Rantoul, Illinois – There’s no denying that our three favorite letters in the gearhead alphabet are probably A, M, and C.
So it doesn’t take much for us to swoon over classic Rebels, Javelins, and even a Gremlin or two—but when we spotted this rare and stunning 1974 AMC Matador X during the 2026 Hot Rod Power Tour, you can bet your buttons that we tracked down its owners to get the full scoop.
The car belongs to Bill and Christina out of South Bend, Indiana, and their love for AMC—specifically Matadors—runs deep.
“A Matador was the car we went on our first date in,” Christina smiles.
“I drove it for a long time and then I sold it,” Bill adds. “And then I was like, ‘Damn, I wish I wouldn’t have sold that Matador.’ So I found this one and have been driving it all over the place.”
Yup, back in 2001 the Matador bug bit the couple hard, so Bill tracked down another one—and not just any AMC Matador, but a coveted “Matador X” model that included a handful of upgrades, notably the beltline stripe from stem to stern.
And while the “X” package got you a mandatory 304ci V8, this particular Matador X was optioned up to the mighty 401ci AMC V8, good for around 250 horsepower. It’s also worth noting that 1974 was the only year you could get the big 401 in a Matador.
1974 also marked the beginning of the Matador’s second-gen. refresh, which gave the coupe a striking fastback silhouette and a distinctive round headlight and taillight treatment.
As for Bill and Christina, they’re part of a big AMC family, passed down from Bill’s father.
And now the AMC passion has seeped into their son who’s got a vintage AMC of his own and is a Power Tour alum too.
“Don’t tell him we’re here,” Bill jokes.
“It’s OK, we’re going to tell him tonight because we got him a shirt,” Christina quips back with a grin.
As for this Matador, it gets driven—a lot. And it has the Hot Rod Power Tour Long Hauler credentials to prove it.
Bill and Christina are also badge-carrying members of the American Motors Owners Association, which means the Matador gets routinely driven to AMC shows all over the Midwest. In fact, as we stopped to talk with the couple, they were on their way to meet some other AMC aficionados coming in from St. Louis, Missouri to plan another road trip.
And we can’t wait to see where this classic AMC coupe travels to next.
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