The AMC Javelin is an American front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, two-door hardtop automobile manufactured by American Motors Corporation (AMC) across two generations, 1968 through 1970 and 1971 through 1974 model years. The car was positioned and marketed in the pony car market segment.[2]
Styled by Dick Teague, the Javelin was available in a range of trim and engine levels, from economical pony car to muscle car variants.[3][4] In addition to manufacture in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Javelins were assembled under license in Germany, Mexico, Philippines, Venezuela, as well as Australia – and were marketed globally. American Motors also offered discounts to U.S. military personnel, and cars were taken overseas.[5]
The Javelin won the Trans-Am race series in 1971, 1972, and 1976. The second-generation AMX variant was the first pony car used as a standard vehicle for highway police car duties by an American law enforcement agency.[6]
American Motors' Javelin was the company's entrant into the "pony car" market.[7] The segment was created by the Ford Mustang even if Ford's car was not the first entry.[8] The Javelin's design evolved from two prototype cars named AMX that were shown in AMC's "Project IV" auto show circuit during 1966.[9] One was a fiberglass two-seat "AMX", and the other was a four-seat "AMX II". These offerings reflected the company's strategy to shed its "economy car" image and appeal to a more youthful, performance-oriented market.[10][11]
Sales of convertibles were dropping, and AMC did not have the resources to design separate fastback and notchback hardtops that were available on the Mustang and the second-generation Plymouth Barracuda, so the AMC styling team led by Dick Teague penned only one body style, "a smooth semi-fastback roofline that helped set Javelin apart from other pony cars."[12]
The Javelin was built on AMC's "junior" (compact) Rambler American platform only as a two-door hardtop model to be a "hip", dashing, affordable pony car, as well as available in muscle car performance versions.[13] "Despite management's insistence on things like good trunk space and rear-seat room, Teague managed to endow the Javelin with what he termed the wet T-shirt look: voluptuous curves with nary a hint of fat."[12]
The Javelin debuted on 22 August 1967, for the 1968 model year,[15] and the new models were offered for sale from 26 September 1967, with prices starting at $2,743.[16]
The car incorporated several safety innovations, including interior windshield posts that were "the first industry use of fiberglass safety padding",[17] and the flush-mounted paddle-style door handles.[18] To comply with National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) safety standards there were exterior side marker lights, and three-point seat belts and headrests for the front seats. The interior was devoid of bright trim to help reduce glare.
American Motors marketed the Javelin as offering "comfortable packaging with more interior and luggage space than most of its rivals"[19] with adequate leg- and headroom in the back and a trunk capacity of 10.2 cubic feet (288.83 L). There were no side vent windows. Flow-through ventilation extracted interior air through apertures in the doors controlled by adjustable flap valves at the door armrests' bottom. All Javelins came with thin-shell bucket seats and a fully carpeted interior. The SST model added appearance and comfort features, including reclining front seatbacks with upgraded upholstery, simulated wood-grained door panel trim, a sports-style steering wheel, and bright exterior trim for the drip rail and rocker panel. The Javelin's instruments and controls were set deep in a padded panel in front of the driver, with the rest of the dashboard set well forward and away from the front passenger.
