I had a '71 SST. Green. Power nothing. No air. Automatic. Solid, dependable car. I rebuilt the 232 and punched it out .30 over, milled the head, decked the block, 11:1 pop up pistons ( can't believe I didn't have clearance issues. High lift, long duration cam, 4 Barrel Offenhauser manifold, 600 Holley 4 bbl, headers. I added sway bar front and back (she'd corner like a scalded cat. But don't get me wrong. I love cats). Stiffened the suspension with coil-overs and 235/60 tires, but kept the 14 inch wheel size although I went with wider rims. It got me across the United States twice with absolutely no problems. Even had no issues in the Montana winter. It would only run on premium sadly. I loved my little car. I sold it to come to AZ. I always wonder where it went.
My Dad had a 1974 Maxi Blue sportabout wagon with faux wood grain. White interior. I got the car when I came back from a Westpac in 1978, drove it around San Diego for three years then drove cross-country to Norfolk where I eventually traded it in. What a great car and so easy to work on. I could do a complete tune-up on it in less than 30 minutes. Lots of memories in that wagon for sure. Prior to this wagon, my Dad also owned a 65 Rambler 660 wagon and before that, an early-60s sky-blue Rambler American. When I was about 3, family of 5 went Connecticut to Miami in the Rambler American. Before I-95 was a thing. Route 1 all the way and no air conditioning. Great cars. Sorry AMC/Rambler went out of business. They built a quality innovative car when the other three were building the same-old-same-old.
Excellent video...thank you for focusing on the car and not adding a music sound track.....this is a walk down memory lane for me....my parents bought a new 1971 AMC Hornet SST coupe and kept it for 10 years. Was a great second car with some of the usual 70s quality quirks of the day.
I bought a new 1976 Hornet. White with blue "butt burners" (vinyl). It had the large straight 6, 2 door car. The car never failed me at all, not once. I didn't keep it long enough.
It belongs in a museum. It's sad that they're almost all gone. Mine was a '70 strip-down with the three on the tree of which I converted it over to a floor-shift. It never gave me problems. It was light yellow with a sort of beige interior. The GM Saginaw steering gear gave precise feed-back and was light enough to the point where power steering was unnecessary. I don't know why or to whom I rid the car to. But, I wish I had it back. Converting one of these over to a five- or six-speed manual and even mounting the fuel injection system of the later 4.0s would make this a thrifty vehicle, surpassing anything new, in terms of lifelong maintenance- and repair costs, even if the Hornet were to get somewhat less mpg. The savings in repairs that wouldn't need to get done would more than pay for the slightly extra thirst of this line 6 over more modern designs
@@portnut7610 It would be even more thrifty, if the following resto-mod would get performed and if these manifolds would even fit on an old AMC six-banger:
That's the first thing I thought we are being robbed. Yeah I specialize in front-wheel-drive so that's an issue for me anyway. A blind man could fix this car if he had to and a five-year-old could work on that engine if they are able to play Sega. How much space is there for a super charger. they said inline 6 and 8 cylinders can't fit into compact cars it's smaller than a Camry. They should have kept the inline 6 in the maxima it was the original intent
My dad had a nice dark grey 1970 hornet. It had a 250 6 with a "3 on the tree" manual transmission. It was super fast and laid lots of rubber. I never knew that a 6cyl could go that fat. Great on gas too. He sold it and got a green hornet wagon and I drove that too. It was automatic and slower so not as much fun :(
The 258 motor has lots of torque, was quick off of the line. Both my 258 Hornets. I had could smoke the tires, and were quicker to 40 than my Dad's 305 Nova☺
Had one, just like this. They,AMC, still used vacuum wipers(ugh), bought in New Jersey, got orders to north Texas 6 weeks later. Next summer put a hang on air conditioner. No good in Texas. Great economy, basic transportation, price was just over $2,100.00+. 3 speed, 199 cu.in., . My next great blunder, traded the hornet for a Chevy Vega station wagon. UGH!!!!!!!!!! Never went to a GM marque again in my lifetime so far!
