Funky & Wonky: 1977-78 AMC Matador Barcelona Was Spanish-Style Opulence!

[@valengreymoon5623]

So good to see a nice colorful interior, instead of the depressing million shades of gray in today's cars.

[@wmalden]

Black is about all you can get today.

[@bawintermage8351]

Forget about the color scheme, it's those pillow soft seats in VELVET!!! I could cruise all day in those

[@WhittyPics]

Some are just LOUD

[@jaygatz4335]

Let's not forget black.

[@samholdsworth420]

New cars are for home ohs

[@stevepavey5954]

I’m currently restoring a Barcelona Red Coupe, Thank You Adam for showing

[@tbm3fan913]

Hats off to you. I have a 72 Ambassador Brougham wagon and finding anything for these fuller sized AMC cars isn't easy.

[@FrankStein1]

Please post an in depth video when finished.

[@Philip-t2j]

He's Brian Lonhe, isn't he?

[@P.Galore]

You open the door and think " THERE are my beach towels! "

[@DSP1968]

I think this was an amazingly weird and wonderful '70s decor package for these cars. I love both color interiors, though I have to say the red one looks like an 1880s San Francisco bordello!

[@markdc1145]

I still remember the "That's a Matador?" ads shown on TV then. Odd ball styling but not quite as strange as either the Gremlin or Pacer 😂 As loud as these interiors were, today they're like a breath of fresh air, taking us back to a more carefree time. I'm sure those seats were really comfortable too. 😉

[@redspeeder9848]

Well that's not a Buick.

[@fearsomebeard4290]

That coupe Matador is fabulous! One of my favorite cars growing up. Truly inspired design in my opinion.

[@Jack_Stafford]

I LOVED the Matador. As a kid, I always thought they looked so smooth and futuristic, without looking dumpy and ill-proportioned like the Pacer. Long, flowing, smooth and round. A lot of these "luxury" touches detract from that pure design, but that's common in any car's production run, they start off with the purest , intended design, then are altered and muddied as they age. Putthing a vinyl top with small rear windows on this Future Car, well, defeats the purpose, but if their intention was to steal a few Cordoba sales, I guess it succeeded. Matador , such a great car! (The coupe, the sedan was ALL kinds of wonky!)

[@dvdosterloh]

headlight design similar to monte carlo, yet everyone mocked it. I thought it look good, and compared to todays jellybeans, great. One of the last examples of unique styling.

[@colibri1]

Actually, that beige color was more seventies than the claret red. People think of the seventies as having crazy colors, and that was kind of true for the early seventies, but by the time this car came out, earthtones had been the thing for a while, and that beige/tan color was really common. That's the main color I remember those mid-seventies Buick Electra Limited Park Avenues being, too, with their ultra-plush, also loose-fabric upholstery that was part of the same trend that this Matador was following.

[@Jack_Stafford]

@colibri1 yes, lots of tan, beige, gold, burnt orange and then of course 27 shades of light green.

[@Drmcclung]

Love or hate the Barcelona package, it's charming as hell! Dorky trim packages are what make a lot of AMC's so damn charming in the first place. Levi's interior in Gremlins was always my personal favorite (I would love to have a blue denim Levi's interior custom made for a black, red or yellow '79 Spirit AMX Coupe). The Matador Coupe in and of itself, regardless of the interior, I don't understand the hate for it and never did. Thanks for more AMC love :)

[@marcoluoma3770]

Thanks for a fun video. I graduated from HS in ‘77, and this interior becomes much more reasonable when you look at the clothes we were wearing back then. Thanks again.

[@LincolnRay]

The interior material gathering was referred to as ‘shirring’. Basically using an elastic-like thread in the sew style to create a textured/gathered look to appearance. Other cars used the same gathered look in varying degrees over the years. Some other cars which used this were the 75-76 Fleetwood Brougham; the 79-87 Mercury Grand Marquis / Grand Marquis LS was a great example of this shirred look of fabric sew style. This look would also be used for both cloth and leather.

[@20CentMotors]

Ahah... shiirring, not be confused with smocking. I learned 2 new terms tonight. 😊

[@Daniel-79]

As a young child, my mom had and early 70’s 4-door AMC Ambassador. If I remember correctly, it was white with blue interior. The one thing that always stood out to me was the suitcase latch door handles.

