referred to specific event-related additional costs: The AMX / 3 was designed without taking the stricter US safety regulations into account, which were already beginning to come into force at the beginning of the 1970s. Selling the AMX / 3 in the USA would have required extensive customization, which included the installation of safety bumpers in particular. AMC could not have borne their costs.

Intervention by competitors

The discontinuation of the project is partly attributed to the AMC competitor Ford. In a direct comparison, Ford recognized the superiority of the AMX / 3 over its own Pantera and thereupon induced the economically troubled AMC group to forego the production of the Pantera competitor in return for a cash payment.

Karmann and Volkswagen include other assumptions : Because the production of the AMC Javelin at Karmann ended almost at the same time as the AMX / 3 project, an intervention by the Volkswagen Group is sometimes suspected, which prevents Karmann from being tied to AMC and thus production capacities wanted to secure for their own models.

Bizzarini bankruptcy

Finally, the bankruptcy of Automobili Bizzarrini is cited as a reason for abandoning the AMX / 3 project: Giotto Bizzarrini had considerable tax debts from the time his GT 5300 sports car was imported into the USA. According to one suspicion, AMC feared that the US tax authorities would hold Giotto Bizzarrini liable for his debts in the event of a long-term business relationship.

Resuscitations after the AMC withdrawal: Bizzarrini Sciabola

After AMC withdrew from the project in July 1970, there were several attempts to revive the AMX / 3 as the Bizzarrini AMX / 3 or Bizzarrini Sciabola. The details of this are very uncertain; different documentation contradict each other fundamentally.

1970: 30 bizzarrinis without AMC?

What is certain is that in the summer of 1970 AMC was ready to have around 30 AMX / 3 built by Bizzarrini - possibly in the sense of compensation - of which 20 were to be sold in Europe under the Bizzarrini brand, while 10 more were to be delivered to AMC. Subsequently, Bizzarrini exhibited an AMX / 3 at its own stand at the Turin Motor Show in October 1970. It was the fourth AMX / 3 called Torino Car . Contemporary sources show that Bizzarrini already used the model name Sciabola (German: sword) in this phase.

It is unclear whether Bizzarrini and Diomante actually started or at least planned series production; the sources on this are contradictory. The Italian men's magazine iO quoted Giotto Bizzarrini in February 1971 as saying that around 30 cars were to be manufactured annually at a unit price of 8 million  lire . A few years later, however, Giotto Bizzarrini stated that he had not accepted AMC's offer to produce the AMX / 3 on his own responsibility because he “did not have the courage” or the memory of Automobili Bizzarrini's bankruptcy was still present. If that is the case, no more vehicles with AMX / 3 bodies were made beyond the six original vehicles from 1971 onwards. In a fundamentally different manner, other sources speak of the fact that Diomante actually “more or less completed” “a few” more vehicles after AMC's exit in the summer of 1970; production of nine more cars is sometimes assumed. However, at the beginning of 1971 AMC refused the initially promised delivery of technical components for these cars without giving any reasons and demanded that all AMX / 3 models be scrapped. Diomante destroyed the nine cars built from the summer of 1970, but not the original prototypes that he built up to 1970. Still others believe Diomante is still hiding a few more AMX / 3 bodies.

1976: Bizzarrini and Oto Melara: The Sciabola

In 1976 Giotto Bizzarrini exhibited a sports car called Sciabola at the Turin Motor Show and published a sales brochure for it. The car presented was the sixth chassis of the AMX / 3, which Diomante completed at the beginning of 1971 and has since been kept in Turin. A further development compared to the original AMX / 3 versions could not be seen. The Sciabola exhibition was largely funded by Oto Melara and its primary purpose was to present the car as an advertising medium for Oto Melara transmissions. Giotto Bizzarrini announced to the Italian press that the Sciabola would be handcrafted to order at a price of $ 23,800. However, a production did not materialize. Chassis number 6 still belongs to Salvatore Diomante.

Influences of the AMX / 3 on later AMC models

AMC Matador Coupe

The lines of the AMX / 3 influenced the design of some later series models from AMC. This applies in particular to the distinctive swing of the hips in the rear fenders.

