This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 71.112.5.20 (talk) at 06:40, 17 June 2006 (→Matador coupe: is a distant ancestor of 300C and Charger and don't you dare remove it.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 06:40, 17 June 2006 by 71.112.5.20 (talk) (→Matador coupe: is a distant ancestor of 300C and Charger and don't you dare remove it.)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) Motor vehicle| AMC Matador | |
|---|---|
| 1972 AMC Matador | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | American Motors Corporation |
| Production | 1971–1978 |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Mid-size |
| Related | AMC Rebel |
The AMC Matador was an intermediate size car built and sold by the American Motors Corporation (AMC) from 1971 to 1978. The Matador succeeded the Rebel nameplate which had been in use since 1967.
The Matador was essentially the 1970 Rebel restyled with a longer front clip and a new interior. From the cowl back, the Matador shared its unibody with the AMC Ambassador, which had a longer wheelbase and front end sheetmetal.
The Matador initially came with a choice of an automatic or manual transmissions, in 2-door hardtop, 4-door sedan and station wagon bodystyles. Starting in 1974, the hardtop was replaced by an unusually styled coupé (see below). AMC's entire stable of 6-cylinder and V8 engines were available at various times.
The four-door sedan was adopted by the Los Angeles Police Department in 1972, and became familiar through its use on the Adam-12 TV show.
NASCAR racing
Penske prepared factory-backed Matadors that were used in NASCAR racing by Mark Donahue and Bobby Allison, and won a number of races. The first generation coupe had aerodynamics best described as a "flying brick". Penske was quoted as saying they knew they had an aerodynamically challenged box, but did what they could, and it did better on tracks with more curves and fewer straight ways. The fastback second generation coupe was said to be aimed at NASCAR racing, though the nose turned out to be less fast than it looked.
Matador coupe
For the 1974 model year, AMC introduced an unusually styled coupe with pronounced headlight surrounds and fastback styling, along with a less than attractive front and rear restyle of the four-door models. The coupe was one of the more contoversial designs of the 1970s. Although mid-sized coupes were extremely popular at the time, the model was unfortunately introduced shortly before the first oil crisis of the 1970s. Sales, while initially promising, dropped along with demand for other traditional intermediate cars in the midst of the first fuel crisis, and again after downsized full sized models appeared from GM in 1977. Sketches appeared in the automotive press showing designs for the sedan and wagon based on the styling themes of the coupe, but these did not reach production. A "Barcelona" option was introduced on the coupe, an attempt to cash in on the success of the personal luxury coupe market enjoyed by cars like the Chrysler Cordoba and Chevrolet Monte Carlo, but additions like a padded Landau roof and opera windows clashed with the coupe's fastback styling.
Faced with declining sales, and lacking the financial resources for a full redesign (the car was still based on the 1967 Rebel), the Matador was discontinued after the 1978 model year, after which AMC concentrated its resources on its smaller models. Of interest is the extremely low production (23 units) of 6-cylinder-powered 1978 Matadors.
AMC would not re-enter the midsize market until 1987 with the 1988 Eagle Premier. Designed by Renault, it was far more advanced than the better selling Chrysler K car derivatives but was a dismal sales failure. The design and manufacturing plant would be incorporated into the sleek Chrysler LH cars. The success of that AMC derived platform would lead to the launch of the Mercedes-based 300C and Charger.
In pop culture
- In the James Bond movie The Man with the Golden Gun, the villain Francisco Scaramanga drives a Matador that could transform into an aircraft (in that movie, various American Motors vehicles were used, making it one of the first product placement movies).
- AMC Matadors were also used in the first Police Academy movie and in the Dukes of Hazzard television show.
- Los Angeles Police Department Matadors appear in Pink Floyd's movie The Wall.
- Michael Jackson takes a sledgehammer to a Matador in one of his music videos.
- In the movie Convoy, the Arizona police cars are Matadors.
- In Adam-12, a 1972 AMC Matador as used one of the squad cars. It succeeded a Plymouth Satellite.
Toys
- Aurora AFX slot cars made both the boxy stock car resembling the factory Penske car and the 1974 coupe.
- Cox made a gasoline car of the 4-door sedan.
- Cox also made a large-size stock car of the 1974 coupe.
- AMT made a model of the 1974 coupe stock car driven by Allison, and one with customized body parts.
External links
- A brief history of the Matador
- Norbert Vance's Matador Photo Sampler
- Arcticboy's Matador page, from which this page's pictures were taken
- The Coupe Coop, a page dedicated entirely to the Matador coupe
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