[@woody95124]

My gosh u have to wear sunglasses on tht crazy red interior.... I enjoy your interesting info on cars..

[@EricResnick]

I agree with your take on the Oleg Cassini, that it was quite nice and would be quite a piece to have today. I also liked the Barcelona a lot. The Matador was an under rated and under appreciated car when new, and I'm glad to see you spotlighting it now.

[@bawintermage8351]

That plush interior, an 8 track of teddy pentagrass, plus a disco ball must have spawned half of the last generation

[@johnandrus3901]

They were cool cars, for sure. I always liked them, with that kind of quirky styling. The front end looked somewhat like the old Chrysler Turbine, which I thought was pretty neat. Either way, AMC made some real nice cars. It's too bad that their budget constraints just wouldn't allow them to keep up with the competition. An excellent video, as always.

[@Tombilicus]

Replying to @johnandrus3901: **I IMAGINE ALL COUPLES VOMITING ON EACH OTHER ON CHRISTMAS DAY 12 25 2024 WHILE LISTENING TO "ENDLESS LOVE" BY LIONEL RICHIE AND DIANA ROSS!!** --- ROSEANNE BARR

[@votingcitizen]

Seat fabrics look like pajamas or those peasant dress that hippy chicks were into. The 5 mph bumper standard was not really a safety rule. It was primarily a repair cost rule, although it was framed as the bumper had to protect 'safety' equipment e.g. headlights, turn signals, etc. from damage up to 5 mph impacts. The 5 mph standard saved consumers many, many millions of repair dollars; at some "expense" of styling. Since the standard was sunset and bumpers were integrated behind plastic fascias, the cost to repair relatively minor impacts can easily be a couple thousand bucks.

[@ramblerdave1339]

Saves money up to 5 mph, doubles the cost of repair at 10 mph+ .

[@Godlovethepilot]

Gordon Buehrig Introduced the "Coffin Nose" with the Cord 810 & 812. O Toronados of the 2nd and 3rd gen used it to great affect. Man, that 1:14 Matador defintely deserves a seat at the "Coffin Nosed" History table.

[@mrluckyuncle]

I always liked the Matador body design. It looked good then and it looks good now.

[@Philip-m7t]

Yes, nice looking cars. Im surprised they didn't sell better than they did. So much better looking than the 4 door and wagon, which I always thought looked awful.

[@kevincostello3856]

When I look at the " Tan and Bronze" paint scheme on these Matadors they look very very similar to Ford's 76 T-Bird which was a one year only " Creme and Gold" paint scheme. Also the 77-78 Mercury Grand Marquis two door hard top coupes had the Creme and Gold paint also. As per usual, Thank You for youre efforts on here, always appreciated.

[@gregharvie3896]

Hi from Sydney, Australia, I finished high school and went to Uni in 1974 when the Matador coupes were released. They came to Australia as "parts" CKD Kits (completely knocked down) they were constructed here by AMI built as factory right hand drive cars along with Jeeps, Triumph's and Toyota's too. We also received some of these rare Barcelona versions too, at first sighting I thought that the vinyl roof cap was some kind of aftermarket add on , however one of my cousins in San Diego sent me some US car brochures & bingo there it was.. the Barcelona, wild. But then the '70's delivered some really wild cars and car interiors, some so wild you wonder who in management authorised the go ahead to build, and I say good on them as look at todays "blobs"... the SUV, or stupid ugly vehicle, there will not be anything worth looking back at and discussing in 50 years time. I say stupid as SUV;s have a poor level of balance with weight too high up they need but a small light tap on a freeway and next it has rolled over sometimes causing an even bigger incident with multiple vehicles. Whereas back in the day you barely ever saw a 1970's car rolled over on its roof after receiving a light tap from behind.

[@judsonr1]

I have never seen this interior before, but I will forever refer to it as the one with garter belt seats.

[@chriscadman6379]

5:22. Is that a pork loin on the passenger seat?

[@Bullitt00007]

Another great video, Adam. I noticed on the exterior front 3/4 view the headlight bezel of the tan version appeared to also have a brown/tan color on it.

