AMC Matador

AMC Matador

1972 AMC Matador station wagon
Manufacturer	American Motors Corporation
Production	1971 – 1978
Assembly	Kenosha, Wisconsin, USA Port Melbourne, Australia Mexico City, Mexico
Predecessor	AMC Rebel
Class	Mid-size
Body style(s)	2-door coupe 2-door hardtop 4-door sedan 4-door station wagon
Layout	FR layout
Engine(s)	232 cu in (3.8 L) I6 258 cu in (4.2 L) I6 304 cu in (5 L) V8 360 cu in (5.9 L) V8 401 cu in (6.6 L) V8
Transmission(s)	3-speed manual 4-speed manual 3-speed automatic
Wheelbase	114 inches (2,896 mm) coupe 118 inches (2,997 mm) sedan/wagon
Length	209.3 inches (5,316 mm) coupe 206.1 inches (5,235 mm) sedan 205 inches (5,207 mm) wagon
Height	51.8 inches (1,316 mm)coupe 53.8 inches (1,367 mm) sedan 56.4 inches (1,433 mm) wagon
Fuel capacity	24.9 US gal (94 L; 21 imp gal) sedan/coupe 19.5 US gal (74 L; 16 imp gal) wagon
Related	AMC Ambassador
Designer	Richard A. Teague

The AMC Matador is an intermediate car that was built and sold by American Motors Corporation (AMC) from 1971 to 1978. The Matador came in two generations: 1971 to 1973 and a major redesign from 1974 to 1978. The second-generation four-door and station wagon models did not share the design of the coupe that was introduced in 1974.

Contents 1 History 1.1 First generation 1.1.1 Matador Machine 1.2 Second generation 2 Police 3 Matador Coupe 3.1 Oleg Cassini 3.2 Barcelona 3.3 NASCAR racing 4 International markets 5 Collectability 6 References 7 External links

History

The Matador replaced the AMC Rebel, which had been marketed since 1967. With a facelift and a new name, the AMC Matadors were available as a two-door hardtop as well as a four-door sedan and station wagon. The sedan and wagon models "offered excellent value and were fairly popular."^[1] The Matador received a redesign in 1974, in part to meet new safety and crash requirements as well as a completely different model "to contend with the bull market for plush mid-size coupes that sprang up after the end of the muscle car era."^[1] The Matador was based on AMC's "senior" automobile platform shared with the full-size Ambassador line.

First generation

American Motors advertising assured that the Matador was not just a name change and facelift, but in reality, it was the 1970 Rebel restyled with a longer front clip and a new interior. The 1971 Matadors acquired a "beefier" front end look for all three body designs.^[2] From the firewall back, the Matador shared its body with the Ambassador, which had a longer wheelbase and front end sheetmetal, a formal grille and luxurious trim, as well as more standard equipment that included air conditioning. While "Matador" may have been a move away from connotations of the Confederacy inspired by the rise of the Civil Rights Movement, it did not help solve the obscurity problem, as AMC adopted a "What's a Matador" advertising campaign.^[3]

The Matador came with straight-6 or a number of V8 engines and body design was essentially unchanged from the Rebel. The station wagons had an available rear facing third row bench seat. In addition, all wagons included a roof rack and a two-way tailgate that opened down or to the side when the rear window was down.

Matador Machine

The Matador still participated in the muscle car trend. The Machine performance package was carried forward from the Rebel to the Matador as an option on 1971 model two-door hardtops, but without the bold red-white-blue striping or any special identification and badging. Far lesser known than its 1970 predecessor, around 50 Matador Machines were produced.^[4] The package featured 15 x 7 slot-styled steel wheels with white-lettered "polyglass" belted tires, dual exhaust pipes, a heavy-duty handling package, power disk brakes, and a choice of either a 360 cu in (5.9 L) or 401 cu in (6.6 L) V8 engine with a manual four-speed or an automatic transmission.^[5].

Second generation

A major design change was introduced with the 1974 models for both the sedan and wagon, while the two-door became a separate and radically styled coupe. These could be considered the "second generation" Matadors. New passenger car requirements called for five-mile an hour (8 km) impact protection that was accomplished with massive bumpers. The four-door and wagons received a new front fascia with a hood and grille featuring a prominent central protrusion that followed the front bumper design. Matadors with this front fascia are sometimes nicknamed "coffin noses"^[6] — perhaps a reference to the styling of the classic Cord 810/812.

During this time the automobile market was moving to smaller cars. The large-sized Matador was no longer attractive to customers demanding more economical cars as fuel and money became increasingly worrisome problems after the 1973 oil crisis and the continuing double digit inflation. Lacking the financial resources for a full redesign (partly because of the expensive tooling costs of the coupe), AMC dropped the large Ambassador after 1974, while the Matador was discontinued after 1978, around the same time as Ford moved their full-size nameplates to a smaller platform. The downsized 1977 Chevrolet Impala also spelled doom for large intermediates from AMC and Chrysler. AMC would be left with Jeep, Hornet/Gremlin derivatives, and Renault cars. American Motors did not have another large car until the Eagle Premier that was developed with Renault's partnership and introduced right after AMC was purchased by Chrysler.

