We all know that AMC collectibles are not for everyone, but it’s time to rethink that old idea. You can start to do that by admiring, and maybe buying, this 1974 AMC Hornet. Cool name. Cool body style. Interior a bit of a wreck. But it’s here on craigslist with an asking price of $3500. You’ll find it in Kennewick, WA. Pat L is the sharp-eyed finder of this tip.
The AMC Hornet was offered in model years 1970-77, eventually coming in the forms of two-door and four-door sedans, a wagon, and this body style, the two-door hatchback. The wagon, interestingly enough, sold far more copies in 1974 than did any other configuration, with the hatchback coming in second. The hatch would also be the platform on which the one-year only AMX would be built, but that didn’t happen until 1977, the final model year. One idea that likely has crossed potential buyers’ minds is to create of this 1974 a never-was “tribute AMX,” which might be kinda cool. Or maybe you could do a James Bond tribute by building this one to look like the red Hornet X hatchback which featured in The Man with the Golden Gun. That car made a mid-air pirouette that got it recognized in the Guinness Book of World Records. You’ll be better off, of course, just staying on the ground.
If you’re a stock-appearing resto kind of person, you’ll have a decent platform to start with with this car, though the interior is both unattractive in color and quite worn out. That gives you an excuse to figure out what other possibilities the car came with and perhaps make a tasteful change to something which still complements the white exterior, if indeed that is original or a respray in the factory color. The body looks OK overall, but the vinyl top is gone (at least you don’t have to worry about the car being rusty underneath that), and there’s some damage ahead of the passenger-side front fender, and probably elsewhere, given that the car has traveled over 88,000 miles.
There’s a lot you don’t know about this car. It is clearly no speed burner. Perhaps sadly to some, it features an automatic transmission backing up its 6-cylinder engine, but what that mill is, or how fit for use, is not stated. So you go into this taking a bit of a risk. If it runs well, the exterior is nice enough to drive around for now. If it doesn’t, you’ve got immediate mechanical/engine work to add to a revamped interior and, not too far down the road, paint work.
As US compacts go, I think this is one of the better-looking models of the 70s–particularly for AMC (I’m looking at you, Pacer). I would haggle on the $3500 but with a good clean-up, this would be a fun daily driver.
In the early 80’s, when my younger brother and I were just getting our licenses, we saw the The Man with the Golden Gun on TV, and my bother became obsessed with that Hornet, and that “mid-air pirouette”. It set him on a quest for one of these as his first car – Never was able to find one.
American motors must have pretty much bankrolled that movie with bond driving the red hornet all the police cars matador 4 doors and how about the flying gold matador two door
And AMC never had a gold finger! LoL
I can say, with some authority, the Hornet was the most successful car AMC produced. Aside from just the Hornet, cars like the Sportabout, Gremlin, and Concord cars all share Hornets components. The “SC-360” was as good as it got. While practically every car has a hatchback today, AMC was revolutionary, and was the 1st, I think. It was a major boost for AMC lovers, others failed to notice, or noticed, but didn’t care, until it was offered on the Pinto/Vega and practically every car after.
While the condition of this car isn’t the best, out west is the only place you’ll find one, because A), they rusted from the factory, and B) about the only place someone would keep one to begin with.
Oh, btw, while the stunt wowed the audience, I read AMC was mentioned in the credits, but I don’t think had anything to do with the movie. That scene, took months to create, for 15 seconds in the movie. It was specially modified, and took 6( or 8) attempts. It was a well calculated stunt, and none reproduced like it without a computer.
Pinto and Vega beat them by a couple years on the hatchback , the first Hornet lift back was 1973 .
Judging by the vinyl top (now missing) cloth seats , sport steering wheel and floor shift , I’d venture to guess there’s a 258 under the hood as opposed to the 232
Toyota had a liftback in ’73 also. It was Gremlin, that offered a hatch, of sorts, now called a Kammback, I think. Regardless, the Europeans were WAY ahead of us in that regard.
Way back in 1964 the tiny Scottish built import the Sunbeam Imp was sporting a hatchback.
once I read abt the AMX, once I see one, I can think of no other AMC, esp the javelin and rebel.
Pictures of the car on craigslist are horrible!! I don’t understand why people can’t take decent pictures of the car they are selling. Makes you wonder what they are trying to hide. Take a picture of the outside of the car from every angle, side your camera under the car and take a couple of the underneath (especially when it is nearly 50 years old). Lastly, take some decent pictures of the interior. Not just the gear shifter. Anyone looking at the car already knows what that looks like. Frustrating. Am I being a fit absurd with my thinking?
Calm down, diddly, diddly, we have to remember, people aren’t photographers. For many, like me, they may have never taken any pictures and the phone is their 1st stab at it. I remember when a fuzzy Polaroid was all you had. Besides, it’s not a Ferrari, and the pics pretty much describes the car and enough to generate interest, if any.
