AMC Hornet SC/360
Specs, engines and history
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By Sarah Whitmore, Senior Automotive Writer
- Built
- 1971
- Top power
- 213 kW (290 PS)
Which compact muscle car to choose
Our verdict · Sarah Whitmore
- For AMC rarity: the Hornet SC/360, one year and 784 cars.
- For more power in a compact: the Plymouth Duster 340, its closest rival on price.
- For an AMC pony car: the AMC Javelin, sold from 1968 to 1974.
The Hornet SC/360 is listed with the other American Motors cars in the American muscle car guide, and the car comparison tool sets it against the Duster.
The AMC Hornet SC/360 was a compact muscle car sold by American Motors for the 1971 model year only. It put AMC's 360 cu in V8 into the two-door Hornet sedan, with 183 kW (245 hp, SAE gross) as standard and 213 kW (285 hp) with the optional "Go" package. Priced at US$2,663 in 1971, slightly below the Plymouth Duster 340, it was meant to sell 10,000 cars a year, but high insurance premiums held sales to 784.
In short
- One model year: introduced on 19 August 1970 for 1971, dropped at the end of that year.
- 360 V8 (5.9 l): two-barrel with 183 kW (245 hp) standard; four-barrel and ram-air hood in the Go package (1971: US$199), 213 kW (285 hp).
- Motor Trend measured 0–60 mph in 6.7 seconds and the quarter mile in 14.9 seconds at 95 mph.
- Built 784 times; Wikipedia says 304 had the four-speed manual and the four-barrel engine.
Specs by version
Engines
| Version | Engine | Power | Drive | Production years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 360 V8 two-barrel (SAE gross) | 5.9 l · 8 cyl · Petrol 5,899 cc | 183 kW 249 PS245 hp | Rear-wheel drive | 1971 |
| 360 V8 four-barrel, Go package (SAE gross) | 5.9 l · 8 cyl · Petrol 5,899 cc | 213 kW 290 PS286 hp | Rear-wheel drive | 1971 |
Dimensions and weight
Verified Manufacturer and type-approval data from our catalog · Sources and methodology
Hornet SC/360 at a glance
| Specification | AMC Hornet SC/360 |
|---|---|
| Model year | 1971 |
| Built | 784 (planned: up to 10,000) |
| Body | two-door sedan |
| Engine | 360 cu in (5.9 l) AMC V8 |
| Power | 183 kW (245 hp) two-barrel; 213 kW (285 hp) with Go package, SAE gross |
| Torque | 495 Nm (365 lb-ft) and 529 Nm (390 lb-ft), per autoevolution |
| Gearboxes | three-speed manual; Hurst-shifted four-speed or automatic optional |
| Weight | 1,451 kg (3,200 lb), Hot Rod test car with automatic |
| Tyres | Goodyear Polyglas D70-14 |
| Price new | US$2,663 (1971) |
From Rambler American to Hornet
American Motors launched the Hornet in September 1969 for the 1970 model year as the replacement for the Rambler American. Popular Science summed it up with the headline "Rambler is dead – long live the Hornet!" The base two-door cost US$1,994 in 1970. Sixes of 199 and 232 cu in powered most cars, and the SST could have a 304 V8 with 157 kW (210 hp) and 414 Nm (305 lb-ft), with automatic transmission only.
For 1971 AMC added the Sportabout wagon, which became the most popular Hornet that year, and the SC/360 at the other end of the range. The SC/360 followed the 1969 Hurst SC/Rambler, AMC's earlier compact with a big engine.
The SC/360 package
The SC/360 came only as a two-door sedan. Its 360 V8 was a version of the engine AMC had used in the 1970 AMX, according to autoevolution. Standard equipment included:
- the two-barrel 360 V8 with 183 kW (245 hp);
- a three-speed manual gearbox;
- styled wheels and body stripes;
- Goodyear Polyglas D70-14 tyres, with raised white letters as an option;
- individual reclining front seats.
