Look Out Bulls: 1973 AMC Matador Station Wagon
Car makers have struggled for years with naming their cars. For example, the AMC Matador replaced the Rebel because the name was often associated with the Confederacy. Unfortunately, Matador was unpopular in Puerto Rico. Bullfighting has long been outlawed there and Matador has a less than positive meaning there. The Matador is actually just a Rebel with a longer front clip. Thanks go out to Pat L for finding us this interesting station wagon. It still looks pretty nice and original except for those wheels and a new interior. You’ll find it listed here on craigslist in the Phoenix area. It was also listed on eBay in an auction that ended May 7th and didn’t sell. What is even more interesting is that it was listed on Autobook for $3,050. The $8,500 price is said to be firm. That is close to high retail and not very realistic. However, more folks are admitting to liking AMC vehicles. Station wagons, even with 4 doors, are gaining in popularity. It’s a V8 car with AC, but it is yellow paint might limit its appeal. It looks like a really nice, well-equipped survivor although there seem to be some strange things going on.
The dash looks almost perfect in this picture. The usual wear areas on the dash, like the chrome trim around the instruments, don’t show any wear. The other side of the dash is not shown in any of the pictures. Perhaps that is because the dash is cracked due to the hot Arizona sun? The rest of the interior is new and appears to be done well except that the vinyl on the seats does not match anything else in the interior.
The V8 buried in there is likely a 304 with only 150 horsepower, due to tightening emissions regulations. The same engine produced about 200 horsepower the year before. You might be able to revive some of the power, but it would get the job done as is.
Thr right side looks pretty nice as well, but there’s no picture of the rear provided. This is the only time a seller has refused outright to post or provide a picture of some obvious part of their car. What secret could they be hiding? This wagon is also dragging its tail a bit. That’s an interesting stance and makes you wonder why. The vinyl woodgrain is lighter than the original but it looks pretty nice with the yellow. This is a nice looking car, but the price seems high and there are some puzzling things about it. What do you think?
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Comments
These station wagons – any station wagon, for that matter – have so much more style that the stupid SUV’s and “crossovers “ the automakers fob off on us because apparently that’s all we want. What the heck happened to us?
Cause a lot of people go ooh and ahh over the
Basically useless technology these new
Cars have. The only thing I like about the
New cars is that port hole in the stereo
So I can plug in my iPod into.and the cup holder that i do wish my el camino had.
If u got a cassette player, look for what’s on left in dollar store
https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/0b7f6a8d-576d-43d8-bc4d-3026b9b4f074_1.85ec635a6e4d15ce4e1222221bdd24c3.jpeg?odnHeight=450&odnWidth=450&odnBg=FFFFFF
People today don’t see driving as pleasurable, but rather a necessity and they want to be as “comfortable” as possible while doing it. I love to drive and am always the one behind the wheel when family/friends are together.
I don’t need useless technology like lane change or parking assist. I am more than capable of changing lanes and parallel parking all by myself.
Actually as I recall the Rebel name was dropped because so many young people were rebelling against the Vietnam war and “the establishment” in general back then. Then of course you had the association with hippies and drug use. Not an image that AMC wanted to cultivate.
Sag in the back is probably due to tired springs. Body and interior design are basically the same as a 1967 Rebel wagon. Hard to say what engine that is, could certainly be the 304 but might be a 360. (If it were a 401 I’m sure it would be advertised as such since that would be a major selling point.) Engine displacement is cast into the block under the engine mounts if someone wanted to check. Transmission of course is a Chrysler Torqueflite.
Looks like this car has factory cruise control and tilt steering wheel. I don’t see a switch on the dash for the tailgate window so that is probably hand cranked. It’s a little hard to tell but that may be an AM/FM factory radio, looks like it has two tuning scales.
I doubt this one will be going anywhere soon at that price but I guess you never know. I remember when these wagons were beaters used by painters and handymen and could be picked up for a couple of hundred bucks or less.
Torqueflite + AMC bolt pattern = TorqueCommand
😉
Like it…I think the yellow and fake wood look good together. I believe the wheels are AMC. The radio is interesting…hopefully it works…sourced from Chrysler?
Nice find! $5,500 would be a fair price IMHO.
I think you are right. I read Magnum 500’s came out on the ’68 Javelin’s and in 1970, for Rebels, like the Machine. Not sure how many wagons came with them, these normally wouldn’t have been considered a classy car. Just a grocery gettin’, people mover, was all. It certainly gussies up an otherwise plain looking car.
I always thought that AMC, like many other makers, got an unfair shake being ridiculed for so long from back in the day……but notice today when they come up for sale people grab them up and are willing to pay good money to do so.
