AMX/3- Bizzarini designed.

It was cars like this AMX, and the concept Corvette, both mid-engined, that caused Ford to put so much pressure on DeTomaso to get the Pantera on the road (from the drawing board to the road in 9 months) as fast as possible. They were afraid they were going to miss out on the mid-engine craze. Of course, the AMX, Corvette, and others, never produced their mid-engined cars, leaving the Pantera the only one to make it. If Ford would have given DeTomaso more time, say a full more year, I think they would have produced a much nicer car that wouldn't have had the early problems in the Pantera had (and which left it with a bad reputation in quality). As such, Ford, in my opinion, made an even bigger mistake getting out of the Pantera program altogther. It was the only thing then, and since, that was a competitor to the Corvette.

 

When I was in high school in Detroit I rode a city bus about eight miles to school. Every day I passed a body shop on Greenfield Rd near Schoolcraft that had one of these sitting outside on display. The American Motors headquarters were only a few miles away. I imagine the body shop proprietor owned it. They are even more beautiful in person than they are in real life.

 

I just saw one of these AMX's live and in the flesh.
It is on display and the San Diego Automobile Museum in Balboa Park.

So is my friend Art Wilson's 1906 Buick, but that was not as exciting as the Bizzarini.

 

especially with the front clip, it says "mach 5" to me. =)