1969 AMC Javelin

Sometimes you just need to go where the winds take you, and such was the case with AMC's Javelin, following in the wake created by the sporty and youthful Ford Mustang. The American Motor Corporation typically embraced a conservative approach for its vehicles and sought out niche markets unexplored by the larger automakers. The front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, two-door hardtop Javelin was an exception, as AMC fully embraced the exciting, new pony car market segment.

The Javelin was styled by Dick Teague and its final form was influenced by two prototype cars named AMX that were shown in 1966 in AMC's 'Project IV' auto show circuit. The first example wore a fiberglass, two-seater body while the second, the 'AMX II' was a four-seater. The Javelin had a semi-fastback roofline, a split grille with black-out treatment and a form-fitting bumper, and single, square headlights positioned within the fenders. The front was updated a year later with a new twin venturi grille. There were clean bodylines with wide, flat sail panels, round parking lamps integrated into the bumper, a full-width rear bumper, wide profile tires, flush-mounted paddle-style door handles, and a black-out rear panel treatment. The sporty stance was accentuated by its short, 109-inch wheelbase and its overall length of 189.2-inches. Under the hood was a 232 cubic-inch Six or 343 CID V8 in standard guise. The six delivered 145 horsepower at 4,400 RPM and the V8 had 200 bhp at 4,600 RPM. The interior housed bucket seats with front foam cushions, a cigarette lighter and ashtray, a heater, a Custom steering wheel, Flo-Thru ventilation, and a glovebox lock.

AMC introduced its Javelin on AUgust 22nd of 1967 for the 1968 model year. Sales began near the close of September with prices for the two-door fastback beginning at $2,480. Over 55,000 examples were built in 1968 including 26,027 examples of the Javelin SST. The SST added a reclining front bucket seat, full wheel discs, moldings for the rocker panels, hood scoops, and a wood-look Sports steering wheel. A Go Package option became available mid-year and came with a floor-mounted automatic or manual four-speed transmission. Under the hood was the new AMX 390 cubic-inch engine offering 315 horsepower and 425 pounds-feet of torque, giving the Javelin a zero-to-sixty mph time of around seven seconds. American Motors also offered a range of factory-approved Group 19 dealer-installed performance accessories that included high-performance camshafts, dual-point ignition, needle-bearing roller rocker arms, and dual four-barrel cross-ram intake manifolds.

The 55,000 Javelins built during 1968 exceeded expectations by approximately ten thousand vehicles. Sales dropped to around 40,000 for the 1969 models, but the pony car era had peaked, and Javelin's rivals were falling as well.

The 1969 AMC Javelin
The 1969 Javelin was very similar to the previous year, with the exception of the aforementioned update to the grille and a round, bull's-eye emblem on the left-hand side of the grille, along with styling changes to the side stripes. The 'base' Javelin two-door fastback was priced at $2,515 and the Javelin SST was listed for $2,630. The SST was more popular with 23,286 examples built compared to 17,389 of the 'base' Javelin.

The interior received minor updates to the instrument panel and the SST gained more extensive use of wood-grained paneling. The Mod Javelin arrived mid-year, which wore identical colors as the Big Bad AMX. The optional 'Big Bad' paint schemes included neon brilliant blue, green, or orange. The Craig Breedlove options package included simulated exhaust rocker mountings and a rooftop spoiler. The Go-Package came with either the four-barrel 343 or 390 engines, disc brakes, red-line performance E70x14 tires on 'Magnum 500' styled wheels, 'Twin-Grip' limited-slip differential, and a heavy-duty suspension with thicker sway-bars. A four-speed manual transmission with a Hurst floor shifter became available in January of 1969.

Motorsports
Almost immediately, AMC entered the Javelin in motorsport competition and quickly demonstrated its performance abilities. Success was immediate, and taken to new levels when Penske Racing took over the AMC Javelin Trans Am program in 1970. At the close of 1970, the team was in second place in the Over 2-liter class.

Kaplan Engineering was contracted by AMC to compete in SCCA's Trans-Am series in 1968. Three cars were built for the season, with one being used for shows and demonstrations. George Follmer drove the #1 car and Peter Revson the #2. The following year, Kaplan built three more cars, two for AMC and one for Ron Kaplan. Ron Grable drove the #4 and John Martin the #3. Martin was released mid-season and was replaced by Jerry Grant in the #3 car.

The AMC team placed third in the over-2-liter class during the 1968 season. They were the only factory entry to finish every Trans-Am race they entered.

by Daniel Vaughan | May 2022