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.

After saving American Motors, president George Romney launches a career in politics. His successor takes AMC upmarket, but struggles to capture young baby boomers who want faster, sportier “muscle cars.” In response, the company makes big changes to its products and public image.

American Motors’ unlikely management team launches a quirky new car to fight the growing wave of foreign imports in the U.S. Despite his colleague’s protests, CEO Roy Chapin Jr. buys the lackluster Jeep Corporation, leading AMC into the burgeoning four-wheel-drive market. A sudden oil shortage rocks the industry but boosts small car sales.

American Motors Corporation spends a fortune developing a futuristic new car called the Pacer. But things fall apart when its radical engine design can’t pass government pollution regulations, and customers are disappointed with its mediocre gas mileage. Meanwhile, internal politics tear the company apart as two men jockey for the CEO suite.

As the auto industry becomes increasingly diverse, Gerry Meyers becomes the youngest CEO of any American car company. To build a new fuel-efficient car, he partners AMC with French automaker Renault. But a disastrous national recession and second oil crisis threaten to destroy the partnership before the new car is ready.

Despite award-winning new products, American Motors Corporation struggles to make a profit, frustrating its partnership with French automaker Renault. Rumors swirl as the French secretly negotiate to sell AMC to Chrysler Corporation. A terrorist assassination in France sparks a chain of events that leaves thousands of American workers betrayed. Yet, AMC lives on.