the author’s Matador
(Editor’s note: this submision is clearly a response to my Matador CC “The Stench Of Death”. We always welcome rebuttals)
In retrospect, it is very easy to condemn the Matador sedan, and lump it in with the last gasp effort of another venerable independent, the Studebaker Lark. However, in 1974 AMC was still very much a vibrant and relevant company, with the successful Hornet selling strongly, and the innovative Pacer on the horizon with an introduction scheduled for early 1975. In addition to the startling Matador coupe, the Matador sedan for 1974 sported a crisp and fresh new nose, as well as a revised rear clip and new colors added to entice buyers into showrooms.
I have to admit heavy bias in favor of the Matador sedan, and am the proud owner of the 1974 model shown here. Unlike Mr. Niedermeyer, I believe this revamp of the Rebel to be one of Dick Teague’s finer moments, especially considering the base material he had to work with; the Rebel, while utilitarian, was box-on-box styling at its most basic. It appears to me that Mr. Teague’s inspiration was a nautical one, a direction made to take the Matador upmarket and into the hands of those with disposable leisure dollars.
Am I crazy? Consider the Chris Craft XK-22 above. Notice the pointed front end, and the kick at the rear leading to a sloping deck; also note how the sail panels on the rear sit proud of the rear deck area. All of these features were prominent on the 1971 redesign, and the front end facelift of 1974 simply made the commonalities more pronounced. Far from being a death knell, the redesigned Matador was a bold move by a forward looking company still very much in the game.
Yes, these cars were favorites of police everywhere including my hometown of Edmonton, Alberta. This is a testament to their quality, durability, and available air conditioning at a reasonable price This is something to be admired rather than mocked or maligned. Very few cars are suitable for police usage, and it is testament to the engineering of the Matador that it was so widely used.
Finally, I’ll address the idea that these cars are boring. That, of course, is in the eyes of the beholder. However, I can tell you that my Matador draws more crowds at a show and shine than any of the rows of Mustangs, Camaros, and the other usual suspects found at such events.
As far as the driving experience, I can say that the power and acceleration are well up to modern standards (when stacked against Caprices and Crown Vics, their modern equivalents), and it easily out-handles my recently departed late model Crown Vic in the twisties.
But I do hope Mr. Niedermeyer and the other naysayers keep up the good work; their denigration of the Matador keeps prices sane for those of us in the know, and allows us to enjoy some of Kenosha’s finest while continuing to fly under the radar…
I like the much earlier stacked headlight versions of these in 2 door hardtop form.
When I see this newer (74ish) body style this is what I picture in my head.
I might need to seek professional help.
The 1967-68 Ambassador, which was a stretched version of the Rebel/Matador, featured the stacked headlights.
I just lump these in with the Ambassador because they are the same care more or less.
That was one of AMC’s problems. AMC wanted you to think of them as two entirely different car lines.
Sort of like Impala and Caprice?
But, perversely, tiny AMC spent MORE to differentiate the Ambassador and Rebel/Matador than big, rich GM spent to differentiate the Caprice and Impala.
The Caprice and Impala were built on the same wheelbase, unlike the AMC offerings, and the Caprice shared all of its sheet metal with the Impala.
“And furthermore, I would like say a few words about the number of degenerate sporty cars in the world today. We should all be driving decent and dignified sedans. Carefully. Thank You.”
Yes Sam would approve, and although I agree with the ruggedness of these cars and the fortuitous low market value, good on you for making one your own.
Styling? uhh, the kindest thing I can say as an AMC fan is that it’s outstanding in an outrageously ugly sort of way..
Yes these are not cars to drive fast on twisty roads cruise on good roads yep nice cars Ramblers, bad roads lotsa corners, nar not so much.
A friend has a 67 SST in gold/white gold brocade upholstery he had just got it back from the upholstery shop when I saw it check the cohort its on there. The replacement seat material was surprisingly easy to get and the car is mint though RHD converted not manufactured( the power window controls are still on the left)its a very cool car.
Kermit the Frog: We will also see a rousing finale from Sam the Eagle. What’s it called, Sam?
Sam the Eagle: It’s called “A Salute to All Nations, But Mostly America”.
“You people are all weirdos!” -Sam the Eagle
ROTF Philhawk.
