Check the weather stipe on the doors. AMCs had two and Mopar had one. Hard to describe but one was at the outer edge of the door and the second was a little further in. Made the car much quieter on the highway. Check the air intake at the base of the windshield. On the AMCs there was a screen that kept leaves out of the intake, so they never plugged reducing the amount of air coming in and those leaves down in there often caused the passageway to rust out because of those wet leaves trapped in there. Mom and dad bought a new Ambassador in 1973 silver with blue interior, and a 304 V8. I was so surprised at the time because dad had three Chevys, but our neighbor worked at an AMC dealer, and he got dad a good deal. We had it for a number of years, and I don't remember ever having any problems. Smooth and quiet as well.
Electrics wouldn't become standard issue until 1972 when AMC Management (wisely) decided it was time to throw caution to the wind and try to change the publics' image of AMC as just "cheap" cars.
I enjoyed seeing The AMC's and the Plymouth's being compared. Nice too see something other than Mopar vs Ford or Mopar vs GM. Nice too see no GM's or Ford's for once.
Ah, that's the Duster I grew up with. I lived in a triple-decker in Massachusetts and the owner had a son who drove this generation Duster. The classic music car era was quickly ending. The Barracuda, Challenger and Mustang Mach 1 were among the sole survivors by this point. But the black roof and taillights were distinctive. Notice how the Hornet still had a lot of Rambler DNA in the more square 1960s design.
Not a single comparison of the size and location of ashtrays in this film. This surprises me. I'm guessing both makes an models must have had comparable ashtrays.
One thing they did not mention is just how sparse the base Duster was. Rubber floor mats, a foot operated windscreen washer on the 2 speed wipers, and an AM radio was an extra cost option. Electric windscreen wipers required the 3 speed wiper option. To get carpet on the floor, you had to get the upgraded interior. Dog fish hubcaps were standard on both cars, but were not shown on either example nor on the base Hornet.
Not entirely true! You could get an electric clock in a Hornet but you couldn't get one in a Duster! Also, V8 Hornets came with a standard front sway bar. You had to step up to a Duster 340 before you get a front bar as standard! This is a bit of a biased film though. The Duster is in a much higher price bracket than the Hornet. Hornet was designed to go up against Maverick or Nova. A Javelin would be a closer comparison to a Duster.
I learned to drive on a 1971 Duster with the 318 V8. I called it the Dusty Turd. The handling was bad, that big empty trunk needed to be sand bagged in the rain to keep it from sliding out on you. It did do great burn outs. Water leaking through the car under the dash board when it rained. We would go warm the car up on rainy mornings and take a cup to bail out the puddle on the drivers side floor. Ahhhh memories.
I'd rather be behind the wheel of an AMC with no front sway bar than a torsion-bar Mopar with no sway bar. I used to own a Dart Swinger with no bar and it handled like a pregnant elephant! Turning a corner meant turning the wheel, allowing the car to shift all it's weight on that sides' bump-stop and then letting the tire carry any further load as there was no more suspension travel. A coil-spring front end AMC handles like a Lamborghini compared to a torsion bar Mopar. Now, don't think I'm hating on Ma Mopar.... the Torsion Bar setup has the best "Boulevard Ride" you could ever ask for - especially in the bigger cars. But for handling? Sorry. Old lady Mopar is dead last in that category.
The unsynchronized first gear on hornet is something they fixed the following year. amc also upgraded the brakes considerably in successive model years. They were a bit slow to get a 4 speed, though.
I am a Mopar guy but I like the AMC Cars also. But I'm really surprised that they didn't make any mention of the 340 V8, available in the Duster, or the 440 V8 available in the fury. Maybe they didn't want to scare anybody LOL. My dad went down in 1967 to get a new vehicle, most people would have went for the 318. Nope dad drives home in a brand new 67 Newport with a 383. Yeah that's why I own Mopars now hahaha
Chrysler came standard with a 383 - and Pontiac came standard with a 389. Good point about the 340, as Hornet waited until '71 to offer the 'super car' 360 or SC 360. I always thought AMC missed the boat in not putting the 390 or 401 in the Hornet in 70-71.
