AMC Hornet

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AMC Hornet
1976 AMC Hornet Sportabout wagon
Overview
Manufacturer	American Motors Corporation (AMC)
Also called	American Motors Hornet[1] Rambler Hornet (Australia[2] and South Africa)[3] VAM Rambler American (Mexico)[4] VAM American (Mexico) Rambler SST (Costa Rica)
Production	1969–1977
Model years	1970–1977
Assembly	Kenosha, Wisconsin, United States Brampton, Ontario, Canada Mexico City, Mexico (VAM) Port Melbourne, Australia (AMI) Durban, South Africa (Motor Assemblies and Toyota) San José, Costa Rica (Purdy Motors and Motorizada de Costa Rica)
Designer	Dick Teague
Body and chassis
Class	Compact Muscle car (SC/360)
Body style	2-door sedan[5] 3-door hatchback 4-door sedan 4-door station wagon
Layout	FR layout
Platform	AMC's "junior cars"
Related	AMC Gremlin AMC Concord AMC Spirit AMC Eagle
Powertrain
Engine	199 cu in (3.3 L) I6 232 cu in (3.8 L) I6 250 cu in (4.1 L) GM I6—South Africa only 252 cu in (4.1 L) VAM I6—Mexico only 258 cu in (4.2 L) I6 282 cu in (4.6 L) VAM I6—Mexico only 304 cu in (5.0 L) V8 360 cu in (5.9 L) V8
Transmission	3-speed "Shift-Command" automatic (1970–71) 3-speed "Torque-Command" automatic (1972–77) 3-speed manual 4-speed manual
Dimensions
Wheelbase	108 in (2,743 mm)
Length	179.3 in (4,554 mm) (1970–1972) 185.8 in (4,719 mm) (1973–1977)
Width	70.6 in (1,793 mm)
Chronology
Predecessor	Rambler American
Successor	AMC Concord

The AMC Hornet is a compact automobile manufactured and marketed by American Motors Corporation (AMC) and made from 1970 through 1977—in two- and four-door sedan, station wagon, and hatchback coupe configurations. The Hornet replaced the compact Rambler American line, marking the end of the Rambler marque in the American and Canadian markets.

Hornets were marketed in foreign markets and were assembled under license agreements between AMC and local manufacturers—for example, with Vehículos Automotores Mexicanos (VAM), Australian Motor Industries (AMI), and Toyota S.A. Ltd. in South Africa.

The Hornet became significant for AMC in not only being a top seller during its production, but also a car platform serving the company in varying forms through the 1988 model year.^[6] Introduced late-1969, AMC quickly earned a high rate return for its development investment for the Hornet.^[6] The platform became the basis for AMC's subcompact Gremlin, luxury compact Concord, liftback and sedan Spirit, and the innovative all-wheel drive AMC Eagle. Its design would also outlast the compact platforms the domestic competitors used, including the Chevrolet Nova, Ford Maverick, and Plymouth Valiant.

The AMC Hornet also served as an experimental platform for alternative fuel and other automotive technologies. Hornets were campaigned in various motorsports events with some corporate support. A hatchback model also starred in an exceptional stunt jump in the 1974 James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun.