For those readers wondering where I’ve been the past week, I took a much-needed trip to visit a very good friend in Maine. As it turns out, there was a good deal of car shopping involved during my stay as the 1985 300D which served as her daily was rear ended a week before my arrival by a motorist intoxicated enough to pass out (twice) at the scene of the accident. With $12,000 worth of damage, the Benz is obviously a total loss, so we took to searching for a replacement with an equivalent degree of character–I think this Craigslist find outdoes the Mercedes handily. So while I ready posts of the few cars I found in between time spent swimming, hiking and kayaking, enjoy Ol’ Yeller here.
I realize I’m supposed to find these cars dowdy and uncool, but I prefer the sporty, more macho look of sedans from the mid-to-late ’60s over the more effete styling which followed. In yellow, with dog dishes and no wood panelling, this checks the right boxes (though a grille would be necessary). It’s a sporty, purposeful look for an American intermediate.
The 360 call-out is in keeping with this wagon’s muscle car era Rambler Rebel roots, as is the original C-pillar. Uninteresting pictures taken underneath the doors show some minor rust, but this appears to be a largely intact survivor, something Maine is surprisingly full of. Used cars are also cheaper (in general) than they are in the midwest, so if you’re on the lookout for something old and interesting, don’t forget this remote corner of New England.
Maybe this was someone’s summer car, with a yellow-on-green color scheme which coincidentally matches that of many coastal summer homes, or perhaps it belonged to someone who went up north to retire. It’s a very interesting car in any case; that footwell lighting is a nice feature for a more utilitarian 1971, and along with the upholstery suggests not-quite-basic specification.
Split benches with adjustable headrests–not too shabby. Buttons on the fabric section suggest the slow creeping in of brougham influence, and this car must’ve seemed quite underdressed next to the equivalent Ford when new, but the restraint means it’s aged better.
But really, it’s the yellow-on-green which helps this car to stand out. The front seats were reupholstered as stated in the ad and some wear on the rear seats corroborates this account, but otherwise the interior is said to be original.
If not all original, someone must’ve gone on an exhaustive search to find all the right trim pieces. That is fitting for such an intriguing car; plain on the outside, nicely outfitted on the inside, with a four-barrel 360 and optional 3.15 rear axle ratio. Someone really knew what they wanted when ordering this forty-two years ago, and obviously loved it for quite some time afterward. If I were my friend living up in Rockland, Maine, I’d give this car serious consideration, but I would never dare to drive it on the salt. I’m posting this here in hopes of more people seeing it; I feel the price is right and a car like this deserves to be preserved.
Is that a trailer brake control I spy? And what is that gauge right above it?
A vacuum gauge.
Ah, gotcha.
Make mine a woody please.Not so sure about the yellow and green colour combination but a great find and read.I like the Matador sedans and wagons a lot more than the bizarre coupe that came later(,surely an AMC Deadly Sin)
Yellow and green makes this car. Looks great.
Agreed about preserving it. This is a wonderful piece of AMC history and the way it is equipped is icing on the cake.
Did your friend consider this car or is it just not her?
She wants something she doesn’t have to worry about. I would prefer that someone who won’t need it as a daily buy it.
Ha, this Matador is likely to be less expensive to maintain than a W123 Benz. The hype of the W123 diesels is that the engines run forever. They may, but the rest of the car will drain your wallet dry.
What a creampuff. I love non-exotic antiques- -they seem so “real”. The kind of cars you saw everyday in your youth.
That’s sharp, Perry! I think you need it to replace the Civic. It would give you more CC cred in Indiana. Also, it is the correct CC staff car color. Paul can get you some stickers for the side to match his truck.
If I could, I’d be happy to.
Nice condition for an old Matador. I test drove a sedan many years ago it was on the back row in a dunga dealers in western Sydney $1495 just under the warranty cutoff point at the time, didnt buy it I bought the beatup HQ next to it, I was heading into the bush for work and where do you get AMC parts where you cant even find towns, Holden parts are available under any tree. An ok car to drive I guess nothing special bench seats in brown faded green paint with rust stains from under the black vinyl top some rego yeah it was at the back of the lot for obvious reasons.
I see some type of trailer hitch on the rear (bottom photo). Also, the trailer brake control and gauge indicates that this was a special order for the purpose of pulling a trailer which would account for the 360 V8.
Still, a full grill and full wheel covers would add some sparkle to the car.
It would be nice to see some of the ’70s AMC ‘luxury’ cars collected. Too much emphasis on AMX and Javelins of this time period.
I don’t know….I kinda like the “blacked-out” grill. It’s growing on me.
I never understood the AMC steering wheel of this era. Just odd. Also, the instrument cluster is oddly cheap looking for an otherwise very nice interior. And a fascinating car that I really kind of like.