Biggest engine in the Hornet was a 360 and the Ambassador got a 401. AMC V8s always gave a good account of themselves. I remember one night I was sitting in a local Eat N Park when this girl pulled in beside me in an AMC Javelin. I started talking to her because I always loved Javelins. I told her I always wanted to go for a ride in a Javelin and she said jump in. So, as we were riding around town we stopped at a traffic light, and the next thing you know a guy in a Mustang Mach1 pulled alongside of us. I didn't know it, but this girl was a true gearhead and when the light turned green it was on. The street had a nice long straight stretch before the next stoplight, probably about six blocks and we got there about two cars ahead of the Mustang. Man, I miss those days.
James Bond drove a Hornet in Man With The Golden Gun. My vacuum wipers still work great after nearly 70 years. Tri - Co Buffalo New York. 51 Chevrolet 1/2 ton.
Except when you mash the throttle down. I guess when you let off the gas the wipers speed up - or you can always shift down for more vacuum LOL! That's how my 54 Chevy worked anyway.
Nothing for the Gremlin on it's 50th anniversary? There is an error in this film. Around 3:50 it says Hornet has no standard dome light switch. That is 100% inaccurate. Both Gremlin and Hornet came STANDARD with a driver side dome light switch only. The passenger switch was optional, becoming standard in 1972. Perhaps at the time they made the film, AMC may not have put in the dome light switch yet. Also, while the sixes came standard with a no-sychro manual gearbox, a full-synchro box was available for something like $11 bucks. That same full synchro box was the standard manual box on the V8 cars. Not sure why this film claims the V8 is automatic only. But, oddly enough - the V8 with manual transmission came as FLOOR SHIFT only. Column shift 3-speed manuals were restricted to the smallest six only.
And then Chrysler bought AMC. I guess they weren't too bad. Well, that and they owned Jeep, the mythical name every American car company lusted after, even if they didn't know why.
I really miss my dad Duster a Feb 20,1970 date factory J5 Limelight Green paint fully black out vinyl interior front arm rest bench seat manual trans no p/s no p/w no p/b no a/c a 230 H.P 318 L.A 2bbl V8 no stripes no molding body trim my dad had that Duster from 1978-2001 I was 12 years old when he sold the car god I really miss it the only biggest mod he ever done on it was is that he trade the 3 spd manual trans floor shift to a 1977 Dodge Aspen A833 Overdrive 4speed trans in 1979 and he got the Duster ran up to 32 miles per gallon and he drove the Duster up to 450,000 miles on it.
One would think they'd have compared a Dart Swinger or Scamp against the Hornet. The Duster may have been considered a compact; but it was certainly way OUT of the Hornet's price class. I wonder if they ever compared Duster versus the '73 Hornet hatchback? That would be an interesting battle.
They didn't talk about the Dusters infamous "vapour lock" problems that caused difficult starts or stalling in wet/cold weather... or the rickety and annoying valve train noise that plagued it's slant 6 engine.
AMC was on the sad decline by then. Vacuum wipers still, "old lady" appealing styling. The Javelin, AMX and some of the 1970's sport coupe models looked nice but the writing was on the wall. However they were solid cars.
@@maxmowers1434 good point, I think that the styling of the Gremlin and Pacer are the epic fail part. AMC actually wanted to put a Wankel Rotor engine in the Pacer, but costs and new Federal emissions standards killed that option. The Gremlin with the V-8 (304 ?) was the best option in my opinion.
I think AMC would've definitely kicked Mopar's rear end had both Studebaker and Packard merged together with Hudson and Nash along with Kaiser and Jeep to form AMC in 1954.
I’m a Mopar guy... but years ago a friend of mine had a 73 Hornet 4 dr with a 304 V8. He could screech the tires on it and actually out ran a guy with a Duster 318.
Yes, what this film forgets to take into account is that sure, the 318 makes 20 more horsepower.... that 230hp has to lug around a 3200 lb car, while the AMC 304 V8's 210 horsepower has to lug around a 2700 lb car.
I've never seen more petty comparisons in my life. And my god were the vehicles ridiculously spartan and basic. I mean Jesus Christ , fucking am radio was an option on most vehicles. ... In 1980 ( I was 16 ) the auto parts store I worked at bought a new DODGE D100 pickup. Get this , no radio, no ac, no cigarette lighter, no rear bumper, no spare tire. Little skinny tires inside massive wheelwells , crank up windows . And get this , MANUAL BRAKES ! IN 1980 ! That's how fucking base vehicles were.
