Man spends 25 years searching for one of the rarest American muscle cars, finally spots it in a Facebook photo

Thought to be ‘nothing but a black and white photo in a magazine or a matchbox car’, one dude spent 25 years searching for what is considered the rarest American muscle car.

However, a chance encounter on Facebook helped him finally track it down.

There are plans to restore it maintaining its original design and avoiding visible modern modifications.

The prototype in question? The AMC AMX III.

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The ‘rarest American muscle car’

As demonstrated on Andrew Miller’s YouTube channel, a chance encounter 25 years ago led Michael Chetcuti to spend 25 years chasing down this once-in-a-lifetime vehicle.

He met Scotty Dawkins in 1997, who hinted at owning a rare car whose security had to remain secret for security reasons because the car ‘is just that rare’.

In fact, very few knew it existed at all.

The car was ‘buried’ in the back of the Dawkins’ garage until it was spotted in the background of a Facebook photo in 2012.

“I’m like holy [you can fill that blank in yourself] – that is the AMX III,” said Chetcuti.

Digging confirmed that it was the number one prototype.

While Dawkins found it too nostalgic to let go of initially, fast-forward to 2019, the team managed to negotiate with the owner’s wife, Kathy, and finally purchase the car.

The AMC AMX III

Chetcuti made the decision to restore it while keeping it true to its original design, avoiding visible modern modifications.

This is an ongoing tal.

Plans are underway to restore the legendary AMC AMX III to its original purpose as one of the rarest American muscle cars in the world.

Rather than gathering further dust in a static collection, the team plans to restore it for driving.

The AMC AMX III was 3D scanned, disassembled, and hand-stripped, with parts sent for sandblasting, revealing fabrication surprises during reassembly.

Corrosion and body damage were found, and the original build included many patchwork repairs and rough cuts, including handmade modifications to improve airflow.

Some lost styling elements lost due to impracticality are being restored – such as the exhaust ports, which were part of Dick Teague’s original design.

Other rare prototypes

In 1966, Lamborghini built the first prototype for the world’s first supercar, the Lamborghini Miura.

It’s rarely seen but here’s what it looks like today.

Like the AMC AMX III, this one-off 1967 Shelby GT500 prototype disappeared for decades.

Meanwhile, rare MG Rover prototypes were discovered still parked outside the old car plant.