European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 16, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 the stars and stripes monday May 16, 1977 Gary Corner Hll though the american motors Matador coup is usually classed As an intermediate when it Comelo sizing up american automobiles i would term it a big car by definition and in Barcelona trim a very attractive  recently had the Matador Barcelona i Coupe for a few Days of Road impressions and its successor the Barcelona ii has now come onto the Market As am s 1977 Amodel. The Barcelona ii. Which made its european debut at the Geneva Auto Salonin March differs from the Model i Only in fashion styling with the Model in Fea Turing a Landau Type padded Vinyl roof that sets off the opera windows special two tone body color and bumpers in Matching body  Barcelona ii is strictly a luxury car inside and out created to meet the incas ing american demand for High fashion in automobiles with the luxury touch sell in Well these Days. Good bumper design with the Matador Barcelona. 1 especially liked the treatment am designers gave to the stainless steel bumpers not Inte grated a disguised but fashioned in such a Way that they set off the Over All proportions of the car. The Barcelona ii which Isaw for the first time last week uses the same design but has the bumpers painted to blend with the color of the body. Either Way. The arrangement is pleasing to the Eye. Dick Teague. Who Heads american motors design department has come up with a luxury car in the Barcelona ii thatis appealing throughout yet one that has restraint and no hints of Gudiness. A neat trick. The exterior finish is of High Quality the Barcelona ii comes in two tone Browns and two tone reds while the Interior offers Plush Tan Nap fabric with red Woven accent stripes on the split Bench scats. The touch of red striping provides just the right slice of contrast for the Over All Tan Interior the Tan color including the floor matting fabric. Integrated headrests the doors feature removable Side pock ets with leather pull straps. No grab bars anywhere however which would be a Wel come addition when going arounds Cor ners. The dash is of simulated Wood also in Tan. Both rear View mirrors Are Remote controlled from inside the scat backs have integrated headrests and both front seat backs go Down at the touch of a Metal Tab allowing Good ingress and egress for the two passengers in Back. The front setbacks Are fully adjustable for Rake and will re Cline fully. The front seats meanwhile move Back and Forth at any position or Range one  front passenger s Sun visor has a vanity Mirror which lights up while the overhead lights in Jet plane style cast separate beams for night Lime map read ing. Other features include a three Speed Windshield wiper one of the speeds an intermediate Day night Mirror a heated rear window cigarette lighter tilt steering wheel with the padded wheel studded by Finger grips All around. Many other luxury items too so if it s luxury you want that s what you  the Road the Matador Barcelona pro Vides what 1 would term above average Riding Comfort but the suspension setup is too soft for my tastes the softness allowing Large degrees of Sway despite the Low Slung body design. Engine silent Standard equipment includes Power steering Power front disc brakes and Auto Matic transmission. The Matador Barcelona that i had was equipped with a 360 cubic Inch v-8 motor 2-Barrcl carb. The engine silent yet Strong with a Zero to 60 Mph time recorded at 11.7 seconds. Speedwell Over 100 were attained easily but the car Felt better in the 80-85 Mph  was Okay for a car of this size Al luxury Interior the Plush Interior of the new am mat ador Barcelona ii features Tan Nap knit fabric set off by Woven accent stripes in though there was some unpleasant pitch ing in turns on bumpy  steering formerly was an option on matadors but now it s Standard and Good thing because Power steering is Nec Essary on this car. The steering was vaguest the Center and feel for the Road was equally vague a condition that too Many  cars Harbor the brakes Power disc at front and Drums rear seemed Well balanced an were effective until one came to speeds Over 80 Mph where the rear ones tended Lollock up a bit Early during controlled stops. No Gas miser As i was driving the Matador Barcelona at relatively High speeds on the autobahn Between 75 and 90 most of time the High Way Gas mileage figures came in at 12.3mng this with the 360 2-Barrcl. So the car was anything but a Gas miser. The environmental Protection Agency Epa lists the Matador with 360 engine at 13 mpg for City 16 for Highway for a combined mpg figure of 14, average Cost a year for fuel am s special edition Barcelona ii introducing us 1977v, Model american motors has come onto the luxury car Market with the Matador Barcelona ii the cars now available in Europe. The Barcelona ii features two tone Colo scheme with bumpers in Matching tones. Standard equipment includes automatic transmission Power steering Power disc brakes at front Slot style wheels and or 78 x 15 White Wall tires. A Landau style padded Vinyl roof sets off be opera Quarter windows. Red. Headliner and door trim panels plus floor mailing material Are also of Matching Tan color. Being $696. When equipped with a 304 v-8 engine the Epa lists 13 for City and 17 for Highway for a combined figure of is mpg. Base Price for the Barcelona ii with the304 cubic Inch v-8 engine is $4,876. The special military Price includes radial White Wall tires gr78 x i automatic transmission Power steering Etc. An a radio costs an extra $68.40, an am pm stereo an extra 189.90, and an am/fm/cb$295.00. Preparation and conditioning goes at $75. The new Matador Barcelona Al is Avail Able for delivery in Europe and the United states with american motors buyer Protection plan included in the Price of the vehicle. The cars May be ordered through Amer ican motors sales representatives at army and air Force Exchange service cafes stores. Randy Barnet t locks Light up for motorists Detroit an electronic particle no larger than the head of a pin is shedding Light on the decades old problem of unlock ing cars after dark. The device is a Light emitting Diode called . By engineers and it being installed As part of an optional illuminated entry system package on certain cars from the Ford motor company. In addition to activating the .-illuminated car door lock cylinders an electronic module located behind the instrument panel switches on the car s Interior lamps. The system consists of the electronic module illuminated door lock cylinders which contain the . S. Door Latch switches and a special wiring harness. Raising either front door handle whether the door is locked or unlocked momentarily closes a switch mounted on the door Latch mechanism. This sends a ground signal to the electronic module which activates the system. The car s Interior lights come on. And both front door lock cylinders Are illuminated internally by a rim of Light around the  the lights stay on for about 25 seconds then shut off automatically. Although .s have been in existence for some years they Are the Light source for Many digital wrist watches their application to the automobile was t practical until recently because of costs and durability problems