It's amazing how things have changed! I was reading a review of the 2021 Mazda and they were complaining about the infotainment system being outdated. I looked at the dash in my Rambler and saw the vinyl cover where the optional AM radio would go. I couldn't help but laugh
I have a 1981 amc concord wagon ( basically an upgraded hornet) with manual brakes, i really like them . Pedal effort less than my vW beetle, and easy to modulate. I drove a 1980 amc wagon with power brakes, they were ok but hard to modulate, and a bit touchy. Good manual brakes and steering are great.
I really am a pro Mopar dude, but the Hornet is just a plain better looking car than the Duster. In fact there are very few cars that dont look better, than the Duster.
Check the weather stipe on the doors. AMCs had two and Mopar had one. Hard to describe but one was at the outer edge of the door and the second was a little further in. Made the car much quieter on the highway. Check the air intake at the base of the windshield. On the AMCs there was a screen that kept leaves out of the intake, so they never plugged reducing the amount of air coming in and those leaves down in there often caused the passageway to rust out because of those wet leaves trapped in there. Mom and dad bought a new Ambassador in 1973 silver with blue interior, and a 304 V8. I was so surprised at the time because dad had three Chevys, but our neighbor worked at an AMC dealer, and he got dad a good deal. We had it for a number of years, and I don't remember ever having any problems. Smooth and quiet as well.
Crazy to think that vacuum wipers were still around in 1970.
Electrics wouldn't become standard issue until 1972 when AMC Management (wisely) decided it was time to throw caution to the wind and try to change the publics' image of AMC as just "cheap" cars.
I enjoyed seeing The AMC's and the Plymouth's being compared. Nice too see something other than Mopar vs Ford or Mopar vs GM. Nice too see no GM's or Ford's for once.
Ah, that's the Duster I grew up with. I lived in a triple-decker in Massachusetts and the owner had a son who drove this generation Duster. The classic music car era was quickly ending. The Barracuda, Challenger and Mustang Mach 1 were among the sole survivors by this point. But the black roof and taillights were distinctive. Notice how the Hornet still had a lot of Rambler DNA in the more square 1960s design.
My 1st car was a 1973 AMC 'green' Hornet. That was in 1977 when I was 17 and I was the only teen in the neighborhood with A/C.
Not a single comparison of the size and location of ashtrays in this film. This surprises me. I'm guessing both makes an models must have had comparable ashtrays.
I love this channel.....and classic mopar!
No quiz at the end with girls in bikinis? Shocking oversight by Ross Roy.
One thing they did not mention is just how sparse the base Duster was. Rubber floor mats, a foot operated windscreen washer on the 2 speed wipers, and an AM radio was an extra cost option. Electric windscreen wipers required the 3 speed wiper option. To get carpet on the floor, you had to get the upgraded interior. Dog fish hubcaps were standard on both cars, but were not shown on either example nor on the base Hornet.
The only advantage the Hornet had over the Duster/Valiant was the Sportabout Wagon they introduced a few years later.
My Dad had a Hornet Sportabout Wagon but he owned lots of Chryslers too
Not entirely true! You could get an electric clock in a Hornet but you couldn't get one in a Duster! Also, V8 Hornets came with a standard front sway bar. You had to step up to a Duster 340 before you get a front bar as standard!
This is a bit of a biased film though. The Duster is in a much higher price bracket than the Hornet. Hornet was designed to go up against Maverick or Nova. A Javelin would be a closer comparison to a Duster.
I learned to drive on a 1971 Duster with the 318 V8. I called it the Dusty Turd. The handling was bad, that big empty trunk needed to be sand bagged in the rain to keep it from sliding out on you. It did do great burn outs. Water leaking through the car under the dash board when it rained. We would go warm the car up on rainy mornings and take a cup to bail out the puddle on the drivers side floor. Ahhhh memories.
I'd rather be behind the wheel of an AMC with no front sway bar than a torsion-bar Mopar with no sway bar. I used to own a Dart Swinger with no bar and it handled like a pregnant elephant! Turning a corner meant turning the wheel, allowing the car to shift all it's weight on that sides' bump-stop and then letting the tire carry any further load as there was no more suspension travel.