Sorry, but I don’t get all of the yellow and green love here. But then, I am not really a yellow car kind of guy. I do like the car. These photos show up something I had never noticed before, how the roof structure is shaped to accommodate the sedan’s rear doors. Sort of a variation on the way the Volvo 240 did it, but perhaps better integrated/better disguised.
It just now occurs to me that my father’s 1970 Connie Mark III was yellow with a dark green vinyl roof and dark green leather. The yellow was a bit more pale and the green a bit more avacado, but you get the idea. Maybe that one scarred me.
Ditto on that ugly steering wheel and instrument panel. Reeks of cheapness and poor engineering. Makes one think what else on the car was given short shrift.
A last gasp car for a dying company. Probably all for the best it faded into oblivion.
That steering wheel looks upside down either way it’s turned, and they used it for years in several forms. Ugh. Even the AMX suffered versions of that wheel.
I never understood the AMC steering wheel of this era. Just odd. Also, the instrument cluster is oddly cheap looking for an otherwise very nice interior.
They had the steering wheel different ways around from year to year. Some years, it would be mounted with the spokes sloping down, and some years with the spokes slanting up. My Aunt’s 70 Ambassador had it the same way as this one, which looked odd because they didn’t reverse the Ambassador logo badge on the wheel, so the badge on the wheel was upside down compared to the other Ambassador badges on the car.
The dash in the senior cars suffered from the same problem as the Hornet’s: too many pieces. Some of the joints ended up in very visible spots, and of course they didn’t take the time to trim the plastic bits so they would fit well.
They drove very nicely though. Much better suspension control than 70s Fords.
Yes, absolutely!!! That car is a keeper!! And it does deserve to be stored in a nice, warm garage during the long winter months.
Back in the late 1970’s, a friend of my family bought a used 1973 Matador wagon…..It was a copper color and had the 232 6 cylinder with the three speed manual on the tree. He kept that car up until at least 2005….. Winter salt took its toll on the lower quarter panels in the form of rust but otherwise the car did its job simply and reliably.
Wow, that would have been one sloooowwwww Matador. But it makes me kind of want one.
I rode in that 232 Matador a few times….It actually didn’t do too bad for a six in moving that car around…..
Most any intact wagon from this era needs an owner with TLC. Reminds me of the 77 Impala I once had. It’s worth keeping.
IMO ;
These were sterling AMC Products .
We had Matador Black and Whites plus ‘ Metro ‘ units that were nearly unkillable (apart from the one some @$$hole blew up when it was at the AMC Dealer for warranty work) .
They were sturdy and handled O.K. , didn’t mind idling in the Desert sun with the AC on all day long so on and so forth .
We even had a bunch (maybe 30) of these very Wagons .
Nice to see there’s still a few left .
Didja stop to nosh @ The Waldorboro Diner ? .
-Nate
Moody’s? I still have the t-shirt from there (“I’m a MOODY person”). Great lopstah chowdah.
Why would you select a 3.15 axle if the intent was to tow – and to to something obviously heavy enough to require trailer brakes? I think at least a 3.55:1 axle would be better for towing.
I’m not an AMC fan, but I like this car. No pretense on the outside with a bit of luxury on the inside. The yellow/green combo is something never to be produced again.
I like the dog dishes too — they’re not around anymore either on new iron, and today’s silly plastic wheelcovers are so lame.
On a trip through VT, NH, and ME about a year ago, my wife and I found a lot of vintage iron in great condition… who knew?
Nice. The upgraded front clip of these worked better that the coffin nose. And a wagon to boot!
Perry don’t lose touch with that friend, even if she declines to buy the wagon for summer only use! The wagon is cool and that part of the world is beautiful, it deserves to grow old there.
Only downside I see to this one (color notwithstanding) is 1971 was the last year for the Borg Warner Shift Command autobox. Not a terrible trans, but not a 727 Torque Command as the ’72-on would have.
Other than that, I love it. Great find, Perry!
Paint that wagon U.S. Air Force blue, and you’d have one of the staff cars at our Kadena operating location in 1970! The ONLY air force vehicle I ever drove.
It’s a beauty, but that 360 was a total pig on gas.
Dang! The wagon version of my first car:
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/cars-of-a-lifetime/coal-1972-amc-matador-i-saved-it-and-it-saved-me/
I’d pay $7k for that in a second. I even used to have a spare grille. Too bad (or luckily) Maine is so far away.
In Rockland, be sure to visit the Owls Head Transportation Museum! And on your way home, maybe see Goldenrod Garage in Freeport, where many downeast CCs congregate.
OHTM is awesome- I wanted to get my Caprice wagon in for the 100 years of Chevrolet, but alas- a mechanical malady prevented me from doing so.
As far as the Goldenrod Garage is concerned, I do not have a favorable impression of that establishment and I will leave it at that.
