1971 AMC “Go Machine Package” Matador

Probably the rarest muscle car  you’ve never heard of is the 1971 AMC Rebel Machine. It was a one-year only package, and as soon as it arrived it disappeared. Reports show that just around 60 or so were made, and it could well be that just a handful still exist. ( As a matter of fact,  AMC experts agree today that perhaps only two verified “Go-Machine” cars still exist. )

The muscle car era was going  down at a rapid rate by 1971. Good ol’ Government safety and emissions regulations combined with higher insurance rates wrote the obituary  for factory-built hot rods.

In 1970, AMC’s hot intermediate model was the Rebel Machine. Nearly every car built carried the distinctive red, white, and blue paint scheme that AMC had made famous with the ’69 SC/Rambler, though other color options could be chosen from a limited palate of the “Big Bad” colors.

It was a one-year-only model, with productions numbers ranging somewhere between 1,900 and 2,300 units. It had a 401 V8 under the hood, but compared other intermediate offerings, it  trailed  in performance  and in sales. For 1971, the “Rebel Machine” package would be dropped entirely and be reassigned to the AMC Matador with the “Go-Machine” option.

The Go-Machine package was unique in that it was just a combination of specific performance options that could be ordered å la carte, which meant that  if a person wanted,  they could order a four-door Matador sedan or wagon with the same set of “Go-Machine” options. The package itself was available with either the 360 V8 for $373 or for $461 with the 401-cubic-inch V8, and featured a four-barrel carburetor, dual exhaust, the heavy-duty handling package, power front disc brakes, E60-15 Goodyear Polyglas raised-white letter tires, and 15×7-inch styled steel wheels along with a space saver spare.

Oddly enough, a limited slip differential, called  a “Twin Grip,” was not a standard component of the Go-Machine package. And unlike the ’70 Rebel Machine, the ’71 Matador Machine could come in any AMC factory color. There was no exterior badging of any kind unique to the Go-Machine package, and to the average person  it  looked like a Matador. Most AMC experts agree today that perhaps only two verified Go-Machine cars still exist.

Today it is almost  impossible to identify a true “Go-Machine” car as only a factory build sheet, dealer order, or window sticker could be tangible proof. AMC did not denote anything unique in the VIN of Matadors with the Go-Machine package, so it really is a matter taking someone’s word of it’s authenticity. If the car has the correct set of options appropriate for the Go-Machine package, but does not have the paperwork to back it up, there simply is no way to prove whether the car really is legit.

But there is one clue that would give away a true “Go-Machine,” as the only way a 4-speed could be found in a Matador was with the Go-Machine package. Conflicting reports state  that all Go-Machines came equipped with 4-speeds .What we do know for sure is that the 4-speed option itself could only be purchased in a Matador if it were equipped with the Go-Machine package. But,  the only true way to know for sure whether you’ve got the read deal is with the factory paperwork.