American Motors was never one to shy away from taking chances with styling. Some of the most unusual styling choices of the 1970s included the Gremlin, Pacer, and the Matador coupe. While the Matador had been around since 1971, the coupe version was totally redesigned and became a full-size vehicle in 1974. The unusual appearance of the cars was likely a “love it or leave it” choice because it didn’t appeal to everyone. The seller has a field find in the form of a 1974 Matador X, a one-year-only model. Apparently, in parts car condition, this AMC can be found in Tacoma, Washington, and here on craigslist for $1,008. “Curvette” gets a nod for this tip!
AMC spent big bucks for vehicle promotion with an assortment of their automobiles appearing in the 1974 James Bond flick, The Man With The Golden Gun. One was a flashy Hornet coupe driven by Roger Moore, the other a Matador coupe driven/flown by the movie’s villain (played by Christopher Lee). One of AMC’s ‘74 Matador coupes had the honor of being the six millionth vehicle that the company had produced since the Nash/Hudson merger 20 years earlier.
The Matador X added body striping to the car’s already long body, which made it look even bigger. And a 304 cubic inch V8 was standard in the “X,” though the seller’s car has the optional 360. The special edition found 10,000 buyers in ’74 before becoming a $200 option the following year. The engine and automatic transmission here were rebuilt some time ago, but the vehicle has been deteriorating in a field, probably due to some rear-end damage that the photos don’t display. The status of the title is salvage, so it’s a parts car now. The condition of the interior is unknown, as is the completeness of the machine.
If the sub’s aint rotted out and majority of the body is sound,that’s a thousand bucks well spent.When ugly is beautiful.Someone save it!