Vehicle Memories - 1975 AMC Pacer

In the 70s, my parents bought a brand new AMC Pacer. Shortly after, my grandfather bought the same car in a maroon “wagon” model. Back then, it was just about the coolest thing ever. I understand that now these cars are so retro they are cool again… icons of 1970s design.

The Pacer was shaped like a big goldfish bowl on wheels, or, as my cousin once said, “it looks like a goldfish bowl with farmer’s over-alls on.” The “over-all” straps were the support beams that ran down the hatch-back.

Bright sunshine yellow, with a tan vinyl interior, you couldn’t confuse this car in a parking lot with any other car. It had huge bucket seats for the driver and passenger. The back seat was kind of an after-thought, and folded down to maximize the storage space for the hatchback.