Tell me about it. I grew up in Milwaukee, and Rambler/AMC were picked on as long as I can remember.
Hey Howard, isn’t that where Laverne and Shirley was filmed?
Yeah, with Lenny and Squiggy.
Don’t forget “The Big Ragoo”, Carmine.
The cool vertical radio was designed by Jim Pappas at AMC.
Great looking wagon, and a lot of options for a ‘72 AMC. Not so sure the springs are shot. It may just be the downswept trim surrounding the wood and the angled shots. Heck, leaf springs aren’t that expensive or hard to replace.
The Magnum 500s are probably from a later model or a Mopar. I think they were still darker gray on AMCs at that time. They look good though.
‘72 AMCs had a lot of improvements like the Torque Command and new front suspensions without the ball and trunnions.
And remember, that’s 150 Net HP. About the same as a ‘71 with 200 Gross HP.
Rebel/Matador/Ambassador has coil springs in the back. Easier to replace than leaf springs, just unbolt the shocks, lower the axle, and they’ll pop out.
The move to upper ball joints came to AMC across the board for 1970. The big news on these for 1972+ was standard electric wipers, the change to the Chrysler automatic trans, and modern two-lever HVAC controls. (A 1971 model would have vacuum wipers, Borg-Warner automatic transmission, and with air conditioning would have a confusing 4 levers plus AC control knob.)
Bring back AMC.
I never realized the matador dash similarity to the javelin/amx…pretty cool. I like the yellow, and would like this car more if it was loaded to the gills w/options, big motor, sport wheel, etc… The seller should consider a little more clean up, like those dirty thumb smudges on that steering wheel!
The Magnum 500 wheels were certainly available and many AMC’s wore them back in the day. The loud paint and trim suggests someone wanted more than a mundane sloggin’ wagon and opted some bling on those round things that hold the rubber to the road ? Great car. Nice to see a not-chevy or Ford. Boring.
I had a girlfriend years ago whose Dad was an dyed-in-the-wool AMC nut. He ordered two Gremlins in 73 and 74 with 4-speeds behind a 360 and 401 respectively. They were quite blinged out, including Magnums.
As for modern cars … as a previous poster stated, … what is wrong with “us” ?
I swear, every year the carmakers meet in some secret room and decide how to make they uglier than the year before, and how to foist utter garbage off on us as something we need or want ! How about a big ol’ mug of STFU ? Thanks. I’ll stick with my old cars.
I’m Puertorrican. Bullfighting has not been done in Puerto Rico since at least 1898, if ever.
“Matador” has two meanings in Spanish: bull fighter and killer/assassin.
I was a child in the late 70’s in San Juan, Chevy Novas where a lot more popular (if we are gonna get into so called marketing errors) than Matadors, but Javelins, Pacers and Hornets/Concordes were vastly more popular. Probably because Matadors were used by the Puerto Rico State Police, much like the Crown Vics later on.
autobk listing = 3050 $.
If price is up – it’ll sell better…
8^ 0
Not sure what is making you curious, David. The lack of rear shots and the right side of the dash seem like just insufficient photography, really. The rear shot is at a poor angle but it appears there isn’t any damage to the tailgate or bumper.
That the seat inserts are a little off isn’t surprising at all. If they’ve been replaced, good. Brochure photos show a random stripe pattern in one instance. Probably not even available any longer.
My parent’s 72 Ambassador Brougham had it’s upholstery shred on it’s own after a few years. In the back seat where there were few riders and no abuse, no animals, nothing untoward. Beautiful brown brocade upholstery just disintegrated.
The wood “paneling” vinyl would make sense to replace. I can imagine what it would look like after 46 years, even on a low mileage unit such as this.
Very well maintained. Still has the same poorly assembled dash as that Ambassador [and the 71 Gremlin my parents had before it] had from the factory.
Excellent feature.
I have incredibly fond memories of AMC products. My grandfather on mom’s side was an AMC loyalist and drove nothing else. The last car he ever owned before passing was a ’74 Matador sedan with every option available for the time.
That became my first car (probably not the wisest choice to give a teen driver with a freshly minted first license a car with a 401cid big block, Carter ThermoQuad carb, and the three speed auto that was essentially Chrysler’s 727 TorqueFlite.)
It also had a limited slip posi that, if memory serves, AMC affectionately dubbed AccuTrac.
Big block power with the ability to just boil both rear bias ply Firestones that were still on the car when I got it was a ton of fun. Part of the dash instrumentation was a Fuel Economy gauge that under my adolescent right foot stayed decidedly on the “Poor” side which was orange as opposed to the green on the “Good” side.
Very collectible now.