This 1-of-1,276 AMC AMX Pierre Cardin Brings Parisian Flair To Mecum's Nashville SaleMotoriousElizabeth PuckettWed, September 23, 2026 at 7:00 PM UTCAdd us on GoogleThis 1-of-1,276 AMC AMX Pierre Cardin Brings Parisian Flair To Mecum's Nashville SaleA genuine fashion-designer collaboration on a muscle car doesn't come along often, and this 1972 AMC AMX Pierre Cardin is a rare survivor of the one time it did. Crossing the block as lot F259 at Mecum Auctions' Nashville 2026 sale on Friday, September 25th, the fastback is billed by Mecum as 1 of 1,276 Pierre Cardin-trimmed AMC products built, and it arrives carrying Mecum's "Star" lot designation. Photos here are courtesy of Mecum.Finished in white with a black tape stripe over a black, white, and pink cabin, this AMX wears VIN A2C797P304745 and presents with its factory tachometer, dual exhaust, power steering, and power front disc brakes intact — the equipment that made the AMX the performance flagship of AMC's pony car range. Mecum's listing notes a rebuilt brand on the title, so serious bidders will want to dig into the paperwork before the gavel drops, but the exterior graphics and the unmistakable Cardin upholstery both appear to have held up remarkably well for a fabric pushing 54 years old.Power comes from AMC's 360 cubic-inch V-8 paired with an automatic transmission, the same combination that anchored the AMX lineup after the nameplate was folded into the Javelin range for 1971. That redesign turned the AMX from a standalone two-seater into a loaded performance trim, complete with a cowl-induction hood, dual exterior mirrors, and a flush-fit grille shaped with input from Trans-Am racer Mark Donohue, whose own AMC connection we've covered before with the 1970 AMC Javelin Mark Donohue Edition.AdvertisementAdvertisementAMC didn't back into a designer tie-in by accident. Pierre Cardin had built his name in Paris on space-age, avant-garde fashion, and in March 1972 AMC licensed it for a $84.95 interior option late in the model year. Marque historians put 1972 AMX production with the Cardin package at only a dozen or so cars, with the bulk of that year's run going to Javelin SSTs instead, and the option continued through 1973 and, reportedly, a single 1974 example, for roughly 4,152 Pierre Cardin-trimmed cars total. The upholstery was Cardin's own design: pleated red, plum, white, and silver stripes woven into a black nylon backdrop, with his crest stamped onto the front fenders. It was built to be polarizing, in the same spirit that made AMC willing to zig where Detroit's Big Three zagged — a philosophy we dug into in The Unsung Hero Of The Muscle Car Era: AMX.Values for a garden-variety 1972 Javelin AMX have stayed fairly steady. Hagerty's Valuation Tools price a 360/4-barrel car like this one's mechanical twin at roughly $19,200 to $25,700 in #3 (Good) condition as of mid-2026, up just 0.9 percent over the past year and 2.3 percent over three years, with the top recorded sale in that window landing at $52,800. The Cardin option changes the math considerably, though. Hagerty doesn't track it separately in the Price Guide, but its own market reporting on the Pierre Cardin Javelin found a rare AMX-and-Cardin combination car sold for a record $104,500 in 2022 — more than $20,000 above a comparably equipped AMX Go-Package Javelin in #1 (concours) condition. Even a six-cylinder Cardin car brought $29,700 at auction, a price normally reserved for a V-8, manual-transmission Javelin in top shape. Rarity, evidently, still commands a premium, even wrapped in fabric only a French couturier could love.Lot F259 joins a deep field at Mecum's Nashville sale this year, a docket that runs from modern limited-production specials like the Corvette E-Ray Stars & Steel convertible to blue-chip vintage muscle. For AMC loyalists, this AMX slots in alongside other honest factory rarities we've featured, including this 1972 AMC Javelin SST. Whoever wins the bidding will be taking home a genuine slice of Malaise-era fashion crossover, and a reminder that AMC never played it safe even as the rest of the industry was tightening its belt.⚡️ Read the full article on MotoriousSign up for the Motorious Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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