244
On this day, February 28, exactly 50 years ago, sales of the unusual AMC Pacer car began in the United States. At 4,36 m long, the car belonged to the compact class, although its width - 1,96 m - was equal to the indicators of a full-size car. The car was initially offered only with a two-door hatchback body.
Pacer was distinguished by a large glazing area (3,6 m10), which was especially noticeable in the side panoramic windows that went to the stern. And it is no coincidence that the popular magazine "Car and Driver" nicknamed the novelty "Flying Aquarium". Of the unusual solutions, we note the different-sized side doors: the right one was 50 cm wider, which made it easier to get into the rear seats. Two years after the start of production, a version with a station wagon body appeared, also two-door, which partially solved the problem of a small trunk, the capacity of which has now increased by XNUMX%.
Initially, the AMC Pacer was conceived with the installation of a licensed Wankel rotary engine, and with front-wheel drive. However, this idea was abandoned and a rear-wheel drive car with an inline six went into production. It is noteworthy that the Pacer became the first small car in the United States, the engine and suspension of which received enhanced noise and vibration insulation. For this, for example, the entire front suspension was attached to the cross member, and then to the main frame through massive rubber bushings. In addition, the Pacer was the second after Ford Pinto an American car with rack and pinion steering.
The AMC Pacer was designed with future, more stringent passive safety requirements in mind. These included crash tests for a frontal collision at a speed of 80 km/h, a side impact at 40 km/h, and a rollover while driving at 48 km/h. In addition, the front and rear bumpers had to withstand impacts at speeds of 8 and 16 km/h, respectively.
The car turned out to be quite heavy - with a curb weight of 1363 kg. Initially, only two in-line 6-cylinder engines were offered - with a displacement of 3,8 and 4,2 liters and a power of 91 to 112 hp. Later, a 5,0-liter V8 with 130 “horses” also appeared. The gearbox was installed as a manual, three- or four-speed, or automatic, three-speed. For the “six” with “mechanics”, the average fuel consumption in the city was 14 liters, and on the highway – 9 liters per 100 km.
The AMC Pacer was an instant hit. 8 units were produced in the first 100 months, and 1975 by the end of 145. By December 1979, a total of 280 of these original cars had been produced.
