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Ford, Chevrolet and Dodge will forever be known as the big three that defined the muscle car era, but that doesn’t mean that there weren’t plenty of other notable players when it came to the boisterous classics of the late 60s and early 70s.
Among those players was the American Motors Corporation or AMC. And although they weren’t nearly as big as the Detroit three, AMC produced one of the most notable cars of the time, the steel-bodied, 2-seater AMX.
We first came across the AMX above at Autorama 2010 and were instantly impressed. From its perfect lines to the extravagant build underneath, this car was certainly a show stopper. Although it’s been two years now, it seems that nothing has changed.
In fact, some of the good folks over at Pro-Touring.com just recently took notice of the car. This of course prompted a frenzy of research and a much needed second-look at the AMX on our part.
This custom ‘68 AMC AMX nicknamed “Wicked” started out as a daily driver for owner Peter White when he bought the car back in 1981. After driving the car through high school and college, White put the car in storage where it sat for many years.
But in 2007, destined to be reborn, the AMX was awakened from its hibernation and the planning for the car’s revamp began. The result is an extremely custom AMX built by Xtreme Restorations, based in Slatersville, Rhode Island.
With the help of designer Jack Carroll, the crew at Xtreme Restorations customized the AMX both inside and out. For the exterior look, custom front and rear spoilers were added, along with custom fabricated rocker panels.
The bumpers were tucked and smoothed, the wheel wells were radiused 4-inches and blackout molding was added. The AMX was also equipped with a custom Ram Air hood with a smoothed cowl.
Under that hood, Xtreme Restorations used a fully massaged Indy aluminum 451cui V8, complete with a Moldex 4340 crankshaft, Ross forged aluminum pistons, a COMP Cams solid roller camshaft, Indy aluminum heads, and Kinsler EFI system. Matted to the Richmond five-speed transmission, the car is capable of 745hp and 614 foot-pounds of torque.
The front and rear suspension are completely custom, featuring a tubular K-frame, QA1 lower control arms and coilovers, and a custom Pfadt Race Engineering sway bar up front. A Speedway sway bar, as well as Competition Engineering coilovers and a three-link ladder bar can be found in the rear. A Competition Engineering 9-inch rear end was also used on the car, complete with Moser 33-spline axels and 3.90 rear end gears.
Braking power for the AMX is taken care of by Wilwood calipers and rotors, while sticky Nitto tires fitted to American Racing 17-inch wheels keep the car firmly planted to the pavement. Finished off in black with a custom side graphic and a fully custom interior molded around ‘05 GTO seats, this AMX is truly gorgeous.
We are certainly glad that the car is still around and as timeless as ever. With such a unique presence, we have a feeling this won’t be the last time we see Wicked around. For more images of the Wicked AMX, check out its Xtreme Restorations build page.
