AMC Pacer on display at The Orphanage

American Motors Corporation produced the Pacer from model year 1975 through 1980. Reviews described the car as “futuristic, bold, and unique,” yet only 280,000 units were built over the five-year run. The 1976 Pacer D/L, on loan from the Forney Museum collection, is a two-door liftback and will be on the turntable in Yuma, Colorado, at The Orphanage present day through the end of April.

Design work began on the Pacer in 1971. The Pacer was intended to be a quirky platform that was short but wide. The coupe’s wheelbase was 100 inches (just like it’s ancestor, the original Nash Rambler) with a body width of 77.3 inches and length of 171.8 inches. The dimensions of the Pacer were only 2.5 inches narrower than the contemporary Cadillac Eldorado, but 4.25 feet shorter. AMC advertised it as America’s “First Wide Small Car.”

The exterior of the Pacer included a tall greenhouse that made up 37% of the car’s exterior, 16% more glass than the average car of the time. Car & Driver magazine dubbed it “The Flying Fishbowl.” Another interesting feature of the two-door coupe involved the design of the doors. To improve access to the rear seat, the passenger side door was four inches longer than the driver’s door.

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