[@loveisall5520]

I was in college then, but if I could've afforded one I'd have bought the coupe in a heartbeat, red and w/o the opera window stuff. I still remember "The Man With The Golden Gun" when the villain drove a gold Matador coupe in Bangkok and Bond drove a Hornet! I think that, compared to the big three intermediates, the free-standing impact bumpers on these looked amazing.

[@komradkolonel]

AMC cars weren't bad. A lot of people don't know anything about them since they haven't been around since 1987 but mechanically they were decent. At least the cars they built themselves. That Renault sourced car from the 80s was an exception. Their biggest problem was that they just couldn't match Ford, GM, or Chrysler's production capacity.

[@Thunder_6278]

This makes the mid 70's Chryslers look tame and tasteful.😆

[@bryanaisenbrey7188]

Our 76 Matador Brougham wagon handled great. Seats very comfy. Seat design matched the split bench in your example, but with a cloth tuck n roll design. Basic car was in its 9th year, so cars were pretty sorted out.

[@damianbowyer2018]

Yep Adam, those were the days when the Manufacturers really thought about the interiors of the cars....The gathered cloth seating looks very comfortable and when compared to today's cars, you can see the difference...Seating in the cars today is no-frills, stock standard, but at one point they used to put screens on the back of the front seats, so kids can be entertained when on a drive somewhere...However, if the kids have their own mobile phones, those screens become irrelevant and I think that feature was shelved....A nice-looking '77/'78 AMC Matador Barcelona and hope U find one soon, Adam...Cheers from Damo.

[@johnplovanich9564]

Great video Adam.I always have thought the Matador was an attractive car.Very different design from anything else of the era.I AGREE with you.The black Oleg Cassini cars are beautiful. As always cheers from Eulethra.

[@thegoldendog7991]

Your pronunciation is correct. My Spanish mother would approve.

[@tbm3fan913]

The gauge faces on my 72 Ambassador Brougham wagon are also wood faced plus there is the vertical radio. Headliner in this car is the same as in mine and I would say more plastic. A blessing in disguise compared to my Fords and Mopar. Have to say I hate that goofy looking padded roof. Trough in Ambassador just not as wide.

[@joemazzola7387]

The gauges in Fred Flintstones car were made of Wood as well

[@Abijah12411]

I bought a matador wagon in the mid 1990's, she ran well for the time I had her...loved the power steering, cruise control, etc., and that beautiful V8 engine( I can't recall the year of it).....that 'rumbles look' as you called it on the seat is called rouching (roo-shing)

[@judethaddaeus9742]

The Matador Barcelona began for the 1976 model year, and included this interior. So it ran for 3 years rather than 2. The 1977-78 Barcelona II retained this interior, but got the 2-tone exterior effects with the new landau vinyl roof design and body colored bumpers. The original 1976 Barcelona didn’t differ much from other Matador coupes in terms of exterior styling, however. But thanks for bringing attention to what is essentially my dream car.

[@georgenewman9025]

I almost bought a ‘77 beige/tan Barcelona I saw at StreetCars in Charlotte a few years back. I fell in love with that interior! I ended up with a 76 Cutlass Supreme Brougham, which I also fell for because of the gorgeous interior.

[@planetwisconsin9901]

One thing I noticed on the larger AMC cars the seats were very good.

[@CavemanCBB]

I knew a guy that had one. Those seats were quite comfortable. His had the 360 and it moved the car right along !

[@atikovi1]

Bumpers look perfectly fine, it's those frog eye headlights that fugglyfied the front end more than anything else.

[@mikeweizer3149]

If those that didn't like the styling of the 1974-78Matadors all I can say is that you probably don't like 1973-77Chevrolet Monte Carlos or Chevelles from the same years

[@OldBlue62]

I had a ‘74 Matador X coupe in yellow with a black vinyl top. 360 V8, bucket seats, console, rally wheels, etc. It’s the “one that got away”. Pretty quick for what it was and I thought it was quite the looker the way it was designed and equipped.

[@michaelsimko7694]

That red interior is "funky" as you said Adam. "Funky" was the new retro term for colors in the mid 70s, whether it be outfits, vehicle interiors, nightclubs, etc. It continued into the late 80s/early 90s as "disco" before "contemporary" grew in popularity.

