1970 1/2 AMC Gremlin

April Fool’s Day 1970 was picked as the launch date for
American Motors’ subcompact car.
 Gremlin listed for $2,398 f.o.b Brampton, Ontario.

"What would you do if you had to compete with GM, Ford and Chrysler?" was the question burning everyone’s lips at American Motors in 1968. Like little Suzie, the last of the independent automakers was in trouble deep. Its Rambler line had tumbled from a dizzying 35,273 cars produced in 1965, holding a full 5.3 percent of the market, making it one of the most popular automobiles in the Canada to land somewhere near the bottom of the heap. Things were bad enough that when Studebaker folded its tent in 1966 in Hamilton, Ontario, pundits and industry analysts alike predicted American Motors would follow in short order, joining Studebaker in that great Scrapyard in the Sky.

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American Motors top brass vowed to the public it was here to stay and the company was committed to building automobiles. It could reach back to an automotive heritage that began with the construction of the first Rambler in 1902. Top brass acknowledged that the company had been most successful when it reached for and claimed the title of economy king and publicly pledged to return to those small, economy roots. In order to stay afloat, AMC divested itself of its profitable Kelvinator appliance business--after 33 years--and then sold REDISCO, the corporate finance arm.

Weighing in at 2,633 pounds, the 1970 ½ Gremlin
was the first subcompact built by a Big Four automaker.

In order to stay competitive, the team had to deliver products that were exciting to the public—and those products had better arrive quickly—one right after the other. The new head of the firm, Roy Chapin, announced there would be a new model from AMC every six months. The pace was dizzying—even for the auto industry. The luxurious fastback Marlin was unceremoniously dumped and replaced with a sizzling pony car, the Javelin. Javelin was hot and it was followed by the stunning two-seat AMX sports car.

With scarcely enough time to catch their collective breaths, dealers took down the old Rambler signs and hung out the new corporate logo. They saida final ‘goodbye’ to the faithful Rambler and popped the champagne corks for a smartly styled, all-new compact called Hornet.

Three home runs in a row weren’t enough for American Motors. There were more steel beauties on their way up to bat. Ever the pioneer, AMC was the first of the Big Four automakers to enter the subcompact market with a domestically built vehicle. It is absolutely true that head stylist Richard (Dick) Teague designed the tiny car on the back of a Northwest air sickness bag.

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The look was brilliant—Teague sawed off the back of the Hornet and added massive reverse-slant C-pillars that gave the design an unforgettable wedge-shaped profile. A wide, wrap-around grille and oversized flares at the wheel wells added to the sassy looks. Tooling added up to a mere $8 million, chump change around Motor City.

Just to be on the safe side, the Gremlin’s overall design was subjected to a probability study. Marketing invited 1,000 owners of compact and imported cars to view small cars and included the yet unnamed Gremlin among the groupings. The reaction was overwhelmingly favourable. The public had no idea who the maker of this cute little car was but they wanted to buy it.

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Gremlin was AMC's foot soldier, off to battle
 the mighty Volkswagen.

 On April Fool’s Day of 1970, the adorable Gremlin bowed to the public. Highly unique from stem to stern, this subcompact boasted a generous six-cylinder engine. Advertising took on Volkswagen head-to-head. Designed to win back a good percentage of the market being gobbled up by imports--primarily Datsun, Toyota and VW--Gremlins were displayed on university campuses throughout Canada to create awareness and drum up interest among young buyers.

At only $2,398, the car was billed, tongue-in-cheek as the first domestically-built import, “the kind this country has needed for a long time.” Gremlin offered twice the power and double the fun of Volkswagen’s 57-horsepower engine; claimed to be a regular gas grouch delivering 495 miles on a tank of regular fuel and boasted a smaller turning circle than a Beetle. A Gremlin was only 2.5 inches longer than a VW, too.

The entry-level price got one a basic, two-seat runabout. There were no frills whatsoever. The flooring was rubber and the rear window was fixed into place. Only a handful of people bought the unadorned stripper. Buyers could upgrade to the four-passenger version and lots of Canadians did exactly that. 

