 |
AMC handed part of the 1971 Javelin AMX’s styling to its own Trans-Am champion, Mark Donohue, and the result carried real racing pedigree straight into its sheet metal. With a 330-horsepower 401 V8, a factory Go Package, and a championship season nobody else in Detroit even bothered to contest, it remains one of the most overlooked muscle cars of its era.
American Motors never had Detroit’s budget, but for a few years in the late 1960s and early 1970s, its Javelin and two-seat AMX spinoff went toe-to-toe with the Mustang and Camaro on both the street and the Trans-Am track — with Roger Penske and Mark Donohue behind the wheel of a purpose-built 5.0-liter version. Watch to see why this overlooked underdog still deserves a second look.
The AMC Javelin arrived four years late to the pony car wars against Mustang, Camaro, and Barracuda — then delivered one of the closest championship finishes in Trans-Am history. A single point cost it the 1970 title, and a six-race win streak sealed the trophy in 1971. Here’s the racing story behind the 401-powered Javelin, plus what to check before buying one today.
Mark Donohue built his reputation on spotting a bad race car in seconds, and by his own account, AMC’s first Trans-Am Javelin nearly failed that test completely. This 1970 AMC Javelin SST Trans Am, one of just 100 street versions built to homologate the race car for SCCA competition, carries the 325-horsepower 390 V8 and 4-speed manual that made it road-legal. Its story includes an owner who kept it for thirty years and a debate over what SST even stands for. Watch to see how a car once dismissed as a mess helped AMC finish second in points.
AMC never had the budget of Ford, GM, or Chrysler, but its Trans-Am racing program with driver Mark Donohue gave the underdog manufacturer real credibility — and this 1970 AMX Javelin in factory Big Bad Blue is the street-legal result. Owner Roger Nelson has driven and shown the car since 2007, and he knows every detail of what makes it different from a standard Javelin. Watch to find out what a factory 390 and a racing pedigree add up to.