@xcellken1 his never ran right, had the 232 in it, he used to give us all a ride to school it, so on the cold morning we were on a rotation as to who had to go start the damn thing up. Had to pump the living shit out of it, crank it, then it would pop and backfire for 10 minutes while u feathered the pedel just to keep it running LOL
Nice car ... And, woooow ! I just bought, in January '24, a 1973 AMC Hornet Sportabout Gucci X ... 232 I6, automatic, tilt steering wheel, fancy interior... Zero rust, and no dents ... Thinking of a fresh paint... But that's it...! ... Running and driving ... Yaaa-Hoo ! 👍 🇺🇸 ...
My first 3 cars were Hornets. Had first a '75 D/L sedan with the 258, than a 76 D/L coupe with the 258, and last a '74 Sportabout D/L wagon with the 304, quite the sleeper, 0-60 in 7.9 seconds☺
Got a friend who is a Chrysler mechanic, and he owns a 1970 AMC Hornet 4-door sedan. Same color combination, alpine white with blue interior. Car belonged to the United States Navy. It was used by navy personnel, officials, and civilians. The recruiters used these cars to visit high school and college campuses to find new people to enlist or become officers. Also used to pick up recruits to go to MEPS to take the ASVAB test, get a physical exam, and ship out for training. Another place they would go to take the test would be at the local reserve training center.
This is my first car, exactly. Well, my wheels were black and these are white, but the rest is exactly the same. Mine died when it was side-swiped by a Ford Pickup. The rear bumper of the truck hooked inside my passenger rear wheel-well and peeled open the whole right side like a sardine can. Sad.
It's funny, I had a bad impression of this car because I watched a video about the Gremlin (which, apparently, is based on the Hornet). But as soon as I saw this video I thought 'wow' that's a NICE car!
@Daniel Sweeney Amazing isn't it? The crazy thing is that if they sold these brand new today, especially the Sportabout wagon tons of people would still gladly buy them, they are timeless!
If i had my "druthers" I would have AMC spend the development money for the Hornet on giving the Rambler a thorough make over and plow the savings back into an "industry cost leader" mantra
My '75 has manual steering. In my opinion, as long as the tires are inflated, and you are not at a dead stop, it's fine. Having radials helps alot too. Don't forget, all those 1950's Mack's, autocars, peterbillts, all have no power steering. My dad was furious when he found out after the fact, that his '73 f600 could have been ordered with manual steering.
Recuerdo que aquí en el país se vendieron bastante como buen segundo auto.y lo era !también se le considerada como un buen auto de primerizo, y también lo fue los mecánicos Latoneros decían que estaba hecho con muy buen material. Aparte que su diseño se prestaba para colocarle motores mas modernos ,conocí a un tipo que tenia uno ,era un sedan del 77 ,lo había comprado sin motor porque para esa fecha los entusiastas de los jeeps los compraban para sacarles el motor porque era muy costoso ponérselos nuevos, así que cuando aprovechaban la máquina al resto del auto lo terminaban rematando. Este amigo compró el suyo en esas condiciones, y le colocó un V6 4.3L GM con transmisión automática de 4velocidades ,era sorprendente lo bien que andaba,era muy ágil y hasta divertido de conducir, eso dice mucho de lo versátil que fue ese diseño de AMERICAN MOTORS .
My new stepfather brought home a new (puke) green 4 door 1970 AMC Hornet for my mother to try out. It had white vinyl interior automatic and that anemic 6 cyl. engine. Everything about it screamed "CHEAP". The trim panels were not even aligned on the doors. I was 15 and knew that this was a dog and I wouldn't be able to impress the girls or perhaps even gat a date with this disgusting car. I quietly told my mother that this wasn't the car for her (read, me). Next my stepfather brought home a 1970 2-door hard top Dodge Dart Swinger powder blue with a black vinyl roof, black vinyl rolled and pleated interior, a 318 V8 engine and automatic. I was barely able to contain my enthusiasm about this almost hot rod!! She told my stepfather that she really liked this car and that sealed the deal! How I wish I was able to keep this car. I got it up over 100 mph once with my date. Those were the days!!!!!
Agree I had a 74 Hornet Sportabout and it was a heap - but I am familiar with Desert Only setting on the A/C - holy chit you could chill a 6 pack in the time it took to drive home from the store.
