10. AMC Hornet 360
The early 70s marked the beginning of the end for muscle cars with downsizing and tightening emissions and safety standards. However, AMC was one of the first companies to realize a new breed of muscle cars could keep power-hungry customers happy. So, in 1971 AMC introduced the Hornet 360.
They based it on the regular economy car they called the Hornet. But, they equipped it with an updated suspension, sharper steering, a graphics package and a 360 V8. This transformed the Hornet from an ordinary compact into a proper muscle car. The power was not that big at 245 HP, but those horses could make the lightweight Hornet fly.
The rest of the muscle cars offerings in 1971 had problems with big sizes and weights. Those engines didn’t produce much power anymore, so the Hornet 360 was one of the fastest cars at that time.
Unfortunately, car buyers didn’t understand the forward-thinking of AMC. AMC sold less than 800 Hornets in 1971, making them rare, obscure muscle cars today.
Did you find a favorite classic muscle car on this list? If you did, you’d better hurry up and find it before it is too rare or expensive to buy. These street monsters are sure to become increasingly obscure as time goes by.