These days; despite the old engines not being as fuel efficient as modern engines, take into account the cost of a new modern car with similar attributes. You need to get from point A to B. Do you spend $40,000.00 to get there or $3,500.00 to get there? I recently rented a 2022 Kia. Nice car. But the gas mileage was not that much better than a Hornet. Not when the purchase price is taken into account. You could drive this Hornet for many years and not spend anywhere near $40,000.on gas. At the end of it the Hornet would end up being worth more than the Kia.
I have a 77 Hornet AMX. So I do know what I’m talking about.
Very true John. However, the Hornet doesn’t have all-wheel drive, navigation, power windows, power locks, A/C, heated seats, bluetooth, 9 airbags, ABS, the list goes on and on…. You cannot dispute the safety innovations on new vehicles. People of today have factored in a car payment or lease payment as a typical monthly expense. Can you believe the average car payment today is around $667 per month in the USA? On another note, Interested in selling your AMX? Lol
I agree. Looking at vehicles now and the sale prices are too much. Decided to buy older model better built and do a v8 conversion which will best anything new right now. Huge difference in price.
The six cylinders AMC made would run forever.
Couldn’t agree more, John! Current “cars” are mostly potato cross-overs, and most of them totally disgusting. Many of them need the safety features because they do not handle or stop all that well. (Exceptions might be the Alfa-Romeo Stelvio and the Maseratti crossover). Hopefully this “trend,” like the overweight, poorly engineered hogs of the ’70s, will end someday and drivers will get back to DRIVING!
slightly offside but i had a hornet amx still have the hatch with louvres if someone buys this! parallax@vianet.ca
My Late Grandfather and Grandmother drove only AMC vehicles. My Grandfather loved the Hornet and drove several different variations of it and an Eagle. Grammies Jam was an AMC ambassador and a Rebel.
John, When Grammies drove the Rebel, did she cry, “More, More, More”?
Sign me,
“High Idle.”
Howard, Don, & Robin,
The 1949 Kaiser Vagabond may have beaten all your examples.
https://www.hemmings.com/stories/article/1949-1950-kaiser-traveler-and-vagabond
https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=kaiser+vagabond&form=HDRSC2&first=1&tsc=ImageHoverTitle
Must be an early 74 as it has the 73 horn button and missing/ not installed 74 , 5 mph bumpers.
Those are ’73 2.5 mph rear bumpers. Good call.
5 MPH front and rear were not mandated until 1974.
Not a ’74. Plus for ’74 the taillights were also different.
There’s an awful ill fitting plastic panel above the bumper and between the taillights. License plate is in a different location as well.
https://classiccars.com/listings/view/1101249/1974-amc-hornet-for-sale-in-ft-worth-texas-76137
The Nash Car Club had the actual stunt driver from the Man With The Golden Gun at one of the meets a few years ago. He told how all the stunts were done and he mentioned that they offered the movie to AMC when one of the other companies turned them down. He said they supplied all the cars and were very cooperative with the film. He had worked with other car companies before but he said AMC was the best to work with.
It’s still listed.I wonder why it hasn’t sold already?
Had one. Solid dependable long lasting car. I really liked it. The AMC six is bulletproof and the automatic transmissions were TorqueFlites sourced from Chrysler, though AMC called them the “Torque-Command”. Yakima Washington is hot dry country, no road salting. If it spent it’s life there, I would not expect to see any rust to speak of but all the rubber, cloth and vinyl components will be very dried out.
My first car was a green 73 AMC Hornet, my grandfather surprised me with in 1980, he bought for $500 from his neighbor Metzger (like Seinfeld, grandpop had a neighbor that went by just his last name). Metzger had a German Shepherd who went everywhere with him in that Hornet that had cloth seats, let’s just say I never got all the fur out and the seats were all torn, replaced the front seats with some junkyard late model vinyl Capri seats and I was in business. My Hornet had the 258 straight 6, with a terrible carburetor. I drove it for several months replaced the carb, sold it for $800 and used the money to buy a 72 AMX. So I have a soft spot for Hornets like this one, I appreciate what my grandfather did for me, did then and still do to this day.
My bad. Tail lights are not different. But lots of differences between ’73 and ’74
John e klink
While I agree about bland boring current crossovers I fear the market trends are going MORE toward that and e vehicles and the days of engaging cars that excite when driven are giving way to self driving spud mobiles
Well stated RMac, and that is what’s happening. Nearly everywhere I drive my 1987 Chrysler I get questions and admiring comments. I even had a UPS driver honk his horn to get my attention then ask questions about it at a red light! When would that happen in a Ford Escape or Chevy Traverse? Perhaps that’s why people would rather sit at home, stare at screens, and have dinner delivered.