I like and collect Fieros. Heck, I love Fieros. I think they are faster, roomier, more reliable, and more collectible any Miata, Solstice, ever will be.
Just kidding. If they weren’t junk I couldn’t afford to own so many. But I’m totally cool with that and accept my babies for the precious little angels they are.
As for the Matador, I’d head to it first if I saw one at a show way before paying mind to all the SS/GTO/442/GT/HEMI-badged generica/clonery majority.
Junqueboi…
My first car was an 87 GT black/gray with the pigskin seats, subwoofer stereo and every other option they could get except the sunroof and auto trans.. I truely miss my Fiero.
I’m with you on looking at the “forgotten” cars alot closer than the SS/GTO/442 etc… (although I still have to check out every GTO, I have some sorte of mutated gene that forces me to look at every Pontiac at the show).
I would definitely check out the AMC. I’ll even admit to going to the national AMC convention last summer…mostly because it was only 25 miles from home and my wife didn’t have much of a clue on what AMC’s are.
OF COURSE Sam drove a Matador, a powder-blue sedan just like this one (but with plain steelies and dog dishes, no flashy styled wheels for him, No Sir!)
Kermit drove a Cutlass Supreme, Animal a VW bus, Fozzie a Gran Torino Brougham, and Miss Piggy a lipstick-red and white Caprice convertible which she called her “Eldorado” (that’s what she really wanted, but syndication doesn’t pay *that* well).
And Cookie Monster briefly had a brown 1973 F250. It was delicious!
I’m always glad that someone is preserving a rarely seen car. Vintage AMC models from the 1970s rarely turn up at classic/special-interest car shows around here, but, when they do, it’s fun to see them.
The 1974 Ambassador, with its dual headlights, looks much better with this prominent nose. AMC, unfortunately, discontinued the Ambassador for 1975.
The front facelift couldn’t hide the fact that these cars looked old by 1975 when parked next to a GM Colonnade sedan, or even a Torino/Montego sedan.
In retrospect, AMC should have spent the money used to restyle the Matador coupe on a comprehensive restyling of the existing sedan and coupe. The size and layout of the basic 1967 body were still competitive in 1974; the problem was that the sedan and old coupe looked dated by then.
Even that move probably wouldn’t have made much difference in the long run. Between the CAFE regulations enacted in response to the fuel crunch of late 1973 and the increasing success of the imports, all domestic cars would have to be completely redesigned in the coming years. AMC simply didn’t have enough money for a ground-up redesign of its cars, even if it hadn’t blown its development funds on the 1974 Matador coupe and 1975 Pacer.
I wonder if Brooks Stevens (who updated the old basic Loewy design of Studebaker) could had done something with the Matador/Ambassador?
Meanwhile in Argentina, IKA(Industrias Kaiser Argentina, later acquired by Renault) who dropped during the mid-1960s the old Kaiser tooling and used AMC/Rambler models under licence), could had taken the 1967-74 Rebel/Matador/Ambassador tooling? They continued to make the basic 1965-66 Ambassador until 1974 or 1975 for the Argentine market http://www.productioncars.com/gallery.php?car=9078&make=IKA&model=Renault
They could had been more modern then the 1960 Ford Falcon who was built in Argentina until 1991!
Geeber, keep in mind that the Matador was based on the 1963 Classic/Ambassador platform, which was fairly compact — indeed, smaller on the outside than a Ford Granada. A downsized Matador round about 1974 could have gone a long way toward carrying the company through the 1970s.
Yes, FWD would have been needed to remain viable in the 1980s, but that might have been more plausible if AMC hadn’t shot its wad on the Matador coupe and Pacer.
Interesting, as I thought that the 1967 platform was also all-new. I know that the rear suspension was new – the pre-1967 Ambassadors and Classics were the last domestic cars to use torque-tube drive, if I recall correctly.
I’ve always found it fascinating how “right” the 1963-64 Classic and Ambassador were in everything from size to style for the 1970s!
The challenge of converting to front-wheel-drive was it essentially required a vehicle that was new from the ground up, much like the GM X-cars. Would AMC have had money to engineer and build such a car, even without the Matador coupe and Pacer fiascos?
The 1967 Rebel/Ambassador redesign paralleled that of the 1968 Javelin. Both were more than reskinnings of AMC’s mid-sized and compact platforms, respectively, but they were not clean-sheet designs.
