6th Jan 2017, 04:56
You have to find someone who wants to buy a Hornet for a few thousand dollars, though. It's a car, not currency.
7th Jan 2017, 00:02
Agreed. A car is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. So many comments on this site claim values for cars that are based on nothing more than wishful thinking.
7th Jan 2017, 12:07
The SC360 with the factory 4 speed has sold for 25k plus. Very rare, light and fast. A definite insurance beater in the day. I had a new copper tan 73 Gremlin X with the 304 V8 manual. I special ordered the car and enjoyed the V8 as well. If I had today, it would have gone up 4 times its new price based on actual sales. But incomes change as did car loan durations. Back then you could only get up to a 3 year car loan. Gas at 34 cents a gallon. AMC had some great cars, but got into performance a bit late. You could buy an incredibly boring AMC, which is more likely to have survived. You don't see The Machine, SCrambler, Mark Donahue Javelin, AMX 343 or 390 Go Pack for examples very often. I only saw one SC360 Hornet when new. Hot piece 14 sec 1/4 mile car. Worth well more than the 3k bare bones Hornet. Still if bought new you would likely get your money you laid out when selling today. 3k isn't much to spend even on an anemic powered Cruiser to hit a car show.
10th Jan 2017, 00:30
I remember when I could have bought a Ferrari for 24000. But what does that have to do with owning my AMC?
11th Jan 2017, 13:54
I own a 70 SS Chevelle and I didn't make the above comment. I would have bought a Superbird new for 5k in 1970. But back to the Hornet. They were really available between 2-3 grand. The 232 and 258 engines were dependable and well made for the era. Pretty common on my college campus back then. I like some of the stunts done in the James Bond movies with AMC. The spiral 360 degree bridge jump was an actual Hornet stunt. The flying Matador was a bit much, but was made with a different car later. They made some pretty decent bold cars for a short while. Late 60s to early 70s. Some may be a bit extreme.
12th Jan 2017, 15:41
There is a flying small car that folds up today. You can park it in a garage. Became a reality. The Hornet was real. It was calculated by an engineer to accomplish the spiral actual jump. The Hornet seemed worked, not stock. Likely add safety equipment and suspension mods. Pretty cool to watch that 007 film segment.
12th Jan 2017, 20:09
Go to YouTube. See The Man with the Golden Gun car chase. I suspect you are looking at a brand new AMC Hornet with the factory 304 V8. Breaking right through the new AMC dealer showroom. Pretty nice looking little 2 door car with the factory mag wheels. The Matador is not very stylish, but likely has a factory 401 V8. The stunt driver looks pretty talented. I always liked the Levi's edition models, not shown with this color.
15th Jan 2017, 13:11
The LS is actually physically small and may fit. Let us know how it goes in your Hornet. I had a 304. Know the 401 fits even into the Gremlin and was very formidable on the 1/4 mile drag strip.
16th Jan 2017, 11:21
Being all aluminum, it's also very light. Would keep the the handling from becoming nose heavy. Its size is ideal. Very plentiful and affordable. If you can fit an LS1 in a small Miata, it's feasible and has been done in the Gremlin. I would rather have a Javelin or even a Matador for this nice swap however.
17th Mar 2014, 11:28
Yes, but salaries were low too. I bought my new 3000 dollar car on a 3 dollar hour job then. Now I have a 6 figure job to find something.