I was surfing the web and came across this picture. It looks just like my first car, I really liked it and it ran great. It is a AMC Matador. Ah, the memories that picture brings back.

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Wow, make's my first car (74 Vega ) look like a Ferrari

The piece of **** burned a quart of oil a day, I looked like a mosquito foging truck going down the road.

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OGCA Member.

So, that's a Matador. One of the uglier creations of
AMC along with the even uglier Pintolike abortions whose name escapes me at the moment. The Vega was a real piece of **** too, my sister had one while in college the fenders rusted off the car. All cars best forgotten from an era when American carmakers were turning out vehicles of the lowest quality ever. The imports saw the opportunity to whip American carmaker's asses by giving the car buying public higher quality automobiles and the rest is history. I stopped buying American cars several years ago, all of my rolling stock wears the Honda brand. Honda's are built in America, an excellent value for the money and feature legendary reliability and resale value. I've spent less on repairs of Honda autos than any other car I've ever owned. When a Honda has needed repair, it has been fixed right the first time every time and at a reasonable cost. Change the timing belt and the plugs and they seem to run forever. My Honda Pilot is the best SUV I've ever owned and cost $5K less than other maker's comparable models.

I drove a '71 Matador unmarked car - remember it well. One night, the radiator came loose and fell backward into the fan, it ruined everything on the front of the motor - A/C compressor, power steering, alternator, water pump, etc.

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6/23/2022

When I was a young man I dated a girl whose father drove an AMC Gremlin. He thought it was a sports car, and he was very proud of it. One day he asked me what I thought of it. I told him that the Gremlin wasn't a sports car and was an embarrassing piece of junk. He didn't like me after that. If he is still alive today, I'm almost willing to bet that he's driving a Pontiac Aztek.

When I first entered the military and was at DLI in Monterey I remember the OSI guys all had brown Matadors. They stood out like a searchlight in that town when they were trying to do undercover work.

My sister used to drive a Gremlin. Also had a friend who had a Javelin. imho, the Matador was one butt ugly car!

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Misty

The mid 70's provided us with a picture of what was to come. If anyone had any foresight we could have avoided today's hard times. It started to become easier to import steel from countries we helped rebuild after the war. The result was the failure of antiquated steel mills built here at the beginning of the 20th century. The auto industry provided us with gas guzzling rust buckets that easily provided a logical pathway to European and Japanese imports that we eagerly bought after the "gas shortages" of the mid 70's. I know blah, blah, and blah. It just seems most in this country including our fearless leaders, can't see past the end of their noses. Witness that fact by looking at who was just elected president.

Back on topic AMC tried to be ahead of it's time in styling and innovation. IMHO they failed miserably. My ex wife was fond of Gremlins and I bought her 2, back to back. The Gremlins had a habit of the rear floor pans rusting out to a point where you had to check the rear seat once in a while to make sure the kids didn't fall through the floor as you drove. What was the name of the little 2 door wagon looking car? The passenger door was 4" longer to provide easier entry to rear seat. Unfortunately if someone parked next to you on the passenger side the extra door length meant you couldn't get that door open far enough to squeeze in. Great innovations like that Doomed AMC.

I had a boyfriend who tried to leave me his Gremlin when he went off to college. I broke up with him.

JcMack,are you thinking of the Pacer and Pacer Wagon?

Merry Christmas,D.G.

Your a hard woman Barb!! LOL

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Nothing to see here,move along

Yes that's it thanks. I didn't remember two different models, I thought they were one in the same.

I used to have a '66 Country squire and wen't to pass a Pacer wagon Christmas eve of '79 when she decided to turn left.Ouch,Her front bumper meet mine and took a chunk of my fender with it,scraped the whole side of my wagon.Totaled the Pacer.Spun her like a top.I just eased my wagon off the side of the road and went back to check if she was OK.She was fine.She swore she used her signal and the insurance co. made it a no fault claim.

Merry Christmas '79
D.G.

At least it wasn't one of these.

