The Intermediate sized Matador replaced the AMC Rebel which had been marketed since 1967. Like the Rebel, the Matador was based on the AMC Ambassador.  The Matador was marketed to persons who wanted a nearly full sized car at a very affordable price.  The base engine was AMC's rugged in-line six cylinder engines.  V8 engines were optional.  401 cubic inch displacement Matadors were successfully used by several police departments, most notably the LAPD.  They were chosen for their powerful engines and better handling than their Big 3 counterparts of the time.  The Matador was also a successful model on the racing circuit and some models were marketed towards those desiring sporty fast cars.  In 1974 AMC introduced the Matador Coupe.  The Coupe was a totally new AMC body style and, externally, few parts were shared by other AMC products.  The coupe was one of those cars that people loved or hated, similar to the feelings for the AMC Pacer which would debut a year later in 1975.  Many AMC knowledgeable persons feel the Matador Coupe and the AMC Pacer is what crippled AMC, financially, as AMC used its scant product development funds for these two cars.  It took AMC nearly a decade to recover to the point they could design a new product, the AMC Jeep Cherokee.
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