sunday driver: amc matador barcelona

There on the field at Motown 2010, surrounded by over 220 fascinating and unusual cars, cars with fabulous design, incredible color, loving restoration, and impeccible provenance. How could one possibly choose a favorite?

And then I saw IT.

It must have known of my unabashed love for weakly branded products, of my glee upon seeing a botched facelift, my delight in watching the overmarketing of what was had been, in fact, a most plebian chariot.

I've already written about the exciting Oleg Cassini Matador Coupe, how AMC slapped a few logos and some copper paint on a Matador Coupe in an attempt to cash in on the cache of a designer label. Well as time passed they cut Oleg out of the deal to save on coin, and created the Barcelona Matador, and the really wild Barcelona II, with a landau top and painted bumpers.

And for 1978, they decided the world needed a Barcelona SEDAN. Yes, the lowly sedan, fresh from service on Adam 12, fitted with cow catcher bumpers and a coffin nose, became the basis of the overpimped Barcelona package. Same Golden Ginger Metallic over Sand Tan color scheme. Same woodgrained gauge faces. Same individual comfort lounge seats in velveteen crush fabricx with woven accent stripes, same grain on the vinyl roof, same two-toned sport wheels and an absolutely wild two tone pattern which bears no more relation to the lines of the car than the safety bumpers did. Special Barcelona insignias and hood ornament set off the look. AMC emblems proudly affixed front and rear, but who needs them- who ELSE would have made this car?

Barcelona- Because Spain is EXACTLY like that.