AMC Hornets are not the most commonly seen classic nowadays, and this uncommon coupe is a very nice condition survivor that needs nothing other than to be driven. This AMC could be yours for $4,995! Check it out here on craigslist out of Vancouver BC, Canada. Thanks to reader Ikey for sharing this sharp find!
For a Canadian car, this AMC has fared very well. There are a few light areas of surface rust on the core support, but otherwise the engine compartment appears rust free. It is generally tidy under the hood, other than what looks like an oily air filter housing and a dirty fuel filter. This is a power steering and power brakes car, so it is simple enough to drive along with its automatic transmission. Sadly there is no air conditioning. One thing that is not clear about this AMC is its actual mileage. The odometer shows 22,300 miles, but it wouldn’t be surprising if the car had 122,300 miles either.
Very blue and in very reasonable condition, the interior has aged nicely, but the front seat has either been recovered or replaced in the past. The inset cloth upholstery does not match from front to back seats. I would not be surprised if the front seat was borrowed from another car, or recovered many years ago. There are some small rips in the vinyl along the driver headrest, and there are a couple of rips down low by the seat backs pivot point on the driver side as well. Mild discoloration can be found on the driver side carpet area, as well as a worn hole and a missing rubber pad that was affixed to the carpet. Beyond these concerns, the interior shows very well.
Extremely glossy, the paint looks to be in great shape with only a few minor issues. There is a small amount of surface rust developing at the bottom of the driver quarter. Also there are some small areas forming in the door jambs as well. With no dents or dings to be found, it is clear that this AMC has been well taken care of in its lifetime. If the car was repainted, it surely happened a while ago based on the small amount of rust on the quarter. Even the emblems are clean and in good shape on this AMC. Would you enjoy this ready to drive survivor?
Well, this is a bit unsettling. This car was featured on Hemmings a while back, and I was positive someone would have snatched this up, considering the viewer base they have. To see it on CL, is a step down. It tells me that there just isn’t any interest in a great car, at a great price. 1st, there’s no way that speedo rolled over, they never would have looked like this, if it had. It’s just grandpas car he hardly ever drove and that worn carpet is just 40 years of shuffling in and out. The Hornet was a very important car for AMC. In all it’s forms ( Hornet, Gremlin, Sportabout) I think was AMC’s main staple for years and kept the company afloat. It’s revolutionary hatchback was it’s main feature. I have to chuckle, “it doesn’t have A/C”,,, how spoiled we are. In the 70’s,very few cars had A/C, especially ones from Canada. It just wasn’t necessary, like a heater in Florida. You want a simple, affordable, dependable classic, you can’t go wrong here.
Concord, Eagle…
Most 70s cars south of the Mason-Dixon line had AC!
Are you sure the odometer isn’t in kilometers? That may help clear up some of the condition versus mileage confusion.
That would make it just under 14000 miles.
We hadn’t converted to metric yet so the odometer would still be in miles.
That’s not the coupe, it’s the “Hornet Hatchback”. They were a pretty big deal when they came out in (I believe) 1974.
Thank you. A significant omission.
Appeared in 1973 to be exact and featured on one of Motor Trend’s covers that year in a feature on hatchbacks
The lack of A/C is the dealbreaker for many, me included. If you are going to drive and enjoy a car here in California in the summer, it’s essential not just nice to have.
And by the mid-1970s most American cars were factory-equipped with A/C. This was especially true for AMC who pioneered modern underhood automotive A/C back in the 1954, Its All-Weather Eye system.
Maybe in California, but certainly not on the east coast ! Unless you had a luxury car , full size or a top of the line model car , you had a heater .AC was an option. Our family had many of AMC cars ; Gremlins ,Hornets, Matadors , as well as a fleet of Mopars , and none had AC , and I’m not talking about your bare bones 3 on the tree cars , I’m talking v8 woodgrain roof rack wagons ,Hornet X and Gremlin X’s , as well as Duster 340s , Gold Dusters, Satellites, Volares and Aspens.
Straight up, Don.
The Ambassador was the only US car that included AC in the base price from 1968.
It was many years before it became standard or the take rate increased to the point it was part of base equipment.
Very sharp Ikey! Not unusual for a Canadian car not to have a/c in the ’70s. We weren’t all so spoiled back then. My mother’s first car with a/c was in 1978.
Put a set of factory rallye rims on it and I bet it sells.
Yeah! A good set of wheels would transform this car. Tuck the bumpers in too.
Well, here we go again. I have a few points about this car. Nothing wrong with it. First, it is on the wrong coast (…or…is it…me?). Second, In the wrong country…I don’t want to have to pay import taxes. Third: I live in Maryland: heat and humidity like crazy in the summer. I would really want a/c. Other than that, it is just about what I am looking for. Dang, man!
Retro fit kits are available.
Always liked these, I thought AMC did a better job of making a hatchback out of these than GM did with the Nova etc. (Of course with the Hornet hatch you still got a bargain-basement dash and terrible seats, but the exterior looked great!)
I remember a very politically-incorrect radio commercial that AMC ran for these. Suffice it to say it played heavily on Japanese stereotypes. (I guess that played well with the large number of WWII vets that were still alive and mainstream adults at the time.)
There is no import duty on American cars coming from Canada, even if they were manufactured in Canada
In 1972 I ordered a brand new Hornet SST for my wife. I ordered it with the 304 V8 and no a/c. A year later I added a Sears air conditioning unit that was designed for the car. It had one of those big York air compressors. Today, this car would be better off with a Vintage Air system, using less horsepower. This is a great car for some young person getting into the hobby!!