AMC wanted to compete with the similarly designed De Tomaso Pantera that Ford marketed in the United States.

Several attempts to revive the design were unsuccessful, including a limited production license proposal, branded as the Bizzarrini Sciabola without AMC's involvement.

As the smallest of the four major American car companies, AMC had suffered significant losses in the first half of the 1960s,[1] which was explained by an undemanding model range perceived as "staid".

[5] The Chevrolet Corvette was the only other two-seat car at the time with an established reputation, and possibly the AMX's stylistic proximity to the Javelin.

[6][7][8][Notes 1] Management had been pursuing the goal of adding a high-performance sports car with a mid-engine to the model range since 1968 to give the AMC brand a sporty image.

When Giugiaro was looking for a technical basis for the first show car of his newly founded company, Italdesign, he chose a used Bizzarrini chassis (P 538).

Series production was to be undertaken by the German coachbuilder Karmann,[19][26] who, in Rheine, had been assembling AMC Javelins destined for Europe since 1968 from disassembled parts kits.

Teague suggested in later years that "a lot of work" had been outsourced to the specialist Creative Industries of Detroit during the development process, but did not elaborate on any specific instances.

[35] A clay mock-up was crafted in a design studio leased by AMC at the company's East Outer Drive facility.

[26][37][Notes 4] After its completion, it was contrasted in a design competition with an alternative proposal by Giorgio Giugiaro's Studio Italdesign, which had been created under time pressure in parallel with the Bizzarrini Manta show car and was perceived as "heavy and immature"[2] or "unfinished and loveless".

"For lack of own know-how" AMC sought to have it designed by an external specialist, using European service providers (mainly for cost reasons).

[19][38][39] On Pininfarinas[38][40] or Karmanns[39] AMC then entered into an association in November 1968 with the engineer Giotto Bizzarrini, who had been building racing and sports cars for Alfa Romeo, Ferrari,[41] A.T.S.,[42] Lamborghini, and [43] Iso.

On the other hand, the frame was developed by Giorgio Giugiaro's company Italdesign,[39] which saw itself as a design studio and a construction service provider.

[25] For unknown reasons, prototype construction was transferred at the turn of 1968/69 to the newly founded company Autofficina Salvatore Diomante, renamed Autocostruzioni S.D.

The rear lower wishbones are trapezoidal, and the wheel carriers (stub axle and hub plate) are cast from aluminum.

Richard Teague partially replaced them later with narrow, horizontally arranged tail lights, which were adopted from the Pontiac Firebird of the second series (AMX/3 No.

[70] Series production of the 390 engine ended in 1970; after that, AMC used a slightly enlarged, 401 cu in (6,573 cc; 6.6 L), version in its muscle cars, with a gross power output of 330 hp (246 kW) according to SAE-J245/J1995 tests.

[69] The first prototype was also used on a trial basis during autumn of 1969, with a BMW eight-cylinder engine from the M09 series (which was still under development)[71] equipped and tested in Italy.

[20] Most of the AMX/3 have a transmission made by Oto Melara, a subsidiary of the Italian state-owned IRI, which is primarily active in the armament sector.

[32] Three months later, Giotto Bizzarrini and the racing driver Antonio Nieri tried out different front spoilers during test drives with the second prototype.

This is based on the assumption that by the time AMC withdrew in the spring of 1970, Diomante had largely completed a tranche of five cars - including three road-ready prototypes - and had begun building five more chassis.

[23][25] It is currently owned by a Michigan resident and was shown at the 2019 Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals show in Chicago, Illinois (where it won several awards).

When designing the chassis of the second prototype, Bizzarrini took up the findings that the test drives with the first car had produced and implemented BMW's recommendations.

[83] It was the first AMX/3 to feature the styling changes from autumn 1969 through late June 1970 - one-piece side windows, extended rear, and raised cowling.

[63][25] The fifth car (chassis number A0M397X680492) was completed about the same time as the fourth; July to September 1970, when AMC withdrew project funding.

Unlike the AMX/3 models, the Varedo has a Ford Cleveland V8 engine, making it similar to Iso Rivolta's production cars.

The one-off vehicle belongs to Iso's former owner, Piero Rivolta, and it is at the Sarasota Classic Car Museum in Florida.

[74] At the beginning of 1971, AMC had refused the promised delivery of technical components for the cars without giving any reasons and had demanded the scrapping of all AMX/3 models.

[58][100] In 1976[25][Notes 7] Giotto Bizzarrini exhibited a sports car called the Sciabola at the Turin Motor Show and published a sales brochure.

Designed under the direction of Richard Teague, the hatchback coupe has AMX/3-inspired lines on the rear wings,[10] which are more widely displayed than the Hornet.