For the 1973 model year, AMC first introduced the three-door hatchback version of the compact Hornet model , the rear fenders of which, in a weakened form, cited the hips of the AMX / 3. The rear side windows are pointed. The second edition of the Matador Coupé made its debut in autumn 1973 . The hatchback coupé designed under the direction of Richard Teague has AMX / 3-inspired lines on the rear fenders, which are wider than the Hornet. The tapered rear side windows that were present in the original design are also comparable, although in later years some versions were covered by a vinyl cover. The American magazine Car and Driver named the Matador Coupé in November 1973 as the best-designed car of the 1974 model year.

reviews

Even if the AMX / 3 did not reach the stage of series production, it is not considered a failure today. Many - including Richard Teague himself - see the AMX / 3 as the best design that Teague has implemented at AMC. For his part, Giotto Bizzarrini believes the AMX / 3 is his best construction. In some cases, the assessment is expressed that series production of the AMX / 3 could have brought AMC numerous new customers and possibly saved the group.

"This car was a milestone, coming from a unique project that brought together some of the brightest minds in the automotive world of the late 1960s and 1970s"

“This car was a milestone. It grew out of a unique project that brought together some of the brightest minds in the automotive world of the late 1960s and 1970s. "

"Could any car designed by Bizzarrini and developed by BMW be possibly anything but marvelous?"

"Can a car designed by Bizzarrini and developed by BMW be anything but wonderful?"

- Doug Blaine (1971)

"The AMX / 3 is probably the most unusual European-American hybrid ever."

- Wolfgang Blaube (2011)

Inspirations and revivals

California-registered company Sciabola Inc. has been making efforts since 2007 to develop a replica of the AMX / 3. The company has now produced several body shells that are directly derived from the plastic model of the AMX / 3 shown in 1969. Until 2019, however, there was a lack of financial resources to develop the technology. A sale of the new AMX / 3 bodies has not yet been proven.

Richard Teague's son Jeff , who is also an industrial designer and worked for Ford, among others, designed the AMX / 4 study in 2005 and the AMX / 5 in 2010. Both vehicles are intended as a homage to the AMX / 3 and should be a further development of its design concept. In both cases a plastic model was built; mass production was not intended.

Technical specifications

AMC AMX / 3rd
Engine:  Eight-cylinder gasoline engine, V configuration
Displacement:  6392 cc
Bore × stroke:  105.79 x 90.77 mm
Gross output according to SAE J245 / J1995:  340 hp (254 kW) at 5100 min -1
Max. Torque according to SAE J245 / J1995:  430 lb f · ft (583 N · m) at 3600 min -1
Nominal power according to DIN 70020:  295 hp (217 kW)
Compression ratio:  10.0: 1
Mixture preparation:  1 quadruple carburetor
Valve control:  central camshaft; Tappets, bumpers and rocker arms
Cooling:  Water cooling
Transmission:  manual five-speed transmission (ZF)
manual four-speed transmission (Oto Melara)
Front suspension:  individually on double wishbones of unequal length link arms, coil springs, telescopic shock absorbers, stabilizer
Rear suspension:  individually on double wishbones, single wishbone above, trapezoidal wishbone below, two coil springs and telescopic shock absorbers per wheel
Brakes:  front and rear ventilated disc brakes
Chassis:  Semi-monocoque
Body:  Sheet steel, self-supporting
Wheelbase:  2675 mm
Dimensions
(length × width × height): 		 4460 × 1902 × 1105 mm
Empty weight:  1402 kg
Top speed:  approx. 270 km / h

literature

Web links

Commons : AMC AMX / 3  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Remarks

