Model: 1974 AMC Matador police car
Line: Greenlight Hazzardous Collection, Hobby Exclusive, 2020
Buy the Greenlight Hazzard Matador on eBay
Why it’s in my collection: To say I’m a huge Dukes of Hazzard fan is an understatement. Between owning a 1977 Dodge Monaco Rosco’s car replica and a ’69 General Lee Charger in real life, I’ve also amassed a large collection of 1/64th scale Hazzard vehicles. One car in my collection, the gold 1981 Ertl General Lee, pops up almost weekly in Dukes groups on Facebook and is one of the premier pieces in my collection. I’ve also been on a decades-long quest to collect as many 1/64th scale General Lees that were used in the run of the series, or roughly 320 cars. I’m currently at 314, so I’m almost there!
So when Greenlight started releasing replica Dukes cars in their hobby-exclusive Hazzardous Line, I knew I was in for some budget-busting diecast purchases. Greenlight has now released over two dozen cars from the series, ranging from Uncle Jesse’s white Ford truck to Daisy’s Jeep (posts on each of these coming soon), and countless Hazzard neighboring-counties patrol cars — Greenlight has made a lot of Dukes fans diecast dreams come true.
But one of the most unique and raddest releases so far has been the Hazzard County 1974 AMC Matador police car.
While the 1977-1978 Dodge Monaco and Plymouth Furys were the most commonly seen Hazzard patrol cars throughout the run of the series, the short-lived Hazzard AMC was used throughout the first two seasons of the show thanks to a vehicle deal with AMC.
AMC provided the series with a small fleet of AMC Matadors and a few Golden Eagle “Dixie” Jeeps during the first and second seasons of the show. While Daisy’s Jeep lasted from its introduction in season two, all the way to the end of the series, the AMCs were used up within a season or two of the show. I recall reading somewhere that the show’s stunt drivers hated the Matadors because of their lack of power steering, causing them to wreck them at a faster pace to get through their allotment, but I can’t confirm that information.
A 1/64th scale AMC Matador Hazzard patrol car is something I never thought I’d see, but Greenlight delivered. Their version of the Hazzard Matador is as close to Dukes perfection as you can get. The glossy white paint, full Hazzard police door and fender tampos, window and side trim, grille and taillight detail — it’s really the full package. They even nailed the factory finned hubcabs. The only thing I would have preferred is the use of the more accurate rounded Aerodynic lightbar rather than the edgy Streethawk style bar.
This release is seriously good – you can appreciate the detail that has gone into this model even if you’re not a Dukes fan. From the detailed squared-off Matty grille to crisp Sheriff tampos, this AMC is ready for some back-road hot pursuit action 🏁Yee haa!!!