The car's front end had what AMC called a "twin-venturi" look with a recessed honeycomb grille and outboard-mounted headlamps, and matching turn signals were set into the bumper. A pair of simulated air scoops on the hood and the windshield was raked at 59 degrees for a "sporty overall appearance."[20]
Road & Track magazine compared a Javelin favorably to its competitors on its introduction in 1968, describing its "big, heavy, super-powerful engine" as "an asset in such a small vehicle", and the styling as "pleasant".[21] Motor Trend, putting the Javelin at the top of the "sports-personal" category in its annual "Car of the Year" issue, said it was "the most significant achievement for an all-new car" and "the most notable new entry in [its] class."[22]
Available only in a two-door hardtop, body style, the Javelin came in base and more premium SST models. The standard engine was a 232 cu in (3.8 L) straight-6. Optional were a 290 cu in (4.8 L) V8 with two-barrel carburetor, and a 343 cu in (5.6 L) V8 in regular gasoline two-barrel or high-compression premium-fuel four-barrel versions. Racing driver Gordon Johncock said the Javelin had "a nice, all-round blend of features", that it "stacks up as a roomy, comfortable, peppy and handsome example of a so-called "pony car" and that after his road test, he "wanted to take it home."[23]
With the standard straight-six engine, the Javelin cruised at 80 miles per hour (129 km/h) when equipped with an automatic transmission. In comparison, those with the base 290 cu in (4.8 L) V8 had a top speed of 100 miles per hour (161 km/h).[24] A three-speed "Shift-Command" automatic transmission was optional with a center console-mounted gear selector. Forward settings included "1", "2", and a "D" mode that was fully automatic, and the driver could choose to shift manually through all three gears.[25]
The optional "Go Package" included a four-barrel carbureted 343 cu in (5.6 L) AMC V8, power front disc brakes, heavy-duty suspension, dual exhausts with chromed outlets, broad full-length body-side stripes, and E70x14 red-line tires mounted on chrome-plated "Magnum 500" styled road wheels. A 343 Go Pac Javelin could accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour (97 km/h) in 8 seconds, had a top speed approaching 120 miles per hour (193 km/h),[24] and could run a quarter-mile in 15.4 seconds.[26] The largest engine in the first few months of 1968 production was "a 5.6 litre V-8 that delivered 284 SAE bhp, which made the car dangerously fast."[27]
In mid-1968, the new 390 cu in (6.4 L) engine was offered as part of the "Go-package" option with a floor-mounted automatic or manual four-speed transmission. "Its impressive 315 hp (235 kW; 319 PS) and 425 pound force-feet (576 N⋅m) of torque could send the Javelin from zero to 60 miles per hour (97 km/h) in the seven-second range."[28]
American Motors supported the AMX and the Javelin muscle versions with a range of factory-approved "Group 19" dealer-installed performance accessories. These parts included, among others, dual four-barrel cross-ram intake manifolds, high-performance camshaft kits, needle-bearing roller rocker arms, and dual-point ignition.[29]
The average age of the "first 1,000 Javelin buyers was 29 – a full ten years under the median for all AMC customers."[30] The Javelin's marketing campaign, created by Mary Wells Lawrence of the Wells, Rich, and Greene agency was innovative and daring in its approach.[31] Print and TV advertisements broke with the traditional convention of not attacking the competition, and some compared the AMC Javelin to the Ford Mustang side by side, as well as showing the Mustang being beaten to pieces with sledgehammers.[32]
The car was longer and roomier than the Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro, but not the size of the larger Plymouth Barracuda.[33] Comparison testing of six 1968 pony cars by Car and Driver described the Javelin as having "a clean understated appearance that is not marred by phony vents, power bulges, mounds or bizarre sculpturing of whatever variety. The Javelin is an honest-looking car with a dramatic flair."[34]
Total production for the 1968 model year was 55,125.[35]
Minor changes for the second model year included revised side striping, an altered grille with a bull's eye emblem, and trim upgrades.[36] An optional side-stripe package consisted of a C-shaped graphic that started behind the front wheel openings. The optional (standard with the "Go-Package") five-spoke Magnum 500 steel road wheels now came with a stainless steel trim ring. The interior received new door panels and upgraded carpeting. Instrumentation featured a 0–8,000 rpm tachometer that now matched the speedometer in style. Late model-year production received a cowl over the instrument panel directly before the driver.
The "Mod Javelin" Package was introduced mid-year in 1969. It included a "Craig Breedlove" roof-mounted spoiler, simulated "exhaust" rocker trim, and twin blacked-out simulated air scoops on the hood.[37] Optional "Big Bad" paint (neon brilliant blue, orange, or green) also became available from mid-1969. It came with matching front and rear painted bumpers, as well as two vertical rubber-faced painted bumper guards for the rear and a bright lower grille molding on the painted front bumper.[38] This was part of AMC's targeting youthful consumers as they were "dumping the drab."[39] These bright colors were available on all Javelins through 1970.