  1. ↑ AMC produced about 160,000 less Rambler vehicles in 1966 than in 1960 and fell from 4th to 9th in the production statistics of US brands. The market share in the USA fell from 6.4 to 2 from 1960 to 1967, 8 percent. See Richard M. Langworth: Encyclopedia of American Cars 1930-1980 , New York (Beekman House) 1984. ISBN 0-517-42462-2 , p. 661, and Wolfgang Blaube: X-Files . Presentation and development history of the AMC AMX / 3. In: Oldtimer Market. No. 4, April 2011, ISSN  0939-9704 , p. 43.
  2. ↑ From autumn 1968 to 1970 a total of 10,866 copies of the AMX were made. For the 1971 model year, which began in the late summer of 1970, AMC took the AMX out of its range. The AMX was no longer an independent model in the following years. Rather, the term now referred to the sportiest variants of the AMC models Javelin (1971–1974), Hornet (1977), Concord (1978) and Spirit (1979–1980).
  3. ↑ In addition to the dealers of the Ford brand, the Ford Group maintained an independent dealer network for the higher-ranking group brands Lincoln and Mercury . From 1971 to 1973 selected Lincoln Mercury dealers sold the De Tomaso Pantera with a Ford warranty. See Daniele Pozzi: De Tomaso: From Buenos Aires to Modena, the History of an Automotive Visionary , Dalton Watson Fine Books, 2016, ISBN 978-1-85443-278-0 , p. 146.
  4. ↑ This applies to Giotto Bizzarrini, Giorgio Giugiaro and Salvatore Diomante. Diomante headed the automotive supplier Carbondio and was also works manager or production manager at Automobili Bizzarrini . After Bizzarrini's bankruptcy, Diomante took over the company's technical material as well as numerous construction plans for Bizzarrini's cars in bankruptcy proceedings and founded his company Autocostruzioni SD on this basis, in whose favor Carbondio was dissolved in 1969. Giorgio Giugiaro was also part of Giotto Bizzarrini's circle in the late 1960s. Both were friends. When Giugiaro was looking for a technical basis for the first show car of his newly founded company Italdesign, he chose a used Bizzarrini chassis (P 538). This resulted in the unique piece Bizzarrini Manta, presented in October 1968, which was built in the summer of 1968 in Salvatore Diomante's company Carbondio. With the AMX / 3, Bizzarrini, Dionmante and Giugiaro continued their relationship.
  5. ↑ This push mobile still exists; it has been in California since about 2007.
  6. ↑ Measurement without the operation of the fan, water pump, alternator, air filter and silencer; see. Kraftfahrtechnisches Taschenbuch , 19th edition, Robert Bosch GmbH, 1984, ISBN 3-18-418005-0 , p. 331.
  7. ↑ The brand biographer Philippe Olczyk ( Bizzarrini & Diomante. The Official History , 3rd edition 2017, ISBN 978-84-697-6659-0 ) also assumes six original chassis, but lists them on p. 325 ff. Without exception to 1971. This cannot be reconciled with the other sources. With this assignment, Olczyk also indirectly contradicts his own statements on p. 123 f. in the same book.
  8. ↑ The discontinuation of Javelin production at Karmann can also be explained differently. It coincides with the discontinuation of the first Javelin series in the USA. For the model year 1971, which began in the late summer of 1970, the second Javelin generation appeared in the USA, which was larger than the first series and only fit to a limited extent on the European market.
