Five Decades Ago, AMC And Jeep Almost Built A Ute Together

The ute was very much an Australian invention, but the Americans gave it a red-hot go over the years. Chevy built the El Camino and Ford offered the Ranchero, both of which served short but meaningful innings. Chrysler never really took a shot at a ute, leaving us one short of a full round of Big Three-built utes. But AMC, America’s fourth-favorite and scrappiest automaker, very nearly did put up a ute of its own.

AMC’s contributions to the automotive world are often forgotten today, but that doesn’t mean they were any less valid. It was a humble but proud automaker that often managed to do great things on a shoestring budget. It was also a fine steward of the Jeep brand from 1970 to 1987.

As covered by Green Hawk Drive on YouTube, AMC executives had a neat idea during that time. What if the company put together a ute of its very own? And what if it wore a grand name like Cowboy?

It all kicked off when AMC bought Jeep from Kaiser Industries for $70 million in 1970. At the same time, it was also spending big on the development of the new Hornet. The plan was to shore up AMC’s future prospects with fresh new products, but these expensive investments put a lot of pressure on the company’s finances.

Given the $40 million development cost, AMC was eager to juice every last drop out of the Hornet platform. It would soon underpin the Gremlin, Concorde, Spirit, and Eagle. But AMC didn’t stop there.

The Hornet was soon sent to Jeep’s design studio, with the group tasked with converting it into a light truck. This was the era when car-based unibody utes, or coupe utilities, were big business in the US. The Chevy El Camino and Ford Ranchero were both shifting real numbers at the time, often over 40,000 units a year. Meanwhile, Japanese brands like Datsun and Toyota were importing smaller trucks in huge numbers, too.

The project was designated ‘Cowboy’ by Jeep’s chief stylist, Jim Angers. As covered by Old Cars Canada, enthusiasm was high, with AMC product planner Jim Alexander assigned to lead development.

Soon enough, though, the Cowboy hit a snarl. Producing a Hornet-based ute in the vein of the El Camino and Ranchero wouldn’t be feasible, financially speaking. The large side-body stampings required for the integrated bed and cabin were simply too expensive to justify given the company’s position.

Alexander drew on his former styling experience, however, and determined the design could still be made to work by using a separate cabin and bed. This solution wouldn’t look as sleek as one-piece bodysides, but it would still look pretty good – and would greatly reduce tooling costs.

To support the now-separate bed, the Cowboy would use a rear subframe design. Alexander reasoned that if the Camaro could do so up front, the Cowboy could do it at the back. The gas tank would then live under the front of the cargo bed, with the spare tire tucked under the rear half.

The Cowboy initially seemed destined to be a Jeep model. It would have been a strange move, as the Hornet platform did not have four-wheel drive. The AMC Eagle would eventually get all-paw grip, but that came much later in 1980.

A number of prototypes were developed. The red model wearing Jeep Cowboy badging was a handsome thing, if somewhat dated for the early 1970s with its simple rectangular grille, white wheels, and dog dish hubcaps. It’s believed this example went to the crusher some years later.

Another example was finished in white, green, and gold. It wore a Hornet front valence and had an altogether more modern look. It was based on a Hornet SC360, which boasted a 360-ci V8 with a healthy 245 hp and 345 pound-feet of torque. It featured a radio, a manual gearbox, and air conditioning—the latter being particularly luxurious for a 1970s truck. This well-equipped example was purchased by Jim Alexander himself and later handed down to family members. Its current whereabouts are unknown, but it is assumed to be still in the family.

There are also reports that a yellow version existed. This was said to be fitted with a six-cylinder engine and the front end of an AMC Gremlin. It’s believed this version was crushed, though there are rumors it lives on in a Pennsylvania-based collection.

There are also some in-development photos floating around. They primarily show us the Cowboy concept under construction, with various different front-end designs notable in the images. The model would also appear in Vintage Truck magazine in 2018.

Sadly, the prototypes were all the Cowboys that would ever be built. The ute was in development at the same time as the new Hornet hatchback, and AMC had only limited production lines to work with. Executives wagered that the hatch would be a better bet, and the Cowboy got the chop. Thus, we never got to see how the AMC effort stacked up in the golden era of American coupe utility vehicles.

It’s a sad story, but not a strange one given AMC’s history. The brand was always trying to do magic on a shoestring budget, and it succeeded more often than anyone might have expected. Still, like AMC itself, the Cowboy would come to a lonely and early end—leaving us wondering what might have been.

Image credits: AMC, Chevrolet, Green Hawk Drive via YouTube screenshot