The AMX Super Stock, the Javelin SST Trans Am, and the Hornet SC/360 were all cool, quirky examples of this, and appeal to me not only for their extreme rarity, superb aesthetics, and high performance, but furthermore for their outsider status against the ubiquitous wares from the Big Three of General Motors, Ford, and my beloved Chrysler.

By the time of the Matador Machine’s release in 1970 as a ’71 model, AMC had already had two prior successes with flashy, limited-production performance cars adapted from more sedate models in their lineup.

The first, the 1969 AMC SC/Rambler, was a two-door pocket rocket based on their long-running, compact Rambler American model, produced in conjunction with the legendary performance firm, Hurst.

The only production model at that time aimed at competing in a specific drag racing category – the National Hot Rod Association’s F/Stock class – the SC/Rambler brought some pretty serious performance bonafides to the table.

For starters, the 315 horsepower, 425 lb-ft, 390 cubic-inch AMC V8 from the AMX was shoehorned into the Rambler’s engine bay. Mated to this was a four-speed Borg-Warner T-10 manual transmission with close ratios, a 10.5-inch clutch with a three-finger Borg and Beck pressure plate, and a Hurst T-handle shifter. Putting power to the pavement was an AMC “Twin-Grip” limited-slip differential with 3.54:1 Dana internals.

Cast-iron manifolds directed spent gasses to a true dual exhaust with Thrush dual-chamber, oval baffled mufflers.

11.2-inch front disc brakes with dual-piston Bendix calipers, a thick anti-sway bar, front and rear body subframe connectors, fore-and-aft staggered rear shocks with leaf springs, rolled front and rear wheel openings, and Goodyear PolyGlas Red-stripe E70-14 tires mounted to blue-painted Magnum 500-style 14×6-inch steelies rounded out the mechanical enhancements.

Inside, gray, vinyl reclining seats with red, white, and blue upholstered headrests, an embossed headliner, and a steering column-mounted Sun tachometer were added to the standard Rambler appointments.

Outside, AMC went whole-hog on the SC/Rambler. A massive, mailbox-style, ram air scoop with vacuum-operated flapper and lock-down pins dominated the hood. A blacked-out grille and tail panel and Hurst racing mirrors were added. But it was the two paint jobs that the car received which really screamed that this was not your grandma’s Rambler.

In the “A” paint scheme, a full-body-length red billboard was applied to the car’s sides, while a blue stripe adorned the roof and trunk lid, and a large, blue arrow on the hood with the legend “390 CU. IN” pointed rearwards towards the hood scoop. The more conservative and rarer “B” scheme had red and blue accent stripes below the car’s beltline and dispensed with the top stripe.

Performance of the SC/Rambler was excellent, with 14.3 second quarters at 98 mph attainable right from the factory. Dealer available, bolt-on AMC “Group 19” parts could push the SC/Rambler into the low 12s.

Because the SC/Rambler was not just a cynical, “limited-edition” sticker package designed to grab a few extra bucks, but instead a dyed-in-the-wool race car offered at just $2998, the automotive press and the public showered the car with praises and snapped up a healthy (by AMC standards) 1,512 examples.

Flush with this success, AMC repeated the concept the following year, this time with their mid-sized Rebel model. The result was a beast known as The Rebel Machine.

Like the SC/Rambler, The Machine was targeted at the F/Stock class, and boasted a 340 horsepower, 430 lb-ft version of the AMC 390 that featured a 690-cfm Motorcraft four-barrel carb, and an updated intake, cam, valve train, heads, and exhaust.

Once more, the Borg-Warner T-10 manual transmission with close ratios and a Hurst floor shifter was mounted arrears of the engine, as was the AMC “Twin Grip” LSD reenlisted for duty, this time with a buyer’s choice of 3.54:1 or 3.91:1 gears. An automatic transmission was available as an option.

Heavy-duty suspension, consisting of control arms and coil springs with an anti-sway bar up front, and a live axle with coils and another anti-sway bar in the rear gave The Machine excellent handling abilities, while a similar front disc/rear drum setup to the SC/Rambler made slowing down a quick affair.

Wide E60-15 Goodyear PolyGlas white-letter tires mounted to silver-painted 15×7-inch “Machine” steel wheels manufactured by Kelsey-Hayes put the power to the pavement.

On the inside, The Machine was as spartan as the SC/Rambler. An all-black interior was the lone color choice, as were twin, vinyl front buckets. The SC/Rambler’s column-mounted tach was now moved to the outside of the car under a blister on the hood. The lone holdout of pizzaz was the center armrest, upholstered in red, white, and blue vinyl.

Again, AMC reserved the car’s exterior for all the fireworks.

The hood was dominated by a functional ram air scoop, albeit one less outrageous than that of its predecessor. In early models, it was made from fiberglass, but was replaced by a superior injection molded unit later in the model year.

The first 1000 Machines featured a new variation of the SC/ Rambler’s “B” paint scheme. White was the primary color, with the center portion of the hood, including the ram air scoop, and the rockers dressed in B6 Electric Blue.