For example, the windshield was given a sharper rake but the cowl and basic floorpan were carried over. This was in contrast to the Hornet, with its distinctly different “fuselage” design.
If AMC had made it through the late-70s in solid financial shape it could have had a number of options in responding to CAFE, including platform sharing, moving upmarket (a la Volvo) and/or shifting more toward Eagle-style CUVs.
Note also that Ford got a lot of mileage out of the Fox platform in the 1980s because it was fairly lightweight for RWD.
Some type of merger was probably inevitable, but it could have been done from a position of relative strength — and with a better product fit. I find an AMC-Subaru tie up one of the more intriguing scenarios.
AMC did spend money revamping the 74 Sedan, just not as much money spent on the coupes as the sedan. Almost everything on the Sedan changed other than the doors and roof The Coupe received a new roof and doors and front clip and rear quarters and deck while everything underneath was the same., the sedan received only new front clip and rear quarter deck. Both cars shared the same dashboards as well interiors. The difference is that the coupe changes were dramatic in styling. But Dramatic doesn’t necessarily mean more expensive. The Sedans restyle was significant in terms of cost, not as much as the coupe but still very significant. Sedan and Coupes all had new tail lamps, grills, bumper systems front and rear, fenders quarters, hood and deck lids. The extra cost changes to the Coupe which would not have been done had it retained the previous years overall styling would only be the doors and roof and greenhouse. Presumably, that would have changed regardless of what styling direction moved in for 1974. A sedan can last longer than a coupe style. Trends change. It was clearly time to change the Matador/Ambassador Coupe roof lines which had been in place since 1969 and looked very much like 1968 Plymouth Fury and Dodge Monaco’s roof lines of that period.
I’d still rather have a Rebel.
+1
I appreciate your enthusiasm, Doug and your example is pretty clean. Retrospect and hindsight . . . well, you know. I understand AMC’s constraints on budgeting a new “look” for the ’74 Matador sedan as funds were spent developing the striking coupe (looks best in “X” form with no vinyl tops to screw up the lines).
Unfortunately, AMC could’ve done WAY BETTER on the Matador sedan. The Ambassador came off much better looking with it’s coffin nose. Perhaps that’s due to the traditional extra inches of wheelbase ahead of the cowl for the Ambassador vs. the Matador/Rebel’s shorter 112″ wheelbase. In hindsight, AMC’s Dick Teague & Co. should’ve kept the ’71-’73 Matador clip with the cow-catcher ’74 bumper adapted to it and then just moved the Matador name up to the discontinued-for-’75 Ambassador’s longer spread . . . . would’ve had a much better looking car.
Even less $$$ could’ve been (at least for ’75 onward) spent if the Ambassador’s dual headlights made it over to the ’75 and later Matador sedan grille. Would’ve made a real handsome (if not dated by ’75-’78) looking car.
Remember that for 1976, Chrysler simply took the ’75 Imperial, slapped New Yorker badges on it, decontented some items and made it the ’76 New Yorker. That and a significant price drop saw a huge sales increase. Wonder if AMC execs thought about the same for the Matador (i.e. just lump the name on the Ambassador)?? Perhaps AMC thought the Ambassador 122″ wheelbase was too big for the “mid-size” market. On the other hand, it didn’t stop AMC in ’56 when they offered the “Ambassador Special” – an Ambassador trimmed Nash Statesman on the Statesman’s 114″ wheelbase.
I agree Billy, I would had dropped the Matador name (except for coupe) and use the Ambassador name for the mid-size car. In Mexico, VAM, keeped the old Classic name instead of using Rebel and Matador
http://theamcforum.com/forum/1971-rambler-classic-197276-classic-matador_topic49637.html
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mmbrown/2754505676/
Good for you!
While I agree with Paul this time, any old car is worth saving and has an interesting history. One thing I love about this site is celebrating the odd ball cars we remember, if only faintly.
I love your Matador! I haven’t seen a “nosy” one in many a year. Needless to say, what might not have been so cool in 1974 is ultra-cool now. You’d be the king of hipsters in Portlandia today! Don’t let it get away from you; this is a keeper.
