The Hornet was introduced in 1970. It replaced the Rambler in AMC's lineup. It may not have been the most technologically advanced car, but it did have to be; it was competing the Ford Maverick, Chevy Nova and Plymouth Valiant. The body was designed by Richard Teague. In my opinion it is better looking than the GM, Ford and Chrysler cars.
AMC built the Hornet through 1977. The basic platform lived on another 10 years as the AMC Eagle.This Hornet Sportabout (as AMC called the station wagon) came with the optional "X" package. With the X package you got sport wheels (which are steel, but very nice looking), body stripes (which were removed when this car was repainted), a sport steering wheel and a few other "sporty" items. The drivetrain and the suspension were unchanged.
This car is in remarkable shape. According to the seller, it was originally a California car and has no rust. He has "a lot of original paperwork and service records from the original owner". It has air conditioning, but it's not working. Collectible Automobile Magazine featured this car in its April 2011 issue.I don't think this car will sell quickly. There aren't a lot of people looking for 6 cylinder AMC Hornet Sportabouts. But, if you are, this might be one of the nicest around.
Located in Darien, IL, click here to see the Craigslist ad (which has a link to photos of the car.)A big thanks to JaCG reader, Russ, for sending me the link to this car.
2 comments:
It used to be that your typical early 1970's station wagon was just a squared off greenhouse mounted on a sedan body.
With a few exceptions, such as Volvo and a few others, this design has not really aged that well.
The AMC Hornet on the other hand, still looks fresh. The side profile reminds me of an RX300.
The same could be said for the Eagle wagon. With a few visual tweaks, and cleaning up the dated paint schemes, an Eagle could easily pass for a more recent crossover.
The really interesting AMC products were the ones that were raced in the old IMSA Radial Challenge Series. Gremlins (Gremmies) and Hornets duking it out on race tracks with Pintos and such. Not that you saw Sportabouts out there but I would love to see if any of those old girls are still out there!
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