Whether one bought the two- or four-passenger Gremlin, under that long, bubble-blistered hood lurked AMC’s tried and true 199-cubic inch, six-cylinder engine that scuffed up the asphalt faster than snow melts in April. With a seven main-bearing crankshaft, the mill was virtually indestructible. All 128 horses were mated to a three-speed manual transmission or an optional automatic shifter.

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Gremlin interiors were smart and stylish.
 The bucket seats were optional.

Like Mattel’s Barbie, Gremlin could be had with an tasteful extra-cost accessories tailored to drivers' needs. AMC’s frisky little fellow was given 30 carefully selected optional equipment items including a very fast 145-horsepower motor, power steering, power brakes, a remote control mirror, electric windshield wipers and washers, air conditioning, tinted glass, an AM push-button all-transistor radio, a block heater, a roof rack, rally stripes, full wheel discs, bucket seats and a twin-grip differential. In addition, there were seven complete option packages available. 

American Motors workers caught Gremlins in the factory anddeep-dipped them in rustproofing before triple-painting the little rascals in any of 13 colours, including Classic Black, Frost White, Matador Red, Hialeah Yellow Bittersweet Orange, Bayshore Blue, Sea Foam Aqua, Mosport Green, Tijuana Tan and Sonic Silver. If those weren’t enough, the ultimate hues were borrowed from cousin AMX and left the factory floor wearing Big Bad Blue, Big Bad Green and Big Bad Orange.

The 1970 1/2 AMC Gremlin was 161 
inches long—only 2.5 inches longer 
than a VW Beetle—

and rode on a 96-inch wheelbase.

The smallest AMC offering got off to a good start in an abbreviated model year, racking up 12,618 builds in Brampton, many of them headed south to the United States. Things would get even hotter in 1971 as 26,348 Gremlins scampered out the doors of the Brampton, Ontario factory, scooting all over the continent for fun and frolic with their new owners.

The subcompact that looked like a sports car, loaded like a wagon and turned on a dime turned out to be the single best-selling model AMC ever built. Though it has been more than three decades since the last Gremlin rolled out the factory doors, they’re still occasionally seen on the nation's highways and byways. This writer spotted one yesterday and that made him grin from ear to ear. “Long live Gremlin!” he was heard to shout as he waved and honked from behind the wheel of his Ambassador wagon. 

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Copyright James C. Mays 2006 All rights reserved.

1973 Volkswagen Campmobile

With a 1973 Volkswagen Campmobile, families pulled off the road to enjoy the many splendours of Canada.

Question: How many elephants can you put in a Volkswagen Beetle? Answer: Five. Two in the front, two in the back and voila! one more in the glove compartment.

Canadians first saw the Volkswagen Beetle at the 74th annual edition of the  CNE  on June 10th, 1952.

VW jokes were popular and always brought a smile. Canadians told lots of Beetle jokes. The odd-looking passenger car brought chuckles because it resembled a certain hard-shelled insect.

The first Volkswagen Transporter was built on March 8th, 1950.

VW was keen to break into the North American market. In studying that market officials noted that Canadians were enamoured with small imports and were particularly fond of Austin and GM's British subsidiary, Vauxhall. Further analysis revealed that consumers in that country were extremely frugal and value oriented in purchasing automobiles.  Imports made up a large portion of new car sales in Canada. 

Volkswagen Canada Limited hung out its shingle in the Dominion on November 9, 1952. Canada was the West German company’s first overseas subsidiary. Sales were modest; the Toronto-based firm sold 94 Beetles by the year's end.

1953 Volkswagen Transporter for Canadians.

The following year, the strictly utilitarian truck line was added to the mix on dealers’ showroom floors. A total of 584 Transporters were sold, along with 1,160 passenger cars. The weird looking vehicles with their distinctive air-cooled engines whine quickly won a place in the hearts and driveways of folks in all ten provinces, the 1954 sales totals added up to 2,776 Beetles and 786 Transporters. Those figures simply exploded to 5,881 sedans and 1,509 of the trucks in 1955. Transporters and other Type II vehicles began rolling out the door of the new Hanover factory in 1955. The first of the Volkswagen Campers appeared on this side of the Atlantic in 1957.

Canadians had been eager to discover their own country ever since the Trans-Canada Highway united the nation in 1962. The asphalt ribbon stretched more than 7,000 kilometres across the Dominion, from St. John’s to Victoria. The VW Camper couldn’t have come along at a better time in Canada's history.

