'77 Gremlin X. Images: eBay motors

During the ‘70s, the gas crisis was on and we were in the middle of a recession. Muscle cars were largely killed off and we were under attack from sub-compacts from Europe and Japan. The Big Three were struggling to keep up, so when it was their turn to release practical, economical cars, they did so with varying results.

Ford and Chevy created all-new models from scratch in the form of the Pinto and Vega respectively, and Chrysler simply rebadged a British Hillman Avenger to market as the Plymouth Cricket for North American consumption. Somewhere in the middle of all that commotion came AMC’s offering, the Gremlin. Basically a shortened, hatchback version of their popular Hornet model, the Gremlin was introduced to the public on April, 1^st 1970.

To ensure that the car was no April Fool’s joke, the Gremlin stuck around until the 1978 model year with two different 6-cylinder engines, although a 304cui V8 and an underpowered 4-banger were offered briefly in the earlier model years. An “X” model was released during its second year of production in ‘71, which was basically an appearance package.

We found this near immaculate-condition ’77 Gremlin X painted in Sun Orange and shod with the “very rare and desirable” Hot Scotch plaid interior. This being a ’77 model, it’s not sporting the 304 available in the earlier versions, but instead, is rocking the top option 258 straight-six ‘plant backed by a slushbox. It comes complete with all of the original paperwork, including sales brochures and the owner’s manual.

The odometer only reads 33,250 miles and the Gremlin seems to have every available option for its respective model year. A few blemishes aside such as the broken radio control knob and the pitting in the chrome bumpers are easy fixes, and we think this car will make a great conversation piece and something a little bit different (or odd, depending how you look at it) to drive to your local cruise in.