The AMC Hornet was a compact automobile made by American Motors Corporation (AMC) starting in the 1970 model year and continuing through most of the following decade.
   The name Hornet had first been applied to full-sized Hudson Motors products in the early 1950s. AMC - the resulting corporation formed by the merger of Nash Motors and Hudson - produced the last Hudson Hornet in 1957, and the name had been dormant since then with AMC retaining full rights use.
   The AMC Hornet replaced the Rambler American, and thus ended the Rambler marque as a make of automobile, in U.S. and Canadian markets. The Hornet was offered in sedans, two-door hatchback and four-door "Sportback" form, which resembled a hatch-back station wagon in form and function, but was limited in its cargo capacity and ease of loading due to a high "lift-up" thresehold.
   The two-door Hornet also served as the basis for the two-door AMC Gremlin, which used the front half body stamping of the Hornet two-door, with a truncated rear section with a window hatchback configuration.
   The 1972 Hornet was notable for being one of the first American cars to offer a "designer" package - that is, a special luxury trim package created by a fashion designer. Specifically, the model was called the Gucci series, named for Italian fashion designer Dr. Aldo Gucci. The car offered special beige-colored upholstery fabrics on the thickly padded seats and inside door panels (with red and green pinstriping), along with nameplates and a choice of four colors. The Gucci model proved to be a success, with nearly 3,000 1972 Hornets so equipped.
   A Levi's trim package - based on the world-famous blue jeans manufacturer - was offered in 1973, and offered denim-colored fabrics and other hallmarks associated with Levi's. The Levi's trim package was offered throughout the mid-1970s.
   The Hornet was the basis for most of AMC's output for 18 years. After minor redesign it was renamed the Concord and a four-wheel-drive version was named the Eagle.
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