The VAM Pacer is the Mexican version of the AMC Pacer, the rounded two-door compact car that American Motors presented in 1975. It was made in the United States until 1980 and in Mexico by Vehículos Automotores Mexicanos (VAM) from 1976 until 1979, where it was positioned as a premium-priced luxury car.
VAM Pacer at a glance
| Maker | American Motors Corporation (US); VAM, Mexico |
|---|---|
| Production | 1975–1980 in the United States; 1976–1979 in Mexico |
| Class | compact two-door |
| Designer | Dick Teague; work began in 1971 |
| Width | equal to full-size American cars of the period |
| Glass area | 37 percent of the body surface, 5,615 sq in |
| Drag coefficient | 0.43 |
| Doors | passenger door 4 in (102 mm) longer than the driver’s |
| Layout | front engine, rear-wheel drive |
| Mexican market position | premium-priced luxury car |
Based on one source: the English Wikipedia article on the AMC Pacer. Mexican production years and market position are stated there; VAM-specific trim is not described.
History of the VAM Pacer
American Motors’ chief stylist Dick Teague began work on the Pacer in 1971, expecting demand for smaller cars to grow through the decade. The car was meant to give drivers of traditional American cars the room and feel of a big vehicle in a much smaller, aerodynamic and deliberately distinctive package. The programme was called “Project Amigo”, and Car and Driver later described the result as the first car designed from the inside out: four passengers were placed with reasonable clearances and the body was built around them.
The shape was highly rounded, with a large glass area that was unusual for the early 1970s. The body surface was 37 percent glass, and its 5,615 square inches (3.6 m2) was 16 percent more than the average passenger car of the time. Road & Track called the styling “fresh, bold and functional-looking”, and Car and Driver dubbed the car “The Flying Fishbowl”. Teague’s low-drag design reached a coefficient of 0.43, good for its era, and did without rain gutters by blending the tops of the doors into the roof.
The packaging was unusual too. The wheels were pushed to the corners, the body was as wide as a full-size American car, and the windshield was placed over part of the engine compartment. The passenger-side door was four inches (102 mm) longer than the driver’s, which made it easier to reach the rear seats from the kerb. American Motors promoted the car as “the first wide small car”, a width dictated partly by the expectations of American drivers and partly by assembly lines already set up for full-size vehicles.
The Pacer was built in the United States from 1975 through the 1980 model year. In Mexico, VAM made it from 1976 until 1979 and sold it as a premium-priced luxury car rather than an economy model. The Mexican version carried the Pacer name and body, but its place in the VAM range was at the top: a comfortable, generously glazed two-door for buyers who wanted something more exclusive than the compact VAM models.
Design and features
- Wide small car: full-size width in a compact two-door body.
- Huge glass area: 37 percent of the body surface, 16 percent more than the average car.
- Aerodynamic shape: a drag coefficient of 0.43 and no rain gutters.
- Unequal doors: the passenger door is four inches longer for easier access to the rear.
- Cab-forward layout: wheels at the corners and the windshield ahead of the firewall.
VAM Pacer versions
- 1975 Pacer (US): the original launch model.
- Later US model years (1976–1980): the Pacer range continued to 1980.
- VAM Pacer (1976–1979): the Mexican-built car, sold as a premium luxury model.
The Pacer was the largest and most expensive of the VAM cars shown here, above the VAM Gremlin and the VAM American. More cars are in the VAM collection.
Video: Pacer mexicano
Video on YouTube.
Sources
- AMC Pacer, English Wikipedia: design, dimensions, glass area, doors, production
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