[@user-surly]

7:16 The headliners were unique because AMC said so. The were a little like the Emperor's new clothes. Low budgets necessitate resourcefulness and gimmickry.

[@OldRustySteele]

Well said. I posted something similar just a minute ago. AMC went from nice looking cars in the late ‘60’s to bizarre looking cars in the ‘70’s. I think they they tried too hard to be unique on shoestring budgets.

[@mamajoe7715]

We had a '74 Oleg Cassini! It was the greatest car ever!

[@WaKincaid]

How many survivors of this is still out there

[@TalismanPHX]

Bitchin red interior! So FUNKY! 🎉

[@alphawoolf5981]

I LOVE that car!

[@anthonyalico2466]

I always liked these Madador. I made the AMT model kit.

[@oldhifi8820]

I don't know about the 70's AMC cars headliners, but in the 60's cars I owned they were made of soft molded fiberglass. It was kind of like highly compressed and molded fiberglass house insulation with a top coat. Yoiur cardboard analogy kind of describes how it felt. The '63 Classic was my favorite AMC car. I owned 3 of them over the years since 1966. Haven't had on in over 30 years but I could get in one today blindfolded and operate correctly all the controls. Almost the same in the engine compartment, it is engraved in my brain.

[@kevinfestner6126]

Put wings on it, and let's fly! I always loved the 2 door.

[@arunta5]

AMC sold cars in Australia mainly under the Rambler name. The were used by the Police in NewSouth Wales for a time but only for special units not general policing who mainly used local Ford's and GM Holdens. A friend of my father owned a Rambler sedan and I had several rides in it, a nice car, very upmarket for that time.

[@davepike6170]

I've always wanted to own a nice Matador coupe! Liked them since they were brand new, a beautiful car.

[@philip4193]

That one's the same exterior colour too as the '74 Matador coupe that Christopher Lee's character dramatically flew away in to escape James Bond in The Man with the Golden Gun if I'm not mistaken...

[@richardwatsonjr.5067]

6X9 speakers in the back! 70's vibes. I preferred coaxial over the triaxials or quadaxials.

[@Philip-m7t]

Jensen 6x9's were the thing in the late 70's.

[@Foxonian]

My aunt had a 1976 AMC Matador Brougham she bought new at a discount due to the car sitting on a dealer's lot for close to 2 years unsold. This was mainly due to the color that was chosen for it. Bright mustard yellow with a black vinal roof. To say it looked hideous was an understatement.

[@GrandWagJeep]

I really like the accent colors they used in the headlight buckets instead of chrome, it's a nice look.

[@Greatdome99]

I've seen a bumperless custom version--really makes the car much nicer looking. Fun to see one of these in action in the James Bond movie, 'The Man with the Golden Gun" where the copper colored Matador turns into an airplane.

[@johnscott6984]

Note the matching paint on the insides of the headlight buckets - nice touch on the 2-tone Matador coupes.

[@paulpage5034]

This is humorous, a sort of poor man’s version of the contemporaneous GM interiors you’ve shown. I agree these cars were pleasant to drive. Took a trip in ‘73 V8 Javelin with a manual transmission. Smooth quiet and torquey across the Palmetto State.

[@michaelpfaff6009]

That luxurious interior but manual windows.....just doesn't mix well.

[@treyreed6203]

I’ve always thought these were so cool. A tan one came up on Craigslist about 3 years ago in the Houston area. I wanted it so bad but didn’t have the money at the time. :( I guess these just weren’t popular in my area when I was a kid, only saw them on TV, which made them even more interesting

[@brad3042]

My dad had a red '74 Matador. I still remember the picture he has of it.

[@kc0lif]

interior looked interesting.

[@20CentMotors]

So they all had those space aged contoured, chrome trimmed, semi-high back front seats with the smooth hard back and built in head rests... AMC seems to have pioneered the "head rest". ... so you've achieved reclining seat perfection, what next? An impossibly loose gathered fabric in a clingy velour. Lets run with it!

[@MUUKOW3]

I had the police version with what I would call the Sgt Stadanko plaid interior. Great car 360 4bbl even came with a bullet hole in the C pillar . Thing handled like a gokart sndvtan like a striped ass ape!

[@Lasuvidaboy-jp4xe]

Such a classic example of 1970s style. I was surprised to see that the regular two-door had roll-down rear windows when most other US makes were eliminating that feature.