My first car. Took me everywhere faithfully. Loved that car. Great memories.
I had a '71 SST. Green. Power nothing. No air. Automatic. Solid, dependable car. I rebuilt the 232 and punched it out .30 over, milled the head, decked the block, 11:1 pop up pistons ( can't believe I didn't have clearance issues. High lift, long duration cam, 4 Barrel Offenhauser manifold, 600 Holley 4 bbl, headers. I added sway bar front and back (she'd corner like a scalded cat. But don't get me wrong. I love cats). Stiffened the suspension with coil-overs and 235/60 tires, but kept the 14 inch wheel size although I went with wider rims. It got me across the United States twice with absolutely no problems. Even had no issues in the Montana winter. It would only run on premium sadly. I loved my little car. I sold it to come to AZ. I always wonder where it went.
My Dad had a 1974 Maxi Blue sportabout wagon with faux wood grain. White interior. I got the car when I came back from a Westpac in 1978, drove it around San Diego for three years then drove cross-country to Norfolk where I eventually traded it in. What a great car and so easy to work on. I could do a complete tune-up on it in less than 30 minutes. Lots of memories in that wagon for sure. Prior to this wagon, my Dad also owned a 65 Rambler 660 wagon and before that, an early-60s sky-blue Rambler American. When I was about 3, family of 5 went Connecticut to Miami in the Rambler American. Before I-95 was a thing. Route 1 all the way and no air conditioning. Great cars. Sorry AMC/Rambler went out of business. They built a quality innovative car when the other three were building the same-old-same-old.
Simple, easy to fix, and quiet. Perfect.
That 232 runs so smooth, car is stunningly beautiful.
one of the most reliable cars ever built... along with the 1975 Toyota Corolla and people laugh ...
Some cars have smooth lines. Some cars have practicality. This one has both. The blue interior with the white exterior is nice too.
Excellent video...thank you for focusing on the car and not adding a music sound track.....this is a walk down memory lane for me....my parents bought a new 1971 AMC Hornet SST coupe and kept it for 10 years. Was a great second car with some of the usual 70s quality quirks of the day.
Solid reliable cars.outlived the vegas and pinto...
Yes ,for much !!
I bought a new 1976 Hornet. White with blue "butt burners" (vinyl). It had the large straight 6, 2 door car. The car never failed me at all, not once. I didn't keep it long enough.
Had 1973 AMC Hornet, 1978 Concord DL and last 1981 Concord DL. All 3 cars was just fantastic. Thanks for sharing 👍
Straight 6 engines were awesome.
I've had many. They weren't fast but could take a beating.
It better for towing. can't afford a single overhead cam motor otherwise you wouldn't say something like that
Look at that vacuum-operated windshield wiper motor!
It belongs in a museum. It's sad that they're almost all gone. Mine was a '70 strip-down with the three on the tree of which I converted it over to a floor-shift. It never gave me problems. It was light yellow with a sort of beige interior. The GM Saginaw steering gear gave precise feed-back and was light enough to the point where power steering was unnecessary. I don't know why or to whom I rid the car to. But, I wish I had it back.
Converting one of these over to a five- or six-speed manual and even mounting the fuel injection system of the later 4.0s would make this a thrifty vehicle, surpassing anything new, in terms of lifelong maintenance- and repair costs, even if the Hornet were to get somewhat less mpg. The savings in repairs that wouldn't need to get done would more than pay for the slightly extra thirst of this line 6 over more modern designs
@@portnut7610 It would be even more thrifty, if the following resto-mod would get performed and if these manifolds would even fit on an old AMC six-banger:
@@portnut7610 Sorry, forgot the link: ua-cam.com/video/OIY0FjaxQ1o/v-deo.html
AMC Synonymous with quality and distinction ✨
I had a 1973 AMC Green Hornet wagon 258 6. Great car very reliable. Not pretty or fast but reliable.
So much space under the hood back then and everything so easily accessible.
You could get that bad boy with a potent 360 V-8!
Also easy to fix, to tune up and dependable
@@scootergeorge9576 Of course. The 1971 SC/360 comes to mind.