  9. ↑ Wolfgang Blaube ( X-Files , Presentation and Development History of the AMC AMX / 3. In: Oldtimer Markt, No. 4, April 2011, p. 49) relocates the presentation of the Bizzarrini Sciabola to the year 1971. That is with the other available sources incompatible and incidentally contradicts Bluebee's representations elsewhere in the same article, where it expressly states that the Sciabola project had already failed in September 1971 - i.e. two months before the 1971 Turin Motor Show.
  10. ^ The year 1975 mentioned by Philippe Olczyk ( Bizzarrini & Diomante. The Official History , 3rd edition 2017, ISBN 978-84-697-6659-0 , p. 124) cannot be correct: in 1975 there was no Turin Motor Show. From 1972 to 1984 the salon was held every two years in even years.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Alan Naldrett: Lost Car Companies of Detroit , Arcadia Publishing, 2016, ISBN 978-1-62585-649-4 , p. 132.
  2. ↑ a b c d Winston Goodfellow: Giottos Meisterstück , Octane Magazin, May 2017, p. 66.
  3. ^ J. "Kelly" Flory, Jr .: American Cars, 1960-1972: Every Model, Year by Year , McFarland, 2008, ISBN 978-0-7864-5200-2 , p. 559.
  4. ^ A b Larry G. Mitchell: AMC Muscle Cars: Muscle Car Color History , MotorBooks International, ISBN 978-1-61060-801-5 , p. 26.
  5. ↑ a b c d Richard Heseltine: Richard Teague: American Automobile Design's Unsung Hero. www.motor1.com, March 13, 2018, accessed December 29, 2019 .
  6. ↑ Richard M. Langworth: Encyclopedia of American Cars 1930-1980 , New York (Beekman House) 1984. ISBN 0-517-42462-2 , p. 21.
  7. ↑ Larry G. Mitchell: AMC Muscle Cars: Muscle Car Color History , MotorBooks International, ISBN 978-1-61060-801-5 , p. 64.
  8. ↑ a b c d e f g h i Ronnie Schreiber: American Motors AMX / 3 - You Can Own Designer Dick Teague's Favorite Concept Car. www.thetruthaboutcars.com, February 27, 2014, accessed December 29, 2019 .
  9. ↑ Gary Witzenburg: The idea of the mid-engined Corvette began with this 1960s Concept. www.caranddriver.com, September 13, 2018, accessed December 29, 2019 .
  10. ↑ Figure of the AMC AMX / 2 (accessed December 29, 2019).
  11. ↑ a b c d e Marc Cranswick: The Cars of American Motors: An Illustrated History , McFarland, 2011, ISBN 978-0-7864-8570-3 , p. 121.
  12. ↑ a b c d e Pete Coltrin: AMX / 3 Mid-engined Coupe: A fast answer to the De Tomaso from American Motors and Giotto Bizzarrini , Road & Track, June 1970 issue.
  13. ^ Halwart Schrader, Georg Amtmann: Italian sports cars . Stuttgart 1999, ISBN 3-613-01988-4 , p. 102.
  14. ↑ a b press photo with the third prototype (accessed December 29, 2019).
  15. ↑ Jim Campisano: American muscle cars , Main Street, 1999, ISBN 978-0-7607-4628-8 , p. 121.
  16. ↑ a b c d e f Winston Goodfellow: Giottos Meisterstück , Octane Magazin, May 2017, p. 70.
  17. ↑ a b c d e f Wolfgang Blaube: The X Files , Presentation and Development History of the AMC AMX / 3. In: Oldtimer Market. No. 4, April 2011, p. 48.
  18. ↑ a b c d e f g Kyle Ashdown: That Time AMC Tried And Failed To Build A Ferrari Killer. www.carthrottle.com, 2017, accessed December 29, 2019 .
  19. ↑ a b c d Thomas Glatch: 1969 AMC AMX / 3. www.sportscarmarket.com, April 1, 2017, accessed December 29, 2019 .
  20. ^ A b c Gordon McDonald: Muscle Cars You Should Know: '70 AMC AMX / 3 Supercar Concept. www.streetmusclemag.com, March 9, 2011, accessed December 29, 2019 .
  21. ↑ a b c Figures for chassis no.1 on the website www.amx3.org (accessed December 29, 2019).
  22. ↑ a b c Wolfgang Blaube: X-Files . Presentation and development history of the AMC AMX / 3. In: Oldtimer Market. No. 4, April 2011, p. 46.
  23. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Chronology of the development of the AMC AMX / 3 on the website www.amx3.org (accessed on December 29, 2019).
