The Underdog Cop Car That Beat Ford And Dodge

In 1972 the LAPD tested the Big Three's cop cars - and picked the one built by a dying little automaker. Then it became a TV star. Here's how. 👉 Subscribe for the police cars history forgot:    / @badgesandchrome   📕 THE BOOK — THE GOLDEN AGE, 1946–1978 The long version of this history: 236 pages on how American police cars were specified, bought, equipped and worked in, across sixteen chapters. Every claim checked against two independent sources, hedged, or cut. And twenty-one things commonly printed wrong about these cars, listed openly at the back with sources, including several this channel had published itself. EPUB and PDF: https://badgesandchrome.com/books/the... 🎥 MORE FROM BADGES & CHROME: • The Cop Car In Your Head Was Invented By One Man (LAPD) —    • How The LAPD Sold America The Black-And-White   • The Fastest Cop Car Ever Built (the '69 Polara) —    • The Fastest Cop Car Ever Built   • 7 Forgotten Police Cars —    • 7 Police Cars History Completely Forgot   American Motors was the smallest, most cash-strapped automaker in America - the perpetual fourth-place underdog to GM, Ford, and Chrysler. But in 1972 the Los Angeles Police Department tested AMC's 401 Matador against Plymouth and Dodge, and chose the AMC. According to the LAPD's own driving instructor, it was fast, it had superior brakes to the Plymouths, and it handled well. Then Adam-12 put the black-and-white Matador on national television for millions - and it turned up everywhere from The Rockford Files to a flying James Bond car. The underdog beat the Big Three, became a TV icon, and won on the NASCAR track - before AMC itself faded away by 1988. Key facts: 401 V8 = 255 hp net, 0-60 ~7.5s, ~125 mph. 1971 Javelin won the Trans-Am title (Donohue/Penske). Adam-12 Seasons 5-7 (1972-75) featured the "401" Matador. NASCAR: Bobby Allison won the 1975 Southern 500 in a Matador. AMC absorbed by Chrysler 1987; brand gone 1988. 📚 SOURCES & FURTHER READING: • Consumer Guide (The Daily Drive) — Cars of Adam-12 (LAPD Matador specs) • FOPConnect / Hemmings — Jerry Bush LAPD quote, "10 Greatest Cop Cars" • Autopedia / Wikipedia — AMC Matador (police package, Adam-12, NASCAR) • Old Car Memories — AMC 401 V8 net horsepower ratings Some archival imagery in this video is illustrative and may depict related vehicles, locations, or events of the period rather than the exact car or moment described. #amcmatador #amc #copcars #policecars #adam12 #lapd #401 #automotivehistory #underdog #policecarhistory #nascar #vintagecars #policecar #badgesandchrome