That's the first thing I thought we are being robbed. Yeah I specialize in front-wheel-drive so that's an issue for me anyway. A blind man could fix this car if he had to and a five-year-old could work on that engine if they are able to play Sega. How much space is there for a super charger. they said inline 6 and 8 cylinders can't fit into compact cars it's smaller than a Camry. They should have kept the inline 6 in the maxima it was the original intent
I miss my Hornets 😞
What a sweet car. I'm surprised to see a vacuum wiper motor on a 1970 vehicle.
My dad had a nice dark grey 1970 hornet. It had a 250 6 with a "3 on the tree" manual transmission. It was super fast and laid lots of rubber. I never knew that a 6cyl could go that fat. Great on gas too. He sold it and got a green hornet wagon and I drove that too. It was automatic and slower so not as much fun :(
The 258 motor has lots of torque, was quick off of the line. Both my 258 Hornets. I had could smoke the tires, and were quicker to 40 than my Dad's 305 Nova☺
I'm British but I have a thing for AMCs. The Hornet sedan is a very pleasing design in my eyes.
Same here. This body shape looks to me very much like it should be a Holden.
Had one, just like this. They,AMC, still used vacuum wipers(ugh), bought in New Jersey, got orders to north Texas 6 weeks later. Next summer put a hang on air conditioner. No good in Texas. Great economy, basic transportation, price was just over $2,100.00+. 3 speed, 199 cu.in., . My next great blunder, traded the hornet for a Chevy Vega station wagon. UGH!!!!!!!!!! Never went to a GM marque again in my lifetime so far!
My buddies first car was one of these back in 1993. Those vacuum wipers were fun......
@xcellken1 his never ran right, had the 232 in it, he used to give us all a ride to school it, so on the cold morning we were on a rotation as to who had to go start the damn thing up. Had to pump the living shit out of it, crank it, then it would pop and backfire for 10 minutes while u feathered the pedel just to keep it running LOL
Nice car ... And, woooow ! I just bought, in January '24, a 1973 AMC Hornet Sportabout Gucci X ... 232 I6, automatic, tilt steering wheel, fancy interior... Zero rust, and no dents ... Thinking of a fresh paint... But that's it...!
... Running and driving ... Yaaa-Hoo ! 👍 🇺🇸 ...
Opps, its a 258 cubic inch, not 232
My first 3 cars were Hornets. Had first a '75 D/L sedan with the 258, than a 76 D/L coupe with the 258, and last a '74 Sportabout D/L wagon with the 304, quite the sleeper, 0-60 in 7.9 seconds☺
Got a friend who is a Chrysler mechanic, and he owns a 1970 AMC Hornet 4-door sedan. Same color combination, alpine white with blue interior. Car belonged to the United States Navy. It was used by navy personnel, officials, and civilians. The recruiters used these cars to visit high school and college campuses to find new people to enlist or become officers. Also used to pick up recruits to go to MEPS to take the ASVAB test, get a physical exam, and ship out for training. Another place they would go to take the test would be at the local reserve training center.
Nice factory engine colour!
Wow that car looks so good it looks like it is brand new car nice 👍
Very nice car in excellent shape, a useful vehicle and I think very desirable too.
0:17 Back when the windshield washer fluid was in a colostomy bag
LOL - you beat me to it! :)
This is my first car, exactly. Well, my wheels were black and these are white, but the rest is exactly the same. Mine died when it was side-swiped by a Ford Pickup. The rear bumper of the truck hooked inside my passenger rear wheel-well and peeled open the whole right side like a sardine can. Sad.
Una bella pieza de ingenieria automotriz.
It's funny, I had a bad impression of this car because I watched a video about the Gremlin (which, apparently, is based on the Hornet). But as soon as I saw this video I thought 'wow' that's a NICE car!
Nice amc, these make great looking old pro stockers .
I would soooooo buy that!
Omg what luck to find this at a dealership 😍❤️
I think the AMC Hornet is s beautiful, cute, adorable mini muscle car
If this was built in late 1969 it's literally as old as I am.
Why can't they build them that simple again?
awesome
There is car that found a worm hole somewhere. No way it was a car that was driven.