  24. ↑ a b c d e Wolfgang Blaube: X-Files . Presentation and development history of the AMC AMX / 3. In: Oldtimer Market. No. 4, April 2011, p. 44.
  25. ↑ Marc Cranswick: The Cars of American Motors: An Illustrated History . McFarland, 2011, ISBN 978-0-7864-8570-3 , p. 96.
  26. ↑ History of the Karmann Javelin on the website www.american-motors.de (accessed on December 29, 2019).
  27. ^ Roland Löwitsch: Karmann Cabinet . Octane Magazin, May 2017, pp. 90, 95.
  28. ↑ Illustration of a bilingual sales brochure for the AMC Javelin 79-K on the website www.lov2xlr8.no (accessed on December 29, 2019).
  29. ^ A b c Larry G. Mitchell: AMC Muscle Cars: Muscle Car Color History , MotorBooks International, ISBN 978-1-61060-801-5 , p. 91.
  30. ↑ a b c d e Dick Truesdell: What could have been: The 1970 AMC AMX / 3, the Vision of designer Dick Teague. www.drivetribe.com, 2016, accessed December 29, 2019 .
  31. ↑ A Mustang Mach I Coupé cost US $ 3,271 in model year 1970 without additional equipment; s. Richard M. Langworth: Encyclopedia of American Cars 1940-1970 , Crescent 1981, ISBN 978-0-517-29464-2 , p. 201.
  32. ↑ Doug Nye: World Supercars 1: Ferrari 365 GTB / 4 Daytona , Arco Publishing 1984, ISBN 978-0-668-05883-4 , p. 87.
  33. ^ Leon Dixon: Creative Industries of Detroit: The Untold Story of Detroit's Secret Concept Car Builder , CarTech Inc, 2017, ISBN 978-1-61325-213-0 , p. 167.
  34. ^ Daniel Strohl: AMX / 3 pushmobile found, replicas forthcoming? www.hemmings.com, October 27, 2007, accessed December 29, 2019 .
  35. ^ Alan Naldrett: Lost Car Companies of Detroit , Arcadia Publishing, 2016, ISBN 978-1-62585-649-4 , p. 132.
  36. ↑ a b c d Wolfgang Blaube: X-Files . Presentation and development history of the AMC AMX / 3. In: Oldtimer Market. No. 4, April 2011, p. 45.
  37. ↑ a b c d e f g h Jack Koobs de Hartog, Jürgen M. Wilms: The untold story: AMX / 3, Giugiaro and BMW. www.hemmings.com, January 8, 2017, accessed December 29, 2019 .
  38. ^ Philippe Olczyk: Bizzarrini & Diomante. The Official History, 3rd edition 2017, ISBN 978-84-697-6659-0 , p. 123.
  39. ↑ Matthias Braun, Ernst Fischer, Manfred Steinert, Alexander Franc Storz: Ferrari road and racing cars since 1946 , Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 978-3-613-02651-3 , p. 204.
  40. ↑ Wolfgang Blaube: Six against Enzo . Presentation of the ATS 2500, in: Oldtimer Markt 11/2005, p. 140 ff.
  41. ↑ Wolfgang Blaube: Green Star . 50 years of Lamborghini. Presentation of the 350 GTV in: Oldtimer Markt, issue 7/2013, p. 246 ff.
  42. ^ Halwart Schrader, Georg Amtmann: Italian sports cars . Stuttgart 1999, ISBN 3-613-01988-4 , p. 88.
  43. ↑ Alessandra Scalvini, Federico Gavazzi: Bizzarrini e le corse, in: Il genio e la macchina: Bizzarrini e Lampredi: due storie dell'auto italiana . Bandecchi & Vivaldi - Editore, 2010.
  44. ↑ a b Winston Goodfellow: Giottos Meisterstück , Octane Magazin, May 2017, p. 69.
  45. ↑ Markus Caspers: Designing Motion: Automobildesigner from 1890 to 1990 , Birkhäuser, 2016, ISBN 978-3-0356-0777-2 , p. 110.
  46. ^ Giorgio Giugiaro: Design Mission for the Automotive Industry . In: Hans-Hermann Braess, Ulrich Seiffert (Hrsg.): Automobildesign und Technik: Formgebung, functionality, Technik , Springer-Verlag, 2007, ISBN 978-3-8348-9411-3 , p. 183.
  47. ^ Pierluigi Sagona: Non Produce né Vende Automobili - Incontro con L'Ital Design . L'Automobile Speziale (July / August 1971), p. 26 ff.
