Nine AMX/3 chassis and seven AMX/3 cars exist and all current locations and provenance are known.
I created this site for one purpose: to share historically accurate information on the AMX/K-AMX/3 project.
Input, questions, comments, corrections and photos are highly encouraged!
I created this site for one purpose: to share historically accurate information on the AMX/K-AMX/3 project.
Input, questions, comments, corrections and photos are highly encouraged!
Giotto Bizzarrini: "I would have to say the AMX/3 was the best car I built in terms of mechanical components and roadholding."
Below the Cars are numbered in the order they were built and by their chassis number
Car #1 First Prototype, no chassis number or VIN assigned (that I have seen). Sent to BMW for testing in June 1969 for static chassis tests, later in '69 finishing the car to road testing condition and upgrading components, but stripped of parts during the development of the following cars. Known as the Scotty Dawkins CCCA Gilmore Museum Car.
Car #1 was imported last, by AMC in 1973, several years after the project was canceled. The chassis was finished but was imported missing all major components and drivetrain. Was still owned by the Dawkins family in Michigan and the new owners are Michael Chetcuti and Kyle Evans of Northport Michigan and they are family friends of the Dawkins. Follow along with the restoration at https://amx3.org/ and https://amx3.org/chassis-no-01/ and the latest news at https://amx3.org/blog/
Car #2 Chassis WTDO 363 2/55/55 Development Prototype #2, built in 1969 with testing by BMW ending in December 1969. Turin road testing, then red paint, then testing at Monza in 1970. Not finished to presentation quality and the engine blown during testing before sold and imported to Werden/Demichieli.
Car #2 Famous Monza/BMW/ItalDesign/Polytechnic University development test car. Sold by AMC 3/30/71 to Jerry Werden Indianapolis IN, imported to William P. Demichieli 11/26/71, sold to James E. Silvey late '72, sold to Jack Cohen '76, sold to Walter Kirtland '89, sold to Jurgen Wilms of Düsseldorf, Germany 2014 then Wilms sold it on January 23rd 2017 to Rick and David Biafora, Morgantown WV. (I assume the 1967 reference and 1967-0001 tag by Diomante was created to owe less export taxes.)
Car #3 VIN A0M397X631524Y designed as the 1970 Press release car. The only car fully finished to press release presentation quality during the AMC funded project.
Car #3 Press release March 23rd 1970 Rome Coliseum. The first AMX/3 Imported to the U.S. by AMC (and perhaps only one during the project) for the April 4th 1970 Waldorf New York press release and the April 5th New York auto show. Dick Teague purchased it from AMC in 1978 along with the #5 car. #3 still owned by Teague’s daughter Lisa and her husband Ray Scarpelli. This is the car that has been at the Petersen Automotive Museum in L.A., the San Diego Automotive Museum and was displayed at the 2013 Chicago Auto Show.
Car #4 Chassis WTDO 363 4/55/55 Turin Show Car, Oct 28 - Nov 8 1970. Designated to be the first to receive the design evolution changes from AMC including longer rear quarters with smooth fender wells, full door window glass, concealed wipers by the raised cowling area and new style radiator hood vents. This car was finished to show quality by Bizzarrini and Diomante for the October 1970 Turin show.
Car #4 Turin Show car Oct-Nov 1970. Purchased from AMC on 03/30/1971 and still owned by Jerry N. Werden and imported 11/26/1971 to Indianapolis, IN. Finished after AMC canceled the project funding with the hope Bizzarrini would finance building 30 cars with AMC supplying parts and committing to 10 cars. Bizzarrini declined. AMC sold #4 for $9,000 and #2 for $6,000 to Werden & DeMichelli. Possibly finished before Car #5 was imported to the US.
Car #5 VIN A0M397X680492 the last of the older body design like Cars #2 & #3. Orginally silver with round tail lights, painted black then yellow by Teague and later the upside down '79 Firebird tail lights modified and added by Teague. I believe this car was imported by Teague/AMC as an "unfinished but running parts car", perhaps in 71-72 but it may have been imported with #1 in '73. Perhaps this Car #5 was set aside unfinished, as the project design progresses on Car #4.
Car #5 Sold by AMC to Richard Teague in 1978. Teague sold in '85 to George Doughtie Jr., sold to James Mimbs in '88, sold to Pat Ryan's Prisma collection in '89, sold in '97 to Bernie and Joan Carl of Washington DC. This car was called "the last running prototype" by Teague, yet it has the earlier body design. I think Teague knew project funding by AMC was/had ended and Car #5 was finished as much as possible with whatever was on hand then imported it to save another car. Per George Doughtie Jr: "the car had about 200 miles on it and was not driveable. Needed lots of work because it was an orphan car and had rough, cobbled-up stuff on it". George Doughtie Jr had the instrumentation built since the car had none when he purchased it from Teague.
