AMC Matador - Police

Police

Though the AMC Ambassador was also offered as a police car, the Matador would prove to be very popular. The largest user of Matador patrol cars was the Los Angeles Police Department, primarily from 1972 to 1974, with some staying in service until the mid-1980s. It was also used by other agencies, including the Los Angeles Sheriffs Department and many other law enforcement agencies across the U.S. and Canada, as well as by military police units.

While V8 power was down for many domestic sedans, AMC used a 401 cu in (6.6 L) V8 engine that outpowered most other police vehicles. Zero to 60 miles per hour (97 km/h) times were within 7 seconds, comparable to a 2006 Hemi Charger police car. Top speed was about 125 miles per hour (201 km/h), which took only 43 seconds, much faster than the previously used Plymouth Satellites.

The high-performance 401 V8 was last available in 1975 only for fleet and police ordered sedans.

The 1974 models would be the last year for the LAPD's purchase of the Matador. The longer-nosed restyle added weight which affected handling and performance. Matadors faded from police fleets as downsized Ford, Chevrolet, and Dodge Diplomat-based models became adopted in the late 1970s.

Matador police cars would appear in many television shows and movies during the 1970s, most famously, Adam-12 from 1972 until the show's end in 1975, Police Academy, and in The Rockford Files beginning in 1974.