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Insert short witty words here

My mom had a 1970 Dodge Coronet that my brother and I had talked her into ordering with the 440/4 bbl engine "just like the Highway Patrol had Mom, so it must be a good one". She remarried and the scoundrel she was married to gave it to someone he owed money to from another of his bad business deals. So he replaces it with a 73 Matador which was a butt ugly orange with white vinyl top. I suspect it was because AMC had pretty loose qualifications for financing at the time. He had a tow hitch added to it for some reason and the frame got all tweaked. Then, it got repo'd and he disappeared sometime later. Good riddance to the car and her husband.
I sure did miss that 440 CI Dodge as a 16 year old...

I bought an AMC Jeep J20 pickup a year and a half ago.

Needs a bit of cosmetic work. However it runs and drives like new.

My first car was a '75 Vega wagon. Not sure how good of a car it was, one month after I picked it up a Ford LTD ened it's life at an intersection. So sad. Next up was a '76 AMC Gremlin. You can say what you want about the looks, that was one tough car. If I remember, it had an in-line 6 cyclinder (260 c.i.?) and had plenty of tourque. I sold it to a friend's mother in 1983 when I had a chance at a nicer car ('75 Old's Cutlass) and she drove it up until about 1990.

By the way, AMC did race the Gremlins in the Trans-Am series. I didn't know that until many years later. Still strikes me as kind of funny.

I had an extremely ugly accounting professor in college, she drove an even uglier bright green matador with a white vinyl top. That would be a good contest, who's uglier, she or the car.

Ahh, the Matador. I remember looking at one as my first 'new' car in 1974, but decided on a Hornet. I kept it 10 years. Well worth the $2300.

When I was looking at my first new car I trried to get AMC to build me a high performance Gremlin (is that an oxymoron?). I was looking at a 343, 4 barrel, headers and 4 speed. They wouldn't do it so off I went and bought a new 240Z.

To this day I thank the suits at AMC for not building me a Gremlin.

bob

My first car was a AMC Rebel. Good enough car but I sold within a year when I was able to buy a 67 International Scout. That thing could climb about anything.

I was going to school in Laramie Wyo when I had the scout. One of my classmates had a built up Ford pick-up with huge tires, big engine etc. He was always giving me **** about my scout and how much better his Ford was. So one day a bunch of us were out in the parking lot when he started giving me **** again so I challenged him to a climbing contest. Off we all go to a fairly steep hill outside of town. He made it about 1/2 or maybe a little farther up but that was it. I went to the top of the hill turned around and drove over to where he was and I said maybe next time I might even put in 4 wheel drive. Look on his face was priceless and the guff he got from the other guys was even better.

Top speed was about 45 MPH unless I wanted to stop at every gas station then I could get up to about 60.

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Mike
USMCR 84-87, USAF 87-07

Whats a Matador! That was a commercial,in the day.

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Retired Plumber

My first car was a 1954 Jaguar XK120 SE. It was originally the personal car of Charles Hornburg, the Jaguar importer for the western United States. I developed a lot of mechanical skills keeping that car running. I loved driving that car. The sound from the competition exhaust system was fantastic, especially when I was driving through a tunnel. The car was lethal to drive on wet pavement. The narrow Dunlop 6.00-16 tires had no wet traction, and it was like driving on ice. I still own the car. The only time I got a bigger thrill was when I first drove a Ferrari, a 1967 330 GTS. The pictures are what my car looks like, only my car is light gray with black interior.

I had a AMC Ambassador at one time in my life. It spent it's life as a LAPD Undercover Interceptor. And it was a very fast car for its day in American iron. It had a 343 small block in it with a 3 barrel carb. Yes a true 3 barrel carb. It took 3 carb kits to rebuild the carb. And thats all that was wrong with it. It had water cooled cast iron headers on it, dual oil filter setup, 6" thick radiator, locked rear end with two speed function. Everything on the car was super heavy duty. The old drum brakes filled the wheels completely and were vented.

I should have kept that car. Talk about a battle tank!

