Missing AMC electric concept car from 1967 few have heard of was randomly discovered in the rafters of a barn in Michigan

The 1967 AMC Amitron is the electric and economical concept car you’ve probably never heard of – but it’s just been discovered in a Michigan barn find and you don’t want to miss it.

Hidden away amid discarded furniture and garden items sits the subcompact electric vehicle.

The owner of the barn explains that his grandfather was an AMC design director and bought it from the carmaker for a ‘whopping dollar’ – however much that is.

Sadly it never made it to production.

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The incredible barn find

We are often spoilt by self-titled ‘automotive archaeologist’, Ryan Brutt, bringing us diamonds he’s uncovered in the rough via his YouTube channel.

However, this piece of automotive history was discovered in a remarkably neat and tidy barn find.

Justin Mashigan is the grandson of the once head of the AMC design studio, Chuck.

It seems that Grandpa often bought the most interesting parts of his work home and saved them for posterity.

In fact, the AMC Amitron electric concept car was discovered sitting in the rafters above a Jeep CJ5 that was used in American Motors Corporation’s design studio for creating stripe kits. 

The AMC electric concept car

AMC design director, Chuck, saved the Amatron EV from destruction by purchasing it for a ‘whopping’ $1.

No doubt aware of its significance in automotive history, he preserved it in an enclosure on his back porch until his passing.

It is now stored in the surprising location of the rafters of his grandson’s barn.

Storytime: the AMC Amatron was an electric commuter car developed by the brand in collaboration with Goulon Industries in the late 1960s.

It was a surprising and forward-thinking response to rising gas prices – and is one of the crazier-looking concept cars.

It was recycled as a show car by AMC in the late 1970s and last displayed publicly at the 1977 Chicago Auto Show.

The car retains its original paint, emblems, and bespoke tires – which are not golf cart tires as initially thought.

Sadly the futuristic-looking car was ahead of its time – like this strange six-wheeled 70s supercar that could do 200mph – and so never made it to production.

What’s more, he even has the press photos, behind-the-scenes documentation from AMC’s styling studios, and a scaled-down concept model that was used to build the full-size version of it.

Justin plans to honor his grandfather’s legacy by cleaning it up and potentially displaying it at automotive shows, including the Petersen Museum for a short-term exhibition.

It might just be worth a lot of money – like this one-off Lamborghini concept car that has a staggering $117 million price tag.