American Motors' chief stylist Dick Teague began work on the Pacer in 1971, anticipating an increase in demand for smaller vehicles through the decade.
The new car was designed to offer the interior room and feel of a big car that drivers of traditional domestic automobiles were accustomed to, but in a much smaller, aerodynamic and purposefully distinctive exterior package.
American Motors called it "Project Amigo" as a fresh design "featuring a body style not seen before, using the latest technology and exceeding upcoming safety regulations."

Car and Driver magazine noted that "AMC said it was the first car designed from the inside out.
Four passengers were positioned with reasonable clearances and then the rest of the car was built around them as compactly as possible."

The shape was highly rounded with a huge glass area and was very unusual for its time.
Road & Track magazine described it as "fresh, bold and functional-looking".

Development was under Product Group Vice President Gerald C. Meyers, whose goal was to develop a car that was unique: "everything that we do must distinguish itself as being importantly different than what can be expected from the competition."
Even before its introduction, AMC's Board Chairman Roy D. Chapin, Jr. described "It will be a visibly different car, maybe even controversial.
It's an idea that represents a transition between what has been and what's coming.
Today versus tomorrow."
According to Popular Mechanics, "This is the first time in the history of the American automobile industry that a car manufacturer has said in advance of bringing out a new product that some people may not like it."

A number of futuristic ideas were explored by AMC, but the automaker lacked adequate resources to build components from scratch.
Instead, they needed to use outside suppliers or adapt certain existing parts for use in their own production facilities.
Unique for a comparatively small car, the Pacer was as wide as a full-size American car of the era.
American Motors did not describe it as "cab forward," but the Pacer's layout included wheels pushed to the corners (short overhangs), a relatively wide body and A-pillars moved forward.
The windshield was placed over part of the engine compartment, with the bottom edge of the glass forward of the firewall.
Contrary to myth, the Pacer was not widened six inches (152.4 mm) to make room for the rear-wheel drive configuration.
The editor of Road & Track asserted that front-wheel drive, as well as a transverse mid-engined configuration, were among "various mechanical layouts ... tossed around by the idea people at AMC," adding that "it's unlikely they ever had much hope of being able to produce anything other than their traditional front engine and rear drive, using components already in production."

The introductory 1975 AMC advertising and literature proclaimed it as "the first wide small car."
The width was dictated partly by marketing strategy—American drivers were accustomed to large vehicles and the Pacer's occupants had the impression of being in a larger car—and partly by the fact that AMC's assembly lines were already set up for full-size cars.

Teague's low-drag design, which predated the fuel crisis and the flood of small foreign imports into the American market, was highly innovative.
Its drag coefficient of 0.43 was relatively low for that time.
Teague even eliminated rain gutters, smoothly blending the tops of the doors into the roof—an aerodynamic detail that, although criticized at the time for allowing rain onto the front seat, has become the norm in today's designs.

Also unique was that the passenger door was four inches (101 mm) longer than the driver's.
This made passenger loading easier, particularly from the rear seats; and they would also tend to use the safer curb side in countries that drive on the right.

An entirely fresh approach was also taken by AMC engineers with the Pacer's front suspension and engine mounting.
It was the first U.S. small car to isolate the engine and suspension system noises from the passenger compartment.
The
American Motors' chief stylist Dick Teague began work on the Pacer in 1971, anticipating an increase in demand for smaller vehicles through the decade. The new car was designed to offer the interior room and feel of a big car that drivers of traditional domestic automobiles were accustomed to, but in a much smaller, aerodynamic and purposefully distinctive exterior package. American Motors called it "Project Amigo" as a fresh design "featuring a body style not seen before, using the latest technology and exceeding upcoming safety regulations."
Car and Driver magazine noted that "AMC said it was the first car designed from the inside out. Four passengers were positioned with reasonable clearances and then the rest of the car was built around them as compactly as possible."
The shape was highly rounded with a huge glass area and was very unusual for its time. Road & Track magazine described it as "fresh, bold and functional-looking".
Development was under Product Group Vice President Gerald C. Meyers, whose goal was to develop a car that was unique: "everything that we do must distinguish itself as being importantly different than what can be expected from the competition." Even before its introduction, AMC's Board Chairman Roy D. Chapin, Jr. described "It will be a visibly different car, maybe even controversial. It's an idea that represents a transition between what has been and what's coming. Today versus tomorrow." According to Popular Mechanics, "This is the first time in the history of the American automobile industry that a car manufacturer has said in advance of bringing out a new product that some people may not like it."
A number of futuristic ideas were explored by AMC, but the automaker lacked adequate resources to build components from scratch. Instead, they needed to use outside suppliers or adapt certain existing parts for use in their own production facilities. Unique for a comparatively small car, the Pacer was as wide as a full-size American car of the era. American Motors did not describe it as "cab forward," but the Pacer's layout included wheels pushed to the corners (short overhangs), a relatively wide body and A-pillars moved forward. The windshield was placed over part of the engine compartment, with the bottom edge of the glass forward of the firewall. Contrary to myth, the Pacer was not widened six inches (152.4 mm) to make room for the rear-wheel drive configuration. The editor of Road & Track asserted that front-wheel drive, as well as a transverse mid-engined configuration, were among "various mechanical layouts ... tossed around by the idea people at AMC," adding that "it's unlikely they ever had much hope of being able to produce anything other than their traditional front engine and rear drive, using components already in production."
The introductory 1975 AMC advertising and literature proclaimed it as "the first wide small car." The width was dictated partly by marketing strategy—American drivers were accustomed to large vehicles and the Pacer's occupants had the impression of being in a larger car—and partly by the fact that AMC's assembly lines were already set up for full-size cars.
Teague's low-drag design, which predated the fuel crisis and the flood of small foreign imports into the American market, was highly innovative. Its drag coefficient of 0.43 was relatively low for that time. Teague even eliminated rain gutters, smoothly blending the tops of the doors into the roof—an aerodynamic detail that, although criticized at the time for allowing rain onto the front seat, has become the norm in today's designs.
Also unique was that the passenger door was four inches (101 mm) longer than the driver's. This made passenger loading easier, particularly from the rear seats; and they would also tend to use the safer curb side in countries that drive on the right.
An entirely fresh approach was also taken by AMC engineers with the Pacer's front suspension and engine mounting. It was the first U.S. small car to isolate the engine and suspension system noises from the passenger compartment. The
AMC Pacer