Think '60s muscle cars and the likes of Ford's Mustang, Chevy's Camaro, Pontiac's GTO, and Dodge's Charger will probably spring to mind. These vehicles are muscle car royalty, with prices to match. But there is more to the muscle car Golden era than just the obvious choices, and by looking outside the box, there are some serious bargains to be found.There is one muscle car from this era that has a name that sounds like a Star Wars protocol droid, looks like no other vehicles of the time, and is quick too. This meaty motor is one of the biggest muscle car bargains out there and an interesting entry into this world that is sure to get you noticed. For starters, it had a unique seating arrangement that put it in a whole new niche of its own. Read on to find out more about this muscle car outsider, where to get one, and what to pay for it. The AMC AMX Is A Forgotten Muscle Car Gem Bring A Trailer When the muscle car party was kicking off, AMC wasn't exactly standing on the porch with a couple of bottles of whiskey waiting to hit the dance floor. American Motors (AMC) was not really the party type to be fair, instead being the kind of brand that attracted sensible and a little bit thrifty customers. This was the kind of brand that would have done the dips for the party and tidied up afterward. AMC Needed A Rival For The Ford Mustang But the Ford Mustang had been such a runaway sales success with young, trendy people, so AMC was forced to have a rethink. The answer was the handsome Javelin, which arrived in 1967. Then AMC decided to do something a bit bonkers. A year later, the company launched the AMX, which was a totally new type of muscle car that actually had no obvious rivals. The AMX Ushered In A Whole New Muscle Car Niche Bring A Trailer The AMX was 12 inches shorter and was pitched as an exciting new concept: the two-door, two-seat muscle car. The only other car on the road in America that was remotely similar was the Corvette, but this had a sticker price of $3,245, which was a whopping $1,000 more than the AMX – so they were in very different markets. So now you had a cheap rival to the 'Vette, with two seats like a lot of fancy European sports cars, new V8 engines under the hood, and chunky attention-grabbing styling and a fastback roofline. It would be a runaway success, right? A Closer Look At The AMC AMX Range Mecum The AMX was offered with different versions of the new 'Typhoon' engines from AMC. These new mills had a thin-wall casting process that usefully saved weight over similar engines of the era. The only engine option for the AMX was a V8, so there was no ignoring its sporting intentions. Customers had a choice of a 235-horsepower 290 and a 280-horsepower 343 (280hp, T-code), both with four-barrels, plus a four-barrel, 315-horsepower 390 version. There was also the super rare 1969 AMC Hurst Super Stock AMX version. The 390 engine option went up to 325 horsepower in 1970.The AMX was offered with a Borg-Warner T-10 four-speed as standard from 1968 to 1970, although the company's Shift-Command three-speed automatic transmission was also available. Underneath, the AMX shared parts with the Rambler American and the Javelin, with a unibody floorpan, parallel-leaf rear suspension, and coil-spring front suspension. The AMC AMX Is A Light And Fast Mini Muscle Car Mecum The AMX was certainly quick for its time, as well as being compact and easy to live with. The 315-horsepower 390 model could hit 60 mph in 7.2 seconds (according to Hemmings), which puts it up there with a lot of fast mid-market muscle cars. A 1967 Ford Mustang 390 GT/A, also fitted with a 390 V8, will reach 60 mph in 7.3 seconds, for example. Other publications and sources say the AMX is even quicker. Street Muscle Magazine says a period road test resulted in a sprint to 60 mph in 6.6 seconds and a quarter-mile in 14.6 seconds at 92 mph. Here's How Many AMX Models AMC Managed To Shift Bring A Trailer AMC AMX 390 Specs Source: AMC/ Independent testsIt turned out that quite a few people didn't love the AMX enough to actually buy one. Maybe the thought that you couldn't pick up a couple of friends in the two-seater AMX worried the muscle car crowd, or the fact it didn't have enough brand kudos like a Ford or Pontiac, but the short, stocky American Motors Experimental (what AMX actually meant) didn't sell that well. Sales for 1968 totaled 6,725, while the Javelin sold 55,124 cars, which no doubt prompted a decision to axe the two-seater body style after 1970. The Sales Figures For The AMC AMX Then Started To Plummet Then they got worse, dropping to 8,293 in 1969, says Hemmings, and down to just 4,116 in 1970. It was a real shame, because AMX proved it could respond to a change in the market, and the AMX was no cut-and-paste job of previous models; It had a lot of new thinking that had gone into it. AMC continued on, creating cars such as the quirky Pacer (which may have actually contributed to its downfall), and even had a shot at creating America's first supercar, before being absorbed by the Chrysler corporation in 1987. Buying An AMC AMX In 2025 Mecum Used Prices Of The AMC AMX 1968 American Motors AMX Base 290: $23,000 1968 American Motors AMX Base 343: $27,600 1968 American Motors AMX Base 390: $33,100 1969 American Motors AMX Base290: $25,300 1969 American Motors AMX Base343: $28,200 1969 American Motors AMX Base390: $33,800 1969 American Motors AMX SS390: $84,600 1970 American Motors AMX Base 360: $31,100 1970 American Motors AMX Base 390: $41,700 Source: HagertyWhat is interesting about the AMX is that these days it has something of a cult following, especially among AMC fans, but the prices are still relatively affordable. This is a rare car with a unique appearance, but you can get the keys to a base 290 AMX from 1968 for as little as $23,000 in good condition, according to Hagerty Valuation Tools. Prices then start to go up steadily for the next two model years, with the desirable 390 starting at $33,100. The Super Stock naturally commands a much higher price – you'll be looking at around $84,600 to get one of these in good condition. Here's How The AMC AMX Prices Compare To The Competition Mecum By comparison, a 1968 Ford Mustang fitted with a 325-horsepower 390 V8 will cost $42,300 in good condition, according to Hagerty Valuation Tools. Of course, a lot of people will prefer the classic name and image of the Mustang over the slightly more leftfield AMX, but for a unique take on the classic muscle car concept, the American Motors car is hard to ignore.