Frog-Eyed 1974 AMC Matador X Hits the Drag Strip, It's Quicker Than You Think

It happened in 1974 when the Matador was redesigned and AMC decided that the rather uninspired hard-top needs a sportier replacement. The standard coupe was immediately joined by the Matador X, offered with "go-fast" stripes and a V8 engine as standard.

The X also came with the range-topping 401-cubic-inch (6.6-liter) V8, but the Malaise era had already taken its toll on the mill, and output was rated at only 235 horsepower and 335 pound-feet (454 Nm) of torque. Overshadowed by the Ford Mustangs and Chevrolet Camaros of the era, the Matador X is not the most desirable "muscle car" from the mid-1970s.

But one owner is extremely happy with his rather strange-looking AMC. And not only he's using it as a daily driver, but he also takes it to the drag strip from time to time. Granted, you won't see too many Matadors running the quarter-mile these days, so props to this guy for keeping the AMC flame alive.

So how upgraded is this classic? Well, it still comes with its factory 401 V8 under the hood, but it rocks a Holley two-barrel carburetor. No word on output, but it should crank out more than it did when it left the assembly line. And the quarter-mile times suggest that it does.

The video below shows the AMC running the distance twice with the quickest benchmark at 13.8 seconds. That might seem slow compared to modern performance vehicles and some high-profile muscle cars from the golden era, but it's notably quicker than a stock Matador X. That's because this coupe needed more than 16 seconds to make a pass back in the day. Not bad, eh?

And I know this frog-eyed AMC is not exactly popular design-wise, but I actually like it a lot and I think it looks great burning rubber down the quarter-mile. And the Matador X is somewhat rare too, with only 10% of total 1974 production sporting this trim. And only a fraction of them left the factory with the 401 V8 under the hood. Hit play to check it out.