This 1976 AMC Matador is fascinating, primarily because I’m trying to spot the builder’s inspiration, and I keep coming back to Bobby Allison’s Penske Matador from the mid-1970s. No, this bad, all-black Matador doesn’t have Penske’s distinctive red, white, and blue paint job, but it does have (in some of the pictures) side-exiting exhaust, headers, black wheels with 1960s Plymouth Valiant hubcaps, and a general moonshine-running vibe. I like it, and if you like those offbeat cars from Kenosha, I think you’ll like it, too. I found it here on Marketplace in Bolivar, Ohio, where the seller is asking $11,995 for his menacing Matador.
We can pass by the gloom-and-doom talk about how the Matador was really not selling well in either coupe or sedan form, and move on to the drivetrain. The seller says that this car has the optional 360, which was available as a 140-horsepower two-barrel (as a $150 option) or the 180-horsepower “Power Package” four-barrel, which came with dual exhausts and cost $266. Both had Motorcraft carburetors, and based on what little I can see under the air cleaner, I’d argue for the four-barrel, which was a Motorcraft 4350. It looks like you’ll get power steering and brakes (both of which were optional), and even air conditioning, although the rusty pulleys and lack of belts tell you what you probably need to know about that system. The seller says that the radiator is a “fresh three-row,” and the water pump is new.
The interior has the optional bucket seats and console, and the transmission is the Torque-Command three-speed automatic, which was actually Chrysler’s tough TorqueFlite, a transmission that AMC started using in 1972. This car has a console and floor shifter, and the bucket seats have been reupholstered with covers from Legendary Auto Interiors. It even has cruise control.
Finding the little details that each automaker called their own is one of the most rewarding parts of the car hobby. American Motors used fake woodgraining on the Matador’s dashboard, as almost everyone was doing in the 1970s, but someone, somewhere in the interior-design department decided to get the jump on the rest of the industry and use woodgraining on the gauges. Why not? Unfortunately, nobody seemed to follow their lead, but what a neat idea. I also like the general design of the gauge pods themselves, wide and chunky with needles that don’t seem as if they’d follow the numbers all the way around (yet they do!).
As I mentioned earlier, some of the Matador’s pictures show side-exiting exhaust, while others (like this one) show a traditional dual-exhaust system. The ad’s text does say that the car has new dual exhaust, so perhaps the owner got tired of the full NASCAR experience right under his left ear. Either way, this is a tough-looking coupe (with redline tires—nice touch!) that some AMC fan will enjoy driving, pretending that they’re Bobby Allison, taking the Southern 500 at Darlington. What a way to make a daydream real.
I realize the coincidence of a city called “Beer City” and the wacky car designs that came from that city, but I can assure you, these designs were not alcohol fueled, like say that car/boat thing, designers actually thought they had a chance. Gremlin, Pacer, Matador,,,all a bit out there, but believe it or not, they had a following. Now, whether stout AMC/Rambler fans merely accepted these designs, like early 60s Mopars, in order to get a wonderful car, can be debated, but the ones that did buy them, had no regrets. While Marty Milner may have been paid well, some say $1250/ episode, some like Archie Bunker almost $30grand/episode, to list the accolades of his new Matador, that had a 401, btw, I think he actually liked AMC cars. I don’t see much in the line of NASCAR inspired, they looked pretty much like this from new. Wasn’t so much a flop, as I read over 110,000 Matador coupes were sold, the 1st year, 1974, was the best, with 62,000 sold, ironically just as they were being featured on Adam-12. Go figure, huh? They were nice cars, the NASCAR thing did little for sales.
I like it, and would love it even more in “X” trim! Personally, I’d change the wheels (maybe Magnums) and drive this one proudly! GLWTS!! :-)
I like the “X” trim too. Kind of funny, in that Adam-12 episode, titled “Krash’ aired Feb.5, 1974, in the driveway the car is clearly an “X”, but when on the street, it was a different car without the “X” trim. Dat’s Hollywood, thinking nobody noticed, HA!
I’d buy it for the Valiant hub caps alone.
But console shift Matador has long been on my bucket list.
Just like Tri 5 Chevy’s remove the front bumper and they’re badass looking..
That, and 86 the rear bumper, too! Maybe also lower the front stance just a tad, as well.
Dark tint the windows and scare the neighborhood kids! Black actually makes this car look better!
In black it looks like something Darth Vader would drive!
It appears that the ignition system has been been changed, stock would be the infamous Prestolite electronic ignition with plastic vacuum advance. The signal from the pickup in that system was so weak that the factory fix for the intermittent stalling it would cause was to remove the pickup’s connector and solder the wires directly to those coming out of the control box. (I did that on a 1975 Hornet I used to own.)
The distributor on this car looks like a points-type GM/Delco unit that would have been used by AMC prior to 1975. On the far lower left of the engine bay there is what looks like the electronic ignition control box but it may not be connected.
It’s disappointing that the AC system is not operational but it’s a very basic setup so hopefully not too difficult to get it working again.
Not much claimed horsepower, for sure, but a lil reminder that it’s relatively easy to coax more hp out of any malaise era V8.
My older brother had the twin as his first car. Bought it for $300 cash out of a school friends back yard. The 360 had been rebuilt and cammed up and it was a factory posi trac car. Surprised a lot of mustang and Camaro drivers in 89 and 90.
A chef at work used to let me drive his 2 dr Matador because it had a 3 on the tree , for practice. His had been wrecked and shook when it idled and ran but I needed the practice. I then later got my Grandparents 74 4 dr. The New Hampshire wintters rusted it out sadly so we couldn’t get it inspected. It was a total cream puff and the oil looked like clear cooking oil. It only had 65k on it. I traded it in on an S-10. I saw it again after someone must have bought a sticker for it.
AMCs are different, always liked them. 👍
ugly!
Yes it is ugly, but there were a lot of ugly cars back then and I’m an AMC fan. I learned how to maintain a car with and AMC, a Gremlin X 304 3 on the floor, not saying is was trouble, it was not. Considering how wild I was, it held up well. That being said, if I was a car show guy and wanted people to say “what is that?” a lot that would be a good pick.
A coworker had one of these. She called it “the guppy”.
I never hated these but never really liked them either. This one I like. Very much. I’m 65 so for me it screams for raised white letter tires. I do like the red lines though so I’d keep them in the shed to mix it up occasionally. I happen to have a full nitrous oxide kit in my shed. 50 or 100 hp depending on what you want. Hmm. 🤔
Nicely done Matador, love the color and details, but as someone else said, they look a lot more cool with the bumpers pulled. The 2 door may be wacky looking from some angles, but a lot better looking than the staid “middle manager in accounting named Larry” four door Matadors. Probably a fun drive and if the AC can be sorted even better.
As time passes , our tastes in life and our appreciation of life also changes ,as a youngin i taught these cars were ugly but as 5 decades have rushed by , i now find these FUGLY !…ahh those AMC designers were oddballs !
Funny the guy puts on what is described or called a NASCAR vibe. Presents a nice example but with Plymouth Valiant hubcaps. Speaks volumes. Talk about lame.
The seller is both too lazy and cheap to source original AMC caps that are very easy to obtain. Makes a person question the ask for that much coin what else has been skimped on.
SOLD!
I also prefer the bumpers off look, but not the idea of it. These ones look like they have been moved closer to the body, which looks better than stock.
I miss AMC.