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1981 VAM Lerma and 1982 VAM Lerma 610/620

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mramc View Drop Down
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    Posted: Jan/09/2017 at 12:15pm
I believe what Dick Teaque was talking about the Lerma being dated in the early 1980s was that it was NOT a front wheel drive unit bodied car, which by them even Chrysler had as of 1978 with the Omni - Horizon cars. That was where the demand was , for a FWD mini car with good gas mileage. AMC was the last into the market with that , and it was a Renault Alliance. That unfortunately long term proved to be a poor car. There is probably a lot of not invented here on the Lerma too .

I've come to the conclusion that the unit bodied front wheel drive car , specifically the economy mini cars , as largely throw away cars , much like every thing else made today. Nothing is made to last long term  any more. The reason I'm become some thing of technical Luddite in my old age.

Lastly on the Stirling engine powered AMC Spirit  , as I recall there is some thing in a period Motor Trend magazine issue on the car, plus a stand along article. I'll have to look and see what I can find in my file cabinets. LRDaum
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote amcenthusiast Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan/08/2017 at 12:48pm
my theory is that VAM had no Jeep tooling so they forged ahead with another car variation

whereas AMC began to sell more Jeeps than cars starting in '77 so '75 Pacer was the last new car before AM transformed itself one more time into Jeep-Eagle


Edited by amcenthusiast - Jan/08/2017 at 4:27pm
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote amcenthusiast Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jan/08/2017 at 12:11pm
Originally posted by mramc mramc wrote:

I asked Dick Teague why AMC did not build the Lerma in the US and he replied the by then the styling was too dated. This was at an AMC meet in Milwaukee, Wisconsin some time in the early 1980 if I recall correctly. LRDaum

Wow thanks for your participation on this forum LRDaum, and giving us one more quote from Richard Teague to chew on.


Edited by amcenthusiast - Jan/08/2017 at 4:22pm
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote mramc Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Dec/19/2016 at 5:00pm
I've got an article on the Stirling powered Spirit from back in the day some where. It just be a question of finding it. It was not very successful as an automotive power plant. Yes, there is a small article on Wikipedia on the basis of a Stirling engine. But to date the only thing it's been successfully used is a secondary power source for some Swedish ships, primarily on a few submarines that seem to have got some interest from the US Navy and a couple other countries. LRDaum
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Lucas660 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Dec/17/2016 at 1:13am
I'm interested in the P-40 Stirling engine. But can't find any information on that, or is someone being funny on wikipedia?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote mramc Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Dec/16/2016 at 6:21pm
I asked Dick Teague why AMC did not build the Lerma in the US and he replied the by then the styling was too dated. This was at an AMC meet in Milwaukee, Wisconsin some time in the early 1980 if I recall correctly. LRDaum
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Rambler Mexicano Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Dec/11/2016 at 1:54pm
AMC did know of the Lerma project back in 1980. They showed interest but due to the fact that the Lerma was a half hand-built car, panels being produced separately and welded together, it was not suitable for the requirements of US manufacturing. The Lerma would have to be a full one piece monoque body to be produced in the US. But AMC (and Renault) had other priorities at the time and the company did not consider that a four-door hatchback would have a high impact on the market.

What is truly unique about the VAM Lerma is that it is a four-door hatchack (also a longer two-door hatchback) focused at the top-end luxury market, like giving Cadillac treatment to a Chevrolet Caprice. Its competitors in Mexican market were the Ford Fairmont Elite, Chevrolet Malibu Landau and Chrysler LeBaron, the luxury compacts at the time, all of them notchback sedans.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote 6768rogues Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Dec/10/2016 at 1:52pm
Very interesting, thanks.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote 2beersmaybe3 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Dec/10/2016 at 12:44pm
Thanks for passing the info on. Its neat to see all AMC was up to around the world. Looks like that car was a good competitor for the vw dasher, Chevy citation, dodge omni, etc. I guess we just got stuck with the concord wagon around these parts. That car would have sold here. Any more oddities, please share
1963 Classic 770 Cross Country
1964 Classic 660 4door
1964 Classic 770 2 door sedan
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Rambler Mexicano Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: Jul/28/2013 at 4:24pm
Information available in English.

Click Here.


1981 four-door Lerma (brochure photo)


1981 two-door Lerma (brochure photo)


1982 four-door Lerma 620 (brochure photo)


1982 two-door Lerma 610 (brochure photo)


1982 Lerma 620 four-door (from French movie)


1982 Lerma 620 two-door
Mauricio Jordán

Cuando no se es una empresa famosa se deben hacer mejores automóviles.
- Vehículos Automotores Mexicanos S. A. de C. V.
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