‘Ram Fire V-8’ Trivia Question of the Week: 1. After fulfilling his military commitment, Elvis Presley returned to Hollywood on April 20, 1960, to film what movie? 2. One of the big, top fifty hits of 1960 was the ballad, ‘Are You Lonesome Tonight’. Who sang this 1960 pop hit? 3. On April 4, 1960, the first three female priests are ordained in what country, A. United States; B. Sweden, C. Cameroon, D. Russia or E. France? 4. Can you name all of the Dodge models for model year 1960? 5. This person was the host of NBC’s Tonight Show in 1960. Who was he? 6. This infamous American serial killer was born on May 21, 1960. Who was he? 7. On a lighter note (pardon the pun), this one time Tonight Show band leader was born on August 26, 1960. Can you name him? 8. Name the CIA pilot who was captured on May 1, 1960 after his U-2 reconnaissance plane was shot down over the Soviet Union.

For the answers to this week’s trivia questions and more on the 1960 Dodge Matador, visit The FIN MAN’s web site at http://www.thefinman.com.

You just never know what might trigger an old car flash back. On a recent, very early Sunday morning photo shoot, just down the road apiece from our home, I was observing a professional photographer shooting photos of a young lady dressed in bullfighter garb. Some of the others in attendance were trying to remember what you call a bullfighter... I mean besides the obvious–bullfighter’. As they were pondering the question, suddenly it came to me and I said, "Matador." I looked over at my wife’s friend Bridget (who knows quite well that I LIVE old cars) and remarked, "There was a Dodge called the Matador back in the sixties". She rolled her eyes and said, "Oh, I guess your next story will be about the Dodge Matador, right?" What could I say?

By today’s standards, the 1960 Dodge is way over the top in terms of exterior ornamentation, with chrome plated gewgaws, doo-dads and other forms of adornment from stem to stern. But, even forty-eight years ago, this baby was one of the flashier rides on the boulevard.
But that was okay in my book. For me, the son of a die hard GM man, this Mopar was love at first sight, and I’ve been enamored by the spaceship lines of this beautiful coupe ever since my first sighting. While one can point to a number of cars which are more attractive as a hardtop coupe than in rag top form, this is one of the prime examples of the likening.

The striking ‘Satin’ white Matador coupe shown above, trimmed out with Teal Poly on the roof ‘cantilevers’, is one of the all time Fin Man Faves. It is but one example of just a handful of finned automobiles to use the ‘reverse canted’ fin design... a look that has fascinated me from day one. Another that comes to mind is the 1957 Cadillac... also one of my favorites from the golden era of American automobiles.

And, oh those colors! Dodge (and Chrysler) had some of the richest colors of the period. Seventeen exterior colors in all were offered including, Raw Sienna (soft yellow); Azure (powder blue); Mediterranean Poly (metallic medium blue); Spray (mint green); Spruce Poly (metallic dark blue/green); Cactus Poly (metallic olive green); Frost Turquoise (pastel solid aqua); Teal Poly (metallic medium teal blue); Cloud (soft dove gray); Pewter Poly (metallic medium gray); Charcoal Poly (as the name implies); Burgundy Poly (metallic burgundy wine); Vermillion (deep red); Fawn (metallic sand); Cocoa Poly (metallic dark chocolate brown); Satin (solid white) and Raven (black). Color schemes included solid, mono color plus two tone combos in three variations including, ‘standard two-tone, roof only’ in which the entire roof was painted with the second color choice. ‘With roof cantilever’ was roof and cantilever painted the second color and ‘Sweep Cantilever’ in which only the cantilever was painted the second color (as in the photo above).

While the slightly smaller (118" wheelbase as opposed to 122" on the Matador and Polara models) Dodge Dart was available with a choice of a 225 cubic inch, slant six or two versions of the Chrysler 318 V-8, all Matadors for 1960 came standard equipped with the Super Red Ram V-8, displacing 361 cubic inches (that’s 5.9 liters for the Generation Xers in the audience) and producing 295 brake horsepower. The optional ‘Ram Fire’ V-8 engines of 383 cubic inch displacement (you figure it out) was offered and produced 325 horses. Topping out the engine options was the 381 cubic inch (???) D-500 with a gas guzzling eight barrels of carburetion. It was listed as producing 320 horsepower (go figure), but everyone knew that was a very conservative rating.

The standard transmission was, well, a standard transmission with three speeds and a column mounted shifter, but these were relatively rare as most Dodge buyers opted for either the two-speed Powerflite at $189.00 or the three-speed Torqueflite at $211.00. Both of these automatics were controlled by Chrysler’s famous dash mounted, push button controls.

Additional accessories designed to make life more pleasurable included the Music Master AM radio for $59.00; power steering at $77.00 and power brakes at $43.00; power windows at $102.00; power seat $96.00; AirTemp a/c at $446.00 and swivel front seats for easy in and out, priced at $87.00. White sidewall tire cost $58.00 when ordered on your new 1960 Dodge.

Premature rust and low production make finding one of these space ship Dodges a formidable task today. Dodge production records were rather sketchy. I can tell you that exactly 42,517 Dodge Matadors and Polara were produced for model year 1960, however, I can’t tell you how many were two doors, four doors, convertibles, etc. I CAN, however, tell you that Dodge produced 44,719 two-door sedans; 162,420 four-door sedans; 54,345 two-door hardtops; 20,216 four-door hardtops; 8,817 convertibles; 38,275 six passenger station wagons and 13,379 nine passenger wagons, but there was no model breakdown within these totals. To put this in perspective, Dodge built 54,345 two door coupes in total, all series, while Chevrolet, for the same model year, built 204,467 two-door hardtop coupes between their Bel Air and Impala series, nearly four to one over Dodge production totals. IF, and that’s a big if, you can find a show quality Matador coupe for sale, expect to pay around $21,000 for the privilege of ownership, according to the Old Cars Price Guide. A 1960 Chevrolet Impala coupe, on the other hand, is listed at $36,000.00 by the same publication, reflecting a value based more on popularity than availability.

For lots more about the 1960 Matador, read the expanded version of this story at stltoday.com/autos.

Bruce Kunz is available for your group’s special event and is currently booking dates for 2008 and 2009. During his appearances, he presents an overview of the collector car hobby plus a detailed look at American cars from the fifties and sixties. His program includes a Power Point presentation with images of collectible automobiles and various associated nostalgia and Americana. Guests also have the opportunity to play "FINS for FUN" (which inspired his nickname), the video car trivia game Mr. Kunz first produced in 1987, in which players compete for auto related prizes donated by supporting Fin Man sponsors. For more information, click on this link: http://groups.msn.com/the-fin-man/seminaragenda.msnw.

Bruce Kunz is a member of the Society of Automotive Historians, the St. Louis Chapter of the Buick Club of America and the Monte Carlo Owners Association of America. He welcomes your comments and suggestions. To e-mail him, click here > mailto:the_fin_man@msn.com.