1969 AMC AMX

Here is our Big Bad Green 1969 AMC AMX California 500 Special. This is our first AMC vehicle in the collection, and it is a good one. The car was previously owned by actor and wrestler John Cena and has had a complete rotisserie restoration and comes with the build order sheet, dealer invoice, and owner’s manual.

 

These steel-bodied cars were designed by AMC to "appeal to both muscle car and sports car enthusiasts, two camps that rarely acknowledged each other's existences." They were similar to the Javelin but with 12 inches cut out of the wheelbase. Just over 8,000 of the two-seater AMXs were built for 1969, offered with 290, 343, or 390 cubic inch V8 engines paired to either a four-speed manual or three-speed "Shift Command" automatic. 1969 brought along a few changes with slightly different interiors, instrumentation, and carpeting, along with a $34 "Big Bad" paint option for midway through the year. These Blue, Orange, and Green paint colors were paired with color-matched front and rear bumpers, with only 283 Big Bad Green cars were built.

 

Before the cars were on sale, two AMXs specially prepared by Craig Breedlove's "Spirit of America" crew set 106 world speed and endurance records at Goodyear's track in Texas. Eager to capitalize on this sporty image AMC debuted the car at the Daytona International Raceway in February of 1968. Another marketing effort was the California 500 Special, where the AMX served as the pace car for the 1969 Riverside 500. It is thought that 32 of these fully loaded, Big Bad Green with Black stripe cars were sold by the local Southern California American Motors Dealer Association network. This particular car was sold new by Ben Carco’s Bonanza AMC in North Hollywood, California for $4,933.31.

 

Our California 500 Special is a great example of this rarely seen AMX special edition. Options include the Shift Command automatic transmission, power steering, air conditioning, front disc brakes, AM radio, tilt-wheel, and the deluxe interior. The 390 V8 is rated at 315 horsepower and sends power back to a Twin-Grip 3.54:1 rear axle. All 500's came with the Big Bad Green paint with Black Stripe paired with the Saddle leather interior.