Editing AMC Spirit (section)

{{short description|Compact car produced by American Motors Corporation}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}

{{Infobox automobile
|image        = 1979 AMC Spirit GT V8 Russet FR.jpg
|caption      = 1979 AMC Spirit GT
|name         = AMC Spirit
|aka          = VAM Gremlin (Mexico, sedan)<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Made in Mexico |url= https://www.hemmings.com/stories/article/made-in-mexico |magazine=Hemmings Classic Car |date=July 2010 |access-date=7 April 2022}}</ref> <br />VAM Rally (Mexico, liftback)
|manufacturer = [[American Motors Corporation]] (AMC)
|production   = 1978–1983
|model_years  = 1979–1983
|assembly     = [[Kenosha, Wisconsin]], United States<br />[[Brampton|Brampton, Ontario]], Canada<br />[[Mexico City]], Mexico ([[Vehículos Automotores Mexicanos|VAM]])
|class        = [[Subcompact car|Subcompact]]
|predecessor  = [[AMC Gremlin]]
|successor    = [[Renault Alliance|Renault Alliance/Encore]]<br />[[Renault Fuego]] (Spirit AMX)
|engine       = {{ubl
  | 2.0&nbsp;L ''[[Volkswagen|VW]] [[List of discontinued Volkswagen Group petrol engines#90-115 hp 2.0|EA827]]'' [[Straight-four engine|I4]]
  | 2.5&nbsp;L ''[[General Motors|GM]] [[GM Iron Duke engine|Iron Duke]]'' I4
  | 3.8&nbsp;L ''[[AMC Straight-6 engine|AMC 232]]'' [[Straight-six engine|I6]]
  | 4.2&nbsp;L ''[[AMC Straight-6 engine|AMC 258]]'' I6
  | 4.6&nbsp;L ''[[AMC Straight-6 engine|AMC 282]]'' I6 (Mexico)
  | 5.0&nbsp;L ''[[AMC V8 engine#304|AMC 304]]'' [[V8 engine|V8]]
  }}
|transmission = 3-speed [[TorqueFlite]] [[Automatic transmission|automatic]] <br /> 4-speed [[manual transmission|manual]] <br /> 5-speed manual
|layout       = [[Front-engine, rear-wheel drive layout|FR layout]]
|related      = [[AMC Hornet]]<br />[[AMC Gremlin]]<br />[[AMC Concord]]<br />[[AMC Eagle]]
|body_style   = 2-door [[sedan (car)|sedan]]<br />3-door [[liftback]]
|wheelbase    = {{convert|96|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
|length       = {{convert|167|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
|width        = {{convert|72|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
|height       = {{convert|51|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
|weight       = {{convert|2521|lb|kg|0|abbr=on}} base sedan
|platform     = AMC's "junior cars"
|designer     = [[Dick Teague]]
}}

The '''AMC Spirit''' is a [[subcompact car]] sold by [[American Motors Corporation]] (AMC) from 1979 through 1983. Replacing the [[AMC Gremlin]], the Spirit was available in two different body styles, both were two-door [[hatchback]]s – but neither was marketed as such. Instead, AMC offered a [[Facelift (automobile)|restyled]] Gremlin either as a "Spirit ''[[Kammback]]"'' or ''"sedan"'', while an additional model with a more gently sloping rear was introduced as the "Spirit ''[[Liftback]]"'' or ''"coupe"''. Due to budget constraints, the Spirit shared the Gremlin's [[Automobile platform|platform]] – its [[floorpan]], [[powertrain]]s, and many other parts were carried over. AMC also offered a [[four-wheel drive]] [[Crossover (automobile)|cross-over]] version using the Spirit's bodywork, marketed from 1981 through 1983 model years as the [[AMC Eagle|AMC Eagle SX/4]] and Eagle Kammback (1981–1982 only). Spirits were manufactured by AMC in Wisconsin and Ontario, as well as under license by [[Vehículos Automotores Mexicanos|V.A.M.]] in [[Mexico]], where they retained the ''Gremlin'' name on the restyled models.

Performance versions of the AMC Spirit competed in road racing. In 1979, [[Goodrich Corporation|B.F. Goodrich]] sponsored a two-car team of Spirit AMXs in the [[Nürburgring 24 Hours]].<ref name="hemmies"/> The AMXs were the first American team entries with a pair of hastily homologated cars.<ref name="raceforaday"/><ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.roadandtrack.com/motorsports/news/a29623/when-the-americans-conquered-the-nurburgring-with-a-amc-spirit/ |title=When the Americans conquered the Nürburgring with a AMC Spirit |first=Blake Z. |last=Rong |date=19 June 2016 |work=Road and Track |access-date=19 December 2024}}</ref> They finished first and second in their class out of a 120-car total field and were the only racers running street tires.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.bfgoodrichtires.com/auto/garage/builds/reviving-the-spirit-of-79 |title=Reviving the Spirit of ‘79 |website=bfgoodrichtires.com |access-date=19 December 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.hagerty.com/media/motorsports/i-raced-the-79-nurburgring-24-hours-in-an-amc-on-street-tires/ |title=I Raced the ’79 Nürburgring 24 Hours in an AMC on Street Tires |first=Gary |last=Witzenburg |date=4 October 2024 |work=Hagerty Media |access-date=19 December 2024}}</ref> Spirits were also [[Privateer (motorsport)|privately campaigned]] in the [[International Motor Sports Association]] (IMSA) Champion Spark Plug Challenge and Racing Stock Class events, as well as in [[drag racing]].