[@OLDS98]

Thank you Adam. AMC dared to be different. As you said they always did more with less.

[@christopherdouglas8471]

The Matador coupe was introduced in 1971 (not 1974) 1974 was, of course, the controversial redesign of the coupe. Even in flying mode in the James Bond movie, it was a no-go. Teague was good on a good day, bad on a bad one.

[@dave3657]

I had one of these, and it was the Barcelona Edition, black on black with copper accents. I bought it because I wanted something that I could take to a car show and know nobody else had one. It wasn’t really fun to drive, and needed to be totally gone through. I sold it after a couple of years because I was moving, and I just didn’t have room or time for it.

[@danielulz1640]

That was not a Barcelona, but an Oleg Cassini edition.

[@mimelio]

I loved AMCs

[@CDKDC]

Anybody ever watch Adam-12 on TV? Two cops. Had MoPars for awhile and switched to AMC cars. In one episode, Officer Pete Malloy bought a new car, a yellow AMC matador coupe. Got a little banged up, getting it fixed cheap was the story line. Interesting show title, considering.

[@joemannix7471]

I saw a identical car to that one on a used car lot a few years ago. I was interested in owning Pete Malloy's car but couldn't afford it at that time. I watch Adam 12 just to see the now vintage cars in the background. A few years ago I noticed a light green metallic Vega wagon in quite a few episodes. It was in so many background shots that I started thinking that it was maybe owned by the production company. A few days ago I was watching the first of two episodes that come on in the afternoon and there was the Vega in the background. In the next episode officer Reed was sent out to nab a guy who was robbing pizza delivery people. They put him in plain clothes and the pizza shops delivery car, a light green metallic Vega. I think my question has finally been answered.

[@paulcateiii]

​​​@@joemannix7471I watch Adam 12 and Emergency for the same reason - to check out the cars - Major Nelson had some bad ass cars in his driveway also

[@elizabethcherry920]

I am surprised that you didn't mention the Matador Barcelona 2. I remember correctly it was only available for one year only. The Matador I wanted was my father's 401 v8 equipped coupe. My father had 2 of them and believed that they were both 1974, my father owned them in 76, one was red, and the other was green, but both had tan interior

[@5roundsrapid263]

2:50 If you spilled red Kool-Aid in here, you’d never be able to tell! 😂

[@AlexanderWaylon]

Very interesting car. I had seen pictures of these before, never in person. Being an AMC, I wonder if those beautiful 2 tone Rallye Wheels aren’t sourced from the 74-76 Chevrolet Impala and 2wd 1/2 ton truck … they bare a striking resemblance. The tan interior I may be mistaken but the tan interior doesn’t necessarily have a pleasing hue once it’s began to show its age due to UV rays but I suppose at this point you’d have to take what you can get right

[@PaulShaw-ex7ri]

No , they had the Ford car wheel bolt pattern 5 on 4 and 3/4 if i remenber right.

[@ramblerdave1339]

5 on 4 1/2, GM was 4 3/4. All the Manufacturers used wheels made by outside wheel companys.

[@user-pgchargerse71]

Chrysler also used these wheels on fullsize cars and Cordobas

[@PaulShaw-ex7ri]

@@user-pgchargerse71 they were a little different.

[@waynejohnson1304]

My sister had a 1974 Matador. I used to drive it sometimes. If you were blindfolded, you would not be able to tell the difference between the Matador and the 1974 Ford Torino. They rode the same and both placed the passengers in seats that were closer to the floor than G.M. cars of the era.

[@dannyg6592]

Whenever I see a Matador, I think of the "flying Matador" (perhaps in Golden Ginger?) coupe from the 1974 James Bond film, The Man With The Golden Gun.

[@ferdfirtz]

Funny everybody knew loved that car😊

[@Tatortot318]

I remember looking at these cars on the lots and though, the Tee Pee option, the seats wore fast from sliding in, and they were great lint collectors....lol

[@michaelsmith4748]

There was one for sale in a neighborhood near mine in my mid-teen years and I wanted it so bad. It was dirt cheap too. Came from Arizona so even in 1986-7'ish the interior was totally baked, but I loved the looks of it! Drove well too, was the red with (the AMC not MoPar) 360 and A/C (which one setting said "DESERT ONLY" on it?) - The guy said it was for sale because his wife/girlfriend was getting too many tickets racing Monte Carlos. LOL - Parents said "You can get a car like that when you're grown and on your own" - I had no idea production numbers were so low, it was a 1978 version. Good luck now!

