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While electric cars are an obsession for a growing number of Americans, few of them have ever heard of the AMC Amitron concept car. Built in 1967 as a subcompact electric vehicle, it never did become a production model. One was recently discovered sitting in barn and to see it is pretty amazing.
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The man who owns the Amitron concept car also has a Jeep CJ5 that was used in American Motors Corporation’s design studio for creating stripe kits. As you might have guessed, he didn’t just happen across both – his grandfather was a manager at AMC, including managing the Jeep line.
The Amitron was later renamed the Electron. AMC partnered with battery manufacturer Gulton Industries to create what was supposed to be an economical commuter car. Since the oil crisis was going on, people were looking for either ultra fuel efficient vehicles or some other means of getting around.
Of course, EVs weren’t a new concept, having been prevalent in the automotive market back in the early 20th century. But they, along with steam-powered cars, fell out of favor as the internal combustion engine became the preferred means of propulsion for private vehicles.
However, the Amitron never caught on with consumers and so AMC didn’t turn the concept into a production vehicle. But the guy’s grandfather thought it should be preserved instead of crushed, the fate of many concepts back in the day, so he took it home.
Apparently, the last time the Amitron was displayed in public was in 1977. So to see this thing not in old photos but instead in a video taken recently is really something. However, the owner says he’s considering taking it to “some shows in the future.” That could really cause a stir these days.
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What’s more, as documented by Auto Archeology, the owner has the original model made before the Amitron was created, plus photos and more documentation of the rather strange concept car. It’s such a unique slice of automotive history, it’s great the thing has been preserved.
Image via Auto Archeology/YouTube
