One-owner 1977 AMC Hornet AMX features a rare option you likely never knew existed

This one-owner 1977 AMC Hornet AMX comes with an unusual option you’ve likely never seen before.

The now-defunct American Motor Company introduced a somewhat odd optional extra in 1973.

The AMC Hornet could come with its very own accessory that could basically turn the vehicle into a motorhome.

OK, so ‘motorhome’ might be pushing it a little bit, but – with the seats folded down and the special addition in use – there was just about enough room for two adults to get a decent night’s kip.

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The 1977 AMC Hornet AMX’s unusual accessory was pretty practical

Motorhomes are big business with some folks people happily parting with hundreds of thousands of dollars to get the RV of their dreams.

However, not everyone is after something as super-sized as this one that used to be owned by music mogul Simon Cowell.

Some people are happy with somewhere simple to rest their head – and that’s where the AMC accessory tent came in very handy.

Taking advantage of the Hornet AMX’s large hatch, the tent addition offered a compact sleeping space for up to two adults.

Admittedly, you’d need to be exceptionally close adults, because let’s face it, it’s not exactly roomy in the back of a Hornet.

But it would allow you to get a pretty comfortable night’s sleep while you’re out on the road and does have the added advantage of letting you park up almost wherever you fancy.

It’s rare to see one in the wild these days

As you may have realized, given that we don’t see too many tent/car hybrids these days, the idea didn’t really catch on and by 1980 they were more or less extinct.

Because the idea wasn’t really a big seller, seeing them out and about today is fairly rare, but a super-cool one-owner example belonging to a guy named Bob Wunrow appeared on an episode of Lou Costabile’s My Car Story. 

This particular Hornet had a 4.2-liter inline six – as opposed to the slightly more powerful 5.0-liter V8.

The car’s engine makes it one of only 3,196 examples but when you factor in that unusual optional tent accessory it becomes a lot rarer. 

When you add in the near-mint condition the vehicle is in, it becomes even more of a special find.

You can check out the full video on Lou’s YouTube channel here.