The Green Goblin has already become something of a family heirloom in the two years I’ve had it. Suffice it to say it will be remaining in my little fleet for many years to come…
Paul’s right. Various AMC veterans are getting almost as common as Falcons here in the land of ironic retro cool.
In the ’73 Vega post below it was noticed that the front bumper was extended versus the ’72 but not the rear. Someone commented that’s because in ’73 the regulation was 5mph for the front and 2.5 for the rear, then in ’74 it went 5mph front and rear.
But that doesn’t explain why on so many ’74s the front bumpers were beefier than the ’73s. I can’t think of a car where that wasn’t the case except the Porsche 914 where the ’73 and ’74 front bumpers appeared to be the same. On the 914 the front and rear didn’t get huge until ’75.
On the Super Beetle the ’73 and ’74 bumpers looked the same but were not; the ’74 had the struts and mounted the bumpers a tad higher. On the Volvo 1800ES the ’73 had the struts but not the ’72. Strange.
You can see what I’m taking about in this ’74 Matador post where the front bumper is much beefier than in the ’73 Matador post below.
Aside from making the ’74 front end look better, why did the bumper change on the subject car, if the standard was 5mph same as in ’73? Was the comment in the Vega post incorrect?
Could it be that a 5mph requirement for the rear necessitated a battering ram type and most companies did the front up that way to match?
Acutally the 73 Matador front bumper was mounted differently than the 72 because of the changing regulations. The 73 one is the same stamping, but it is extended about 2 inches, same as was done on the Vega. 72 and 73 have the same rear bumper mount, again same as the Vega.
@calibrick – I made the comment in the ’73 Vega post. You raise a good question and the 1974 bumpers are much beefier than the 1973s because the ’74s meet a bumper height standard and the 5 mph impact was now applied at an angle. Like you said almost all cars have much different bumpers in ’74 than they did in ’73.
Appreciate the info 62 Skylark, thanks. I vaguely remembered there being some difference between the ’73 and ’74 front standards, having to do with the angle test, or pole versus wall test. Then the ’74 914 came to mind and I couldn’t image that being any better than the ’73 in any kind of test since visually they were identical and same as the ’70-’72. This is a real mystery on the 914… the US standard either changed again for ’75, or the 914 was out of compliance for ’74, or if the ’74 met the ’75 and upwards regs it should have been retained. Maybe the front was a “lucky” design that could pass but not the rear. That’s why I thought maybe they matched the front to what required for the new rear in ’75.
The standards were not changed again until 1979 models. According to Wikipedia – bumper guards were added to the 914 front bumper in ’73 and to the rear bumper in ’74. And the bumpers were changed to rubber covered in ’75 and ’76. So it seems Porsche met the standards with guards in ’73 and ’74 and changed to rubber covered bumpers in ’75 for their own reasons (probably cost reduction).
Based on observations I made in 1974, I’d say specialty models and/or low volume manufacturers received some type of dispensation for the 74 model year. As I recall, the Chrysler E-Bodies did not thicken their ’73 bumpers for ’74.
The fact that ’74 was the last year for the E-bodies may also have come into play…
That could be. Maybe you could apply for an exemption if you were a small company (Porsche) or if it was your last year (Barracuda/Challenger). ’74 was probably the only year. It was the last year for many of my favorite cars like the Pantera.
These regs started when I was a pre-teen i.e. during my peak car nerd years. I was obsessed with the new bumpers and actually preferred the ’73s over the pre-’73s on most cars. ’74 was a different story…
Thought I would Wiki two cars, the Pantera and Citroen SM, before hitting send and I found the answer! We’ve pieced it together perfectly!
“Despite initial success, U.S. sales ceased suddenly — Citroën expected, but did not receive, an exemption for the 1974 model year 5 mph (8.0 km/h) bumper regulation imposed by the NHTSA. The integral variable height suspension of the SM made compliance impossible. The final batch of 134 now illegal 1974 U.S. model SMs were shipped to Japan.”
what coulda/shoulda been?
+1
Interesting car, but it probably would have been too far outside of the styling mainstream for that segment to have ultimately sold well.
Most of the sales action in the intermediate field was with the two-door versions, and we know how the public reacted to the 1974-77 Matador coupe.
This should be filed along with the Studebaker Avanti sedan prototypes, under “Fascinating but would never work.”