[@chrisjetko4220]

sharp looking car inside and out.

[@DanEBoyd]

Those four door sedans still had vent-wing windows in 1978!

[@zbuvid15]

My 86 grand marquis still has em

[@DanEBoyd]

@@zbuvid15 Yeah, but those were an option. Pretty much only pickup trucks still all had vent-wings in 1978.

[@ramblerdave1339]

​@@DanEBoydThe front doors were unchanged from 1967 on.

[@MrPoppyDuck]

What an interior! Would go great with a sky blue polyester leisure suit, white leather shoes and a matching belt. Pop in the 8 track of Saturday Night Fever and hit the disco. Scary.

[@20CentMotors]

get down!

[@MarinCipollina]

Not all of us went disco in the mid 1970s

[@MrPoppyDuck]

@MarinCipollina True. I didnt because I was too young. But I remember the scary fashions and interesting looking cars from that time.

[@MarinCipollina]

@@MrPoppyDuck I remained a rocker.. Many of us did..

[@20CentMotors]

@@MarinCipollina Like we said then... it's ok, not all guys can dance :P

[@secretsquirrel4101]

The whole package now as back in the day gives me the whole HR Puffinstuf gag reflex.

[@killerontheloose80]

Barcelona 2/Barcelona production numbers: 1978-coupe-369 1978-sedan(clarinete Red 150/sand tan/250) 1977- coupe-2059 💯

[@roberth7894]

You forget to mention the flying Matador from the movie "The Man with the Golden Gun", the most prolific AMC movie placement ever!

[@OldRustySteele]

My mom had a dish towel that looked just like that upholstery! 😂

[@lunarvvolf9606]

Honestly I would kill to have the coupe and make a nice custom out of it.

[@ramblerdave1339]

Seen a couple with the bumpers removed. The design looks so much better that way!

[@JClark-34695]

Our '74 Matador coupe had those seats except they were covered in the basic knit vinyl. They were strange because the steering wheel position had been determined by the designers/ engineers using the standard bench seat, offset to the left. With the reclining seats, the driving position was slightly offset to the RIGHT. The only car I've ever driven where the steering wheel was not centered on the driver.

[@mitch300sdl]

Perhaps designers wanted the seats to appear to have folds and motion to resemble a matadors capote de Brega ? Or muleta

[@bendeleted9155]

I remember my brother and I mercilessly making fun of the Matador X coupe when we first saw one. We thought it was trying to copy the Camaro. I later discovered firsthand what great cars the AMX and Pacer were. I'm guessing the Matador could have been great too.

[@michaelbrinkley9323]

That is wild!

[@LandParkColby]

Ultimate pimp mobile!

[@doinlaundry]

I owned the 74 sedan for many years. Unfortunately, I live in the "rust belt" and the seat ultimately fell through the floor. A little over 150000 miles and the 232 was still running great!

[@TheCosmicGuy0111]

Wowza

[@Mart-u2u]

Ole,baby….

[@paulcateiii]

hope you cover the Pierre Cardin Javelin

[@fleetwin1]

When considering other hideous interiors of the time, this AMC interior seems fine. Never have been an AMC fan, and the 2dr Matador's are hideous to look at. But, I have developed a new respect for AMC's ability to come up with decent cost saving ideas in an attempt to survive. I'm sure their powertrains were reliable as well.

[@VanWinger]

I have a 2004 Odyssey with 'gathered' leather door card insets so it may have been ahead of time.

[@hattree]

When I was in school, the county had a Matador wagon they would ferry us to small academic events in. This was in the early 1990's.

[@sergioleone3583]

I'm thinking of Manuel from Fawlty Towers after hearing you remind us of how to pronounce Barcelona ("So sorry, he's from..."). I'll show myself out now...

[@jwelchon2416]

One of the characters in the TV show ADAM 12 bought a Matador coup. The character previously had a Mustang. Apparently AMC started sponsoring the show.