Richard Schlinger of Brainerd owns something similar to what the Los Angeles Police Department used in the early 1970s.
It is a 1973 AMC Matador four-door. In 1972, the LAPD purchased 532 of these vehicles with 401 cubic inch eight-cylinder motors.
In the 1994 AMC Buyers guide, it said "these matadors were highly praised by these officers for their brute power and fine handling."
Schlinger wrote that the Austin, Minn., Police Department also had these type of police cars in the early 70s with 401s and 360 V-8s with four-barrel carburetors.
"They would have to go out on Interstate 90 quite frequently to blow the carbon buildup out," Schlinger said.
He noted that he thinks some of the Matador police cars seen on television and in movies could be former Los Angeles Police cars.
Schlinger, a hyster driver at Potlatch, purchased his Matador in 1994 with 50,000 actual "grandmother-owned-driven" miles from an estate sale in southern Minnesota.
He said it's in the same condition as when he purchased it except it now has 57,000 miles. His car is powered by a 304 cubic inch eight cylinder motor with a two-barrel carburetor which develops 210 gross horsepower.
His car, which had a factory base purchase price of about $3,000, also has a Chrysler 727 Automatic transmission. The axle ration is 3.15:1.
Schlinger said with the throttle wide open, shift points are first to second (45 mph) and second to third (78 mph). These are the same shift points with the 401 motor.
His car's accessories include power steering, power brakes, tilt steering, cruise control, air shocks, reclining seats and air conditioning.