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VW advertising employed wry humour in 1968. 

Volkswagen Camper sales totalled 626 units in 1969. That figure rose to 787 units in 1970 and nearly doubled to 1,151 in 1971. There was a modest increase in sales as the total reached 1,364 units in 1972. With huge oil reserves in Alberta, there was no OPEC-induced energy crisis in Canada in 1973. Gasoline flowed freely and Campmobile sales soared upward to 1,623 units in 1973. That constituted a 19 percent increase over last year’s sales.

 A VW Campmobile was no fair weather friend. A robust gas heater made it the perfect winter camping companion, too.

The 1973 version of home-away-from-home was highly a refined package. On its pert 2 400-millimetre (94.5-inch) wheelbase, the motel on wheels rolled along nicely courtesy of a powerful, air-cooled, pancake four-cylinder engine that generated 65 horsepower. Weighing in at 1 495 kilos (3,296 pounds), advertising promised that the Campmobile would deliver  11.3 kilomtres/litre (25 miles to the Imperial gallon of gasoline) when equipped with the fully synchronized four-speed manual gearbox or 8.85 kilomtres/litre (21.8 miles per Imperial gallon) when the VW was mated to the optional automatic transmission. Not that one would want to go that fast; top speed was pegged at 125 kph (78 mph) with the standard gearbox and a comfortable 120 (74 mph) with the automatic transmission.

Dinner for two was cozy in a 1973 VW Campmobile.

 Advertising bragged confidently, “Once you step into a VW Campmobile you may not want to leave.”  The rolling home boasted all the comforts of a modern bungalow. It was replete with a stainless steel sink, a 45-litre (1.6-cubic foot) icebox and a two-burner stove; closets galore, storage lockers and cabinets. There were sleep arrangements for two grownups and three kids. The 110-volt electrical system featured a breaker. Its stylish interior was paneled in birch and seats were upholstered in a longwearing, gold fabric. Colour-coordinated curtains-complete with tiebacks and rods-covered all the windows, including the bay windshield.

A pop-up top allowed a 165 cm x 55.8 cm (65 inch x22 inch) folding cot to stretch out on the roof and a hammock, strung across the front seats, provided another bed. Bench seats folded neatly and when that surface was added to the space above the engine deck; it created a full-sized bed for two adults.

 Oodles of cupboards and storage space was a hallmark of the Volkswagen Campmobile.

If the family required more space, an extra-cost, lightweight, waterproof poplin tent with vinyl flooring could be had. With poles colour-coded for quick assembly, the completely sealed tent attached tightly to the drip rail of the vehicle or it could stand independently. An auxiliary gas heater kept the cabin toasty warm during winter outings. 

Despite the success of the Campmobile, 1973 was a difficult year for Volkswagen in the Canadian market. Internal memos from VW Canada show there was a severe shortage of vehicles to ship from West Germany during a large part of the selling season. Equally problematic was the ever-rising Deutch Mark. Currency fluctuation forced the company to hike prices on its vehicles four times during the year. The retail cost of a new Volkswagen rocketed an astonishing 36.2 percent during the year. The twin bugbears prompted sales to slide downward to 31,772 units from 34,511 units in 1972.

If there was any comfort at all, competitors fared even less well. With subsidiaries Audi and Porsche figured into the corporate total, VW could still claim the Number Ten spot with a healthy 15.7 percent of the Canadian import market and a 1.2 percent increase overall in domestic sales.

Copyright James C. Mays 2005
All rights reserved.

1966 Vauxhall

The heady days of imported European automobiles rolling unabated onto our shores, like the Bay of Fundy at high tide, came to an end in 1963 when Parliament enacted a strong legislative dyke to stem the virtually unstoppable flow. The small, economical cars from abroad were making serious inroads on production of the domestic carmakers. One out of every three consumers had bought an imported automobile in 1959. Even cars from Commonwealth countries, namely Britain, were now subject to tax. Vauxhall was one of the most popular of the lot. Built by General Motors in Britain, it had been part of the automotive scene in the Dominion since 1948. It would be severely affected by the new rules laid down by Ottawa.

