Back in 1971 little American Motors Corporation considered adding a pickup truck model to their compact Hornet automobile line which eventually included a coupe, sedan, hatchback and a sports wagon. However, just one prototype of the AMC Hornet Cowboy was ever built. While pickup trucks based off cars were popular such as the Chevrolet El Camino or the Ford Falcon Ranchero, and AMC built many trucks through their Jeep line, the AMC Cowboy just never developed beyond this single rare prototype model. 
At one time both the compact Ford Falcon and the Chevrolet Corvair lines had their own versions of the first minivans. However, AMC decided not to enter the car based truck market for some odd reason. The compact AMC Cowboy might have had a cult following.
There is also a rare prototype for a Gremlin pickup as well that was built, but strangely sports a Jeep name on the back of the car. Little Kenosha, Wisconsin based AMC, the only major non-Detroit automaker in recent American history built some interesting prototypes that never saw the light of day. 
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Comments (2)
Paul, that's a gawdawful looking front end for a pick-up truck.
But, then again, it was the seventies.
1. Posted by engineer | June 30, 2009 2:24 PM
Posted on June 30, 2009 14:24
Hello, Engineer. I agree that those AMCs were never beautiful cars by any means but they were sturdy and long running cars. Those Hornet/Gremlin cars both came with V8 engines as an option, which might have made those Hornet trucks with a 360 V8 a sought after item. The Hornet seems to have a nicer flow than the Gremlin, which just doesn't look right for some reason, despite the boxy front end that always had a truck-like appearance.
2. Posted by Paul Hooson | June 30, 2009 9:37 PM
Posted on June 30, 2009 21:37