A wild, red, S-shaped side stripe turned into a red, white, and blue tricolor stripe as it continued over the trunk lid. The tricolor motif was also present on the sheet metal below the grille opening. A not-so-subtle “The Machine” logo lived at the trailing portion of the front fenders and the right side of the rear trim panel. This livery later became a $75 option, and a host of other body colors were introduced that could be had sans stripes and histrionics.

The Machine proved to be on par with the SC/Rambler in terms of performance, with 14.2 second quarter miles at 100 mph. That, and the fact that The Machine was a better-looking car than the SC, helped it to find 2,326 owners.

As with the SC/Rambler, the Rebel Machine would prove to be a one-year-and-done model, as the Rebel line was discontinued at the end of the year, to be replaced by the Matador.

In truth though, the Rebel wasn’t so much discontinued as it was renamed, since the Matador was largely a Rebel with the full-size Ambassador’s front clip grafted on.

It was necessary at the time that any new AMC car be done this way, as the company was in financial trouble for a handful of reasons. A general strike had stopped production of 36,000 cars, slow-selling 1970 models had flooded dealer lots, and the recent acquisition of Jeep from the Willys Corporation cost AMC $40 million. Keeping tooling costs down was a priority, and a hybrid Rebel/Ambassador therefore made more sense than a completely new model.

Available as a two-door hardtop, a four-door sedan, and a station wagon, the Matador incorporated current AMC styling cues, which on the hardtop included such touches as the unique quarter-window shape, a semi-fastback rear roofline and quasi-flying buttress fins that extended along the sides of the trunk.

Matadors came standard with a 232 cubic-inch inline-6 that provided 135 horsepower, but could be optioned with a 258 cubic-inch inline-6 that offered 150 ponies or a host of V8 engines that included a 210 horsepower 304, a 245 horse 360, a four-barrel version of that engine that churned out 285 horsepower, and a big 401 four-barrel, good for 330 horses.

Transmission choices consisted of a Borg-Warner “Shift Command” three-speed slushbox, a column-shifted three-speed manual, and a four-speed, floor-shifted manual for purists.

Various final drive ratios were available depending on engine/transmission choices, and interior and exterior options were legion.

Because of this, AMC decided not to produce a distinct, over-the-top halo model like the Rebel Machine for 1971. Instead, they opted for a workaround that could offer an AMC muscle enthusiast serious performance while flying under the government and insurance companies’ radar.

Thus, buried in the options list, and not advertised in any way, shape or form by AMC, was an option for the two-door hardtop ’71 Matador called the “Machine Go” package.

Available only with Matadors outfitted with the 360 or 401 cubic-inch V8 engines, Machine Go afforded a dual exhaust, the 15×7-inch five-slot Kelsey-Hayes “Machine” wheels from the Rebel Machine, E60-15 Goodyear PolyGlas white-lettered tires, a Space-Saver spare tire, power disc front brakes, and a handling package consisting of heavy-duty springs, shocks, and front-and-rear anti-sway bars.

Essentially, everything mechanical that made the Rebel Machine such a force to be reckoned with was included, save for the big “Twin-Grip” LSD with 3.91 gears, which could be added for an upcharge.

Also absent were any sort of stripes, tricolor upholstery, “The Machine” stickers, or trick tachometers. Instead, the Matador Machine looked pretty much like any other Matador, except for the wheels, in ultimate sleeper fashion.

The Machine Go package added $373 to the price of a 360 V8 Matador hardtop, and $461 to 401 V8 cars. Not an extravagant amount for 1971, considering the 426 Hemi option on any Mopar could set you back the better part of $1000 that year.

Performance was on par with the Rebel Machine, with 60 mph coming in 6.3 seconds, and the quarter-mile falling in 14.4 seconds at 99 mph for a 401 cubic-inch Matador Machine.

Because the Machine Go option wasn’t advertised, and wasn’t even present (though it was still available) in the second edition brochure released mid-model year, the 1971 Matador Machine ended up being an extremely rare bird.

How rare? Well, estimates are difficult, because unlike the Rebel Machine, the 1971 Matadors with the Machine Go package did not carry a special VIN. Best estimates put the total figure at 40 to 68 cars produced.

Because of that same VIN issue, identifying 1971 Matador Machines is exceedingly difficult today, leaving experts to look for cars wearing the “Machine” wheels and possessing the rear anti-sway bar. If either of those have been removed over time, it’s nearly impossible to identify a Matador Machine without the original window sticker, bill of sale, or build sheet.

Today, there is only one absolutely verified 1971 Matador Machine known to exist, the red car you see here in the photographs. Even that car has lost its “Machine” wheels, and has some factory incorrect items on it such as a hood scoop and stripe.

Come 1972, the Machine Go package went the way of the Dodo, as did AMC performance cars in general, victims of the aforementioned environmental and insurance issues. Thankfully though, AMC was able to end the muscle car era in style with one of the world’s scarcest Rare Rides.