AMC’s Designer Interiors
Owners of certain vintage AMC products can consider themselves blessed: Their cars have an extra measure of desirability because of the unique interior trim they feature. Offered selectively, these special trims were known as AMC’s “Designer Interiors.” First appearing in 1972, the premium cabins came about because of a major change in corporate philosophy that led American Motors Corporation to new highs.
During AMC’s struggle to survive in the late 1960s, Chairman Roy D. Chapin developed what he called the company’s “Philosophy of Difference.” The gist of it was that, in order to convince people to buy an AMC, the company had to offer models and features the Big Three didn’t have. The philosophy began to take form in late 1969 with the introduction of the 1970 Hornet compact, offering a longer list of options than its competitors so people could tailor it any way they liked: as an economy box, a luxury sedan, a sporty car, or something in between.
