1970 AMC Javelin SST Trans Am Edition Is Three Shades of Amazing

The moniker came about in 1967 in the portfolio of a carmaker that's no longer around, American Motors Corporation (AMC). That's right, the same guys that over the years made stuff like the Jeep Wagoneer, the Hornet, or the Nash Rambler.

The Javelin played the game in one of the segments that were getting increasingly popular at the time it appeared: pony cars. For its time, it was a truly global car, one of the few examples of its segment to be so, as it was manufactured outside of the U.S. as well, in countries like Germany, Mexico, the Philippines, Venezuela, and Australia.

Unlike the competitors it was meant to fight, though, the Javelin disappeared quite quickly from the scene. AMC pulled the plug on the model just seven years after launching the model, in 1974, at a time when just two generations had gone by.

That was enough to kill the model for good, production-wise, as it never returned, but the name stuck with car collectors, and still makes the occasional headlines today.

It does so not only because some collectors refuse to let it go, but also because despite its short presence on the market, the AMC Javelin did manage to make a splash. Not only on everyday roads, but also on racetracks.

Back in the 1960s and 1970s, much like it is today, if you were a car company you couldn't properly advertise a model you made without making sure it gets noticed on the racetrack. And that's exactly what AMC did with the Javelin as well.

The main competitions where this model played in were drag racing and the Trans-Am series. It's the latter competition where the car made a name for itself, not in small part thanks to its three wins of the Trans Am title in 1971, 1972, and 1976.

It's those Trans Am wins, and more specifically the cars driven during the competition, that the Javelin model we have here is trying to honor.

The beast is officially called AMC Javelin SST Trans Am, and it came about in 1970 as a sort of tribute to the model's involvement in the racing series, but also in honor of one of its drivers, Peter Revson.

The special edition of the model was sold to the public as a sort of alternative to the homologation specials the competition was making. It came with a large and potent engine and unique styling, not to mention the fact it was meant to replicate the track Javelins in terms of design.

Like all other special editions, the SST Trans Am did not roll off assembly lines in large numbers. In fact, no more than 100 of them were made, so stumbling upon one, especially in such good condition, does not happen very often.

Sporting a grille that was available for only a year, but also the insanely appealing color combination of Revson's Trans Am car, this Javelin packs under the hood a 390ci engine rocking a 4-barrel carburetor and good for 325 horsepower.

The engine is tied to a 4-speed manual transmission, which sends power to the road by means of a limited-slip differential. Exhaling is done by means of a free-flowing dual exhaust, while raised white letter tires transfer the engine's power to the ground.

We found the AMC Javelin in this configuration sitting on the lot of cars auction house Mecum will be sending under the hammer at the end of the month in Dallas, Texas. The info we've got on it does not include a price, but we all know that generally speaking a Javelin, even in this rare configuration, is a bit cheaper than the more famous muscle cars, while offering about the same level of excitement.

To give you an idea of what I mean by that I'll tell you valuation specialist Hagerty places a Concours condition Javelin, without it being a special edition, at just $33,000.

That's pennies, compared to what Camaros of Mustangs of old usually get, and probably an understatement of the appeal of the Trans Am edition we have here - it'll probably go for a higher sum than that (there appears to be an undisclosed reserve on the Javelin).

We'll keep an eye out on the rare machine and update this story as soon as we learn how much it went for, if a buyer for it happens to be in the house in Dallas.