Police

Though the Ambassador was also offered as a police car, the Matador would prove to be very popular. The largest user of Matador patrol cars was the Los Angeles Police Department, primarily from 1972 to 1974, with some staying in service until the mid-1980s. It was also used by other agencies, including the Los Angeles Sheriffs Department and many other law enforcement agencies across the U.S. and Canada, as well as by military police units.

While V8 power was down for many domestic sedans, AMC used a 401 cu in (6.6 L) V8 engine that outpowered most other police vehicles. Zero to 60 miles per hour (97 km/h) times were within 7 seconds, comparable to a 2006 Hemi Charger police car.^[7] Top speed was about 125 miles per hour (201 km/h), which took only 43 seconds, much faster than the previous Plymouth Satellite. However, 1974 would be the last year for the LAPD's purchase of the Matador. The longer-nosed restyle added weight which affected handling and performance, and was less reliable. The model would soon fade in police fleets as downsized Ford's, Chevrolet's and Dodge Diplomat-based cars became adopted in the late 1970s. Matador police cars would appear in many television shows and movies during the 1970s, most famously, Adam-12 from 1972 until the show's end in 1975, and also in The Rockford Files beginning in 1974. Also, a solid black police-type version of the Matador was used by the criminal gang, Street Thunder, in the 1976 John Carpenter movie Assault on Precinct 13.

Matador Coupe

1974 AMC Matador X Coupe 1974 AMC Matador X Coupe

The 1974 model year introduced an aerodynamically styled fastback coupe with pronounced "tunneled" headlight surrounds. The Matador coupe was the only all-new model in the popular mid-size car segment. The coupe was designed under the direction of AMC's Vice President of Styling, Richard A. Teague, with input from Mark Donohue, the famous race car driver. AMC's Styling Department had greater freedom because of a decision to design the new Matador strictly as a coupe, without the normal constraints of attempting to have the sedan and station wagon versions fit the same body lines. Reportedly Teague designed the coupe's front as an homage to one of the first AMCs he designed, the 1964 Rambler American.^[6] Many were amazed that AMC came up with the fast, stylish Matador, considering the automaker's size and limited resources.^[8]

The coupe's wind-shaped look was enhanced by a very long hood and a short rear deck. The Matador coupe stands out as one of the more distinctive and controversial designs of the 1970s after the AMC Pacer. The Matador coupe was named "Best Styled Car of 1974" by the editors of Car and Driver magazine.^[9]

Sales of the coupe were brisk with 62,629 Matador Coupes delivered for its introductory year, up sharply from the 7,067 Matador hardtops sold in 1973.^[10] This is a respectable record that went against the drop in the overall market during 1974 and the decline in popularity of intermediate-sized coupes after the 1973 oil crisis. After it outsold the four-door Matadors by nearly 25,000 units in 1974, sales dropped to less than 10,000 in 1977, and then down just 2,006 in the coupe's final year.^[6] Nearly 100,000 Matador Coupes in total were produced from 1974 through 1978.

The Matador Coupe was used in the 1974 James Bond movie The Man with the Golden Gun as the car of choice of Francisco Scaramanga. His 1974 Matador coupe became an airplane.

Design plans for a sedan and wagon based on the coupe's styling themes did not reach production.

Oleg Cassini

A special Oleg Cassini edition of the Matador coupe was available for the 1974 and 1975 model years. American Motors had the famous American fashion designer develop a more elegant luxury oriented model for the new coupe. Cassini was renowned in Hollywood and high-society for making elegant ready-to-wear dresses, including those worn by Jacqueline Kennedy.

The Cassini Coupe was unlike all the other personal luxury cars. The new Matador did not have the typical vintage styling cues of formal upright grille and squared-off roof with opera windows. The Cassini version was only available on the Brougham two-door models that included standard features such as individually adjustable reclining seats. Cassini Coupes could be had in only black, copper, or white, and all came with a vinyl covered roof. It also featured copper-colored trim in the grille, headlamp bezels, in turbine-type full wheel covers, and within the rear license plate recess.

The interior was a Cassini hallmark featuring a comfortable and plush environment. A special black fabric with copper metal buttons on the seats and door panels was set off by extra thick copper carpeting. Additional copper accents were on the steering wheel, door pulls, and on the instrument panel. Embroidered Cassini medallions were featured on the headrests. The glove compartment door, trunk lid, front fender, and hood featured Cassini's signature.

Barcelona

In 1976, a "Barcelona" option offered an alternative to the personal luxury cars offered by other automakers such as the Chrysler Cordoba and Chevrolet Monte Carlo. For 1977 and 1978, the Barcelona coupe featured a padded Landau roof and opera windows, styling cues that were required at that time by buyers in the highly popular two-door "personal luxury" market segment. At first it was available in only one distinctive two-tone paint pattern consisting of Golden Ginger Metallic with Sand Tan. In 1978, the Barcelona came in a second color scheme: an Autumn Red Metallic on Claret Metallic combination.

