Most car collectors when they think of the early American concept cars of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s think of General Motors Motorama cars, the Chrysler Ghia concept cars, the Ford Motor Company concept cars.
Few collectors would think that American Motors had anything to do with concept cars in the early decades after the war. The truth of the matter is that they did make a few in the 1950s and 1960s, but AMC also produced a most unusual concept car grouping called the American Motors Concept 80 Cars in 1977. Among these concept cars was the AM Van. The progression of this concept car only got as far as what is called a ‘styling buck’. For those that do not know the process for creating a concept car, it goes from the initial drawing by a designer to a small table top clay model, to a full-size clay model, before the final running concept car is produced, what is produced is known as a styling buck. A styling buck is a model, that is most often made out of fiberglass, and from the outside form looks like the actual finished running car but does not have any running gear. The purpose of this is for the upper level executives to see the car in its finalized full dimensions outside in the sunlight to get a total feel for what the car would look like if it was made as a full concept car and possibly a production car.
1977 AmVan was part of the AMC’s Concept 80 car show that featured their concept cars and there is a Youtube video of the Am Van at the AMC’s Concept 80 show.
https://youtu.be/R48zlQW0Jnk you can find also by searching “Concept 80 news film” on Youtube. The film shows the various concept cars that AMC had on display at various auto shows throughout the United States. At the AMC’s Concept 80 display, the AM Van certainly appeared to be the most popular and the star of the show. The idea of this concept was to make a small, short car but make it very wide so it would have a lot of inside volume and not put any period styling cues so that it would be a timeless design. It was given a bit of a mean look by putting it in a special color and using bold wheels to set off the design with the than avant-garde idea of Turbo Charged engine.
The Bortz Auto Collection acquired this car in 1988 when Chrysler purchased American Motors and one of the head Chrysler executives wanted to show their appreciation for the Bortz Auto Collection saving so many Chrysler Ghia concept cars that they gave the AM Van to the Bortz Auto Collection.
Since that time the 1977 AM Van has been in the Bortz Auto Collection and has been featured at various national museums including the Gilmore Museum and Cleveland Auto and Aviation museum and was a special display in 2014 at the Kenosha History Museum for a period of one year. The reason that this concept is so interesting, is in my opinion, if one of the major manufacturers today came out with this exact design and nobody realized that it had been designed in 1977, it would be considered a very appropriate and a big hit. Yes, the AM Van really is a timeless design and quite handsome and very practical.
Included are some photos of the AM Van when the vehicle was displayed at the Kenosha History Museum. It is truly one of the lessor known early concept cars in “styling buck” form that few collectors even knew that it was produced, much less that it still exists. Hope you enjoy viewing the pictures and may I suggest that you view the AMC concept cars video clip on Youtube titled “AMC’s Concept 80 in 1977” on Youtube.
Remember that the reason that concept cars are held in such high regard is that the designers were able to express their unbridled feelings for a particular passion of their visual concept and not have it limited by government regulations or production limitations. Concept cars really are the rolling art of the automotive history of design.
And remember real car collectors believe in miracles and concept cars represent automotive miracles.