@Daniel Sweeney
Amazing isn't it? The crazy thing is that if they sold these brand new today, especially the Sportabout wagon tons of people would still gladly buy them, they are timeless!
Beautiful
Ah, so much room to work on the motor, complete with an exposed radiator fan.
This bad boy sounds as mean as it looks
Un Auto de verdad.
So nice :)
Was it restored? That is the stratist. Hornet I've ever seen
If i had my "druthers" I would have AMC spend the development money for the Hornet on giving the Rambler a thorough make over and plow the savings back into an "industry cost leader" mantra
Time capsule! Having driven Hornets with manual steering... it does need power steering.
My '75 has manual steering. In my opinion, as long as the tires are inflated, and you are not at a dead stop, it's fine. Having radials helps alot too. Don't forget, all those 1950's Mack's, autocars, peterbillts, all have no power steering. My dad was furious when he found out after the fact, that his '73 f600 could have been ordered with manual steering.
Yo tengo uno y jala chingon😎
I think I saw this very same car is for sale again.
Un hermoso auto con mucho acero.
Recuerdo que aquí en el país se vendieron bastante como buen segundo auto.y lo era !también se le considerada como un buen auto de primerizo, y también lo fue los mecánicos Latoneros decían que estaba hecho con muy buen material. Aparte que su diseño se prestaba para colocarle motores mas modernos ,conocí a un tipo que tenia uno ,era un sedan del 77 ,lo había comprado sin motor porque para esa fecha los entusiastas de los jeeps los compraban para sacarles el motor porque era muy costoso ponérselos nuevos, así que cuando aprovechaban la máquina al resto del auto lo terminaban rematando. Este amigo compró el suyo en esas condiciones, y le colocó un V6 4.3L GM con transmisión automática de 4velocidades ,era sorprendente lo bien que andaba,era muy ágil y hasta divertido de conducir, eso dice mucho de lo versátil que fue ese diseño de AMERICAN MOTORS .
I saw that car at a cruise in Brunswick about 10 years ago. I hate to hear what the price was on it from here.
A little bit of a narrative would have been nice, and a rubber mat in the trunk, too.
The Hornet and Gremlin were introduced in 1970. Is the Hornet shown here an unrestored original example?
Time capsule for sure!
I want one. But I can’t find anything out there now.
no electronic anything, no power nothing, if I could I'd buy this car new today I would, probably just getting the venerable 258
What the price for this white Hornet?
Damn who puts a hornet in a time capsule right after leaving the dealership with it.
Don't know why, but I seem to have a thing for Hornets.
Si el arte se mide en kilómetros por favor acabate cuantosántos odómetros sean necesarios para continuar con lo que haces, atte lord of the Dreams
Is it for sale ??
It was, it has since been sold to its new owner.
Niiiice
Do they come in 4x4?
Eventually
My new stepfather brought home a new (puke) green 4 door 1970 AMC Hornet for my mother to try out. It had white vinyl interior automatic and that anemic 6 cyl. engine. Everything about it screamed "CHEAP". The trim panels were not even aligned on the doors. I was 15 and knew that this was a dog and I wouldn't be able to impress the girls or perhaps even gat a date with this disgusting car. I quietly told my mother that this wasn't the car for her (read, me). Next my stepfather brought home a 1970 2-door hard top Dodge Dart Swinger powder blue with a black vinyl roof, black vinyl rolled and pleated interior, a 318 V8 engine and automatic. I was barely able to contain my enthusiasm about this almost hot rod!! She told my stepfather that she really liked this car and that sealed the deal! How I wish I was able to keep this car. I got it up over 100 mph once with my date. Those were the days!!!!!
Vacuum wipers in 1970 , what a joke , nice car though
It's a really cool car but an unfortunate color
Desert only, you know what it means if you ever owned one. Cars a Pyle of shit but brings back memories
Agree I had a 74 Hornet Sportabout and it was a heap - but I am familiar with Desert Only setting on the A/C - holy chit you could chill a 6 pack in the time it took to drive home from the store.
Yuky
@Francis Mortenson
You are excused for having almost no taste.
Let's see the crappiest car video ever no sound commentary specification obviously an inline six!
Perfect car for a ,343 V8