During the golden age of muscle cars, which spanned across Ford, GM, and Mopar vehicles, a significant amount of impressive high-performance cars were introduced to the market. Even after 50 years have passed, these vehicles remain highly sought-after classics.
Although we often remember the popular muscle cars like the Chevrolet Camaro, Ford Mustang, Dodge Charger, and Plymouth Barracuda, it’s important to note that American Motors Corporation also developed some noteworthy muscle cars during the golden era. The Rebel Machine, Javelin, and AMX are some of the most iconic ones, but in this post, we’ll be taking a closer look at the Hornet SC360, which is often overlooked despite its impressive performance.
Unlike the regular Hornet, the SC360 version is equipped with a 360-cubic-inch (5.9-liter) V8 engine with a four-barrel carburetor, producing 285 horsepower and 390 pound-feet of torque. When combined with the Go Pack, which includes a four-speed manual and a ram air hood, the Hornet SC360 is a force to be reckoned with.
Although the SC360 may not be as powerful as other muscle cars from its era, it’s significantly lighter, weighing only 3,234 pounds (1,467 kg). In fact, it’s 700 pounds (318 kg) lighter than the 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T featured in the video below.
The Challenger R/T is equipped with a massive 440-cubic-inch (7.2-liter) V8 engine that delivers 375 horsepower and 480 pound-feet of torque, which is significantly more than the Hornet SC360. However, with both cars featuring four-speed manuals and 4.10 rear gears, it seems like this race could be decided by the power-to-weight ratio.
It’s important to note that both cars compete in the Pure Stock Muscle Car Drag Race series, which allows for numerous upgrades under the hood. Although both cars may look stock on the outside, they typically hit the track with 500 to 700 horsepower at their disposal.
In the video, we see the Hornet SC360 win the first race thanks to a better start, but the Challenger R/T driver turns things around with some impressively fast passes. Ultimately, the Challenger R/T wins the second and third races, with times of 13.29 and 13.16 seconds, respectively.
This rare footage was recorded at the 28th Annual Pure Stock Muscle Car Drag Race in September 2022. Both cars are quite rare, with only 916 Challenger R/Ts built in this configuration in 1970 and just 306 Hornet SC360s with the four-barrel 360 and the four-speed manual.