Car #6 Salvatore Diomante, the man responsible for producing all AMX/3 cars and chassis. The second car with the newer body design changes, plus the deleted hood scoop like cars 1, 3 and pushmobile and deleted pop-up rear spoiler like car 1 and pushmobile. Constructed during the AMC funded project but finished during the period when AMC hoped Bizzarrini would continue the project unfunded by AMC. Teague described this car as "the fairest one of all. It is a real gem" (Automobile Quarterly Q1 1981).
Car #6 Still owned by Diomante. Finished in '71 after AMC project funding was canceled (see the above silver-blueish photos published Feb 1971, this is how Car #6 looked during the '70 Turin show when Car #4 was presented). The now red 1976 Turin show Sciabola marketing brochure car, funding by OTO Melara to make the car show ready. Reported by a 1976 Italian newspaper interviewing Bizzarrini, "Exhibited to make known the changes of OTO-MELARA. Existing for several years at the time of display, the car is built to order, and made entirely by hand: it is expected to cost at least $23,800".
Car #7 Autoworld in Belgium. Built on chassis #7 of nine from the original AMC order of 10 AMX/3 cars. AMX/3 #6 and #7 are the best representation of what would have been produced if any sales were generated from the '70 Turin show.
Car #7 chassis and body constructed under the AMC funded project but Bizzarrini and Diomante sold the unfinished car to Giorgio Giordanengo who later finished this car with the assistance of Diomante and Bizzarrini. Roland Dieteren owner. Car #7 appears nearly identical to Car #6 and very similar to the #4 Werden car, as designed by Teague/AMC. Since Car #7 was built from a chassis and parts from the AMC project, I consider this an AMX/3. No actual Sciabola were ever built, per Bizzarrini: "I just didn’t have the courage to proceed."
Chassis #8 AMX/3 used to build the 1972 Iso Rivolta Varedo. Owned by Piero Rivolta, displayed in the Sarasota Classic Car Museum in Florida
1972 Iso Rivolta Varedo is built by Bizzarrini on AMX/3 chassis #8 constructed during the AMC funded project. The chassis later lightened with Bizzarrini 5300 components in the front. Bizzarrini stated, "that is why the Varedo could turn such good lap times at Monza". Presented at the 54th Turin Motor Show November 1-12 1972.
Chassis #9 used to build the AMX/3 Spider. Per Bizzarrini: Design year and prototype construction 1970/71
Chassis #9 AMX/3 Spyder. Another unfinished AMX/3 chassis from the AMC funded project later sold to and finished by Giorgio Giordanengo. Now located at Autoworld in Belgium, Roland Dieteren owner. Reportedly sold to Dieteren in '92, finished in '95.
Bizzarrini sold with 327 Corvette engine and ZF 5-speed to Giordanengo. Now listed as 6,383cc, which is the AMC 390. Appears to have a 5-speed gated shifter.
AMX/K Design concepts, early design and production photos and later Teague/AMC design change photos
Note the AMC design change photos and evolution of the fiberglass mockup, resulting in the changes to Cars #4, #6 and #7. These include the raised cowling, extended rear quarters, smooth hood front and rear quarter air inlets. AMC announced these changes were forthcoming at the March 23rd 1970 Rome press release stating the car was 80% at that time and 4 inches would be added to the rear body.
The three AMX/3 project non-functional mockups: The '67-'68 AMX/K and AMX, the '69 AMX/K and the famous fiberglass '70 AMX/3 show car mockup pushmobile, Feb 21 - March 1 1970 Chicago Auto Show
Three fiberglass models were built from the original clay model. The first photo is first AMX/K-AMX/3 in clay presumed to be in mid '67. The 2nd and 3rd photos are the evolved familar shape, perhaps late '67. The 4th and 5th photos are an evolved model labeled AMX. The 7th and 8th are the AMX/K August '69. Salvatore Diomante still has his fiberglass shell used for design of the original steel body panels, 6th photo, but I don't consider this one of the three models referred to by Teague. The third model is the famous yellow Pushmobile presented at the '70 Chicago Auto Show and later it was the green Rippey Veteran Museum car and is now owned by Tom Dulaney.
OTO Melara 4MXPD transaxles and AMX/3 AMC engines
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AMX/2 and predecessors of the AMX/3: Bizzarrini 5300, P538, ItalDesign Manta and Spyder SI5300
The 5300 is a unibody, but front engine. The P538 and Manta are rear engine, but tube frame chassis. Bizzarrini combined these two concepts and used the body designed by Teague to create the AMX/3. Additional engineering inputs from Italdesign, Polytechnic University, BWW and parts from AMC including the AMC V8 and production by Diomante created a world class supercar. Although the AMX/2 is typically reported as coming before the AMX/3, as you can see in the first two photos it was under the AMX/K project. The AMX/2 came after the AMX/K as a separate "teaser" project, shown in February '69, to create interest in a mid-engine sports car while not giving away the actual design of the AMX/K - AMX/3 cars. The 67-68 Spyder SI5300 Targa is clearly the predecessor to the 70-71 AMX Spyder.