  48. ↑ Alessandro Sannia: Enciclopedia dei carrozzieri italiani , Società Editrice Il Cammello, 2017, ISBN 978-88-96796-41-2 , p. 510.
  49. ^ Philippe Olczyk: Bizzarrini & Diomante. The Official History , 3rd edition 2017, ISBN 978-84-697-6659-0 , p. 113.
  50. ↑ SD website (accessed December 29, 2019).
  51. ↑ Images of the AMX / 3 project on the website www.diomante.com (accessed on December 29, 2019).
  52. ↑ a b c Marc Cranswick: The Cars of American Motors: An Illustrated History. McFarland, 2011, ISBN 978-0-7864-8570-3 , p. 120.
  53. ^ Philippe Olczyk: Bizzarrini & Diomante. The Official History, 3rd edition 2017, ISBN 978-84-697-6659-0 , p. 124.
  54. ↑ Brief description of the AMC AMX / 3 on the website www.ultimatecarpage.com
  55. ↑ List of BMW development codes (accessed December 29, 2019).
  56. ^ A b c d Doug Blaine: Giotto Bizzarrini, the winegrower of Livorno . Car, September 1971 issue.
  57. ↑ a b c d e f g Wolfgang Blaube: The X Files , Presentation and Development History of the AMC AMX / 3. In: Oldtimer Markt, No. 4, April 2011, p. 49.
  58. ↑ For example the Ferrari 250 GTO, the ATS GT (Wolfgang Blaube: Sechs gegen Enzo . Presentation of the ATS 2500, in: Oldtimer Markt 11/2005, p. 140 ff.) And the Bizzarrini P 538 (Wolfgang Blaube: Ein Fisch Namen Manta : Presentation of the Bizzarrini Manta and brief description of the history of the Bizzarrini P 538 in: Oldtimer Markt, issue 10/2008, p. 45). An exception is the Bizzarrini GT 5300 (Michael Riedner: Show-Biz . Presentation and driving report Bizzarrini GT Corsa 5300 from 1965. In: Motor Klassik, issue 3/1989, p. 129).
  59. ↑ The Neri e Bonacini Studio GT 2 Litri on the website www.supercars.net (accessed on December 29, 2019).
  60. ↑ a b Brief description of the AMX / 3 Chassis 4 on the website www.amx3.org (accessed on December 29, 2019).
  61. ↑ a b Description of the fifth chassis of the AMX / 3 on the amx3.org website (accessed December 29, 2019).
  62. ↑ a b c d Brief description of the AMX / 3 Chassis 6 on the website www.amx3.org (accessed December 29, 2019).
  63. ↑ a b Description of the seventh AMX / 3 on the amx3.org website (accessed December 29, 2019).
  64. ↑ Jeff Koch: 1970 AMC Rebel Machine. www.hemmings.com, March 2015, accessed on December 29, 2019 .
  65. ↑ a b Peter C. Sessler: Ultimate American V-8 Engine Data Book , MotorBooks International, ISBN 978-1-61059-232-1 , p. 228.
  66. ↑ a b c Wolfgang Blaube: The X Files, Presentation and Development History of the AMC AMX / 3. In: Oldtimer Markt, No. 4, April 2011, p. 47.
  67. ↑ Description of the BMW M09 project on the BMW-grouparchiv.de website (accessed on December 29, 2019).
  68. ^ William Brierley, Colin Gordon, Kevin Bruton, Peter King: Business Cultures in Europe , Routledge, 2012, ISBN 978-1-136-00921-1 , p. 154.
  69. ↑ Klaus Westrup: Eilkunde . Test Ferrari 365 GTB / 4 in: auto motor und sport, issue 3/1973.
  70. ↑ a b c d e f g Winston Goodfellow: Giottos Meisterstück , Octane Magazin, May 2017, p. 71.
  71. ^ Contemporary illustration of Giotto Bizzarrini and Antonio Nieri in front of an AMX / 3 at Alessandra Scalvini's, Federico Gavazzi: Bizzarrini e le corse, in: Il genio e la macchina: Bizzarrini e Lampredi: due storie dell'auto italiana . Bandecchi & Vivaldi - Editore, 2010 (there, however, incorrectly dated 1971 and assigned to the Bizzarrini Sciabola model).
  72. ↑ Wolfgang Blaube: X Files . Presentation and development history of the AMC AMX / 3. In: Oldtimer Market. No. 4, April 2011, ISSN  0939-9704 , p. 42.
