What’s higher than blue denims and apple pie?
How about blue denims and AMC?
Let’s clarify: When of us consider manufacturers that outline American vogue, Levi’s blue denims are sometimes close to the highest of that record.
And whenever you recall a number of the most beloved American automotive marques in historical past, you’ll usually hear names like Jeep, Packard, and Studebaker—all nameplates that have been as soon as beneath the American Motors umbrella.
So when AMC had the jeanius…err…genius thought to companion up with Levi Straus & Co. on a collection of particular editions in the course of the Seventies, the outcome was a double whammy of Americana.
Whereas there have been a number of AMC Levi’s Version vehicles, one particularly caught our eye eventually yr’s Goodguys Summit Racing Nationals: the Gremlin X.
A lot like we’ve carried out with the Ford Dash collection and the Chevy Spirit of America vehicles, let’s take a second to discover the automotive and the options of the uber-rare Levi’s bundle.
What’s a Gremlin X?
First, the Gremlin—it was AMC’s entry into the compact automotive market that was quickly evolving as a result of rising fuel disaster and rival imports from Japan.
Although it shared some mechanicals and sheetmetal with the AMC Hornet coupe, the Gremlin acquired a novel Kammback rear hatch that was each visually hanging and a sensible cargo answer. Launched in 1970, the Gremlin was produced as much as 1978, and remained widespread even after AMC added the Pacer to its small automotive lineup in 1975.
The “X” trim bundle kicked the Gremlin’s styling up a notch by including distinctive wheels, a sticker/stripe package, bucket seats, and a blackout grille.
AMC Introduces Levi’s Particular Editions
The Gremlin’s story takes a modern flip in 1973, when American Motors started collaborating with the well-known Levi Strauss & Co. clothes and denims producer on a collection of Levi’s-badged particular version vehicles.
Initially obtainable on the Gremlin and Hornet, AMC later provided the Levi’s bundle on different autos in its portfolio, together with the Pacer and Jeep CJ.
This wasn’t the primary fashion-forward partnership that AMC had been concerned with both, because it had beforehand labored with famed design homes Pierre Cardin, Gucci, and Oleg Cassini on respective Javelin, Hornet, and Matador fashions.
Whereas the bundle included a pair of Levi’s fender decals, the true magic was inside the place—you guessed it—the inside was awash in blue denim-style materials. If that wasn’t sufficient, the acquainted jean material was set off by contrasting stitches, blue piping, and enormous accent buttons.
It’s value declaring that fireplace security rules prohibited the usage of precise cotton-derived denim, so the Levi’s editions really used a nylon material that merely mimicked the appear and feel of the pure jean materials.
The carpets and the sprint have been colour keyed blue to match the seats, and the door playing cards wore metal button rivets to finish the denim motif.
And the entire look was topped off with a pair of real Levi’s tabs on the entrance seats.
As talked about earlier, we noticed this specific 1973 AMC Gremlin X Levi’s Version eventually yr’s Goodguys Summit Racing Nationals in Columbus, Ohio.
Whereas we couldn’t discover the homeowners, the have been loads of particulars on the automotive displayed on a close-by placard. Seems the Gremlin has a captivating backstory—it was a owned by a household in Ohio and was reluctantly offered within the Eighties, solely to resurface over 20 years later in California!
The household was in a position to purchase the automotive again and return it to the Buckeye State. They plan to maintain the Gremlin endlessly and attend as many exhibits as potential.
This specific Gremlin carries AMC’s trusty 258 inline six, which undoubtedly provides sufficient pep to scoot the compact hatchback round city—although a 304 AMC V8 was obtainable as an choice for a couple of years too.
Energy is probably going going via a three-speed TorqueFlite automated from the Chrysler elements bin.
Although this particular Gremlin carries the sporty “X” choices package together with its Levi’s denims, it wasn’t necessary, and yow will discover examples on-line of non-X Gremlin fashions with the Levi’s choice as nicely.
The AMC Gremlin already has a particular place in automotive historical past, and whenever you tie-in one of the iconic clothes manufacturers on the planet, the 2 make for one significantly memorable bundle. Whereas AMC constructed greater than 600,000 Gremlins over its whole manufacturing run, solely a sliver of these acquired to put on Levi’s denims—which suggests any surviving Levi’s particular editions at the moment are prized by collectors.
Have you ever ever owned certainly one of these ultra-rare AMC Levi’s fashions? We’d love to listen to about it within the feedback part under.
