1968-1974 AMC Javelin

The 1968-1974 AMC Javelin was designed by Richard A. Teague, who served as the chief designer for American Motors starting in 1960. After leaving Chrysler, Teague joined AMC as the lead stylist and stayed until his retirement, which followed the company's restructuring under Renault and later Chrysler.

In its early years, AMC appeared to be an excellent platform for skilled designers. Established in 1954 through the merger of Hudson and Nash by George Mason, the company saw George Romney rise to president after Mason's sudden passing later that year.

Similar to Mason, Romney advocated for smaller, fuel-efficient "compact" vehicles, prompting American Motors to focus heavily on the Rambler American just as the 1958 recession hit.

Classic Cars Image Gallery

As a result, during a year when most Detroit automakers saw a sharp decline in sales, Rambler achieved a record-breaking 200,000 units. By the time Teague joined, AMC had climbed to third place in sales, trailing only Chevrolet and Ford—an impressive feat for an independent manufacturer.

Teague likely didn't mind the challenges he faced, given his background. Born in California with a passion for cars and aircraft, he started at General Motors in 1948 but was disillusioned by its bureaucracy. Moving to Packard, he became styling director in 1953, only to witness the brand's decline in the mid-1950s.

Teague led AMC Styling during its peak years, when the company—known for offering what Romney termed "alternatives to the Detroit dinosaur"—enjoyed unparalleled success.

By 1963, Teague's keen sense of design transformed the overly ornate Rambler into a sleek, streamlined model. Meanwhile, the American "ordnance vehicle" evolved into an elegant compact by 1964, the year AMC initiated its pony car project.

Although the AMC Javelin was a direct competitor to the immensely popular Ford Mustang, its development was also influenced by other significant changes taking place within American Motors at the time.

After Romney stepped down to pursue a political career in February 1962, Roy Abernathy, a sales executive with a questionable history at Kaiser and Packard, took over as president.

Around the same time, AMC underwent a significant transformation. Shifting from producing dependable yet uninspiring compact cars, the company expanded its lineup to compete directly with the Big Three automakers.

In this era, AMC introduced a range of vehicles, including luxurious Ambassadors, sleek Marlins, powerful Rebel muscle cars, the innovative two-seater AMX, and the stylish Javelin.

The AMC Javelin didn't align with Roy Abernathy's vision, and by its launch, he had already departed. He was criticized for steering AMC toward a perilous path, driven by board demands and a lack of viable alternatives.

AMC pioneered the compact car market, but once the Big Three joined the fray, Rambler sales plummeted. Having a great idea isn't enough when you're small, as Rich Taylor once noted, "you'll find yourself trampled by giants before you realize it."

Roy Dikeman Chapin, Jr., Abernathy's successor, embraced innovative projects like the Javelin, boosting the spirits of AMC's design team. As Motor Trend observed, Teague's passion was infectious: "Surrounded by classic car models at his desk, he gesticulates and exclaims with excitement, even when discussing less thrilling vehicles."

Continue to the next page to explore the design of the 1968-1974 AMC Javelin.

For additional details about automobiles, check out:

1968-1974 AMC Javelin Design

According to John A. Conde, former AMC public relations manager, the design of the 1968-1974 AMC Javelin was inspired by Dick Teague's innovative "Project Four" concept cars unveiled in 1966. Among these, the AMX and AMX II played a key role in shaping the production AMX two-seater.

A third concept, the Vixen, featured a compact coupe design with a landau-style roof. All three concepts showcased design elements that heavily influenced the final Javelin. (The fourth concept, the Cavalier, stood out with its unique front/rear diagonally interchangeable doors.)

While the Javelin was a response to market demands rather than a groundbreaking concept, it earned praise from automotive critics. Marketed as a "full 4-passenger sporty car," it offered more cabin space than most rivals, matching only the Mercury Cougar in this regard.

The Javelin's design was sleek and minimalist, adhering to the long-hood/short-deck pony car style. Its smooth profile was enhanced by features like flush door handles, ventless side windows, and sweeping "C" pillars.

