Thursday, March 3, 2022

Somewhat Separated Twins - Pegaso Thrill and AMC AMX

The cars featured below do not resemble each other closely, so "separated twins" might seem like an exaggeration.  Yet they do share some noteworthy characteristics.

These cars are the 1953 Pegaso Z-102 "Thrill" show car (some background here), and the 1968-1970 American Motors AMX (Wikipedia entry here).

Each retained the front half of a larger-production run automobile.  Each had a restyled aft half.  The Pegaso was built by the Italian carozzerria Touring, which based the frontal design on its low-production bodies supplied to Pegaso.  The AMX used the front half of American Motors' Javelin "pony car," but had a chopped-down, restyled rear.

Let's take a look.

Gallery

1953 Pegaso Z-102 Berlinetta by Touring
Most Pegasos with Touring-supplied bodies looked like this.

1953 Pegaso Z-102 Thrill showcar by Touring
The front half of the berlinetta design is retained on the "Thrill," though the grille bar arrangement differs.

Here we see the revised aft in near-profile.

And in three-quarter perspective.

1968 American Motors Javelin
This was the basis for the smaller AMX.  The designs are the same forward of the after cutline of the door, though grille details differ.

1968 American Motors AMX - Mecum Auction photo
The AMX grille lacks the Javelin's center divider.

Same car, right side.  The aft part has proportionally more C-pillar sheet metal and looks heavier than the Javelin.  The same could be said with regard to the Thrill -- compare to the similar pose above.

1968 American Motors AMX - Barrett-Jackson Auction photo
Not like the Thrill's rear window, but the sail panels here and the Thrill's fin-like rear fenders create a similar effect.

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