I've got a friend who's really into Pro Street type drag cars. You know, the ones with the huge rear tires and tubular frames? He always said that ANY car could look better with a narrowed rear end under it, and large by huge tires, but we got behind a Matador one time. He looked at it and over at me, and he said " I just don't know"

B.T.W., not my first car, but DEFINITLY the one I miss the most. 2003 Mach 1 Mustang, 32V DOHC V-8 with 300 HP, five speed, 4.10 gears, and a factory functional Shaker hood, just like the old days. If I'd have had the money when I traded, I'd have kept it AND bought my new body style Mustang too!

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Not many were made, but the AMX was a true performance car. Available with a high output V8 and a tricked out auto transmission or a beefy 4 speed.

The Gremlin wasn't a beauty contest winner, bun not many cars of that era were. The Gremlin was a shortened Hornet. Very safe, especially for younger drivers, in that it was heavy and had a lot of metal protecting the passenger area.

The 232 cid 6 cylinder would easily go over 200,000 miles, and the chrysler transmissions were bullet proof. Just keep everything serviced and it would get you there and home again every time.

As far as AMC being ahead of its time, don't forget the Sportabout. It was a hatchback 4 door mid sized stationwagon. Several manufacturers make a clone of it today, including Mercedes Benz.

My first (and last) AMC car was a 1974 Station Wagon - I traded it couple of years later for a 1976 Lincoln Continental Town Car. About two weeks later I received a call from the dealership, saying that the guy who bought the ACM was furious, the whole transmission fell out

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NRA, GOA Lifer

My father was a die hard Rambler fan. The first car I can remember was a pale green Nash sedan which we had in Alaska. While there he bought a 1958 Rambler wagon which took us through Germany in the mid 60's.

Once we returned from Germany he bought a new Ambassador. AKAIK that was the last Rambler he bought.

After Germany he was a VW and Chrysler fan.

bob

This is embarrassing, but I have to defend the Gremlin.

I had one in the later 70's when I was young and poor. It was not the most dashing car, but it was completely reliable. M1Gunner is right; that straight six was a very good engine. I took it camping and SCUBA diving, driving it on dirt roads, through fields, and over many campgrounds. Between the folded down rear seat the roof rack I could carry a respectable amount of gear. They were really underrated little cars.

Jag312 wins.

Re-visit the AMC history line-up:

A Picture review of American Motors From1957 to 1987. The End of an Era.


Pete

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NRA, GOA Lifer

Drove a couple Nash Rambler cross country station wagons when I first married in 1960. One was a '56 the other a '58. Put 149,000 miles on the first & 103,000 on the other. Both straight OHV sixes with overdrive. Good little cars for a young couple starting out.

'Never owned one of the AMC cars, but I had both a new Vega and a used Pinto and never had any real problems with either of them...maybe because at that time I was trading cars about every 2 years, but I have no bad memories. The Vega was the "Kammback GT", i.e. a tricked out station wagon, taupe brown with a deluxe tan vinyl interior, 4-speed and mag-style wheels. The car I had the most problems with was also one of the cooler cars I owned; a 1953 Ford Victoria, flathead V-8 with the 3-spd overdrive tranny. I bought it for $200 in 1966 while I was in college.

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Rick, W0FG
CTR2 68-72

I must be the only person in the world who thinks the Matador is a cool looking car! Paint it black , leave the ugly chrome trim off , out in a nice 390 or 401 AMC motor and ya got one cool sleeper. The late , great Mark Donohue even won a few races with one for Penske.

All of the AMC V8's were the same block,Just different bore/stroke combo's.You could get faactory V8 Gremlins and hornets.You couldn't get that in a Pinto or Vega,Scary little cars when uncorked.My friend had the Gremlin V8 4speed with the Levi interior.He let is rust out in the swamp and wouldn't sell it to anyone.

Merry Christmas,D.G.

I had an AMC Hornet wagon with the back hatchback door. A straight 6 (looked like a Chevy engine) and a floor 3 speed standard keep the old girl going to 103,000 miles. Needed cardboard in front of the rad in the winter to get it even lukewarm.

