The 1973 model year was a landmark one for the AMC Hornet. It marked the moment when the company introduced a Hatchback body style to the range, and it was met with high praise by motoring journalists at the time. It also hit the right note with the buying public and was one of the most successful derivatives offered in that model year. Our feature car is a ’73 Hornet Hatchback that presents fairly well. Adding to its appeal, the owner has swapped the original motor for a warmed 360ci V8. That should go some way towards endowing the Hornet with the performance to match its good looks. It needs someone to add the finishing touches and smooth some of the rough edges, but its condition means that the next owner could enjoy this classic immediately and tackle the work as time and circumstances allow. This Hatchback is located in Windsor, Colorado, and is listed for sale here on eBay. It has gathered some reasonable support since the owner listed it, and while bidding has pushed the price to $7,050, this remains short of the reserve.
The overall condition of this Hornet looks impressive, although the seller is candid about its condition. He describes the condition of the Copper Tan paint as 7/10, which suggests that there are flaws that aren’t visible in the supplied photos. It still holds an impressive shine, and with straight panels, the Hornet would make a positive impression on the street or at a Cars & Coffee. He admits there is Bondo in the passenger side rear quarter panel but that the quality of this looks excellent. Another plus point with this car is its general lack of rust issues. This is hardly surprising when you consider the efforts that AMC had channeled towards its rust prevention program. From 1970, they offered a three-year buyer protection plan, which was an American industry first. It also means that if you do find a post-1970 AMC model in today’s market, there is a good chance that it won’t have been as ravaged by the tin worm as equivalent offerings from “the big three.” Examining the photos further reveals trim and chrome that is in good condition and glass that appears faultless. Rounding out the exterior is a great-looking set of Rallye II wheels.
This Hornet rolled off the line equipped with a 304ci V8 that produced a respectable 175hp. The original owner also chose a three-speed automatic transmission, power steering, and power brakes. This combination provided enough urge to send the Hornet through the ¼ mile in 16.4 seconds. If I were a betting man, I would place plenty of cash on the car to significantly better that figure today. The owner has ditched the 304 in favor of a rebuilt 360 with a mild cam, an aluminum Edelbrock intake, a big Holley carburetor, and a dual exhaust. I wouldn’t be surprised if this motor could match the 285hp that was available from the ’71 Hornet SC/360, making a sub-15-second ¼-mile ET possible. For potential buyers, this could be one of this classic’s strong points. The owner says that there are no mechanical issues. The car runs and drives perfectly, and the 360 is said to produce a great rumble through the dual exhaust.
While the Hornet’s interior isn’t perfect, it remains serviceable. The owner says that the carpet is relatively new, while the rest of the interior has no glaring problems. There’s wear and a few small tears on the driver’s seat, but the remaining upholstered surfaces, the headliner, and the dash look pretty good. If the buyer seeks perfection, finding a set of covers for the front seat is not difficult. However, they will lighten their wallet to the tune of $510, but at least that represents a one-off expense that would help lift the interior to the next level. The interior isn’t loaded with optional extras, although the aftermarket CD player will provide entertainment on those long road trips.
I’ve never hidden my admiration for the people at AMC. The company’s wallet was never bulging with cash, but they still managed to produce some interesting cars on a very worn shoestring budget. The Hornet Hatchback graphically demonstrates this, and it is little wonder that out of 133,468 Hornets sold during the 1973 model year, 40,110 were the Hatchback derivative. For a newly introduced variant of an existing model that rates it as a success. There have already been twenty-two bids submitted at the time of writing, and I won’t be surprised if this Hornet attracts more action before the auction closes. It needs some work before it presents at its best, but I still wouldn’t be surprised to see it nudge $10,000 before the close of play. What do you think?
THIS is a true ‘fooler’. While the vast majority of car collectors look at AMC Hornets with a jaundiced eye, this one is packaged just right, and will attract some very interested buyers. Wish I could hear it idle; I bet it sounds strong. Since this Hornet isn’t to be considered ‘factory’ correct, it’s easy to consider some personal changes buy a future owner. A pair of cushy REKARO type buckets for instance, or a new paint job? And it’s not a typical Malibu, Mustang, or Duster. It’s the kind of car for those of us that remember these new to say, “Oh wow…a Hornet!”
Nice looking Hornet! Although not a fatal flaw, to point out the obvious – one glaring issue with the interior is that the dash doesn’t match the rest of it. Looks like it was taken from a donor car somewhere along the way, and the center stack has been cut up to fit a modern radio. Some photos of the underside would have been appreciated, I know from personal experience that these cars do indeed rust!