I look at this and can’t help think of a Pacer sedan.
And to me it sorts of looks like the Torino sedan of the same era (not Gran).
I think this looks better as a two door coupe.
I worked for Hertz when these cars were current. We had them, plus the wagons, in our fleet.
Hertz did not buy these. Rather they were leased and generally for a short term – say six months or fewer. Hertz bought Fords & GMs but leased Chryslers & AMCs.
The car was just fine for service in the Hertz fleet. It was durable enough and the customers accepted them. They also were often in better condition than the Granadas, Torinos and Malibus because they were usually newer (staying in the fleet only a short time).
I do remember sort of liking the wagons; they were boxy and useful and seemed to better serve the wagon’s purpose than the wagon form of the “colonnade” GMs or the Torino/Montego wagons.
Didnt see many 74s here the earlier model was built in OZ and Rebels were assembled in NZ and sold well. A friend has a Rambler coupe he reckons it drives like an old Holden, Police Hated HQ Holdens with their understeering Camaro front suspension they were probably the worst Holden ever for roadholding and my friends Dad bought a new Holden every time a new model came out so it is those cars hes talking about, Ive been in a 69 Rebel at indicated 110mph it was wallowing all over a straight but bumpy surfaced road, we assembled them here but they were US or Canada probably export CKD packs, the one we tried out belonged to school mates mother he had a licence so was allowed to drive it mum paid for the gas
ask Mr Platt about how well a 3.3 PB Vauxhall goes, he should know our police liked those they could out accelerate any sedan on our market and on the UK market too, fast yep they were B&H winners but they corner on the doorhandles, Armstrong 500 the inaugural Bathurst long distance race (held at Phillip Island circuit) was won in 1960 by a Vauxhall Cresta ,it was running second to the leading 220 Mercedes, when the Benz crashed the Cresta kept going and won the original powertrain has been rebodied and is still in race/stock condition, New Zealand alone got the 65 3.3 Velox/Cresta GMH wisely kept them off the aussie market they had a hopped up 186 cube Holdens and a coming V8 that couldnt catch a Cresta PB or PC some did sneak in Ive seen them but we had them and the Traffic cops loved them, Vauxhall has quite a long sporting car history going back to the flathead Prince Henry of 1907, they built the first 3litre car to achieve 100mph once upon a time they were Bentleys competition not rusty shit boxes xeroxed from Opel.
I, like some others here, love your car. At the same time, I cannot say that I consider it good looking.
As was pointed out above, the 74 Ambassador’s front worked fairly well. I understand that the problem was the use of the Ambassador hood cut down on the sides to fit the shorter front fenders of the Matador, requiring that awful schnoz. AMC should have just sold a 75+ Ambassador at the Matador’s name and price, and would have done better.
My other problem with the styling goes back to the 1970 Rebel redesign. That slow upward slope on the rear door beltline looks just like GM’s cars – from 1968 (A body) and 69 (B Body). That style was dead by 1972, where the style was a straight-through beltline with an abrupt kickup at the rear. Think 71 vs 72 Lincoln sedans. The Matador’s rear 1/2 of the greenhouse was horribly outdated by 1974, and just screamed that it was a 5 year old look. Lincoln fixed the issue with new rear door stampings, and AMC could have as well, but chose not to. In fairness, the 74-78 Mopar B body suffered from the same flaw (“Suddenly it’s 1971”), but then it sold like crap as well.
I like it apart from the front end,sorry that’s a face only a mother could love.The rest of the car looks quite stylish especially the rear.
I actually like the front end the best. It’s unique looking. My biggest issue is the was the rear door window frames are nearly perfectly square. It looks awkward with the sloping roofline.
The market segment these cars occupied was swallowed by Fords local Fairlane and GMHs Holden Statesman and Chrysler had several more luxurious large cars at the time, not enough local content killed AMC out here the cars themselves were ok Farmers liked big American cars they got subsidised fuel my Dad borrowed some tradeins that took his eye, I’d get a ride to school in what ever he’d liberated from usedcardom for the night, He’d tell me where he’d been down to Rotorua and back or Taupo sometimes 500 miles round trip to meetings, customers for used cars would ask if something was any good they’d get pointed in my dads direction if he’d been driving it. He liked these sorts of cars if going soth to Hamilton the waikato region has great roads lots of farmers and dairy companies saw to that.