LINKS selected for reference and documentation:
https://www.hemmings.com/blog/2017/01/08/the-untold-story-amx3-giugiaro-and-bmw/
https://www.diomante.com/home/storia/history/
https://www.diomante.com/home/progetti-projects/
http://www.bizzarrinispyder.com/itally_trip.html
https://www.ultimatecarpage.com/car/5332/Iso-Varedo.html
https://www.motortrend.com/news/c12-0509-american-motors-amx3/
http://www.amx-perience.com/articles/AMX3.php
https://www.fuelcurve.com/amx3/
https://amx3.weebly.com/40-page-scrapbook-of-car-2-restoration-including-10-pages-of-part-numbers-courtesy-jack-koobs-de-hartog.html
https://amx3.weebly.com/driving-the-bizzarrini-engineered-supercar-by-winston-goodfellow-apr-19-2018.html
https://amx3.weebly.com/donation-of-car-0-to-rippey-museum-aprilmay-1974-bulb-horn-pages-43-44.html
See: http://www.amx390.com/ to build your own AMX/3 fiberglass reproduction.
https://amx3.org website of the restoration of Car #1 and Car 1 Shown at the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals in Rosemont, Illinois:
https://pressfrom.info/ca/autos/news/-183600-amcs-first-ever-mid-engine-prototype-is-finally-getting-the-restoration-it-deserves.html
Buy the AutoCult Avenue43 1/43 diecast resin Car #3 at: https://www.american-excellence.com/Autocult-Avenue-43/242344/Diecast-Car-AMC-AMX-3-red-matt-black-1970
https://www.diomante.com/home/storia/history/
https://www.diomante.com/home/progetti-projects/
http://www.bizzarrinispyder.com/itally_trip.html
https://www.ultimatecarpage.com/car/5332/Iso-Varedo.html
https://www.motortrend.com/news/c12-0509-american-motors-amx3/
http://www.amx-perience.com/articles/AMX3.php
https://www.fuelcurve.com/amx3/
https://amx3.weebly.com/40-page-scrapbook-of-car-2-restoration-including-10-pages-of-part-numbers-courtesy-jack-koobs-de-hartog.html
https://amx3.weebly.com/driving-the-bizzarrini-engineered-supercar-by-winston-goodfellow-apr-19-2018.html
https://amx3.weebly.com/donation-of-car-0-to-rippey-museum-aprilmay-1974-bulb-horn-pages-43-44.html
See: http://www.amx390.com/ to build your own AMX/3 fiberglass reproduction.
https://amx3.org website of the restoration of Car #1 and Car 1 Shown at the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals in Rosemont, Illinois:
https://pressfrom.info/ca/autos/news/-183600-amcs-first-ever-mid-engine-prototype-is-finally-getting-the-restoration-it-deserves.html
Buy the AutoCult Avenue43 1/43 diecast resin Car #3 at: https://www.american-excellence.com/Autocult-Avenue-43/242344/Diecast-Car-AMC-AMX-3-red-matt-black-1970
Selected bibliography of the AMX/3 program
- Motortrend No. 6, June 1970: pages 48 – 50, 108, 110, 112
- Road & Track No. 6, June 1970 pages 54 – 56
- Bulb Horn Volume XXXV No. 3 1974 pages 44 – 45
- Automobile Quarterly Volume XIX, No. 1 First Quarter 1981: pages 3 – 13
- Collectible Automobile July 1984 pages 35-41
- Muscle Car Review August 1987
- Cars and Parts April 1990
- Guide To Muscle Cars August 1990 pages 54-57
- AMX Photo Archive from concept to reality. C. L. Zinn II, 2002
- AMC Performance Cars 1951-1983 Photo Archive Patrick R. Foster, 2004
* Read the following with caution, lots of errors, miss-quotes, wrongly reported facts, etc: Automobile Quarterly Volume XXXXI, No. 3 Winter 2001: pages 5 – 17.
* Automobile Quarterly No. 3 Winter 2001 is responsible for most errors still being reported today.
- Road & Track No. 6, June 1970 pages 54 – 56
- Bulb Horn Volume XXXV No. 3 1974 pages 44 – 45
- Automobile Quarterly Volume XIX, No. 1 First Quarter 1981: pages 3 – 13
- Collectible Automobile July 1984 pages 35-41
- Muscle Car Review August 1987
- Cars and Parts April 1990
- Guide To Muscle Cars August 1990 pages 54-57
- AMX Photo Archive from concept to reality. C. L. Zinn II, 2002
- AMC Performance Cars 1951-1983 Photo Archive Patrick R. Foster, 2004
* Read the following with caution, lots of errors, miss-quotes, wrongly reported facts, etc: Automobile Quarterly Volume XXXXI, No. 3 Winter 2001: pages 5 – 17.
* Automobile Quarterly No. 3 Winter 2001 is responsible for most errors still being reported today.
© 2020 Curt Hall https://AMX3.weebly.com/ Last modified: 08/04/2020
* All photos borrowed from the internet or selected bibliography items.
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