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A lesser-known volume model from AMC, the Matador offered everyday utility, unique style, and performance as a sedan or coupe, cop car or NASCAR.
AMC Forget-me-nots
For a brand that often struggled for market relevance against the titans of Detroit, AMC had a good number of memorable nameplates. There was the plucky Pacer and ironically titled Gremlin, the athletic AMX and ahead-of-its-time Eagle. But for every rose-colored recollection of an AMC, there is a nameplate like the Matador that has slipped to historical obscurity.
The AMC Matador was one of those classically unremarkable cars of the 1970s that served as a vital pillar for the company’s lineup. As the mid-size and later full-size offering from AMC, the Matador filled out garages and municipal fleets without a whole lot of fanfare. Or that was until 1973, when the Matador began to find success on the NASCAR circuit and then in 1974 when the Matador coupe was given its own boldly distinct styling.
And yet, even NASCAR fame and a slew of TV cameos couldn’t cement the Matador name in our automotive imaginations fifty years on. But as you’ll see below, there’s plenty worth noting about the Matador given its distinctively AMC character.
Not So Rebellious
Back in 1970, when AMC was looking to revamp their mid-size Rebel, marketing took a dim view of the car’s incendiary name. Touting non-conformity was far too polarizing in those politically tumultuous times, and so the car was given a new name along with other major revisions for the 1971 model year. The new AMC Matador was the brand’s top-of-the-line and was offered as a two-door hardtop, four-door sedan, or five-door wagon.
Even as their mass-market model, the Matador couldn’t deny its AMC DNA. That translated to design head Dick Teague giving the Matador a few notable oddities, the most prominent of which is the Matador’s protruding grille design. The Matador came in three body styles: two-door coupe, four-door sedan, and four-door station wagon. The wagon had a folding, rear-facing third row and a two-way tailgate that swung open barndoor style or, with the window rolled down, folded down.
The Matador was offered with a broad selection of engines. These included a 231- or 256-cu.-in. AMC straight-six in addition to three V8 options, coming in 305, 360, or 420 cu.-in. For its initial 1971 model year the Matador could be ordered with a three- or four-speed manual transmission or a three-speed automatic (the four-speed manual was dropped after 1971).
That same year was the last for the Matador’s performance iteration, the Machine Go, which was a carryover of the Rebel Machine. Emissions regulations and insurance premiums had already marked the beginning of the end of the muscle car era and the Matador Machine Go sold just 50 units in its only year of production.
Second Gen & New Coupe
The AMC Matador was given a throughout redesign with advent of its second generation starting in 1974. The front-end design was altered with an even more pronounced grille and new single headlight units replacing the earlier quad light design. Following new NHTSA regulations, the Matador also grew new hulking five-mph bumpers front and rear. Engine offerings remained the same for 1974, but subsequently the 231 I-6 and 401 V8 engines were dropped.
The biggest change for the second-generation Matador was the separation of the coupe from the sedan and wagon. For the 1974 model year, the Matador coupe was given a separate design from that of the sedan and wagon with Dick Teague again doing the line work, supposedly with help from NASCAR driver Mark Donohue. The new Matador coupe featured a slick integrated headlight design and a fastback sloping rear end with quad taillights. The automotive press liked the fresh look with Car and Driver naming the new Matador coupe the “Best Styled Car” of 1974.
The Matador coupe came in three trims: coupe, Brougham, or X, a new performance trim. The X trim Matador skipped the six-cylinder options and was offered only with a V8, the top-of-the-line being the four-barrel 401 V8 which made 235 horsepower and 345 lb.-ft. of torque.
Also new for 1974 was a new Oleg Cassini options package. Created by the famed fashion designer, the Oleg Cassini package featured a luxury appointed interior with plush black upholstery with copper trim and copper buttons. This package was offered for two model years, 1974 and ’75.
TV & NASCAR Fame
The Matador was a basic, volume offering from AMC, filling out their lineup with a full-size car to compete with the likes of the Ford Galaxie and Dodge Monaco. As such, the Matador was popular as a fleet vehicle, especially as a police car. Not only was this helpful to AMC’s bottom line, but it also gave the Matador an elevated profile. So elevated, the Matador became a frequent sight on televisions set during the 1970s.
Among its many TV cameos, the Matador has a starring role in the police show Adam-12 as the principal patrol car. The Matador also appeared in black and white livery on shows like The Dukes of Hazard, The Incredible Hulk, The Rockford Files, and in the Adam-12 spin-off Emergency!
The Matador wasn’t just famous for being a police cruiser, either. Equally significant was the Matador’s presence on the oval tracks of the NASCAR circuit, starting 1973. NASCAR experts were skeptical of AMC’s efforts as the company hadn’t fielded a car in stock car racing since the Hudson Hornet, back before the merger between Hudson and Nash and the formation of AMC proper. Penske Racing fielded the first-gen Matador at Riverside’s Winston Western 500 with Mark Donohue (see above) behind the wheel. Penske adopted new, more Matador coupe starting in 1974 and the car would net four more race wins in ’74 and ’75.
Even with a television career and both professional and sports successes, the AMC Matador somehow faded from our collective automotive consciousness while its quirkier stablemates the Gremlin and Pacer are most remembered.
