Australian Hornets

Did you know there’s a dedicated community of Hornet owners in Australia? There is, and they’re a terrific group of enthusiasts keeping the AMC spirit alive.

Since this site was created I have received many requests for information on Hornets in Australia. So much so, that I decided to create this page to post information about these great cars and the enthusiast who carry on the AMC spirit there.

Production Information

Production build numbers are are really sketchy. With between 100-200 being made in each model year
All AMC products in Australia were carried the Rambler Name. This means you could have purchased a Rambler Javelin, Matador and even a Rambler Gremlin
1973 models were essentially 1972 cars with grille and taillights changed
The 1973 model we know of here was never offered in Australia. Instead, 1972 models were tagged as 1973 production models and different taillights were installed
1974 models were sold through 1975 as well with a believed 100 or less made
All cars were four door sedans equipped with power disc brakes, manual steering, with V8 suspensions and differentials
All cars had a % of "Local Content" (This was easily done using seats, carpet, lights, heaters, etc. from local suppliers)
All cars came with a 232 or 258 six cylinder and Automatic Transmissions
It is believed that 1 or 2 Hornets were manufactured with manual transmissions

Hornets were assembled in a knockdown form (CKD). That is to say that the shells were built in the Brampton facilities then shipped to Australia in containers where they were assembled by Australian Motor Industries (AMI) in Port Melbourne Victoria. This company also built for Toyota, Triumph, Leyland, and Muir Hill (tractors).

Australian Production Numbers

Model Year	Production Total	United States Model Year
1970	407	Same
1971	597	Same
1972	355	Same
1973	212	These were 1972 models
1974	118	Same
1975	136	These were 1974 models

A total of 1,825 Hornets were built at the AMI Factory In Port Melbourne Victoria

Information provided by Andrew Tuck of the AMC Rambler Club of Australia

Hornets of Western Australia

Of the Hornets that came to Western Australia, most of these where sold through Premier Motors in Perth. Of those, about 30 were converted to V8 engines. The engine mainly used was the 290 cid. They were installed by a fellow named Ben Ludlow, who at the time was the sole AMC/Rambler service center in Western Australia.

Information provided by Michael Gilbert of The Rambler Car Club of Western Australia

Other Interesting Facts

Owners who want V8 power will remove the factory six cylinder engines and swap it with either Ford or GM engine (There are very few AMC V8s)
There are many US cars in South Australia that came from the US military bases to the north. The vehicles were supposed to be destroyed on completion of there duties, but most never were. This allowed many US serviceman to sell their vehicles to the local population and introduce models that were not available in the Australian market.

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Production Years

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My 1973 Hornet

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Extras

AMC Cowboy Prototype

Australian Hornets

AMC Myths vs. Facts

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