Dodge began the 1960s with a whole new naming logic for its automobiles. Out were the Coronet, Custom, Custom Royal, and Lancer, and in were the Dart, Matador, and Polara. The Matador had a lower level of trim but shared the same 122-inch wheelbase as the Polara which was also deployed by DeSotos and Chryslers. The seller has a 1960 Matador 2-door hardtop which will need loads of work and has a 4-door parts car (maybe a Matador, too) to potentially borrow items from. This is a cool tip from “Iowa Farmer” and is located in Fordland, Missouri. The project pair is available here on Facebook Marketplace for $3,500.
The Matador would be a one-year offering as Dodge would mix things up again in 1961. American Motors later used the name for its mid-size cars in the 1970s. The Dodge Matador came with a 361 cubic inch “Super Red Ram” V8 that was good for 295 hp. That may be what’s under the hood of the seller’s primary car, but a 383 was also available. Since the carburetor is missing from this car, we’re not sure which engine is onboard. Nearly 28,000 Matadors were produced in 1960 across a variety of body styles.
We’re told this hardtop may have been a police or fire department vehicle at some point. Evidence for the seller’s supposition is that it has a mount for a spotlight, a cherry light mounted to the roof (or used to be), and a siren on the right front fender. Inside the passenger compartment, there is a mount for radio along with a large whip antenna on the rear. But would a 2-door hardtop have been a choice for this type of work?
These cars were a continuation of the styling excesses that Virgil Exner became noted for in the late 1950s. The Matador sports “half” fins with jet pod taillights mounted at the ends, and it has a speedometer with a see-through gauge and push-button automatic transmission controls. All in tune with the Jet Age that was the late 1950s/early 1960s. Besides missing the carb, this car is devoid of its air cleaner, and the water pump has been disassembled. Maybe the 4-door parts car will help with the restoration, but it has no engine or title.
That’s a 383.
Gotta comment on this Barn Find. A 1960 Dodge Matador 2 Dr. hardtop was my first car in 1968, at the age of 16. My dad worked at a Dodge dealership and took it in on trade. He was able to get it for me for $160. She had a little rust over the headlight eyebrows and the carpets were shot, but the white paint shined up real good. The 361 cubic inch 2 bbl. really moved out when I trumped the go pedal (which was often). It wasn’t as cool as a new Mustang or Camaro, but was an awesome ride for a 16 year old kid.
Gotta love those push-button gear selectors. When I was a kid in the 70s, our neighbor had a 63 Plymouth Valiant with those, and I remember watching her push the buttons, and even asking about it. All the other cars I’d ever been in had a shifter on the column.
Chrysler corp. automatics had push-buttons from 1956 to 1964. My folks drove Chrysler for decades, and I recall the earliest ones with that. My Mom referred to it as the “Smith and Corona Automatic” since she was a legal secretery back then.
Back at that time, it was commonplace for individual police officers to purchase or lease their own vehicles for the job and then get paid mileage from the department….
This could very well have been a service vehicle. They had a lot more variance in those days because individual tastes would vary…
Police or fire chiefs car I’d guess being a 2 door. These are parts cars imo.Needs way to much $ a n d time to bring back. If you need em for parts I could see 1k for the pair.3500 no way imo.
I’d like to see what these look like with the wings removed. To my eye, they look out of place – like the designer came up with the shape of the car, and then some marketing exec said “Well, everyone wants wings on their cars, so put a couple here.”
The Missouri Highway Patrol used 2dr hardtops as well as sedans throughout the years including 1960 Matadors.
They were normally in a light blue paint scheme and always with full wheel covers with a passenger fender mounted siren, single red light on the roof and a drivers side sport light.
This car residing in Missouri most likely means it could have been one of those Missouri Highway Patrol cars.
Interesting that the Hiway Patrol would use hardtops, I’ve seen 2dr sedans before. But if that was the case I would like to go back in time and be at a police surplus auction in about ’63 or ’64. Our local P.D. once had a Cordoba after a bad storm knocked over a tree on a couple of cruisers. They bought it used and even put lights, siren and logo on the door. I thought it would have made a great unmarked car.
“Project Car: 1960 Dodge Matador”
Reject car. It’s too late, the rust monster has already gotten to it.
Rust is Rust, especially for cars over 50 years of age! However, these cars can be repaired and returned back to service, without that much intense work. I have repaired far worse, over 40 years and this car is a great candidate for restoration!. Take care.
I love the professionally-applied camo job on the M-725 in the background…
Some who didn’t live through those times may call the car the “styling excesses that Virgil Exner became noted for.” But those of us who did, call it the “styling brilliance that Virgil Exner became noted for.” It’s the energy and optimism that’s often overlooked in the translation that’s to blame.
My dad was a “Dodge man”, and I remember many a road trip back in the early 60’s, sitting on his lap and “driving”, eager for the day when my arms would be long enough to press those “hallowed” shift buttons. 😊
This Dodge is very restorable and would be worth restoring due to the rarity of it. It wouldn’t be cheap but would be worth the expense. I hope someone will get it who is capable of restoring it. Regarding the comments about the push buttons, we had a 57 Desoto when it was new and the push button shift was somewhat of a discussion point in conversations with people who had never seen one. One of the topics that came up occasionally, which was actually highly unlikely, was that the reverse button would accidentally get pressed while driving. I never knew why this would even be on anyone’s mind as the buttons were to the far left and only in reach of the driver. It would be more likely for a column shift lever to be knocked into reverse than the reverse button to be pressed. I think it was in the owners manual that it would do no harm to press the reverse button at speed, so my Dad and I went to a dirt road to try it. We used a dirt road as we thought that would be easier on the transmission if it did go into reverse. we got up to about forty and pressed the reverse, preparing for a possible sudden stop, but it just started coasting as if it was in neutral. We stopped, pressed “N”, then “DRIVE” and it took off normally, and never had any problem with the Torqueflyte transmission. Trying it with my Dad is one of my car memories from when I was sixteen.
does the 4door sedan still have the chrome trim around the rear screen?