A coil-spring front end AMC handles like a Lamborghini compared to a torsion bar Mopar.
Now, don't think I'm hating on Ma Mopar.... the Torsion Bar setup has the best "Boulevard Ride" you could ever ask for - especially in the bigger cars. But for handling? Sorry. Old lady Mopar is dead last in that category.
A Duster would be a full size car today...
Odd how the sizing standards have changed..
I would have a hard time making a decision between Hornet and Duster. I would want them both!😃
Less than 2 grand for a new hornet ? Priceless !
Thanks for keeping the videos flowing during tough times..
The unsynchronized first gear on hornet is something they fixed the following year. amc also upgraded the brakes considerably in successive model years. They were a bit slow to get a 4 speed, though.
I am a Mopar guy but I like the AMC Cars also. But I'm really surprised that they didn't make any mention of the 340 V8, available in the Duster, or the 440 V8 available in the fury. Maybe they didn't want to scare anybody LOL. My dad went down in 1967 to get a new vehicle, most people would have went for the 318. Nope dad drives home in a brand new 67 Newport with a 383. Yeah that's why I own Mopars now hahaha
Chrysler came standard with a 383 - and Pontiac came standard with a 389. Good point about the 340, as Hornet waited until '71 to offer the 'super car' 360 or SC 360. I always thought AMC missed the boat in not putting the 390 or 401 in the Hornet in 70-71.
@@kingelvis7035 And they so easily could have since it's the same block & they already did it with the SC/Rambler
Biggest engine in the Hornet was a 360 and the Ambassador got a 401. AMC V8s always gave a good account of themselves. I remember one night I was sitting in a local Eat N Park when this girl pulled in beside me in an AMC Javelin. I started talking to her because I always loved Javelins. I told her I always wanted to go for a ride in a Javelin and she said jump in. So, as we were riding around town we stopped at a traffic light, and the next thing you know a guy in a Mustang Mach1 pulled alongside of us. I didn't know it, but this girl was a true gearhead and when the light turned green it was on. The street had a nice long straight stretch before the next stoplight, probably about six blocks and we got there about two cars ahead of the Mustang. Man, I miss those days.
James Bond drove a Hornet in Man With The Golden Gun.
My vacuum wipers still work great after nearly 70 years. Tri - Co Buffalo New York.
51 Chevrolet 1/2 ton.
Except when you mash the throttle down. I guess when you let off the gas the wipers speed up - or you can always shift down for more vacuum LOL! That's how my 54 Chevy worked anyway.
Chrysler a few years after this: Truce. /proceeds to buy AMC from Renault/
they wanted jeep that's why
rick schwartz I know
A 'few' being like, 20 years?
Hornet was a great car love Mopar but this car was great
Nothing for the Gremlin on it's 50th anniversary?
There is an error in this film. Around 3:50 it says Hornet has no standard dome light switch. That is 100% inaccurate. Both Gremlin and Hornet came STANDARD with a driver side dome light switch only. The passenger switch was optional, becoming standard in 1972. Perhaps at the time they made the film, AMC may not have put in the dome light switch yet.
Also, while the sixes came standard with a no-sychro manual gearbox, a full-synchro box was available for something like $11 bucks. That same full synchro box was the standard manual box on the V8 cars. Not sure why this film claims the V8 is automatic only. But, oddly enough - the V8 with manual transmission came as FLOOR SHIFT only. Column shift 3-speed manuals were restricted to the smallest six only.
Honestly, I think I'd take a Duster OR a Hornet over a brand new car, given the chance
Same here mate
Why didn't they show a Hornet with a vinyl top? It was available.
And then Chrysler bought AMC. I guess they weren't too bad.
Well, that and they owned Jeep, the mythical name every American car company lusted after, even if they didn't know why.
That "was" the deal... Chrysler wanted Jeep, but had to buy AMC in the process....
I really miss my dad Duster a Feb 20,1970 date factory J5 Limelight Green paint fully black out vinyl interior front arm rest bench seat manual trans no p/s no p/w no p/b no a/c a 230 H.P 318 L.A 2bbl V8 no stripes no molding body trim my dad had that Duster from 1978-2001 I was 12 years old when he sold the car god I really miss it the only biggest mod he ever done on it was is that he trade the 3 spd manual trans floor shift to a 1977 Dodge Aspen A833 Overdrive 4speed trans in 1979 and he got the Duster ran up to 32 miles per gallon and he drove the Duster up to 450,000 miles on it.