Sales of imports had already slowed considerably because GM, Ford, Chrysler finally got around to joining Rambler and Studebaker with the introduction of their smaller cars for the 1960 season. For the 1962 model year production of domestically built compacts reached 28.7 percent, divided (in order of sales) among Ford Falcon, Rambler, Mercury Comet, Acadian, Valiant, Studebaker Lark and bringing up the rear of the pack, Chevrolet’s Corvair.

The new import tariff, coupled with a sharp devaluation of the dollar by the Bank of Canada, delivered a one-two punch to foreign cars, prompting sales of all to take an enormous nosedive. The firmly entrenched Volkswagen was the only exception to the trend.

Viva was aimed dead on at Wolfsburg’s Beetle. Like the Volkswagen, it was offered only as a two-door model. Unlike VW, the Viva was square. It was so solidly square it could have easily been called “Boxhall.” Even though it was nearly six inches shorter than the Beetle, it boasted a generous 10.5 cubic feet of trunk space. Advertising bragged that the little econo-box was replete with all the finish and convenience features that “help make Viva Canada’s best all-around family car in the lowest-priced field.”

 Power was provided by a more than ample 50-horsepower engine, mated to a fully synchronized manual, floor-mounted, short-throw four-speed transmission. Advertising called the mill “spunky.”  Independent front suspension along with rack-and-pinion steering made the pint-sized Viva very responsive to the driver’s touch. Its turning circle was tight, a scant 29 feet. Marketing called the no-cost handling package its “Roll-Control Suspension” ride.

For a few bucks more, the Deluxe version of the Viva was decked out with padding for the instrument panel, carpeting, modest brightwork trim inside and out and a windshield washer.

 

The base Viva was cheap but it was no stripper. Included in the list price were bucket seats, rear armrests, front door pulls, a mighty “Canadian tested” heater and defroster, a thick layer of bituminous plastic undercoating and wipe-clean upholstery that was “so handy with young children and pets.” 

Viva sported the hottest of European driving trends, a single-lever “stalk” control that operated the turn signals, the horn and a bright-dip headlight beam flash indicator.

Even though the Victor was substantially larger than Viva, it still had no direct domestic competitor. Rambler had abandoned its 100-inch wheelbased American line at the end of the 1963 season and its place was promptly taken over by Austin, Datsun, Simca, Renault, Toyota and a host of other hopeful contenders. 

The Victor Super 101 offered “brilliant styling,” luxurious comfort” and whisper-soft quietness.” A four-door sedan and a four-door station wagon were available in the Victor line. Its deliberate air of sophistication was due to “dedicated devotion to detail.” And Victor delivered, with one impressively thoughtful touch after another, standard appointments that often graced much larger and much more expensive vehicles.

Curved side glass, coil springs in the seat backs for “proper spinal support,” padding for the instrument panel, fully upholstered doors, a novel map-reading beam on the courtesy light, arm rests and door pulls were but a few of the niceties found in a Victor. The cabin was liberally swaddled in scads of sound deadening and thick, felt carpet underlay material.  As small and inexpensive as it was, Victor boasted fully operational Ventipane windows, fore and aft. 

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The shell was not new but advertising claimed that the ”carefully perfected body design” gave “more room, more comfort” than ever before. It claimed to be so refined that the Victor 101 Super was “firmly into a class by itself.”

Shoppers would come into the Vauxhall-Pontiac dealership and look over the full-sized models and then carefully kick the tires on the Acadians and Beaumonts that were parked on the showroom floor and on the lot. When the vivacious Vauxhalls caught their attention, salesmen were primed to pitch the practicality of the little lads from Luton, extolling their every virtue, from their initial low purchase price to their inexpensive maintenance.

They waxed eloquent about the wagon being large enough, with its 51.7-cubic feet of cargo space, to haul things up to the cottage and still stylish enough to be seen in at the country club. 

The Victor’s four-cylinder engine generated a respectable 70 horsepower. It came bolted to a standard three-speed, fully synchromesh manual shift or an extra cost, four-speed manual transmission.

As the year wound down, 1966 turned out to be the second best year for both production and sales in Canadian automotive history. Vauxhall shared modestly in that success by adding 6,850 sales to GM Canada’s bottom line and taking exactly one percent of the market share.

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Copyright James C. Mays 2004 All rights reserved.