  73. ^ Philippe Olczyk: Bizzarrini & Diomante. The Official History , 3rd edition 2017, ISBN 978-84-697-6659-0 , pp. 325–327.
  74. ↑ a b Description of the AMX / 3 models on the website amx3.weebly.com (accessed December 29, 2019).
  75. ↑ a b Deviating from Wolfgang Blaube ( X file . Presentation and development history of the AMC AMX / 3. In: Oldtimer Markt. No. 4, April 2011, ISSN  0939-9704 , p. 42 ff.): After that, the first and the second, but the third and fifth cars were delivered to BMW for testing.
  76. ↑ a b Gino Baglio: Uno squalo alla livornese , Magazin iO, issue February 1971.
  77. ↑ a b Letter from AMC management to the buyer of the car from March 1971; Publication of the letter on the amx3.org website (accessed December 29, 2019).
  78. ^ A b Philippe Olczyk: Bizzarrini & Diomante. The Official History , 3rd edition 2017, ISBN 978-84-697-6659-0 , p. 326.
  79. ↑ Illustration of the document on the website amx3.weebly.com (accessed on December 29, 2019).
  80. ↑ a b Description of the second chassis of the AMX / 3 on the website www.amx3.org (accessed December 29, 2019).
  81. ↑ Pictures of the second AMX / 3 including contemporary photographs of the tests in Monza (accessed December 29, 2019).
  82. ↑ Description of the third chassis of the AMX / 3 on the website amx3.org (accessed December 29, 2019).
  83. ↑ Images of the third AMX / 3 on the website www.amx390.com (accessed on December 29, 2019).
  84. ↑ Description of the fourth chassis of the AMX / 3 on the website amx3.org (accessed December 29, 2019).
  85. ↑ Images of the fifth AMX / 3 on the website www.amx390.org (accessed on December 29, 2019).
  86. ^ Philippe Olczyk: Bizzarrini & Diomante. The Official History , 3rd edition 2017, ISBN 978-84-697-6659-0 , p. 327.
  87. ↑ a b sales brochure of the Bizzarrini Sciabola (the AMX / 3 chassis no. 6 is shown).
  88. ^ Robert C. Ackerson: Change of an Image: Behind the Scenes at AMC with the AMX and the Javelin , Automobile Quarterly, Volume 19, No. 1 (1st quarter 1981), pp. 3 ff.
  89. ^ Philippe Olczyk: Bizzarrini & Diomante. The Official History , 3rd edition 2017, ISBN 978-84-697-6659-0 , p. 327.
  90. ↑ Description of Iso Varedo on the website amx3.org (accessed on December 29, 2019).
  91. ↑ The Iso Varedo on the website of the Iso & Bizzarrini Interest Circle Switzerland (IBICS) (accessed on December 26, 2019).
  92. ↑ Description of the Spider (Chassis 9) on the website amx3.org (accessed December 29, 2019).
  93. ↑ Jack Koobs de Hartog: The AMX That Isn't An AMX. www.mycarquest.com, July 18, 2012, accessed December 29, 2019 .
  94. ↑ Chicago Tribune, November 22, 1969, p. 7.
  95. ↑ Patrick R. Foster: American Motors Corporation: The Rise and Fall of America's Last Independent Automaker , Motorbooks, 2013, ISBN 978-1-61058-858-4 , p. 108.
  96. ↑ Wouter Melissa: AMC AMX / 3. www.ultimatecarpage.com, January 6, 2017, accessed December 29, 2019 .
  97. ^ FMP: American Motors "Sciabola Bizzarrini". Quattroruote, issue 1/1971.
  98. ^ Philippe Olczyk: Bizzarrini & Diomante. The Official History , 3rd edition 2017, ISBN 978-84-697-6659-0 , p. 327.
  99. ↑ Richard M. Langworth: Encyclopedia of American Cars 1930–1980 . New York (Beekman House) 1984. ISBN 0-517-42462-2 , p. 24.
  100. ↑ Internet presence of Sciabola Inc. (accessed on December 29, 2019).
  101. ↑ Description of the AMX / 4 and images of the plastic model on the website www.carscoops.com (accessed on December 29, 2019).
This article was added to the list of excellent articles on January 18, 2020 in this version .