Of the many autos that seem to have little middle ground between love-it-or-hate-it styling, the second-generation AMC Matador coupe is one that could easily be considered as a top-level contender for that list. Bearing little resemblance and sharing few body parts with its sedan and station wagon counterparts, the 2-door Matador took on a shape entirely its own, beginning in 1974 and lasting until production ended after the 1978 model. It’s also one of those designs that hasn’t particularly aged well, with those who loved it then probably still feeling the same level of affection, and vice versa. If you’re digging the rounded appearance and unusual curves, this 1975 Matador is located in Winchester, Kentucky, and can be spotted here on Facebook, with an asking price of $5,800. Our thanks go out to reader Pnuts for sending us the tip here!
I’ve been a fan of AMC products since childhood, but even so, I’m still one of those strange people who are sort of on the fence about the styling here. I can certainly appreciate how distinctly different the design was from any other offering of the period, and I dig how the car seems to own its unusual appearance, as if not making any apologies for being a nonconformist. Even the blue paint this one’s wearing is an odd shade, and the exterior could use a fresh coat of it after a few minor rust issues are addressed, such as the lower quarter areas and one section on the bottom right fender. On the other hand, a Matador hasn’t been on my bucket list of cars to own in the past, and I doubt it’ll graduate to that level in the future.
That same hue of blue adorns almost the entire interior, and fortunately, most of the components inside still look pretty good. There are some unusual features inside as well, with one from the factory being the placement of the entry light. It’s interesting how AMC chose to shape the rear seat so the lamp can be located beneath the package tray near the top center, not that this is particularly innovative, but it is cool and different. A couple of user add-ons include a makeshift console sitting on the front seat, and I finally figured out that’s a speaker lying on the passenger-side floorboard.
The base engine here was a 258 inline-six, but this one’s got the entry-level V8, measuring in at 304 cubic inches. The seller includes a video of it starting and running, with the motor firing right up and appearing to be operating capably. It’s also mentioned that this car can be bought for less cash if the owner keeps the mag wheels, but I’d probably still try to negotiate the price a bit with them remaining on. What are your thoughts about this one, and the 1974 through 1978 AMC Matador coupe in general?
Don’t see too many of these are your Circle K, 7-11 or local Stop And Rob-probably for good reason.
Certainly has unusual styling for the time, it’s not nearly as ugly as some of their other products of that era (and you know which ones we’re talking about here). And though unusual it’s kind of bland-until you get to the front and see the headlight nacelles! It probably was supposed to just taper forward but a couple of the engineers put their coffee cups down on the drawings and left saucer rings there-voilà! Headlights.
The interior actually looks in fairly decent condition but the exterior is probably gonna need a lot of paint prep.
To you few that will have their trigger tripped when you see this, GLWTA.
I still like them, repaint, source and apply the “X” model stripe in white, substitute Magnums for the mags and cruise! I’d prefer that the bumpers were chrome, but I could live with the body color. GLWTS!! :-)
An X model clone? I’m in…
Another one of those “So weird they’re cool” cars.
My dad had this when we were kids it was brown with beige vinyl roof and a brown beige tweed interior. as kids we hated it. My dad always had caddys but I think he wanted a second car. Many memories but to me i still dont like the style…
My brother had one of these. It was extremely unimpressive. It was beige with a beige interior and a half vinyl top. This is the model that sucked cash out of AMC. It never turned a profit after the first year. It was not a nice looking car in 1974. It was out of step. Dick Teague didn’t design a winner here. This is one of the reasons why AMC is no longer with us. The money spent on this vehicle should’ve gone to a new generation of Hornet. That was their bread and butter. I had one, and really liked it. I miss AMC!
A running classic for $5800? The body and interior look to be serviceable for a driver with little if any work. When this style Matador came out I considered it one of the AMC too ugly to be seen in cars along with the Pacer and Gremlin.
Nowadays I consider them very unique and would almost drive one pridefully. I bet they would get more attention and interest than a lot of other cars at cruises and shows.
You got to admit that AMC was pretty ballsy and bold when these were designed and marketed. Also…Lose the Cragars, I love em but, not on this car!
I always had a love for some AMC products and owned an ’82 Eagle station wagon in black and really loved that car. This one was not one of AMC’s best looking large sedans but it has possibilities if you can manage the rust issues.