Went through water pumps quite frequently IIRC. I did alot of 'jack it up in the driveway' repairs on it to keep it going but it was easy to work on, just not fun especially in the winter months. Lots of busted knuckles over that one.
The hindges on the hatchback broke right off when they got stuffed with ice one winter. I tore the remnents off and bolted some spiffy galvanized tool shed type hasp hinges on there with bolts going right through into the inside. A bit of roof tar did the sealing against the elements.
Gave the car away to a co-worker who needed wheels and he ran it to just shy of 150,000 when it finally gave it up.
A beautiful paper bag brown color. Oh,,I can still see it. What a babe magnet it was...

Someone actually broke into it one time at a mall,,and never stole anything. Must have felt sorry for the owner of such a thing once they actually looked around inside.

I remember seeing ads on TV, sometime in the 70's for the Gremlin. It's big selling point was that is was the LOWEST PRICED car available in America. Cheaper than a Datsun or a Honda. And, AMC sold LOT of them.

One of my buddies had one. He said it wasn't a very exciting car, but that it WAS reliable, with 180K on it, when most American cars would not come anywhere NEAR 200K. He sold it not too long after it hit 180K, and the guy he sold it to drove it for at least 2 years, that I know of.

I remember he said that aside from maintenance, he drove it for 10 years, and the only thing he had to replace was the battery; twice.

He had to do the brakes and shocks, but those are wear items. And, back than, batteries weren't nearly as good as they are now, so replacing the battery really is 'maintenance', too.

I can't remember the gas mileage; it wasn't that great. But gasoline was only 50 cents a gallon, back then. I was driving an air cooled VW Super Beetle. It only got 22MPG, in town; and that was during the summer. I would bet the Gremlin wasn't much worse, and it was a MUCH bigger car, with a 6 banger.

The relatively larger Gremlins were vastly safer than the tin can Hondas and Datsuns of the day. The extra mass of the Gremlin saved many people, when the only safety equipment was the seat belts; often never used.

Man, no love for the Matador.

It may have not looked that great to some, but I liked the looks of it. When I got rid of it, it had over 110K miles on it. Never had any issues with it. The only thing I ever had to do to it in the two and half years I owned it was regular oil changes and a tune up. I can't say the same for some of my friends Pontiacs and others. I wrecked it right before going to the Air force is the only reason I junked it.

My wife bought a Matador just like that one. Not for long though.......she totaled it one night coming home from the bar. She went off the highway to avoid a deer, less than a mile from home. This was way before I met her........so you can't blame me!!!!

I used to joke about it, saying "That car was so butt ugly...... you put it out of it's misery!" Bob

Yep , replace that little 304 with a well built 401 and look out. Friend of mine plucked the stock 304 out of his Jeep and put in a 401 with Edelbrock Performer package (aluminum heads , intake , carb and cam).

Yep, Common swap.Did it have the Dana's?Ahhhh.The good ones that people thought less of because of AMC.What wasn't to like?

Merry Christmas,D.G.

My first car was a green gremlin,even had a funny character namesake on it,My friends laughed but it ran great.Funny,it turned out to be collectable ,but I sold it for 300 bucks when I went to the service.........wished I still had it.

There's a lot of "wish I still had it" cars/trucks I can name. They are all vehicles that with the hood open you see the ground on both sides of the engine, and you could work on it under the "shade tree" without a degree in rocket science.

That was great. Thank you for that link.

I remember the AMX well. They used to give my GTO fits. LOL.

I owned an AMC Hornet and like others have said those straight 6's were great. My Dad actually liked the AMC Pacer. He said the bubble top configuration reminded him of the PBYs he flew in during WW2 and Korea.

One thing that most people don't remember ios that Chrysler bought AMC for two things. First was the Jeep line but second was the mini van. The Mini Van was going to the the vehicle that saved AMC, instead it saved Chrysler.

AMC site-click on the films.




The Cog Blog

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WALSTIB

Knew a guy in high school with an AMX and a pile of speeding tickets that kept him hovering on the edge of loosing his lisence! One day he told me he'd figured out what his problem was. He couldn't stand people in front of him and he had a car that could do something about it!

Teenage country boy wisdom....

Howdy,
Here is a little known bit of info on the Pacer. The passenger door is two inches longer than the driver door to help get all the pretty girls they attract in and out of the back seat.
I know the door is longer. I cant say if it works or not?
Thanks
Mike