Big Bad Blue: 1974 AMC Hornet Sportabout
You might be wondering what’s Big and Bad about this 1974 AMC Hornet Sportabout (“Sportabout” was AMC Marketing’s attempt at making a wagon not seem so stodgy) although the blue is obvious! It turns out this paint color was “Big Bad Blue”, offered for the 1969 and 1970 model years, although it certainly looks good on this 1974 car!
I have a personal connection with Sportabouts; my father’s car for much of my childhood was a 1971 Sportabout painted in Big Bad Orange. We called it “Pumpkin”. We used it to haul my go-kart places I could drive it, and in 1976 I got to ride home from the April 25th NASCAR Virginia 500 at Martinsville Speedway laying down in the back because I won the duplicate grandfather clock to the winner’s one (lucky ticket stub) and the clock wouldn’t fit any other way. Read into that what you will, but the Sportabout was the right size for our family. I love the optional stripe on this one, even if the car wasn’t Big Bad Blue to start with.
I don’t know if these are real American Racing wheels, but they look terrific on this car. There are new brakes behind the wheels to go with new lines and a new master cylinder. The steeply raked rear tailgate is very evident in this view–AMC thought it sportier than a standard wagon silhouette. BarnFinds reader Bruce M. must have thought so as well–thanks Bruce for sending us this cool find!
Sure looks like a station wagon to me! And get a look at those groovy door panels!
This view brings back memories! I learned to drive in Pumpkin, although the two-spoke ’71 standard steering wheel wasn’t anywhere near as sporty as this car has. When was the last time you saw a blue-striped interior? I don’t think the claimed 90,000 miles have hurt the interior much; there are a few stains on the headliner but that’s about it.
Non V-8 Hornets were equipped with the venerable and reliable AMC inline-6. Long-time BarnFinds readers may remember that I am a huge fan of this engine, which evolved into the 4.0 engine used in many Jeeps. We writers generally get to choose the cars we write posts about, and I grabbed this one as soon as I saw it! I wish I could go after this car, which is located in Newport, Kentucky, and is listed for sale here on Facebook Marketplace for $9,000. Do you agree with me?
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Comments
Naturally, you’ll get no guff from me on this post. I agree, it’s a sharp one. Of the empty nine thousand( about 42,000/year) I saw, I never remember any with mag wheels. Sportabouts were very successful, but led mediocre lives. The authors story notwithstanding, not many hauled go-karts around. They were generally, unwashed, unmaintained, did mundane duties, while dads Ambassador sat at the office and drove them until the fenders fell off, or fell through the floor, whichever came 1st. Most were driven to the junkyard.
I think the 232-6 was available, and get this, a 304 V8 was a measly $164 bucks extra. Again, the auto trans was the biggie at almost $300 extra, and the whopper, a/c cost $625 bucks! The base price was $3699, but options sent it over $4, I’m sure. One of the cheaper, smaller wagons. A base Volare wagon was $3941. Like I’ve said many times, with some exceptions, AMC was a regional make. On all our travels as a kid cross country, we noticed very few AMCs or Ramblers, and coming from Milwaukee, we made it our business to notice such things. They were great cars. The Hornet was like the Falcon for Ford, so many spinoffs, all good cars because the Hornet was a good car.
Umpty nine,,,:)
Hi, Howard, it’s me writing again (Jamie)! Thanks for your comments — and just FYI, the go-kart’s muffler cleared the rear window by about an inch with the second row folded flat. Dad and I used to drape a towel over the muffler “just in case”.
Hi Jamie, fun stuff. I read, as Joe mentioned, not exactly BBB, reserved for Javelins, seems any blue car from AMC got that term. The origins of Big “Bad” colors, seems to stem from the 1800s, when bad meant good to their peers. I read, the jazz era from the 20s also hailed the word bad meaning good. How AMC marketing got a hold of that, well, it was a so-so promotion, and I bet the creator got little, if any credit. It did add $34 to the cost of the car, however. It failed miserably with only about 1,000 cars ordered that way in ’69. Cars those colors today fetch an extra 25% over a stock color.
“No Sports cars!” – Wife responding to her husband,
in an AMC commercial in an AMC showroom after he suggests
a Sportabout.
