Uncovering an automotive mystery years later

Uncovering an automotive mystery years later
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Back in the 1970s, Marvin was the Director of the Bureau of Automotive Regulation within Michigan’s Department of State. At the time, he hired Kathy as an investigator for a special departmental task force. This task force taught police some mechanics and taught some mechanics investigative skills. Kathy met her husband, Scotty, a supervisor of investigators, thanks to this task force.

At the time, there was a rumor about the legendary AMC AMX III—one of the rarest American muscle cars in the world. Supposedly, Scotty Dawkins, Kathy’s husband, knew something about it. However, the details of this rare car remained shrouded in mystery for almost 40 years!

“Kathy’s husband had worked for AMC. I’m not really sure what he did there, but he had a mid-engine vehicle from there that he said was special. I never saw it at the time,” said Marvin.

However, Kathy and her husband moved to Alaska not long after meeting, and Marvin never got a chance to truly learn about the legendary AMC car.

Rekindling a Friendship Through a Chance Encounter

Fast forward 40 years to the GetSetUp virtual cooking class that brought Kathy and Marvin together again!

“I was taking this cooking class with Deb when I heard the name, Marv Goldstein. I looked in the chat and saw a Marv from East Lansing. So after the class, I did some googling, found him on Facebook, and called him up,” said Kathy.

Marvin was pleasantly surprised to hear from Kathy after nearly 40 years. The two had a wealth of details to catch up on. Plus, this chance encounter gave Marvin the opportunity to ask a question that had intrigued him all these years.

“Whatever happened to your husband’s AMC car?” questioned Marvin.

“That’s a story in itself,” said Kathy. “My husband worked for American Motors Corporation and was mentored by Dick Teague, I think he was the President of Design and Development. In the early 70s, AMC wanted to branch out. They wanted to make a car that appealed to the younger generation. The original idea, I believe, came from a design Dick drew on a napkin while in an airplane. There were 6 prototypes made. Scotty ended up with the first one and Dick had 2 of the others. Scotty got the car in '72 and it was the first of only 6 ever made. It’s one of a kind.”

The Legendary AMC Car

Since it was the initial car in the 6-car series, it had been taken apart for parts to help make the other prototypes. It hadn’t been street-worthy for many years. By the time Kathy saw it when she married Scotty in 1978, it was more of a shell and some equipment. When the couple moved to Alaska, they had it kept at the Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners, where the museum considered restoring it. However, the car lay there unrestored and largely unspoken about. The Dawkins took it back when they moved back to Michigan in 1996.

“Scotty’s dream was to renovate the car with our son Ian. Unfortunately, that never happened. We didn’t have the money to do it. It would cost about $250,000 to get the right parts to renovate it. So the car sat there,” said Kathy.

Through GetSetUp, Marvin not only rekindled an old friendship but also unearthed a fascinating piece of automotive history. Join GetSetUp to connect with old friends, make new ones, and explore a wide range of interests.