If you just reshape the lower rear door you can leave the roof alone. Adding a quarter light will also make it look more modern.
I can’t say my opinion is swayed but your example is pretty cool. Love the color/mag wheel/whitewall combo on it. Very AMC!
But… I just can’t help but gag every time I see that front end, particularly the later ones with the rectangular parking lights. It certainly was original, I’ll give it that. The only cars I can think of with the headlights pulled back into the fenders like that were 66-69 Mustangs, but those didn’t use a full width grille. I look at virtually any car today though, and they remind me of this Matador: Headlights pulled way back into the fenders with a very prominent grille protruding outward.
So that can be taken as “the 74 Matador was way ahead of it’s time” or “new car styling is so bad that they’re taking cues from the 74 Matador”.
American – check
V8 – check
RWD – check
Full size (according to the manufacturer) – check
Heck I’ll give it a try. 🙂
I don’t hate on any car that fits those properties. There aren’t enough of them around anymore.
“There aren’t enough of them around anymore.”
Any of them?
Well there are rear drive cars just not body on frame. I believe the Matador was unit-body construction just like the current Chrysler LX cars. I simply meant there aren’t as many V8 RWD cars on the market today as there were 20 or 30 years ago.
Ah, didn’t think of the Chryslers, only the Holden/Chevrolet Caprice which I suppose would be full-size according to current definitions – I doubt any of them would be full-size by 1970’s standards
I’m sorry but I’ve never warmed up to that schnoz.
As far as them being favored by police and other gov’t agencies that was mainly due to the fact that AMC was the low bidder as then needed those fleet sales to have a hope to keep the line running and at a high enough volume to make at least some profit on the few units they retailed, Jeep line excluded, at least until the Pacer and Eagles came along.
Matador cop cars star in movie “Argo”. At the end they are chasing the airliner with the escapees. It didn’t really happen, just embellishment.
Anyway, at first I thought the cars were too old for time portrayed, late 1979. But then, I forgot Matadors were built until 1978. Also, Iran was a big customer of US cars before the Shah fell. So, the Matadors were correct for the scene. Iran police would have kept using the AMC’s long past 1974-78 til they fell apart.
Wow I just watched Argo the other night and enjoyed it but was thinking at the time the Police cars should have left the military trucks in the dust. Anyway, The Matador always seemed too small in the era of big LTD police cars but just the right size when both Ford and GM downsized their entire line. Shoulda coulda woulda I guess.
Indeed! Check it out: http://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_516089-AMC-Matador-1972.html
I’d like to see what kind of reaction this car would incite cruising around in, say, Dallas.
Any chance of a Police car special please?
One Adam 12, see the man…
My mother had a ’75 Hornet in this shade of green (it was called Seaspray, I think). It was the most embarrassing car my family ever owned, so of course it ended up being the transportation to my senior prom, after my friend’s brother reneged on his promise to let my friend use his’75 Camaro.
I used to travel from NYC to Horicon, Wisconsin on a regular basis in the early ’70s. I flew from LaGuardia to Mitchell Field in Milwaukee, a delightful experience since North West Airlines served steak and eggs for breakfast, and steak and potatoes for dinner, along with a complimentary after dinner drink. Once in Milwaukee I would rent a car for the drive to Horicon. Being an industrial designer, I felt it sporting to savor the local product, anything AMC. The rental agents offered me all sorts of GM, Ford and Chrysler alternatives, and were horrified when I demanded an AMC product. After a couple of rentals I understood why. These things were turds on wheels. I went back to renting anything but AMC.
Having been to Horicon (at least Horicon Marsh), I have to ask, what’s in Horicon for an industrial designer?
Never did like much of the AMC line, Jeeps excluded (just make mine a Renegade CJ-5, or CJ-7 please, with manual).
The reason was to me was they tended to look goofy, and/or dowdy by the early 70’s, and sometimes both, or were just plain butt ugly (Gremlin anyone?)
My oldest sister and her first hubby had a pea green Gremlin, a ’72 at that, that was past its prime by the early 80’s, but still ran fine. It was ugly, and had the 3 on the tree tranny however. In 1983, they had that car, and the ’74 Nova my late father bought for them in late summer of ’79 from the GSA Gov’t auctions, well, they were to move to Ft Walton Beach, renting a U-Haul truck to haul their worldly goods and ONE car, guess which one they towed, the Gremlin, so I bought the Nova for $300.
