AMC : Why The AMX Was Forgotten

While AMC was no slouch in its ability to offer high-performance V-8-powered cars, most car buyers in the 1960s saw the AMC company as being focused on economy and thriftiness, not on flashy displays of power.
But on the heels of the Mustang's stunning success, AMC (American Motor Corporation) , like every other American manufacturer at the time, was forced to recognize that small, sporty cars had a place on dealer lots, not just on the showroom turntables. Sure, doctors and lawyers could buy Corvettes and Thunderbirds all day long, but now college students and secretaries could look forward to driving something with a little more guts than the average family AMC sedan.
So, for a brief span of about five years, AMC totally devoted itself to capturing the youth market. AMC first responded in September 1967 with the Javelin. Given the pony car-mad public, they knew it would sell, but with Dick Teague's urging, the company decided to go one step further with the AMX in February 1968, the only mass-produced American two-seat sports coupe aside from the Corvette, and at $3,245, more than $1,000 less expensive than its honored competitor.
A lot of people saw the AMX as a 12-inch shorter derivative of the Javelin, given the shared body panels and chassis. Yet AMC engineers and stylists designed both the AMX and the Javelin on separate tracks at the same time. By February 1968, with concept versions of both vehicles running the show circuit, AMC decided on the single platform for the production versions of both cars.
1968
American Motors promoted the mid-model year launch of the AMX to automotive journalists at Daytona to emphasize its sports car performance, as well as with a marketing agreement with Playboy Enterprises.
This is the history of the AMC AMX