 | |
| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Car dealership |
| Founded | 1955 |
| Founder | Robert Collier |
| Headquarters | Pikeville, North Carolina |
| Products | General automotive repair and parts |
| Website | https://colliermotorsamc.com/ |
Collier Motors is a private car dealership primarily selling cars built by American Motors Corporation (AMC) as well as with other makes. The business was for many years an AMC franchised dealership located on business U.S. Route 117 in Pikeville, North Carolina. [1]
Robert Collier established Collier Motors in 1955 as a single entrepreneur while in his 20s. [2] His father was also in the automobile business and continued working until he was in his 80s. [2] Collier transitioned from marketing Chevrolets to selling cars made by American Motors Corporation (AMC). [3] The longstanding relationship with AMC continued until the automaker was partially purchased by Renault in 1979. [4]
After AMC started importing Renault models from France, Collier decided he preferred to sell only domestic-designed and built cars. [2] Rather than selling new Renault-derived passenger cars, such as the 1983 Alliance that was built in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Collier continued to sell the stock he already had on the lot and focused his dealership on older AMC cars and Jeep vehicles, as well as used vehicles of other US makes. American Motors was bought by Chrysler in 1987. [5]
The 5-acre (2.0 ha) property is on the west side of old U.S. Route 117. By 2010, the business was described as having "vehicles and parts slowly returning to the soil." [6] Collier died on 11 February 2018, at the age of 88. [3] The administration of the estate was placed mainly on Robbie Collier, the oldest son. [7]
Collier Motors sits frozen in time. [8] Attempting to settle Robert Collier's estate, the Collier family continues to sell off the remaining inventory, though most have sat outside unprotected on the lot since the early 1980s. [9] Inventory includes 1970s and 1980s-model AMCs, such as Gremlins, Pacers, Ambassadors, Matadors, Javelins, Eagles, Spirits, Hornets and Concords. Some of the cars still retain their original Monroney window stickers. [10] Once the inventory has been sold or otherwise disposed of, the property will be cleared and listed for sale. [7]
Historic vehicles owned by the Collier family and stored at the lot have included unique examples such as Barry Goldwater's two-seat AMX muscle car with a "tricked-out dash", [11] two Alabama Highway Patrol Javelins, and a Nash from the 1991 movie The Marrying Man . [4]
The policy has been to sell complete cars, not to part them out. A late-2021 estimate noted 40 "desirable" and restoration worthy cars that include some high-performance equipped AMCs. [7]
In 2015, Collier Motors was featured on two History Channel shows: American Pickers (episode "A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall" originally aired 13 May 2015). [12] and Lost in Transmission (episode "Fly Like an Eagle" originally aired 4 June 2015).
Appeared in Season 1, Episode 7 of Roadworthy Rescues, “Rebel with a Cause”. The show first aired in fall of 2022, starring Derek Bieri, creator of the Vice Grip Garage YouTube channel.
The AMC Gremlin is a subcompact automobile introduced in 1970, manufactured and marketed in a single, two-door body style (1970–1978) by American Motors Corporation (AMC), as well as in Mexico (1974–1983) by AMC's Vehículos Automotores Mexicanos (VAM) subsidiary.
Eagle was a brand of the Chrysler Corporation following the purchase of American Motors Corporation (AMC) in 1987 and marketed through the end of the 1998 model year. It was aimed at the enthusiast driver and promoted as more "European" than the automaker's similar models.
American Motors Corporation was an American automobile manufacturing company formed by the merger of Nash-Kelvinator Corporation and Hudson Motor Car Company on May 1, 1954. At the time, it was the largest corporate merger in U.S. history.
Rambler is an automobile brand name that was first used by the Thomas B. Jeffery Company between 1900 and 1914.
A hatchback is a car body configuration with a rear door that swings upward to provide access to a cargo area. Hatchbacks may feature fold-down second row seating, where the interior can be reconfigured to prioritize passenger or cargo volume. Hatchbacks may feature two- or three-box design.
The AMC Javelin is an American front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, two-door hardtop automobile manufactured by American Motors Corporation (AMC) across two generations, 1968 through 1970 and 1971 through 1974 model years. The car was positioned and marketed in the pony car market segment.
The Renault Alliance is a front-wheel drive, front-engine subcompact automobile manufactured and marketed in North America by American Motors Corporation (AMC) for model years 1983–1987. The Alliance and its subsequent hatchback variant, the Encore, were re-engineered Renault 9 & 11 for the U.S. and Canadian markets.
The Eagle Premier is a full-size executive car that was developed by American Motors Corporation (AMC) during the 1980s through its partnership with Renault. This model was manufactured in the then-brand-new Brampton Assembly in Canada. Chrysler Corporation bought the rights to the Premier when it acquired Renault's outstanding shares in AMC in 1987, and began selling the car under the new Eagle marque.
Full-size car—also known as large car—is a vehicle size class which originated in the United States and is used for cars larger than mid-size cars, it is the largest size class for cars. In Europe, it is known as E-segment or F-segment.
The American Motors Corporation (AMC) straight-6 family of engines was used in AMC passenger cars and Jeep vehicles from 1964 through 2006.
The AMC Matador is a car model line that was manufactured and marketed by American Motors Corporation (AMC) across two generations, 1971–1973 (mid-size) and 1974–1978 (full-size), in two-door hardtop and coupe versions as well as in four-door sedan and station wagon body styles.
The Eagle Medallion, also marketed as the Renault Medallion, is a rebadged and mildly re-engineered North American version of the French Renault 21 marketed by American Motors Corporation under the Renault brand for the 1988 model year, and by Chrysler’s Jeep/Eagle division for the 1989 model year.
The AMC Rebel is a midsized car produced by American Motors Corporation (AMC) from 1967 to 1970. It replaced the Rambler Classic. The Rebel was replaced by the similar AMC Matador for the 1971 model year. The Rebel was positioned as the high-volume seller in the independent automaker's line of models.
Roy Dikeman Chapin Jr. was the chairman and chief executive officer of American Motors Corporation (AMC). Chapin's father, Roy D. Chapin Sr., was one of the co-founders of the Hudson Motor Car Company; Hudson later merged with Nash-Kelvinator Corporation in 1954 to form American Motors. Roy D. Chapin Jr. was instrumental in introducing many successful lines of cars by American Motors that included the Gremlin, Hornet, and Javelin, as well as the purchase of Kaiser Jeep by the automaker.
Jeep-Eagle was the name of the automobile sales division created by the Chrysler Corporation after the US$2 billion takeover of American Motors Corporation (AMC) in 1987. The division marketed a variety of vehicles until 1997.
Australian Motor Industries (AMI) was an automobile assembly firm that was significant in the early history of the automotive industry in Australia.
Vehículos Automotores Mexicanos, S.A. (VAM) was a Mexican automaker from 1946 to 1986.
Hurst Performance, Inc. of Warminster Township, Pennsylvania, manufactured and marketed products for enhancing the performance of automobiles, most notably muscle cars.
The Go package was a factory option that included various performance equipment that was available on several muscle cars manufactured by American Motors Corporation (AMC).
The Brampton Assembly Plant is a former automobile manufacturing facility originally owned and operated by American Motors Corporation (AMC) in Brampton, Ontario. The factory began production in 1962 to build over 1.2 million AMC cars and Jeep vehicles through the automaker's acquisition by Chrysler in 1987, until it was closed in 1992.
Collier Motors NC.
Collier Motors in the Wayne County town of Pikeville sells cars made by the now-defunct American Motors Corporation, a small car company that made a big impact. Gremlins, Pacers, Matadors, Rebels -- all AMCs, all classic American icons.
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