The Matador coupes were interesting to say the least and so were the Pacers, though if I HAD to have one, make mine the first iteration with the horizontal taillights thanks. It’s a more cohesive design, bloated and lard butt (or thunder thighs) looking though it was, but at least it had summitry to its design than the later ones with the vertical taillights.
My 78 concord is high on my list of good memories. These are not on my list of memories good or bad. Overseas and too busy. Pretty much gone when I returned in 78 or, at least, I don’t remember them which is a big factor.
I think the 401 Matador police car was more than just low bid. I think LAPD had maybe two or three hundred of them, and they had pretty stiff standards.
Just so ~
We had an entire fleet of them , Metro units as well as Black and White Patrol cars .
The 401’s bottom end had an oiling problem so anything AMC ever made with it was always on sale dirt cheap with a rod knock…..(including Jeeps)
FWIW , L.A.P.D. had these fine and close to indestructible cars in service into the early 1990’s .
In 1974 someone on the assembly line wasn’t fond of Police and left the left lower ball joint nuts loose causing numerous crashes of Police Spec. cars (only) .
The wagons were really nice .
-Nate
It’s a shame that someone would deliberately sabotage a police cruiser causing it to crash. I hope the saboteur got caught and fired from the job.
I don’t know , we just got the Factory alert tech bulletin .
They really were sterling cars , able to handle rough use like older Checker taxis ~ going over a 4″ curbstone @ 50 MPH didn’t phase these a bit .
Most of ours were the 3XX C.I.D. engines .
We had one at the Los Angeles AMC Dealer for warranty work when it blew up in their back parking lot , I don’t recall the end results of that investigation , who placed the bomb or where .
-Nate
That’s rugged. They definitely don’t make cars like that today.
AMC wanted a piece of the growing mid size market badly. The LAPD sale was used for advertising, along with placement in cop shows.
But the Big 3 had that market sewn up, even Chrysler had trouble competing with Cutlass, Chevelle, Torino and their Personal Lux offshoots.
The Matador sedan was ahead of its time, though, in that the 1977 GM B body was a boxy, space efficient sedan on 116″ wb. If they had gave it rhinoplasty, maybe would have sold better?
I had a ’73 AMC Hornet hatchback as one of my college cars. Compared to the big 3 offerings, only the Nova handled nearly as well. It was a great little hustler that met a tragic demise way too soon (drunk driver totaled it).
AMC had some great ideas (the hatchback, the Sportabout) that balanced out things like the Matador coupe and Pacer.
FTR, I think the coffin nose on the 4 door is distinctive.
My 1974 was blue too.
It was 1988 and I was a college student in Thousand Oaks, CA. My friend and I secured a day’s work helping a local man in his 70’s clear out years of overgrowth in this back yard.
At the end of our work day, I asked the old man about the curious heap in his driveway. It was a light blue 1974 AMC Matador four door sedan. The hood had been removed and lay shiny side down on the vinyl roof. The engine bay was completely filled with fallen leaves, though I could make out two valve covers in there…but a gap between them—it appears the intake manifold got unbolted. The man told me that about 5 years earlier, he had started to disassemble the engine to replace a burned exhaust valve. Then his wife called him in for dinner. The project had not progressed over the ensuing 5 years. He then said, “Why, you want it”? “The parts are in the trunk”.
“Of course” somehow can streaming from my young mouth. I borrowed a bumper mount tow bar from a friend, and hitched that very heavy Matador to my not-so-eager 1980 Pinto wagon with 2.3L . As my buddy and I were in the front seat of the Pinto while dragging the Matador home, we were a little perplexed by how my Pinto kept sliding around corners with the big Matador behind us. I learned about understeer, then uncontrollable oversteer. It was actually a tad scary. Note to self: Towing a dead 4000lb car with an 89 horsepower 2500lb Pinto is not a good idea…”! With the Matador unhooked in my apartment parking lot, I assessed what needed to be done.
