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[energetic hard rock music]

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- Todd Gerl: Car is a '69 AMX.

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- Tony West: AMC Rebel.

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- Jerry Fjelsted: It's a 1959
Ambassador.

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- Tom Thomas: It's a 1983 Eagle,
made here in Kenosha.

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- Kenosha Iron,
that's what we appreciate.

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I am here to celebrate the
homecoming of American Motors,

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and that's something that we
hold very dearly around here.

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- Chris Allen:
Every three years,

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people converge
on Kenosha, Wisconsin.

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We host the world's largest
AMC car show.

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We have cars come from almost
every state in America.

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This week is really more
of a family reunion.

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- Mark Legon: It's Kenosha,
the homecoming.

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[engines rev]

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- Chris: Car manufacturing
started in Kenosha in 1902.

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It was the second mass producer
in all of America.

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You had the big three in
Detroit, and AMC was the fourth.

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- David F. Bogdala: Now, today,
we stand on hallowed ground.

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A place where steel once roared,

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where thousands
of hardworking men and women

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rolled up their sleeves
and built more than just cars.

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You built the city.

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It's very exciting to welcome
all of these folks home

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where all these cars were built

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and rekindle that spirit
and fire

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that really drove this community
for over a hundred years.

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- I started in 1969
on the Hornet line.

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My dad worked for AMC.

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My grandpa started in 1935
as a millwright,

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so we got a lot of history
in our family.

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This is where it all happened.

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- Everybody is drawn to AMC
for different reasons.

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- Styling, the uniqueness.

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- I had a Gremlin
when I was a teenager

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and I wanted another one,
and I found this one,

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and we spent seven and a half
years restoring it.

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They just tried
to build a better car

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'cause they were underdogs.

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- It's got power windows and
power seat, power steering,

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power brakes,
push-button transmission.

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This was their luxury car
at that time.

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But the Ambassador, that was
their most expensive car

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back in the day.

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- The first SUV
made in the United States.

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[engine revs]

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The four-wheel drive, they're
way ahead of their time on this.

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- They were either
ahead of their time,

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maybe a little bit behind
at times.

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They were never really
in their time.

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They never really hit the mark
on what people were looking for.

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- They're tough,
tougher than ever before.

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- Chris: In the late '80s,

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a lot of car companies
were going through trouble.

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That's when Chrysler came in
with an offer.

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Spelled the end of AMC.

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- Matter of times change,
and what goes and what don't.

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- Tom: It's sad that they're not
around no more,

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but got the history at least.

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- There's a lot of pride
for the cars.

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And the quality of those cars
as well.

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- That's my life story
with AMCs.

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I'm still hooked.

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- And I love it 'cause no one
else has got one. [laughs]

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- Todd: It's gone,
but it's not forgotten.