The Go package, US$199 in 1971, added a four-barrel carburettor and ram-air induction through a flat-black hood scoop, raising output to 213 kW (285 hp). Buyers could replace the three-speed with a Hurst-shifted Borg-Warner Super T10 four-speed or an automatic, and add a heavy-duty suspension and the Spicer "Twin-Grip" limited-slip differential with 3.54:1 or 3.90:1 gears.
The insurance arithmetic
AMC designed the SC/360 around insurance rules. The price and the 183 kW two-barrel engine were chosen to keep the weight-to-power ratio at 12.5 lb per horsepower, a threshold in insurance rate calculations. The plan did not work: insurance premiums for performance cars stayed high, and buyers stayed away. The muscle-car market had peaked in 1970, and rising fuel and insurance costs together with stricter emission rules were closing the era.
Road tests
| Test | Car | 0–60 mph | Quarter mile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Motor Trend | SC/360 | 6.7 s | 14.9 s at 95 mph |
| Hot Rod | automatic, stock | — | 14.80 s at 94.63 mph |
| Car Craft | with better tyres, headers and traction bars | — | 13.78 s at 101.92 mph |
Motor Trend called it "just a plain gas to drive ... it handles like a dream". Compared with the 1,451 kg test weight, the Go-package engine gave about 6.8 kg per kW, our own calculation.
Production and the end
AMC built 784 SC/360s, far short of the 10,000 it had hoped for. Wikipedia counts 304 cars with the four-speed manual and the four-barrel engine; autoevolution gives 304 as the number of Go-package cars, so the two sources describe the same figure differently. After one year AMC dropped the model.
The Hornet itself lived on until 1977, and the AMX name returned for that last year on a Hornet hatchback: 5,207 Hornet AMX cars were built, 2,011 of them with a V8.
Hornet SC/360 buying guide
- Wait for the right car: with 784 built, autoevolution notes that SC/360s rarely come up for sale.
- Check the package: a Go-package car should have the four-barrel 360 and the ram-air hood scoop; the four-speed was a Hurst-shifted Borg-Warner.
- Body: every SC/360 is a two-door sedan with stripes and styled wheels; a hatchback or a wagon is not one.
- Values (autoevolution, July 2023): in 2023 about US$36,200 for a good Go-package car per J.D. Power, US$55,000–66,000 in 2023 for concours survivors and under US$10,000 in 2023 for a neglected project.
- Driving: the same source recommends modern brakes and tyres for regular use.
Photo gallery
AMC Hornet SC/360 in our rankings
- No. 18 of 131 · Biggest engines: sedans (5,899 cc · top 14%)
- No. 100 of 557 · Biggest engines: cars (5,899 cc · top 18%)
- No. 29 of 86 · Smallest sedans (4,554 mm · top 34%)
- No. 58 of 149 · Most powerful sedans (213 kW · top 39%)
- No. 42 of 88 · Most powerful cars of the 1970s (213 kW · top 48%)
- No. 214 of 420 · Smallest cars (4,554 mm · top 51%)
Bigger engine than 86% of ranked sedans in the 1CARS catalog (No. 18 of 131).
FAQ
How many AMC Hornet SC/360s were made?
784, all for the 1971 model year.
How much horsepower did the Hornet SC/360 have?
183 kW (245 hp, SAE gross) with the two-barrel carburettor and 213 kW (285 hp) with the four-barrel Go package.
What did the Hornet SC/360 cost?
US$2,663 in 1971, about US$40 below the 1971 Plymouth Duster 340; the Go package added US$199 in 1971.
Why was the SC/360 discontinued?
High insurance premiums kept sales far below AMC's plans, and the model was dropped after one year.
What gearboxes were available?
A three-speed manual as standard; a Hurst-shifted Borg-Warner Super T10 four-speed and an automatic were optional.
Data sources
Data checked by an editor against the sources below.
