The Groovy 1972 Purple and Gold AMC Gremlin Car

This is a cool ad for American Motors’ 1972 Gremlin car. I think it turned out to be a total lemon, if I remember correctly, but it was a pretty sharp looking car for early ’70s standards. It was denoted as a “great little economy car that’s fun to drive”. Most American cars at that time were HUGE, so it was rather novel to see a sporty little made-in-USA car.

This particular Gremlin model in the ad is a really pretty shade of purple, with gold trim. I happen to love this color scheme as they are the school colors of the University of Washington – GO DAWGS! I like the clean lines of the car and the hatchback, which was a new concept.

American car makers were trying to introduce more economical, smaller models in the early 1970s (Ford Pinto, anyone?). But due to producing so many lemons, they were soon eclipsed by the Japanese car makers of Honda and Toyota. They came out with wildly popular finely-engineered small cars that the American car makers just couldn’t compete with.

~Marilyn