We can all agree that the Lamborghini Miura was the car that started the mid-engined supercarrevolution. Soon after, the American Big Three scrambled around to bite a big chunk of this mid-engined frenzy. Ford came up with the iconic GT40 and would also go on to distribute the DeTomaso Pantera in the US. Chevy tried their hand at this idea with the Astro XP-880 Concept. But the now-defunct AMC came close to creating America's first-ever mid-engined supercar with the 1969 AMX III mid-engined supercar.Flaunting a wedgy design that strongly reminds us of the DeTomaso Panthera, the AMC/3 packed a longitudinally mounted V8. While it's mentioned on various forums that the design was Bizzarrini's work, it was actually Italdesign that did most of the heavy lifting. Bizzarrini only worked on certain components of the chassis and suspension. Even BMW was involved in the chassis development of this could-have-been American supercar of the 60s.All technical details and in-depth data on the AMX/3 supercars are sourced from credible websites, including Hagerty, Automobile-Catalog, and AMX3 Weebly. The AMC AMX 3 Supercar: An American V8 In An Italian Body Its 390 V8 Is Also Utilized In The AMC AMX Muscle Car Gooding and CoLooking at the AMX/3 today, you can't help but see echoes of the era's most celebrated machines. This wedge-shaped beauty carries the DNA of legends like the GT40, Panthera, and Miura – and there's a good reason for that. The Italian masters at Italdesign and Bizzarrini penned its striking lines, though the story behind this American-Italian collaboration runs much deeper.Gooding and CoThe project pulled talent from across the automotive world. Giotto Bizzarrini brought his expertise as a freelance consultant, shaping the chassis and suspension components. Italdesign initially took charge of the unibody structure. Even BMW joined the party, starting as a test partner before diving deeper into development work, helping iron out weaknesses in both the chassis and powertrain.Gooding and CoAt the heart of this mid-engined marvel sat AMC's proven 390 V8, pumping out 340 horsepower and 430 pound-feet of torque. If those numbers ring a bell, you're not imagining things – this was the exact same powerplant that motivated the rare 1969 AMX SS 390, unchanged in output but transformed in application.Gooding and CoThe real trick came in putting that power to the ground. AMC paired the V8 with an OTO Melara 4-speed manual transmission, housed within a custom-built transaxle that OTO developed specifically for the project. The target was ambitious: 160 miles per hour flat out. While the famous "Monza car" turned plenty of laps at Italy's legendary circuit, hard data from those test sessions remains frustratingly scarce. What we do know, courtesy of Automobile-Catalog's simulations, suggests the AMX/3 could blast through the quarter-mile in about 14.3 seconds – serious performance for the early '70s. AMC AMX/3 Specs Less Than 10 AMX III Supercars Were Ever Made Under AMC And None Of Them Were Sold To The Public As Production Cars AMX3.WeeblyThe first car was a testing bed for various components, such as brakes, clutch, and even the final body shape. It was sent to BMW during the initial stages of testing in 1969. According to sources curated by AMX3 Weebly, this car has been assembled and stripped numerous times.The second car is quite famous and is popularly called the "Red Monza Car." This was in concurrent development with Car #1, but #2 was in the creative hands of Giugiaro and Bizzarrini at ItalDesign. This car was extensively used for road tests and ran on the Monza circuit in 1970, painted in a cool shade of red. The car's color was later changed to a distinctive shade of bronze, and it is the only AMX/3 that has popped up at an auction (more on that later).AMX3.WeeblyThe third car manufactured could have been the halo car or the showcase of AMC's mid-engined supercar dream to the public, as it was the official "Press Release Car." The official photo shoot was done in Rome, and this car looked gorgeous, with a shade of red and back inserts. This was also the first fully complete car with a functioning, sporty, and luxurious interior. This is supposedly the only AMX/3 that AMC officially imported to America.The third car was complete, but AMC had proposed a few design tweaks, including extending the rear quarter by about four inches. This materialized in the fourth car, painted in a unique "Azzurro" teal blue shade. Other design tweaks included smoothened and wider fender walls, full-door window glass, semi-concealed wipers, and a new design for the radiator hood vents. Interestingly, Car #4 still flaunts the original paintwork and looks stunning despite being over 50 years old.AMX3.WeeblyThe fifth car was unique from the rest as it had round taillights and was finished in a shade of sliver-blue dual-tone. This car was later repainted yellow, specifically "Big Bad Yellow" and the taillights were replaced with upside units of the 1979 Firebird. It has been sold numerous times, from its first owner, Richard Teague, in 1978 to the last documented fifth owner, Bernie and Joan Carl of Washington, DC, in 2004.The sixth car is noteworthy because it was Salvatore Diomante's personal car. Diomante was the guy responsible for producing all the AMX/3 chassis and cars. This particular car started its production when AMC was still funding the project.AMX3.WeeblyHowever, the build was completed long after AMC had abandoned the AMX/3 project. Italian hands were what completed this project. It was owned by Diomante till 2021 and was then sold to Simon Vels of the Netherlands in March 2022, according to AMX3 Weebly. An interesting fact about this particular model is that it doesn't pack the original 360 V8 but a downsized 290 V8.The seventh car is the last of the original AMX/3 design builds and was a parts-bin project. It was built on Chassis No. 7 of the original nine official AMC orders when the project was active. Bizzarrini and Diomante sold the chassis and many leftover parts to Giorgio Giordanengo in the early 1970s. The car was finally finished and made roadworthy in 1998. This car is still in Europe, specifically in Belgium, where its current owner resides.Gooding and CoChassis numbers 8 and 9 were creative projects undertaken by enthusiastic individuals and were unrelated to AMC apart from the chassis. The 8th chassis was transformed into "The Iso Rivolta Varedo," a one-of-one futuristic and wedgy supercar built by Bizzarrini. This car was notably more aerodynamic and had lighter chassis components.The 9th chassis was transformed into the only "spider" that has ever been spawned from the AMX/3 project. It was Bizzarrini's creation and was supposed to be used as a promotional car for his now-defunct Sciabola project. This car was sold to Giorgio Giordanengo in 1972 but was unfinished. It was then sold to Roland D'Ieteren in 1992 (the same guy who owned Car #7). The car was finally finished in 1995 and is now housed at Autoworld in Belgium. This car initially packed a 327 Corvette V8 and a ZF 5-speed gearbox. But today, it has been listed to pack a 6.4-liter (390 cu-in) V8 that churns 560 horses. The AMX/3 Is The Most Expensive AMC Ever Sold It Sold For Over $800,000 Gooding and CoThe AMC AMX/3 is one of the rarest American sportscars, and the fact that it is not technically a "production" car makes it even more desirable. Of the seven "fully-built" AMX/3 supercars, only one has ever popped up at an auction. This famed and popular Monza car underwent extensive road and track testing. Being one of the few AMX/3 builds that are actually road-ready, this American mid-engined supercar sold for some serious money, $891,000, to be precise.Sold via Gooding And Company in 2017, this AMX/3 packs the stock 390 V8 coupled to a 4-speed OTO Melara gearbox clubbed with the rear transaxle. Other notable technical bits include 4-wheel ATE hydraulic disc brakes and 4-wheel independent suspension. Gooding & Co.'s 2017 estimate was that the AMX/3 is worth between $900,000 and $1.3 million. It's 2024, and this car could very well creep toward the $2 million mark if it comes up for sale on an auction site again.Sources: Hagerty, Automobile-Catalog, AMX3 Weebly, and Motortrend
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