The Barcelona included numerous comfort and appearance upgrades in addition to the extensive standard equipment that came on all Matadors. The special items were: individual reclining seats in velveteen crush fabric with woven accent stripes, custom door trim panels, unique headliner, headlight bezels painted accent color, black trunk carpet, rear sway bar, GR78x15 radial whitewall tires, color-keyed slot styled wheels, body color front and rear bumpers, two-tone paint, landau padded vinyl roof, opera quarter windows with accents, dual remote control mirrors painted body color, Barcelona medallion on glove box door and fenders, 24 oz (680 g) carpeting and bumper nerfing strips. The standard roll-down rear quarter windows were converted into fixed "opera windows" with fiberglass covers over the stock openings that were finished with padded vinyl inside and out.

For its final production in 1978, the Barcelona model was also available on the Matador four-door sedan.

NASCAR racing

Penske prepared factory-backed Matador hardtops and coupes were used in NASCAR stock car racing by Indy winner Mark Donohue and Bobby Allison, and won a number of races. The company's effort "raised eyebrows" for many NASCAR veterans because AMC was not known for cultivating a racing image.^[11] Racing pundits "initially scoffed at the notion of an AMC entry" on the circuit, but "the Matador acquired a fan following of its own."^[12] The Matador was also one of the first oval stock cars to use disk brakes.^[11]

The 1974 coupe replaced the previous "flying brick" two-door hardtop design; Penske was quoted as saying that they did what they could with the old hardtop, and it did better on tracks with more curves and fewer straight ways. Donohue did not survive to drive the new aerodynamically designed fastback coupe, that many believe was aimed at NASCAR racing. The five wins for the Matador are:

• Winston Western 500 - Riverside - Mark Donohue - January 21, 1973
• Los Angeles Times 500 - Ontario - Bobby Allison - November 24, 1974
• Winston Western 500 - Riverside - Bobby Allison - January 19, 1975
• Rebel 500 - Darlington - Bobby Allison - April 13, 1975
• Southern 500 - Darlington - Bobby Allison - September 1, 1975

Bobby Allison also won the non-points race Daytona 125 on February 13, 1975 and finished second in the Daytona 500 3 days later.

International markets

AMC Matador models were built in Mexico by Vehículos Automotores Mexicanos (VAM) and in Australia by Australian Motor Industries (AMI) with modifications for their markets including continuing the use of the Rambler marque. This traditional name was used on the models sold in the UK up to the 1976 Matadors, "possibly the last use of the Rambler name worldwide".^[13]

Collectability

While well-restored examples of Matador sedans can still be purchased under $3,000, ads have been published asking over $10,000 for restored coupes. Hemmings Classic Car magazine listed the 1974-78 Matador Coupe as one of their 19 pieces of rolling proof that the old-car hobby need not be expensive and described the Coupé as "possibly one of the most distinctive shapes to come out of the 1970s, and arguably a style pinnacle for the personal luxury movement...", the James Bond movie role, as well as its NASCAR history.^[14]

References

Inline

General

• Foster, Patrick (2004). AMC Cars: 1954-1987, An Illustrated History. Motorbooks International. ISBN 1-58388-112-3. 
• Foster, Patrick (1993). The Last Independent. Motorbooks International. ISBN 0-87341-240-0. 
• Montgomery, Andrew (2002). The Great Book of American Automobiles. Motorbooks International. ISBN 1-84065-478-3. 
• Marquez, Edrie J. (1988). Amazing AMC Muscle: Complete Development and Racing History of the Cars from American Motors. Motorbooks International. ISBN 0-87938-300-3. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: AMC Matador

• A brief history of the Matador
• Norbert Vance's Matador Photo Sampler
• Arcticboy's Matador page, from which some this page's pictures were taken
• The Coupe Coop, a page dedicated entirely to the Matador coupe
• A page dedicated to the Cassini Matador coupe
• A page dedicated to the Barcelona Matadors
• 1972 AMC Matador station wagon specifications
• 1974 AMC Matador X coupe specifications
• Archived MatadorSedan.com
• Vintage LAPD Matador
• IMCDB movie car database
• Matador racing history (Archived 2009-10-24)
• AMC Matador in movies and TV series

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Type	1950s						1960s										1970s										1980s
	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
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Compact	Rambler				Rambler American												Hornet								Concord
	Jet																					Pacer								Alliance
Mid-size			Rambler Six					Classic						Rebel				Matador
				Rebel V8								Marlin									Matador Coupe
Full-size	Nash				Ambassador																														Premier
	Hudson
Sports															AMX											AMX							GTA
															Javelin
Crossover																											Eagle
SUV																	see timeline of Jeep models
Captive import	Metropolitan																									LeCar
																												Renault 18i/Sportwagon						Medallion
																													Fuego
Military vehicles						Mighty Mite												AM General trucks, Jeeps, and the HMMWV