1971 AMC Hornet

Changes were minimal for the 1971 AMC Hornet. Bodystyles included a 2- and 4-door sedan on the base models, and a 2-door sport sedan on the Hornet SST SC/360 V8 models. The SST models consisted of a 2- and 4-door sedan and a station wagon. The SST station wagon was a new addition for 1971, as were the high-performance SC/360 models.

SST models added Command-Air ventilation, full-width package tray, cigarette lighter, glovebox, movable rear quarter windows, and a custom steering wheel. The Sportabout wagons had a carpeted cargo area, rear liftgate, Space-Saver spare tire, and a cargo compartment lock. Buyers who selected the SC/360 Sports sedan received slot style wheels, Space-Saver spare tire, D70-14 raised white letter tires, front sway bar, and a 360 cubic-inch V8 two-barrel V8 engine offering 245 horsepower. Decals and SC/360 call-outs gave indications to this special model. The SC/360 was built as a low price, high-performance, compact car that could get around the escalating insurance rates. A total of 784 examples of the SC/360 were built.

A Go-Package was offered as optional equipment and included a four-barrel carburetor, Ram-Air induction system, Handling Package, tachometer, Polyglass white letter tires, and dual exhaust. Visual exterior modifications included a wide hood scoop with black-out paint treatment.

The base 2-door sedan Hornet had a factory price of $2,175 and a total of 19,395 examples were sold. The most popular body style in the lineup was the Hornet SST Station Wagon which found 73,471 buyers. The Hornet SST 2-door sedan had 10,651 buyers while the 4-door sedan base hornet had 10,403 sales.

by Daniel Vaughan | Aug 2018