These early Hornets were so much better looking than those bulbous things they morphed into, when poor AMC ran out of cash, and had to regurgitate it’s decade old designs.
Sad thing is, any of them look better than what the big 3 are putting out today!
AMC, ahead of it’s time or too soon with ideas like that slanting C pillar on the Sports out that’s everywhere on crossovers. Or the AMC Eagle. My ex’s brother had a field full of AMCs out in the country where zoning laws were lax. They just sat around rusting but he had an AMX among others. He was always going to get around to them some day and as far as I know they’re still there. I guess my point is while AMC was a pretty good car company for it’s size, it attracted it’s share of eccentrics and weirdos among it’s fan base. No offense Howard, still like that Javelin featured awhile back here.
I wish seller had a photo on hard ground. It may have too low a stance. Overall, it is marvelous.
This would be interesting as a modern vehicle. Fulltime 4wd, 6 cylinder with a turbo and battery for the first 30 miles of taking the kids to school. Mostly modern reliability is necessary.
Mine was a ‘74 in this color and stripe but with a denim interior and 2 door hatch. I had a small v8. I loved that car. It was fast off the line. Those were the days. And yes, I know that the ‘78 Concord was from this design, but I liked it too. Teague was a great designer.
Maybe the best looking long roof of all time. Calling it the Sport About meant many likely forgot it was a wagon at all. This is a sweet example of a cool 70s car.
My partner and I had the 2 door version of this from 73 thru 76. Hornet Hatch back. A 232 6 with a 3 on the tree. Only option was Air conditioning. Black walls, bench seat, and dog dish hubcaps. She bought it off the showroom floor. A daily driver for her, and when I drove it I actually enjoyed it. Right sized and reasonably peppy. With the rear seat folded it was great for camping. Never had a problem with that agricultural 6 for over 60,000 miles.
I had one the very same year with a reliable six cylinders. It was a good car for a new family. We were just starting out with and it gave us years of perfect service except for a leaf that got stuck in a blow motor that rattled in a note all of us to end. But the car overall out Performed expectation
The color is Maxi Blue. Big Bad Blue was gone, along with the Mod Era
Definitely not BBB, otherwise it seems very nice.
Nice looking car. It looks like either a well-maintained original or a nicely restored car. Given its condition, I’d be willing to pay $10,000 for the car and just drive it and enjoy it, maintaining it as needed.
I knew of one back in the late 70s in Evanston Ill., pea green 74 with woodgrain rarely washed, bird poop on the roof, but under the hood sat a 71 AMX 401 with a Muncie 4 speed with a few off the dealer shelf go faster parts. It embarrassed many a North Shore rich kid and whatever their Dad bought for them
Denver was loaded with AMC dealers. AMC also issued dolled up Station wagons for each area of the country: Mariner, Briarwood and another that my brain cells (2) can not remember. Rambler ranch has all three on display.
This wagon hits every mark you grade a car your possibly interested in for me great color , interior, over all looks , legendary engine I have experience with & weather eye A/C ! Be still my beating heart!
Our town of 50 thousand had a Rambler dealership owned by a guy named Lou Dover.My dad knew him and my late brother and I each bought new 72 Gremlin X’s off him.Both had the 258 six,one stick,one auto.
I don’t know how many dealers Seattle Washington had, since I was born in 1973. My parents drove an AMC Matador. For some strange reason my mother hated the car. For her, it was the worst car she could’ve driven.
Beautiful. I wouldn’t mind having that in my fleet. It’s…The right size…A great design…It has Iconic power…It has decent fuel economy. It and it’s successors, the Concord and Eagle wagons carried that 1971 American Motors DNA, courtesy of a brilliant designer, Dick Teague.
I wrote not long ago about mine. 6 cyl 3 on tree, AM radio, no power anything. Previous owner drove it around Europe while stationed in Germany and brought it home with him. Paid $350 for it, put over 60,000 tough miles on it, replaced tie rod ends and did a tune-up and regular oil changes and nothing else. Sold it for $250 and the buyer drove it away. I don’t know about collector value but if you want a reliable driver these cars were good examples.