Photo: Classic Cars
Back in the 1960s and 1970s, there was literally not a single American car company that wasn’t trying to cut a slice of the muscle and pony car cakes for themselves. Those were crazy times, that left both scars and valuable legacies for the years to come.
Some of the car names born back then are still around, and still making millions for their makers in a segment that has long lost much of its original appeal. But for every muscle or pony car that is still around there are countless that bit the dust long ago, despite their performance levels or great looks.
One of those cars that didn’t make it is the Javelin. Created by the company with probably the shortest life in the American auto industry, AMC (born in 1954 from the union between Nash-Kelvinator and Hudson Motor and dead in 1988, when it became Jeep Eagle Corporation), the Javelin was one of the best-looking ponies out there.
The nameplate was introduced in 1967 as the company’s entry car into the segment, alongside its more powerful sibling the AMX. For reference, the AMX was the first pony car to be used by police departments as a vehicle for highway use, but also served as the basis for the development of the Javelin.
The car was designed in such a way as to appeal to a slightly younger customer base than the one targeted by the competition. The lines were softer on this car than on others, it featured a full width cowl hood, and looked particularly wide on the road.
Engine wise, units with displacement between 232ci and 390ci (3.8 liters to 6.4 liters) were fitted, developing between 145 and 315 hp. The Javelin we have in the gallery above, one of the not so many to have survived until today, and currently on sale on a specialized website, is of a 1974 model year and uses a 304ci (5.0-liter) engine.
It may not be the best preserved Javelin out there, but at $20,000 it might just be the right starting point for a rebuild project.
One of those cars that didn’t make it is the Javelin. Created by the company with probably the shortest life in the American auto industry, AMC (born in 1954 from the union between Nash-Kelvinator and Hudson Motor and dead in 1988, when it became Jeep Eagle Corporation), the Javelin was one of the best-looking ponies out there.
The nameplate was introduced in 1967 as the company’s entry car into the segment, alongside its more powerful sibling the AMX. For reference, the AMX was the first pony car to be used by police departments as a vehicle for highway use, but also served as the basis for the development of the Javelin.
The car was designed in such a way as to appeal to a slightly younger customer base than the one targeted by the competition. The lines were softer on this car than on others, it featured a full width cowl hood, and looked particularly wide on the road.
Engine wise, units with displacement between 232ci and 390ci (3.8 liters to 6.4 liters) were fitted, developing between 145 and 315 hp. The Javelin we have in the gallery above, one of the not so many to have survived until today, and currently on sale on a specialized website, is of a 1974 model year and uses a 304ci (5.0-liter) engine.
It may not be the best preserved Javelin out there, but at $20,000 it might just be the right starting point for a rebuild project.
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