Details of Cars

AMC Matador: family car, police car, NASCAR winner

AMC

1978 AMC Matador Barcelona
1978 AMC Matador Barcelona. Photo by Greg Gjerdingen from Willmar, USA, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

The Matador was American Motors’ mid-size family car that grew into a full-size flagship. Two distinct generations were built between 1971 and 1978, and along the way the car served as a police cruiser, a NASCAR racer and a Bond villain’s transport.

AMC Matador at a glance

AMC Matador key facts
Maker American Motors Corporation
Production 1971–1978 model years
Class mid-size 1971–73, full-size 1974–78
Replaced AMC Rebel
Body styles two-door hardtop and coupe, four-door sedan, station wagon
Engines 300–360 cu in V8s; 360 and 401 cu in in police cars
Police use favoured by the LAPD and other departments
Racing NASCAR 1972–75, five wins
Luxury versions Barcelona and Oleg Cassini coupes
Film The Man with the Golden Gun, 1974

Based on one source: the English Wikipedia article on the AMC Matador.

History of the AMC Matador

Why the Rebel became the Matador

The Matador arrived for 1971 as AMC’s attempt to reposition its intermediate models. Executives concluded that the “Rebel” name, once a symbol of youthful independence, had picked up negative connotations in the Vietnam era and no longer fitted the family market of the 1970s. Market research led to “Matador”, a name meant to suggest power and precision. The intermediate segment typically had wheelbases of 114 to 118 inches and cars weighing 3,500 to 3,700 pounds, usually with 300 to 360 cu in V8 engines. In 1972 AMC moved its $15 million national advertising account to a new agency, which created the self-deprecating “What’s a Matador?” campaign that made the unfamiliar name better known.

1978 AMC Matador coupe Barcelona
Matador coupe in Barcelona trim. Photo by CZmarlin — Christopher Ziemnowicz, a photo credit would be appreciated if this i, CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

Police cars and racing

The first generation came as a two-door hardtop, four-door sedan and station wagon. Sedans and wagons with heavy-duty police packages and 360 or 401 cu in V8 engines were widely regarded by law enforcement as superior tactical vehicles, and agencies including the Los Angeles Police Department favoured the Matador for its durability and high-speed stability. Factory-backed two-door hardtops raced in NASCAR from 1972 to 1975 with drivers including Mark Donohue and Bobby Allison, who won the 1975 Southern 500 at Darlington; the Matador took five first-place NASCAR wins in all.

The second generation

For 1974 the Matador gained the new five-mile-per-hour impact-absorbing bumpers required by federal rules. The sedan and wagon stayed boxy and practical, but AMC also introduced a two-door coupe that was longer, wider and lower than the four-door and shared no design elements with it. Its fastback silhouette and flared wings were described as polarising, praised for aerodynamics and criticised for interior ergonomics. The coupe carried a steel hoop in the roofline as a step towards federal roof-crush standards. After the Ambassador was dropped in 1974, the Matador became AMC’s full-size flagship, and premium coupes were sold as the Barcelona and the Oleg Cassini. The Matador was also sold abroad under the Rambler name and assembled under licence in Costa Rica, Mexico and Australia, and right-hand-drive cars were exported to Britain. The second-generation coupe appeared in the 1974 James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun.

Design and features

  • Two generations: the 1971–73 mid-size car and the larger 1974–78 full-size model.
  • Police package: heavy-duty suspension and 360 or 401 cu in V8s made the sedan a favoured cruiser.
  • Distinctive coupe: the 1974 two-door shared no body panels with the sedan or wagon.
  • Luxury trims: the Barcelona and Oleg Cassini coupes targeted the personal luxury market.

AMC Matador versions

  • Matador 1971–73: the first generation, with hardtop, sedan and wagon bodies.
  • Matador 1974–78: the second generation on the full-size platform.
  • Matador coupe: the stand-alone two-door with fastback styling.
  • Barcelona: the premium coupe trim named after the Spanish city.
  • Oleg Cassini: a designer edition of the coupe.
  • Police Matador: sedans and wagons with heavy-duty packages and big V8s.

The Matador replaced the Rebel and took over flagship duties from the Ambassador. More cars are in the AMC collection.

Video: very rare AMC Matador X

Video on YouTube.

Sources

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