The front bumper, crafted from costly chrome-plated metal, seamlessly integrated with the underpan. This design created an appealing aesthetic in the pre-Endura-nose era of the 1960s, avoiding the disjointed appearance seen in models like the Mustang.

Inside, the Javelin featured standard front bucket seats and a fully recessed instrument panel housed in a padded ABS plastic dashboard. While the standard black finish gave a somber look, the upscale SST offered a variety of color options.

Every 1968 AMC Javelin came with thin beltline paint stripes, and an optional "wide stripe" was part of the Rally-Pak, later dubbed the "Go" package. This package included essential performance features like power front-disc brakes, wide oval tires, a handling suspension, and dual exhausts.

Discover the performance details of the 1968-1974 AMC Javelin in the following section.

For additional insights into automobiles, explore:

1968-1974 AMC Javelin Performance

The 1968-1974 AMC Javelin delivered impressive performance, boasting exceptional handling and speeds that rivaled competitors like the Mustang and Camaro.

The 343 V-8 engine, initially the largest available for the Javelin, was nearly as lightweight and compact as the standard 290, ensuring it didn't disrupt the car's weight distribution.

While it offered roughly 50 cubic inches and 50 horsepower less than the 390/396/400-cubic-inch engines in Mustangs, Cougars, Camaros, and Firebirds, it still matched their performance: the optional four-speed could achieve 0-60 mph in under eight seconds.

Although rival big-block engines eventually outpaced it, with top speeds of 125-135 mph compared to the Javelin's 105 mph, this was hardly a drawback in a country where acceleration mattered more than top speed.

AMC accomplished this not through excessive gearing (the four-speed had a 3.15:1 axle ratio) but by maintaining a relatively light weight: A 343 tested by Car Life tipped the scales at 3,461 pounds, significantly lighter than competing big-inch pony cars. (The base six-cylinder model weighed just 2,826 pounds.)

The Javelin's suspension followed a traditional setup, featuring coil springs and wishbones at the front and semi-elliptic leaf springs at the rear.

While the car benefited from options like quick-ratio steering and the handling package (which included a front sway bar, heavy-duty springs, and shocks), these were available across all models, including the six-cylinder version. However, the six-cylinder model couldn't be paired with the four-speed manual transmission.

Does this sound ordinary? Maybe—but it was effective. Equipped with the handling package, the Javelin delivered exceptional road-holding: it gripped the road tightly, and while it exhibited some body roll, it was hardly noticeable to the driver.

One reviewer remarked, "If auto racing were limited to strictly stock cars, we'd place our bets on this one." Clearly, a successful Javelin racing program would require both a skilled tuner and an exceptional driver.

Additionally, the Javelin faced a disadvantage in Sports Car Club of America Trans-Am racing, where pony cars competed, due to the 305-cubic-inch displacement limit. While Mustang and Camaro/Firebird utilized 302 engines, AMC had to rely on the 290, giving competitors a significant edge.

Despite the challenges, AMC entered the competition with determination. Led by Jim Jeffords (known for his work with Corvettes) and featuring skilled drivers like Peter Revson and George Follmer, the Javelin demonstrated it could compete with the fastest Z/28s and Mustangs. However, the 1968 season was dominated by Penske Camaro and Mark Donohue, and in 1969, the Javelin team, under Ron Kaplan, faced further setbacks.

AMC decided the best way to outperform Penske was to recruit their star driver, Mark Donohue. Although Donohue delivered strong performances and secured several victories, the championship remained elusive.

The following year, when Ford and Chrysler withdrew support for their teams and Penske scaled back efforts, Mark and the Javelin secured a first-place finish—a remarkable accomplishment for a determined independent manufacturer that had only recently produced Nash Ambassadors.

Continue to the next section to explore the achievements of the 1968-1970 AMC Javelin.

For further details about automobiles, check out:

1968-1970 AMC Javelin

The 1968-1970 AMC Javelin arrived as the pony car market was nearing its peak, and its sales figures reflected this timing.

Roy Chapin had expressed satisfaction with "35,000-40,000 sales" in 1968, acknowledging that AMC was the last to join a competitive market dominated by rivals with up to three years of head start.

