1972 | Notion

The base-model Hornet was not offered for the ’72 model year. All Hornets were sold as SSTs. For just a few dollars more than the 1971 base-model price, buyers got all the extras the SST line offered.

It was a great value and a clever marketing strategy. Buyers could get a new Hornet with rear-seat armrests and an ashtray, a cigarette lighter, full carpeting throughout the interior, a locking glove box, an under-dash package tray, and a custom steering wheel, all without paying much more than a base Hornet from the previous year.

The excitement AMC hoped for with the SC/360 Hornet never materialized. Buyers did not embrace the performance compact. With only 784 units sold, AMC discontinued the SC/360 and instead offered the two-barrel V8 as an option for ’72.

New appearance packages were also available. The SC/360 was renamed "Hornet X" and became a regular option, but with only a 2-barrel carburetor and no ram-air 4-barrel 360.

The "X" package that proved very successful on the 1971 Gremlin was now available for the Hornet. However, Hornet X sales failed to match the success of the Gremlin X.

More interesting was the Hornet Rallye package. It included bucket seats, front disc brakes, a handling package, quick-ratio manual steering, a full-synchromesh three-speed automatic transmission with floor shift, and a sports steering wheel.

Despite this well-equipped performer, the Hornet Rallye, like the "X" package, also failed to draw buyers to showrooms in significant numbers.

AMC also introduced one of its most memorable “image” packages for 1972 by partnering with Aldo Gucci on a special Hornet Sportabout interior. Offered only on the wagon, the Gucci Sportabout was designed to feel more like a boutique product than an economy-family hauler.

Key details that made the package stand out:

Distinctive trim theme: signature red-and-green striping paired with Gucci branding and emblems.
Cabin-first emphasis: rather than relying on horsepower or aggressive exterior changes, the Gucci package targeted buyers who wanted something stylish and conversation-starting.
Early “designer edition” play: AMC was ahead of the curve in testing whether fashion and car buyers could overlap, a theme the industry would revisit repeatedly in later decades.

The Gucci Sportabout proved to be a real curiosity success. Contemporary sources typically place 1972 production in the 2,583–2,584 range (often cited as 2,584), which makes it a rare slice of the Hornet story and one of the more unusual factory packages of the era.