What the nice woodgrain bother you?…grab a can of texture black paint, now thats basic betty amc…oh nice sounds not ur thing?…grab an old AM radio and any old center stack and you can rock out to Lawrence Welk and GlennMiller all you like….pull the stick outta from where you stuck it…
Raymond, you forgot to take your meds again this morning. No need to be a turd.
Nice find. I don’t normally go for the “hatchback” style, but this is well done by AMC and I can appreciate the nice lines. It should go like stink with a well sorted out 360.
This is not a hatch,they came later this as got a trunk.
This is a hatch back.
By ’73 you could not get the manual with the 360. And the 360 was a 2-bbl. You could still get the 304 with a manual but only the 3 speed.
I’ll take it that three speed manual, thank you very much. For ‘73, I think they still had the option for a manual on the column as well…. This one does present a tidy package, even with the automatic. Great find!
A friend of mine had an orange Hornet and I recall that the ignition key could be entirely removed from the steering column while underway. Never saw a car do that before.
@RobertG, plenty of older cars have this “feature.” Worn tumblers/pins in the ignition key barrel from a half dozen keys that everyone seems to carry weighing on the key ring
My ’79 Caprice Classic had that feature!
Nice car. Since it’s not the original motor, I’d have no compunctions about building it up.
Hot Rod Magazine did four iterations of a naturally aspirated all-motor AMC 360. One made 437 hp @ 6,000 and 470.8 lb/ft @ 3,900; another did 480.7 hp @ 6,000 and 448.3 lb/ft @ 4,900.
Bought a ’74 hornet X with Levi’s interior. 304 V8. Loved that car. Towed a 4000 lb appx trailer cross country with it. Swapped a stretched timing chain at about 120,000. All rest fine. The 304 was so quick I dont see the need for swapping in a 360. But I wouldn’t turn up my nose at it. I’m betting the interior was originally light brown to go with the dash.
I think I’d take a 401, bore it out a touch and blueprint it as stock (no big cam) to better hide what’s under the hood. Throw in a limited slip with a 3.55’ish gear and maybe widen the rear steelies slightly and go drive it.
I had a ’76 Hornet X, black with red X stripe package. 258 with a three speed on the floor. A beautiful car, great lines. First car I ever had radial tires on, actually handled OK. And yes, the ignition, the same key from my ’68 Chevy C10 worked in the Hornet’s ignition. I loved that car, my girl friend, now wife of 37yrs had good times in it. She had a Gremlin at the same time.
There was a cartoon that my GM friend of mine had pinned to his office at Cadillac back in the mid to late eighties. It had 3 guys dressed in work attire, complete with loud outfits which included polka dot shirts, plaid pants, just total lack of style. They had their heads in their hands and the emotional boss says, ” I just don’t understand how they can breakup such great marketing and ad business like us”. I didn’t dislike AMC, it’s just beside a few lines, their cars were just subpar to everything else, and for the most part, not real attractive. This Hornet however is decked out nicely, but it’s still a Hornet.
Great writeup of a very cool car, but not much mentioned about the one year only, ’71 SC360, which, if continued, probably would have been this car. I’m sure it was the builders inspiration. The Hornet, in all it’s forms, was AMC’s most popular seller. This is the sharpest one I’ve seen,,,maybe ever. They weren’t exactly the 1st choice in collectibility. Someone did a nice job.
I owned a 73 back in 78. I would say the opposite. The dash is original and all else is likely donor. I even still have an original OEM paint color chip pallet.
I also, owned a 72 Gremlin X that I did a 469 Ambassador police interceptor conversion in front of a T10 4 speed with Hurst shifter,
Who needs to pay big $$$ for an ugly Super Bee when you can have this angry Hornet for a lot less?
I ordered a 1973 Hornet Hatchback X 360 automatic in the spring of 1973. I ordered nearly every option except a vinyl top. Very quick car, and enough room in back to camp out in it, which I did in a cross country trip a couple weeks after I took delivery. A few years later I bought a 77 Hornet AMX with a 304. With headers, aluminum manifold, and carter 4 brl, it turned a 14.98 sec 1/4 mile one cool evening at the drags. I always have to laugh every time I hear “Haters” who know nothing about AMC products and still knock em, just because they aren’t a Ford, GM, or Chrysler so they must be junk. All I know is my 69 AMX (that I purchased brand new) still runs like new and is actually faster thanks to being well broken in, and well cared for. The Hornet above looks very nice, but there’s a good chance it still has the 304 transmission bolted up to the 360. It’s a great Mopar tranny, but the 360 used the larger version because the 360, 390, and 401 put out more torque than the 304, which used Chrysler’s 904 instead of the bigger 727. On a positive note, the 904 can be beefed up, and that’s something for the new owner to consider.
Is this car still for sale?