Factory Team Race Car Driven by: Peter Revson
SST FastbackChassis number: ABM795N139
The 1968 Trans-Am season saw a new competitor in sedan road racing, one that in its rookie year displayed its muscle with amazing speed and stamina. As a result, the first Official American Motors racing team has proven that its specially prepared Javelin can compete with the best in the fast Trans-Am racing circuit. It is posing a serious challenge to car makes that have been dominating the circuit for years.
In the first five races since its competitive debut at Sebring, Florida, Javelin matched defending Trans-Am titlist Mustang in piling up manufacturer's championship points.
At 29 years of age, Revson already has five years of professional International competition under his helmet along with four years of amateur racing. The highlight of his 1967 season was winning the SCCA Jim Kimberly Cup.
'Cinderella car of the 1968 Trans-Am racing circuit!' The Javelins were entered in the Trans-Am class for 'sporty sedan' with engines under five liters in size. The Revson/Scott cars first race of the season was Sebring where the car finished an amazing fifth in its class and 12th overall in the 68-car field. Only 36 cars finished. The Follmer/Grant Javelin ran strong for six hours before retiring with a broken valve.
The 1968 number 3 Javelin Race car surprised the Trans-Am racing world with its competitive performance in its first year of racing. The #3 car was the first car completed in the Kaplan shop and was later used for testing by John Martin, the team's crew chief and driver. The #3 car with Revson driving started its career with a 5th place at Sebring 1968 (12 overall) and ended with Revson leaving AMC and finishing the season at Riverside with a second place. Lothar Motschenbacher drove the car in the final race of the 1968 season at Kent, running in the top 3 before he DNF'd with mechanical failure. After the 1968 season, the number 3 car was retained by Kaplan for testing and was repainted with red, white and blue stripes. In 1969, the car was held over for the Michigan race and was driven by Bob Tullius to a 4th place finish at Michigan. The car was then sold to the Rocky Mountain race group and driven for the rest of the season by privateer Ron Hunter as the #10 car. The Javelin is a veteran of 19 combined total races with 6 DNF's throughout the 1968 and 1969 seasons. The car is currently in its configuration with original components.
The car is registered with the Trans-Am registry and has been authenticated by John Martin, who participated in building the car and retelling its history.