This starts off interesting, doesn’t it? A black 1971 AMC Matador sedan, looking surprisingly clean and vibrant, and dare we say it…angry. It’s a nice break from the normal, a big comfy sedan that’s trying out the bad-boy vibe, and overall things look promising…once you get away from the thing on the hood, anyways. Forget any Adam-12 lines you might remember, don’t go straight to a modified cop car stance. The Matador is a nice, well-sorted machine that should be a riot to drive, right?
Right?
The bolted-on scoop is a lie. Yeah, the Matador is clean, right down to it’s 232 cubic inch six and TorqueCommand automatic. And four-wheel-drums, in case you forgot how far brake technology has come in the last fifty years. There’s a promise of a very interesting car to own and drive, but that promise is very unfulfilled here. We’d scrape that scoop off and ditch the foglights, and go hunting for a 401…or, at least, any AMC V8 that’ll fit in the bay. That’s just us, though. We could just as easily see a stroker 258 with a turbocharger plumbed up as well. At least bodywork shouldn’t be an issue, right?
eBay Link: 1971 American Motors Matador
yep, needs a `less is more’ approach thrown at it… lose the lights, scoop and wheels ( not a fan of big diameter rims) and address the ride height.. either go for a stockish vibe if keeping that ride height or maybe slam it a little – next, fix the brakes. 4 wheel drums are just .. no. Then address running gear…any V8’s got to be better than an inline 6 – sorry Geordie but you and I both know an LS would do the job here, and be even more fun with a turbo or two… I kinda dig the interior though!
Lose the scoop and then ignore the moron who’s brain is so miniscule that he can only say two letters of the alphabet. An AMC 401 is the ONLY choice for a V8 so the rest of us non-intellectually challenged people can enjoy a car with matching engine!
It would be a sacrilege to put anything but an AMC 401 in that car. F*** LS motors and their drooling fans!
Those fuzzy dice would be in the trash can before I unbolted the fake blower scoop.
I’d get steelies and dog dish bub caps, add spotlights and go with the undercover cop car look.
Swapping out the inline with a V8 would make the car a tiny bit more desirable in this instance. I’d go with an AMC 360 since they are cheaper and easier to find than the 401. Can’t see investing a lot in a car with too many doors. The fake scoop is just dumb.
Stroked AMC 360 would be the ticket, but a more door is hard to justify, when a Gremmie or Sprint weigh so much less. I’d keep the six, ditch the tacked on crap and give it to the wife as a mommy mobile.
If I was going to play around with a I6 AMC, i think I’d much rather go this route. http://www.ebay.com/itm/1969-AMC-Rambler/182612713692?_trksid=p2047675.c100010.m2109&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D41376%26meid%3Dc43548d34a4045aba6a16e8a7b2e9f5e%26pid%3D100010%26rk%3D4%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D142409321457