Rambler Hornet: the compact that ended the Rambler name

The Rambler Hornet was American Motors’ compact car for the 1970 model year, when it replaced the Rambler American and, in the United States and Canada, brought the Rambler marque to an end. In markets such as Australia the car continued to be sold as the Rambler Hornet while AMC itself used the Hornet name alone.

Rambler Hornet at a glance

The English Wikipedia page covers the AMC Hornet; the Rambler Hornet is the same car as sold in Australia and in the first year of production.

History of the Rambler Hornet

A new compact

The Hornet replaced the Rambler American at the end of the 1960s. Development took AMC three years, a million person-hours and US$40 million, and the result was an all-new design rather than a reskin. The chassis and sheet metal were new, while the conventional front-engine, rear-drive drivetrain carried over from the American. The 108-inch wheelbase was two inches longer than its predecessor’s. Styling was foreshadowed by two 1966 show cars, the four-door AMC Cavalier and the two-door Vixen, and the production car was introduced in late 1969 for the 1970 model year.

Engineering and price

AMC developed an all-new front suspension with anti-brake dive for its large 1970 models, and rather than designing lighter parts for the compact it used the same components in the Hornet, which saved engineering effort. The Hornet was the first American-made car with guardrail beam doors to protect occupants in a side impact. The base two-door was listed at $1,994, a dollar less than a base Ford Maverick, while the Chevrolet Nova and Plymouth Duster were about 10 per cent dearer. Both the Hornet and the Maverick were intended to stem the tide of imported cars, which had taken about 10 per cent of the American market, most of them selling below $2,000.

Legacy

The Hornet quickly earned back its development cost and became one of AMC’s best sellers. Its platform was the basis for the subcompact Gremlin, the luxury compact Concord, the Spirit and the four-wheel-drive Eagle, and it outlasted the compact platforms of its domestic rivals, the Chevrolet Nova, Ford Maverick and Plymouth Valiant, remaining in production in various forms through 1988. A Hornet hatchback also appeared in a famous stunt jump in the 1974 James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun. The car was built under licence in Mexico by Vehículos Automotores Mexicanos, in Australia by Australian Motor Industries, where it was sold as the Rambler Hornet, and in South Africa by Toyota. The Hornet name itself had been dormant since the Hudson Hornet of 1951–1954, whose racing success made it famous; AMC held the rights and revived it for 1970.

Design and features

• Guardrail beam doors: the first American-made car to use side-impact beams in the doors.
• Shared suspension: the compact used the same front suspension as AMC’s larger 1970 models.
• Low price: $1,994 for the base two-door, a dollar below the Ford Maverick.
• Long-lived platform: the basis of the Gremlin, Concord, Spirit and Eagle, produced until 1988.

Rambler Hornet versions

• Two-door sedan: the base model at $1,994.
• Four-door sedan: the family body style.
• Station wagon: the load-carrying version.
• Hatchback coupe: the sporty body, used in the Bond film jump.
• Rambler Hornet (Australia): the AMI-built version, sold under the Rambler badge.

The Hornet replaced the Rambler American and shared its market with the Rambler Matador. More cars are in the Rambler collection.

Video: AMC RAMBLER HORNET AUS VERSION RUST REMOVAL. sill, front and rear doors

Video on YouTube.

Sources

• AMC Hornet, English Wikipedia: development, engineering, pricing, platform successors