I mean, a hornet is the size of a 90s civic and a duster is the size of an accord. Not really comparing apples to apples there. 😂
Both had 108" wheelbase. They were competitors in the compact class.
@Make Me Believe Back then they were considered compacts
One would think they'd have compared a Dart Swinger or Scamp against the Hornet. The Duster may have been considered a compact; but it was certainly way OUT of the Hornet's price class.
I wonder if they ever compared Duster versus the '73 Hornet hatchback? That would be an interesting battle.
They didn't talk about the Dusters infamous "vapour lock" problems that caused difficult starts or stalling in wet/cold weather... or the rickety and annoying valve train noise that plagued it's slant 6 engine.
The whornet! 🤣
Chrysler now owns AMC.
FCA/PSA now owns AMC
Gas isn't 25 cents a gallon anymore.
Well! I can still drive my old 68 Monaco 500 around.....virus or not!
Que bonitos comerciales
AMC was on the sad decline by then. Vacuum wipers still, "old lady" appealing styling. The Javelin, AMX and some of the 1970's sport coupe models looked nice but the writing was on the wall. However they were solid cars.
True. The epic fails of the Gremlin, the Pacer, and possibly the ugliest American car ever made, the Pacer " bubble butt" wagon..
I agree with the narrator when he said that the Hornet was a car that nobody would be proud of.
Aaron Humphrey the gremlin was far from an “epic fail” it sold over 800 000 units in an 8 year production run.
@@maxmowers1434 good point, I think that the styling of the Gremlin and Pacer are the epic fail part. AMC actually wanted to put a Wankel Rotor engine in the Pacer, but costs and new Federal emissions standards killed that option. The Gremlin with the V-8 (304 ?) was the best option in my opinion.
I think AMC would've definitely kicked Mopar's rear end had both Studebaker and Packard merged together with Hudson and Nash along with Kaiser and Jeep to form AMC in 1954.
I’m a Mopar guy... but years ago a friend of mine had a 73 Hornet 4 dr with a 304 V8. He could screech the tires on it and actually out ran a guy with a Duster 318.
Yes, what this film forgets to take into account is that sure, the 318 makes 20 more horsepower.... that 230hp has to lug around a 3200 lb car, while the AMC 304 V8's 210 horsepower has to lug around a 2700 lb car.
Looks like the LIMU EMU guy made the right choice, meaning you can see the Duster in current TV ads!
I've never seen more petty comparisons in my life. And my god were the vehicles ridiculously spartan and basic. I mean Jesus Christ , fucking am radio was an option on most vehicles. ... In 1980 ( I was 16 ) the auto parts store I worked at bought a new DODGE D100 pickup. Get this , no radio, no ac, no cigarette lighter, no rear bumper, no spare tire. Little skinny tires inside massive wheelwells , crank up windows . And get this , MANUAL BRAKES ! IN 1980 ! That's how fucking base vehicles were.
It's amazing how things have changed! I was reading a review of the 2021 Mazda and they were complaining about the infotainment system being outdated. I looked at the dash in my Rambler and saw the vinyl cover where the optional AM radio would go. I couldn't help but laugh
I have a 1981 amc concord wagon ( basically an upgraded hornet) with manual brakes, i really like them . Pedal effort less than my vW beetle, and easy to modulate. I drove a 1980 amc wagon with power brakes, they were ok but hard to modulate, and a bit touchy. Good manual brakes and steering are great.
I really am a pro Mopar dude, but the Hornet is just a plain better looking car than the Duster. In fact there are very few cars that dont look better, than the Duster.
This is so lame--and yes, I was a young driver then. That homely Duster showed its Valiant heritage in the little slitty windows.
That hornet was sure one ugly looking car....
They are both ugly in their own ways. The long ass on the Duster reminds me of the Nova
Nah. I'd much rather have a Hornet than a Duster. The Duster/Demon twins are ungainly and poorly balanced.
So the Duster is the better choice if you need to toss a cute babe into the trunk to take her away to your dungeon eh.