Between college classes over the next several weeks, I extracted two large trash bags worth of leaves from the engine compartment. Now I had a clear view. What I found there, combined with what was in the trunk, appeared to be a complete 304 cubic inch inch V8. I also noted however that though all the leaves were gone, there was an inch or so of brown viscous liquid in the engine valley along with the push rods and lifters. The liquid appeared to be oily, but how could there be so much in the engine so as to make the level above the camshaft?
I grabbed 9/16in wrench and my drain pan. Under the car, I released a torrent of oil…..and then WATER!….about 3 gallons of it….and some smallish chunks of unidentifiable grunge. “Hmmmm…” I thought to myself.
I decided to grab the crank pulley to see if it would turn. Easily, actually. One good sign, at least. I decided to pull both heads. I found a burned #4 exhaust, just as the old man told me.
I borrowed a valve spring compressor from the mechanic at my College’s maintenance garage (where I worked as a part time student assistant for tuition remission). I purchased a single new valve for $7.00 from local auto parts store, Harvey’s. I brought the heads into my apartment, where I used the kitchen counter as a workbench. I hand-lapped all 16 valves, and then took the heads to my bathtub where I soaked them with degreaser and gave them a shower. Back at Harvey’s I spent $36 for a gasket set, $3 for an oil filter, and about $8 on the no-name 10w40. I didn’t have any more money, so this had to work.
Everything bolted right together. Not a single stripped hole, not a single missing nut or bolt. I filed the points, then grabbed the battery out of my Pinto. I dribbled some gas from a gas can into the Motorcraft 2-barrel, got in the driver seat, and turned the key.
Two cranks, and it fired. It seemed as if it had just run yesterday. Hitting on all 8, even the auto choke kicked down properly, and the tough old girl settled into a lovely smooth idle….on the five year old gas from the tank.
I rushed to grab some water jugs so I could get some water in the motor before I burned my new valve. No leaks. I was feeling pretty good so far.
Radiator full, I decided to take what I named “Das Boat” for a spin. Moving the column shifter into D didn’t seem do anything, but then, gently, the car crept forward. With a little throttle, I was rounding the parking lot corners. I thought perhaps I should check the brakes. They worked, mostly…kinda like the transmission, they needed to wake up gradually. I then left the parking lot, and cruised the adjacent boulevard. Honestly, the car floated down the road as if nothing had happened…just another day in the park.
Now fully warmed up and operational, I returned to my parking lot. I thought I should put a timing light on her to get it into spec. That’s when I noticed something strange. The timing mark on the crank was moving….longitudinally….as I goosed then engine, I observed what must have been a half inch of endplay on that crankshaft. I was surprised the fan belts didn’t jump out of their grooves. “Oh well” I thought to myself. “I Guess I won’t bother titling and getting tags for this…the motor might blow up anytime with end play like this”.
As one would expect from a poor motor head college kid with about 50 acres of open space nearby, my roommate and I took turns off-roading Das Boot. We would roll down all the windows, don our motorcycle helmets, and have fun. Lots of fun. Who knew that a 1974 Matador could do jumps?
I invited a lovely young lady to join me for a lunch hour bonsai run in Das Boot. She put on her helmet, buckled in…and off we went. I headed for the little track I had created, but launched with somewhat more velocity than previously. Suddenly Das Boot was airborn…and rotating…..within a thick dust cloud. The car touched down…hard…..and I heard hub caps rolling away. I had completely lost situational awareness. I thought the car had stopped moving, but it hadn’t. Reflexively, I grabbed the column shifter, and moved it up to PARK. Then a strange “KerBLING” came from under the car. Now, the car had stopped!
My lovely little 304 V8 was happily idling under the hood. But now, the car would not move. I killed the transmission with that little stunt. I was honestly stunned. The transmission was the “good” part of the car…unaffected by 5 years of uncovered exposure…how could THAT have failed? Turns out, transmissions aren’t immune from stupidity inflicted on them by careless bonsai driving college kids.
I remember the AMC Matador. My parents had a 1974 Matador coupe.
I find the 1974 Matador sedan and wagon more attractive than the two door coupe.
Watching reruns of Dukes Of Hazzard. 74 sedan looks good as a police car. Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane’s 74 Matador took a beating in season one. One episode the bad guys had a white 74 with red “racing” stripes on sides and hood. Looked good too. What’s NOT to love about the 74+ Matador sedans?