The Missionary -
the last independent automaker

The U.S. car market booms in the wake of World War II, until a price war between Ford and Chevrolet decimates competitors. American Motors Corporation is created through the merger of two smaller companies. To survive in an age of conspicuous consumption, president George Romney boldly bets the company's future on a new niche: economy cars.

Duration: 28 minutes and 0 seconds

Episode Number: 101

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About The Last Independent Automaker:

Take a wild ride through history as nostalgia and great cars combine in this uniquely American story of grit, innovation, and hard work.

THE LAST INDEPENDENT AUTOMAKER is a documentary series featuring six half-hour episodes that detail the unlikely rise and tragic fall of American Motors Corporation (AMC).

Through more than 40 exclusive interviews with CEOs, engineers, designers, salespeople, journalists, factory workers, and labor union members, THE LAST INDEPENDENT AUTOMAKER is a deep, unvarnished look at the inner workings of a car company.

Since its inception, the automobile industry has been a mirror of America, reflecting our collective past through the cars we build and buy.

At half the size of its competitors, AMC had to innovate to survive with breakthroughs in fuel efficiency, rustproofing, air conditioning, and four-wheel drive.

When the nation confronted the air pollution, traffic fatalities, and energy crises caused by our love affair with the automobile, AMC engineers and designers met these problems head-on with solutions that still influence how vehicles are manufactured and marketed today.

Through personal interviews and stories, viewers also learn how AMC factories provided a pathway to the middle class for thousands of immigrants and people of color.

Compared to larger automakers, it offered more opportunities for women and minorities, including the youngest and the first Jewish CEO to lead a major U.S.

car company.

The series traces AMC's history through more than four decades and tells its story through hours of lost film archives combined with thousands of historic photographs and new 4K footage of gorgeous classic cars.

Each episode focuses on a different period, weaving together the drama of a cutthroat industry packed with big personalities and iconic cars.

The series climaxes as the cumulative storm of economics, mismanagement, and betrayal brings everything crashing down.