To compete, Chapin strategically priced the Javelin below its rivals (the base model started at just $2,482 compared to $2,602 for a Mustang), resulting in 70,000 Javelins sold that year, including 56,462 units of the 1968 model.

Unfortunately, that marked the pinnacle of the Javelin's success. The pony car market was rapidly diversifying, and by 1969, it had already reached its peak. Sales of the 1969 model fell to 40,000, and subsequent model years never surpassed 30,000 units.

The 1969 Javelin underwent minor updates, including a redesigned grille and reorganized trim. The "Go" package—dubbed "rather too cutely named" by Automobile Quarterly—now featured faux hood scoops, while the SST introduced a mid-year "Big Bad" trim option showcasing bold colors, stripes, color-matched urethane bumpers, and a roof spoiler.

A big-block V-8 engine was also introduced, boasting 390 cubic inches and 315 gross horsepower, enabling the Javelin to better compete with rivals equipped with larger engines.

The 1970 models received another subtle redesign, highlighted by a "twin-venturi" grille, an updated hood, new wheel covers, and revised trim. Donohue's Trans-Am campaign that year aimed to benefit from the expansion of the 290 V-8 to 304 cubic inches, but a rule change allowing competitors to reduce big-block engines to 305 inches offset this advantage.

To capitalize on Donohue's racing success, AMC released two limited-edition Javelins that are highly sought after today. The "Mark Donohue Special" featured a massive rear spoiler adorned with Donohue's signature, while a rare SST Trans-Am model showcased the racing team's iconic red, white, and blue livery with front and rear spoilers.

The 1970 Donohue Special saw a production run of 2,501 units, while John Conde estimates that "only about 50" Trans-Am SSTs were manufactured.

Explore our final section for additional details on the 1971-1974 AMC Javelin.

For further insights into automobiles, take a look at:

1971-1974 AMC Javelin

The 1971-1974 AMC Javelin underwent minor design updates, but sales did not see a significant boost.

The most notable styling update for the Javelin occurred in 1971, though, as Dick Teague noted, "It was essentially a major facelift...we never had the budget for truly groundbreaking changes."

Nevertheless, the changes were striking: The wheelbase, length, and width were increased, with the most noticeable feature being the front wheel arches (or humps), which gave the car a more aggressive, bulkier appearance reminiscent of GM designs.

The Donohue Special continued production, while a new AMX model based on the Javelin replaced the discontinued two-seater AMX.

Product planners believed the AMX name still carried a performance reputation, so the "Javelin AMX" came standard with a 360 V-8 engine producing 245 horsepower. It could also be equipped with AMC's new 401-cid V-8, an upgraded version of the 390.

By this time, emission controls significantly impacted performance, so the 401's quarter-mile time of 16 seconds and 0-60 mph time of eight seconds only matched the capabilities of a strong 343 engine from 1968. The 401 remained an option for the Javelin until production ended in 1974, marking it as the largest engine in AMC's history.

During the declining pony car market of 1972-1974, the Javelin maintained a two-model lineup. Sales held steady at around 25,000 units annually, a respectable figure for its manufacturer. Changes were minimal, primarily involving trim updates and front-end redesigns.

In 1972, the SST featured a distinctive egg-crate grille to differentiate it from the AMX's mesh-style grille. By the following year, both the egg-crate grille and the SST name were removed, leaving only the base Javelin and the Javelin AMX, the latter retaining its signature deck spoiler and V-8 engine.

Why was the Javelin discontinued? The answer is clear: By the mid-1970s, the pony car market had collapsed. As John Conde pointed out, a company with limited resources couldn't justify dedicating an entire production line to a low-selling model.

"The Javelin remained in production until the introduction of the all-new Pacer. We needed the manufacturing line for Pacer production, so the Javelin was phased out. However, demand for such cars was clearly declining."

Unfortunately, the market for American Motors vehicles of any kind was also shrinking. During the heyday of the Javelin and the two-seat AMX, car enthusiasts across the country were cheering for the company's success.

"At meets, tours, races, and various events, we've observed this trend," noted Automobile Quarterly in 1969. "Everyone insists that American Motors must survive. Yet, few of those expressing concern for the company's future were actually driving its vehicles."

For additional insights into automobiles, explore: