Was AMC’s Hornet a true pony car? Like the Capri, I think it fell shy, identifying more as a sporty economy car than anything. But the Hornet has virtues. Introduced as a replacement for the Rambler in 1970, the Hornet bore Dick Teague’s flowing-line, almost plain imprint. The hatchback carried some semblance of the Javelin in its rear end. The sedan managed a “tail-up” aspect that might have been more effective with a different roofline. The car attempted the “long hood/short deck” idiom so popular with other makers – and the public – with some success. More important for AMC was the platform’s long life in many other models, from the Gremlin to the Eagle. Today’s Hornet is located in Visalia, California, and it’s the beneficiary of a partial restoration in 2021. Tony Primo found this stylish 70’s compact for us – thanks, Tony!
In 1975, the Hornet offered several engines: the base 232 cu. in. six-cylinder, a slightly punchier 258 six – or if you hankered for a V8, a 304 cu. in. In 1971 only the SC/360 was available – but good luck finding one. Other variants arrived with the 360, but that worthy motor was detuned for regulators as its four-barrel was replaced with a two-barrel. The seller notes that his car’s carburetor leaks; no word on the rest of the mechanicals. This car has a three-speed “Torque Command” column-shift automatic. A motor transplant has some appeal here: the carb has to be rebuilt or replaced anyhow, and the engine bay could be cleaned up. Maybe an SC/360 clone?
The interior is snazzy in tan plaid. The rear seats are pristine, and the headliner fits very nicely. I’m not sure what’s going on to the far left of the dash, where it appears that the upholstery is missing. The dashpad itself is not installed correctly. There’s nothing very sporty about the two-spoke steering wheel, but that’s the Hornet’s character – it wants to be youthful and spry, but it can’t quite escape AMC’s hidebound reputation.
Looks like the rear of the car was tapped – the trunk lid is dented, and the rear bumper is bent; that will cost a pretty penny to fix. I’m not fond of tires that extend past the car’s body quite this far. The paint scheme is eye-catching, but as always with photos, it’s difficult to tell whether it’s a mile deep or driver-quality. This 1975 Hornet two-door sedan is advertised here on craigslist for $5500. I find small light pony-type cars attractive, and the two-door is almost as appealing as the hatchback. The market for Hornet two-doors is thin, with no comparables at press time; hatchbacks are especially hard to find. What do you think it will take to find this one a new garage?
I love it! I know, the white walls will draw some concern, the mags are great, but the whitewalls, well, like wearing designer jeans and your underwear on the outside. This car, like most AMCs, catered to the average Joe, or Joann, with a price of $1994 new, peanuts considering a VW Bug was a grand more. Introduced in 1970, it was very successful, with almost 50,000 sold in 1970. ’75 was the best year, with over 77,000 6 cylinder Hornets sold.
When I say AMC was a “regional” make, it wasn’t exclusive to the Midwest. Obviously there were AMC dealers were all over the country, but the majority of sales went to folks in the Midwest.
There’s still a part of me that wants to travel, I guess once a driver, always a driver, but the sensible part says, don’t bother, but a simple car like this, not much different than the Jeep, would be perfect for regional trips.
Will we ever have simple cars like this again? Not bloody likely, as people today expect the modern doo-dads, and can hear it now, “Only one power port? No info screen? How will I know if I’m deviating from my lane?” Forget it,,,for the dwindling rest of us, it’s a great find,,,lose the whitewalls.
Howard A – Go back and watch James Bond’s The Man With The Golden Gun. The owner obviously tried to mimic the car that performed the worlds greatest, no CGI involvement, stunt
I actually like the whitewalls, it’s refreshing over those o so bland black wall tires, paint scheme is nice, a 360 would definitely be the way with nice vintage air
Lose the whitewalls. Put on some. Correct white letter tires. Those were all the vogue in the early 70s.
Looks in real nice condition, but also not much in the way of factory options. We’re talking base back-breaker seats, manual drum brakes, no radio, non-opening rear windows, manual steering (6 turns lock-to-lock), and of course no AC which in these cars mean virtually no ventilation if windows are closed. Only option appears to be automatic transmission.
I used to own a 1975 Hornet Sportabout and it was a pleasant car to drive but power steering, AC, and front disc brakes – plus comfy seats transplanted from a Concord – made the difference.
Hard to tell, but looking more closely at the engine compartment photos it looks like the front master cylinder reservoir is larger. If so that would indicate front discs, but it would be unusual back then for someone to order that on a stripper.
It also looks like there’s something strange going on with the PCV system – the hose coming off the PCV valve looks like it’s just hanging near the air cleaner housing, not attached to anything.
What’s your favorite AMC car? We’d love to know – your comments are always spot-on!
Thanks, though I don’t really consider myself an expert. I’ve just owned quite a few AMC cars over the last 50+ years and still have a few. Even had some stock in the Company for a while. Since I do my own maintenance and repairs I’m familiar with AMC cars from a mechanical standpoint but not necessarily so much regarding details like year-to-year trim differences.
It’s hard to pick a favorite but a 1970 Javelin like the Mark Donahue edition posted further up on this site would be a contender. I prefer the original pre-humpster Javelin body style and for 1970 you get the upgraded front suspension with full ball joints instead of the ancient trunnions, a company-wide engineering change that year. (Though you still have vacuum wipers and the old Borg-Warner slushbox to deal with.)
The Hornet is not a bad car but having owned both I actually preferred the outgoing Rambler in a lot of ways.
Ahem, it’s okay, there’s no shame in being #2 behind That AMC Guy. Right up there with Oates, Garfunkel, Dean and Messina. Heck, I was darn near born in the back seat of a Rambler,,,, dealership,,,,that was near the hospital. I literally grew up in a Rambler. Not sure that AMC guy has that kind of hands on experience where friends and neighbors actually built them. Being a said fan, I too always enjoy anything Rambler/AMC. They were a huge part of our lives and I appreciate all comments concerning them.
Just for the record,,,That AMC Guy, you da’ man, when it comes to AMC, that is. :) We are a dwindling breed.
No biggie Howard, it’s not a competition. As I said I don’t even really consider myself to be an expert though I’ve had a certain level of experience. (Just within the last month I was tearing into a Marlin torque-tube assembly to do some repairs!)
Now that most people under the age of 65 have no idea these cars even existed all of us who have experienced them have stories to tell. I have to say you’re quite good at it, I’m not much of a writer!
Over the years I owned three Ambassadors (a ’66 880 4-door, a ’67 DPL hardtop and a ’67 DPL convertible) and enjoyed them very much. They were my most satisfying and trouble free domestic vehicles.
If a bundle of $$$ suddenly dropped out of the sky I’d be looking to buy another Ambassador.
Favorite AMC car has to be the Gremlin! Rugged sporty small enough and large enough !
I like its lines. I don’t know about a motor swap, the Jeep guys get plenty of HP from those straight sixes. Living in SE Fla the lack of AC is a HUGE issue and I’d want to upgrade the brakes.
Unfortunately, it has already been posted on Craigslist several times. Somehow it smells odd to me. – And I have a collection of 10+ AMC.
No AC,wouldn’t bother some old folks here in the retirement community, they try to save gas in the 110 degree heat by driving with their windows down or using their golf carts to run to the store,oh they also play golf all summer.
Looks like a great entry level car for the entry level mechanic. To days gas is hard on gaskets, my 232 rambler will start leaking around the float bowl if I burn E-10. Nice car for the local car shows.
Nice. We had a 1970 Hornet. My wife had a hand me down 1966 Chevy 4 door that was rearended in the middle of Boston. The Hornet was as generic as this one. I wound up building a box and mounted the am/fm from the Chevy under the dash and drilled a hole for the front fender antenna. We brought the Hornet for service and sitting in their lot was a just traded in that morni ng not cleaned or serviced 1972 240Z 4sp, persimmon paint. Bye bye Hornet.
This design has held up so well. Dick Teague was a master designer!
It’s been said he could design and restyle a vehicle for less than what GM would spend doing a hood ornament.
I own and drive 15 AMC cars from 1958 to 1978. All registered, insured, and inspected. Rambler stands for – Really A Magnificent Beautiful Economy Roadster. Made that up in 1972. Still true to this day!
Ambassador = American Motors Built A Super Sweet And Dependable Old Ride.
Gents,
1st time writing, been viewing BF for a few years now and always have a smile when seeing an old AMC… I too have a soft spot for these, especially Gremlins, AMX’s, Hornets and Spirits. AMC was kinda the dark horse of US-built machines in the days, with what I feel was always a bit left-field and not ordinary or predictable in the sense of design. I recall one of my uncles’ black Gremlin, all metal-flaked, fat shoes with white lettering in the back, 304 and 3-speed stick, a beaut’ with lotta guts (even more so with the way he drove it, like always trailed by the devil or something!). I had a 78′ Concord (meeh…) and a 79′ Spirit GT with the 304 and 4-speed stick. Now, that was fun!
BTW, really appreciate your knowledge, inputs and the stories related to these great machines, thx!