Fair enough. I know it exists, that’s it.
Seems too well equipped to be an organic dog dish. But, stranger things happened in those days. Terrific car, and, I agree, the ultimate CC staff car!
Nice llooking Matador wagon. It seems to b missing a grille.
It seems to b missing a grille.
At first, I didn’t even notice the grill was missing. In 72 they switched to a blacked out grill.
Sorry about the misspelling. Either the grille got damaged and the owner had it removed, or something happened to the grille.
LAPD sergeants (except maybe Joe Friday, never did figure out where his Fairlane came from) drove these things for years, some even survived into the mid-80’s. Los Angeles opted for the 401’s in both the patrol cars and the wagons. Retired LAPD family member says these Ramblers were a fine squad.
Bob ;
We had some Matador Metro cars and a Wagon or three well into the 1990’s .
The last one I ever saw was from Wall Street (Central Division) being driven by a Garage Attendant who had casually loaded about _5_ full Acetylene welding cylinders in it LYING DOWN (gasp) no one had ever told him this makes them unstable and prone to explode….
Whew .
Those 401’s & 390’s suffered bottom end oiling problems and often blew the rod bearings .
Did I mention ? it turns out there was a disgruntled AMC Worker on the assembly line who deliberately left the ball joint nuts LOOSE on Police Pursuit models ~ guess how they discovered this ? .
I remember the URGENT AMC memo taped all over every L.A.P.D. Garage…
-Nate
Nice….
I liked how Adam-12 was always the current LAPD squad.
My mom drove an AMC Matador when I was a boy, and she hated it. From what she’s told me, the engine was too under-powered for the size and weight of the car. Nevertheless, I came to like AMC cars.
A ‘largely-intact survivor’ in Maine is a ten-year-old vehicle that will pass a yearly vehicle inspection without any rust repair, especially now that calcium chloride is used widely on the roads here during the winter. There is an abrupt and rolling 15-year cutoff with regard to vehicles spotted on the road with regularity.
Just keep that Matador away from the coast, and certainly off the roads from November-April, which is the strategy the previous owners have employed if it has been here for any length of time. That car would be a really cool sighting anywhere, never mind in Vacationland. Really cool find.
so that’s a matador.
reliving commerical jingles – could not help myself. love wagons and yellow and am partial to green but the combo is just not doing it for me. black cloth would have been a better choice. heaven’s it still hurts to look.
The normal axle ratio would have been 2.87, so this car did have a 3.15 for towing.
Rockland, ME? How much???
I miss my AMC’s.
I’ve never seen one on the metal (as far as I recall) but I’d certainly be tempted by something like this if I lived in the US.
Here’s hoping it goes to a good home – it looks like its used being looked after
Sweet car! I suppose the green is unique, but the car would look cooler with black interior IMO.
The amazing upside down AMC steering wheel.
A few have commented on the wheel. Dug out my brochure collection
Here’s the 71 Ambassador wheel, same as the 70, with the upside down badge on the wheel, and round insturments.
72 Ambassador dash: wheel is now right side up as it was around 68/69, and they have also returned to the retangular speedo that had been used in 68 or 69
And what turned up at the Gilmore’s “muscle car” show last Sunday? A box stock 69 Rebel with a 290.
Funny how AMC cars get so much love here, but almost noone wanted them 45 years ago.
That green rebel is SWEET. Nice clean lines, the perfect wheels and a great color!
+1
A sadly ignored car at shows and in magazines.Very attractive.
Both have very nice dash. I like the horizontal speedometer.
Looks like Im alone, but I hate that green interior. Especially with the yellow exterior. Black or a spice or nutmeg type color would look SO much better. That said, Id rock this car. Of course full duals with ridiculous loud glasspacks paired with fat-n-skinny Cragar SS mags would be installed immediately!
I don’t like it either.It would be great with a green paintjob or an interior in the colours you described.
I love it. Love the color, love the lines, love the dog dishes. I even love the taillights. The more broughamy AMC cars don’t do it for me, but something like this–the practicality of a wagon, a nice-looking interior in an interesting color, a nice V8 under the hood, and styling that I’d call “elegantly muscular” over it all? Very, very nice.
I’ve always liked the 1972 through 1977 AMC Matador. I prefer the 1974 through 77 sedan or station wagon over the coupe.
Hi Perry,
I was scanning old pics into the pc and browsed around trying to find the year of my Dad’s Matador he called “The Banana”. Looks like a match to your 1971 pics, plus or minus a grill cover? When I spotted your pics on Google, memories hit me like a thunderbolt! My pic was in Indianapolis 1975-76 and those harsh Indy winters and salt seemed to chew a little more from underneath the Banana every year so unlikely the same car but thanks for the pics and memories! Mike L.