Photo from the Cohort by canadiancatgreen.
It’s quite known that in their last few years, AMC was barely hanging in there, stretching their old models to the last drop. More than making lemonade out of a few lemons, AMC was squeezing a few drops of oil out of lemon seeds. And their 1978 Concord was probably the clearest example of that practice. After all, under the updated makeup and trim, it was the ancient 1970 Hornet bones under the skin.
Talk about squeezing it to the end. Good thing for AMC there were some buyers looking for lemon seed oil. Or better said, the ol’ Hornet with Brougham treatment.
In a kind of CC effect, earlier this week we featured a ‘72 AMC Ambassador Brougham. Around the same time, this post’s Concord wagon appeared at the Cohort. How not to share it? It’s even got the weirdest factory-approved Di-noc treatment of the period. Gosh, that quirky Dick Teague. He surely had a knack for creating clean, flowing and very assured lines… only to add detailing that looked like a mistake.
But this is a point Paul already made before, and I honestly have little to add to his point of view.
On the other hand, is not like it was the first time that AMC was going outré with their Di-noc. Maybe it was a company tradition?
Related CC reading:
Curbside Classic: 1981 AMC Concord – The Underdog Learns One More Trick
Isn’t this the same body as used in the AMC Eagle 4×4 ?
Yes!
Excellent find! For fans of Di-Noc, I much prefer the AMC Eagle’s mid-bodyside location, and trim work handling. Than the very 1970s, and AMC Pacer-like, lower body placement of the faux woodwork on the Concord wagon.
If I was the owner of this Concord, I would have long ago sprung for Eagle alloy wheels.
Just a better look.
The Eagle and Concord used the same body. The Eagles had fender flares around the wheel arches to cover up the increased height and larger tires of the car. The Eagle also had fixed bumpers because the US Government considered it a truck for classification purposes. The Concord had to meet the 5mph Federal bumper standards of the time. The Concords were nice cars and a proven design and technology for their time. They were a much refined version of the 1970s AMC Hornet. The wagon body originally started as the AMC Hornet Sportabout in 1971 and lasted until the 1988 AMC Eagles. Not a bad run for a car body!
That’s also the case for 4wd vs 2wd Subarus of the time, but their bumpers were entirely different with the 4wds using the international bumper the car was designed for while 2wds had 5mph bumpers that were afterthoughts for the US market.
Squeezing the seeds to make lemon oil. That’s a metaphor I’ll never forget. Kudos, Ric! As for the car, I wish AMC had had the dollars to invest and develop this compact platform that’s now full-sized, and especially the Eagle 4WD’s. Like a Subaru Outback or even Audi Avant before their time. But the broughamization didn’t make sense, especially when executed so poorly.
Coincidentally, in an article published this morning (March 9th), Canadian car review website ‘Driving.ca’ touts the AMC Concord as a ‘collectable’ car worth considering. Because of its very low price, and relative rarity.
https://driving.ca/column/rearview-mirror/8-rare-collectible-classic-cars-cheap.
They would have been ahead of the 1980s styling details curve with this, but it would have been a nice modernizing touch, if AMC chose to body colour paint those very dated chrome-like early ’70s looking paddle door handles on the Concord and Eagle. Just make those elements a little more subtle and fresher-looking.
AMC’s most memorable use of Di-Noc for me was on the Jeep Grand Wagoneer which I though looked dated at the time – fake woodgrain was passe by the mid-’80s – but now is regarded as iconic.
The Hornet Sportabout benefitted by being the only American wagon of this size – the alternatives were the small, cramped two-door Pinto or Vega wagons, or the huge colonnade Chevelle, Torino, or whatever Chrysler was calling its midsize wagons those years. By the time the Concord wagon arrived, you could also get a new Fairmont, downsized Malibu (or other A body), or Aspen/Volare/Diplomat/LeBaron wagons, all much newer designs. The Concord wagon also had an odd liftback tailgate that didn’t open to floor level, more like a hatchback than a proper wagon – that despite the floor being rather high.
Don’t forget, domestic buyers could also consider AMC’s own Pacer wagon.
Among import choices, I recall being quite attracted as a kid, to Mazda’s rotary-powered RX-4 wagon.
Totally forgot about the Pacer wagon, but it wasn’t available until 1977, the last year of the Hornet Sportabout’s 1971-1977 run.
The Concord didn’t sell well. The Eagle was the success story for AMC. They should have done the Eagle much earlier, skipping the out-of-character Pacer. At least it would have wasted less money!
The Concord was offered for six model years, and AMC sold more than 400,000 of them. AMC sold less than half as many Eagles over nine model years.
Sad that AMC didn’t make the cut .
-Nate
I remember a tv ad for the Concord. They show a Chevy Chevette next to an AMC Concord. Then they show the MSRPs, with the Concord just slightly cheaper. Then the car front ends rise up so they are vertical and we are looking at the underbody, and they demonstrate that the Concord is at least a foot longer. My mom was a fan of jeeps so she wanted an AMC Eagle, but we bought a Chevy Citation which was a very very bad decision….
Based on the old AMC Hornet Sportabout wagon. Here is an ad that is from 1972