The Go-Package option was available with the four-barrel 343 or 390 engines and continued to include disc brakes, "Twin-Grip" (limited slip) differential, red-line performance E70x14 tires on "Magnum 500" styled wheels, heavy-duty suspension with thicker sway-bars, and other enhancements. Starting in January 1969, the four-speed manual transmissions included a Hurst floor shifter (AMC's version of the Hurst Competition Plus model) to provide shorter throws between gears and make it feel firmer and more solid.
The production total for the 1969 model year was 40,675.[35]
American Motors entered the Javelin in dragstrip and Trans-Am Series racing.[40]
Carl Chakmakian was the primary contact for the AMC racing program. In 1968, AMC contracted Kaplan Engineering (Ron Kaplan and Jim Jeffords) to campaign two AMC Javelins in the SCCA's Trans-Am series.[41] For the 1968 season, three cars were prepared: two for racing and one for shows and demonstrations.
The first year of the AMC program was a success; journalists described the team as a "Cinderella" team. American Motors placed third in the over-2-liter class of the 1968 series,[42] and established a record as the only factory entry to finish every Trans-Am race entered.[43]
During the 1968 season, the team consistently improved and suffered only one "did not finish" (DNF) because of an engine problem. The race program was supporting a company with no performance parts, test facility, or technical support for the program. Production cars Javelins had no anti-dive potential built into the uni-body and only single-barrel carburetor manifolds.
The team's performance in 1968 was due to the efforts of Kaplan, his staff, and help from other West Coast manufacturers. Kaplan set out to resolve handling problems and fix engine oiling problems. Mid-season, he also started the development of a dual-carburetor cross-ram manifold and (looking ahead) a new engine casting.
The development of the Watt's linkage rear suspension came first. The front anti-dive geometry followed quickly. Kaplan copied the basic design of the inner fender components from a Mustang. He added two more degrees of anti-dive to the Mustang's 4 degrees, made the drawings, and sent them to the factory. Central Stamping constructed the parts that Kaplan incorporated into the cars as bodies in white. Other suspension parts were acquired through specialty manufacturers.
The building of reliable and powerful engines took more time. The team started the 1968 season with two engines from TRACO. They worked to resolve oiling issues and develop as much power as possible; the single-carb layout and the basic two-bolt-main block were limitations. Kaplan went to Vic Edelbrock to develop a cross-ram manifold. Champion spark plugs provided their dyno room.
Towards the end of 1968, Kaplan enlisted help from Dan Byer, a retired engineer from AMC, to develop a new block casting. Using AMC 390 engineering drawings, they added more mass for four-bolt mains and improved the oiling system. A run of 50 blocks was contracted to Central Foundries in Windsor, Ontario. Because this was a small run, and there was little factory support, it fell to Kaplan and his staff to clean up the blocks from the sand casting, hone the various passages, and, finally, send them to AMC's "Parts Central" in Kenosha. From there, they could draw on the inventory. The blocks were painted bright orange. Kaplan drew on about 12 special castings during the development program, two sold to customers.
Kaplan's preparations included shaving the deck on the new block by about 5/8-inch and heavily modifying the ports. The new cross-ram manifold was installed, and Kaplan would add his specifically designed pistons, a shorter throw crankshaft, and a new camshaft. While a few engines were lost during testing, the design proved reliable.
In the intervening period, AMC replaced Kaplan's race program contact with two new men (Chris Schoenlip and John Voelbel from Lever Brothers, who still needed to gain experience in the automotive field and racing. The two new employees did not enter the parts into the official AMC parts system and submit homologation papers. Kaplan sent the first car to run at the first race of the 1969 season in Jackson, Michigan. It was one of the older 1968 cars with a new engine, but because they were late and had not qualified, the team had to do some consensus-building among the other racers to permit them