Communication and marketing teams take many turns when choosing the name with which the brands will baptize the new cars that are launched on the market. There are quite a few manufacturers who opt for city names, since they contain a whole intention and some wink for their potential customers.
One of the Spanish cities that has attracted the most international markets for years is Barcelona. However, very few Barcelonans know that there is a classic luxury coupe named after their city.
It is a special limited edition of the American Motors Corporation (AMC) Matador coupe, which was only marketed in 1977 with the firm intention of becoming an exclusive car. Not in vain were only about 700 units of the Barcelona series produced.
For its part, the iconic Matador coupe was sold in the United States and some Latin American countries between 1974 and 1978 and was a real success, especially during the first years. It emerged as a redesign of the first generation of the model, born in the early 1970s as a successor to the Rambler Rebel, one of the first American muscle cars.
Initially, the Matador was offered in three different body types: four-door sedan, station wagon and a two-seater with a hardtop. It had a relative reception among drivers, and it was for this reason that the company decided to give a radical style change to its aesthetics and launch the coupe version.
Conceived by designer Dick Teague, the Matador coupe came with an aerodynamic body and tunnel-shaped headlights inspired by the 1964 Rambler American. To give a boost to sales, the brand took advantage of the attractiveness that Barcelona was beginning to exert at the international level. international and, in the aforementioned year 1977, launched a premium limited edition with the name of the city, which placed the vehicle in the segment of personalized luxury cars.
Less than a thousand units of the Matador Barcelona were manufactured, an elegant and comfortable coupe that became a rarity for collectors. It cost about $1,000 more than the conventional model of the time.
The Barcelona edition included a two-tone paint finish, a specific roof and bumpers in the same color as the lower part of the body, without forgetting its exclusive upholstery and interior details. Unlike the standard model, it was available only in the colors Golden Ginger Metallic and Sand Tan, on the one hand, and in Autumn Red Metallic and Claret Metallic, on the other.
It could have V8 engines ranging from 3.8 to 5.9 liters (the latter optional) instead of the 4.2-liter inline six-cylinder engine of the original Matador. The particular insignia that appears on the front of the vehicle is the recognizable shield of Barcelona from the time, which replaces the emblem of the AMC brand itself.
Established in 1954, American Motors Corporation (AMC) lasted 34 years until it was purchased by Chrysler in 1988. And it left us iconic vehicles like the Matador, which even participated in NASCAR races.
There are currently very few units of the Barcelona premium edition on the market. In the video that accompanies this article you will be able to see, in great detail, one of the best preserved specimens.
