On this day, April 1, 1970 AMC, the company that first introduced the compact car in the 1950s, introduced the Gremlin, Americas first sub-compact car. AMC was the only major independent car company to survive into the 1970s. AMCs success relied heavily on the vision of the companys first President George Romney, who strongly believed that to compete with the Big Three his company must offer smaller, more fuel-efficient alternatives to their cars. The AMC Rambler, a compact car, accounted for nearly all of AMCs profits through the 1950s, the era during which the company enjoyed its most substantial success. AMCs fortune faded rapidly after Romney left the company in 1962, and by the end of the 60s, the companys output had dropped to a dismal 250,000 sales per year. The release of the Gremlin in 1970 marked the companys return to Romneys vision. Designed to compete with the imported Volkswagens and Japanese sub-compacts, the Gremlin was essentially the AMC Hornet with its back end cut off. AMC President Roy Chapin attempted to re-create the vigorous personal campaign that Romney had used successfully to market the Rambler in the 50s. He appeared before the American public in advertisements to extol the virtues of the first sub-compact car. Unfortunately for AMC, the Gremlin was out on the market for only a short time before the Big Three released their own sub-compact models. April 1, 1826 Samuel Morey of New Hampshire received a patent for the internal combustion engine. He was a pioneer in steamships who accumulated a total of 20 patents. April 1, 1993 Alan Kulwicki, 1992 Winston Cup Champion, died in a plane crash near Bristol, Tennessee. Alan, son of USAC mechanic and engine builder Jerry Kulwicki, grew up in Milwaukee. His father didnt approve of his son racing cars, but Alan raced all the same. He became the youngest racer to start a late-model stock- car race in Wisconsin when, at the age of 18, he started a race at the Hales Corners Speedway. He took home $27. Little by little, Alan worked his way up the ranks of American stock-car racing. Continuing to pursue his dream to race on the NASCAR circuit, Alan owned, maintained, and raced his own cars throughout his career. He became the Winston Cup Circuits Rookie of the Year in 1986, a remarkable feat considering he raced without heavy corporate sponsorship. Alan went on to win the Winston Cup Circuit in 1992, becoming the greatest stock-car racer in the world. His untimely death prevented him from defending his title. In an era of stock-car racing dominated by family dynasties, Alan Kulwicki was a self-made champion.
Posted on: Tue, 01 Apr 2014 11:27:37 +0000
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