Hiding a Pacer

Why hide a Pacer?

an AMC Pacer is easy to spot but hard to find. this is the natural consequence of distinctive styling and a small survivng population. it's easy to see that they are not necessarily the vehicle of choice for bank robbers, terrorists, clandestine operatives or any others who require a generic vehicle in which to maintain stealth by blending in with the background.

we're not ashamed of our Pacers. far from it -- we like 'em.
of course, your mileage may vary. consider the following, which appeared in an otherwise-reputable mail-order catalogue for gardeners:


source: Smith & Hawken "Catalog for Gardeners" Harvest 1997 page s4

of course the instant it arrived we rushed to our neighbours to ask whether they considered us a source of visual pollution. to our great relief they all kindly reassured us of their tolerance.

although we can't understand why anybody would be anything but proud of a Pacer, as a public service to those to whom the Pacer Pride movement has not yet reached, we modestly present a few coping strategies.

Method No 1: obscure storage

this method was actually used by the first owner of Pacer Farm Pacer No. 2, and she made it a condition of sale the the vehicle would continue to be garage-kept. we have honoured the agreement, so the car remains in excellent condition but seldom sees the light of day.

Dark Garage

Pacer Farm Pacer No. 2 in an unlighted garage.

Method No 2: drop a tree on it

kids! don't try this at home!
we discovered this method entirely by accident, and do not recommend it.

Before: Hidden

yes, Virginia, there is a Pacer in this photo.

After: Exposed

after a while, the concealment was less effective

Method No. 3: Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

in some climates you need not take the vehicle to a place of concealment. sometimes the concealment comes to the vehicle. the following example is considerably less violent than the one above.

neighbourhood children took it upon themselves to properly label Pacer No. 1.

given an adequate snowfall, our Pacer wagon might pass for a small panel truck or even one of those suburban "mom-mobile" minivans.

Method No. 4: the deciduous approach

this is another case in which the concealment comes to the vehicle.

the inevitable result of limited curb space, multiple Pacers and an overbundance of leaves.

caution: when using this method it is necessary to take adequate precautions to ensure that the Pacer is not scooped up during municipal leaf collection activities.

Method No. 5: Protective Colouration

if you can't bring yourself to bury your Pacer in a dark garage, or under a tree, or in a snowbank, you might want to consider keeping it near something even less conventional. we've tried it -- judge the results for yourself.

Pacer with Friend

see? in this company the Pacer is barely noticeable note (above) the custom dashboard consoles

for more info on the non-Pacer in these photos, see

a column by noted automotive style expert Dave Barry
the official Wienermobile page

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