American Motors Javelin

Nowadays,  American Motors is but a vague memory, and not necessarily a pleasant one. Those few American Motors-built vehicles that are still on the road today include shabby, old Jeeps and tatty Renault-based Alliances, rusting their way toward oblivion, certainly not the stuff of automotive fable. But there was a bright, shining half-decade or so when lowly American Motors gained a reputation for manufacturing attractive, sporty cars. And the version that was the centerpiece of American Motors’ version of Brigadoon was the American Motors Javelin.

Not original, but well executed

No one can tell you, of course, that the Javelin was an original concept. By the time it reached the marketplace in the fall of 1967 as a 1968 version, Ford had already blazed the trail with its Mustang. The “ponycar” started a fresh genre. The Javelin was simply a response to Ford’s innovation in much the same manner as the  Pontiac Firebird and Chevrolet Camaro. But at least , AMC got it correctly. And, the fact is, the company did so against considerable chances.

First of all, American Motors was forged from 2 “independent”  auto companies–Nash and Hudson–that had built decent reputations for themselves in the late 30s and 40s but had also labored behind the shadow of the Big Three. Soon after the merger, at the order of then-CEO George Romney (who would later go on to become governor of Michigan and Presidential aspirant) the company decided to zig while the Big 3 zagged, building small, relatively fuel-efficient cars like the Rambler, while Ford, Chrysler and GM, built ever-larger vehicles. When a recession hit the car industry hard in the late Fifties, this stood AMC in good stead, and for several years the company enjoyed significant sales triumphs.

But the Big 3 automakers were swift to catch on to building “compact” cars, and with the launch of the  Chevy Corvair and Ford Falcon, AMC was forced to get even more resourceful in its quest to maintain sales volume. Unfortunately, though, when it came to developing new models, AMC just didn’t have the cash or the staff of the Big 3, so it depended on clever design and the 1960’s version of multi-tasking to allow it to compete.

Went wrong in the Marlin choices

A case in point occurred in 1965 when the company launched the fastback Marlin on the heels of the Mustang’s incredible success. Unluckily for American Motors, instead of basing the fastback Marlin on the compact Rambler chassis,  it was constructed on the bigger 112-in wheelbase of the Classic line. The result was wonderful in an idiosyncratic manner, but a six-passenger sporty car with a trunk lid the size of a sewer cover certainly wasn’t what the market was looking for.

It didn’t take AMC chief designer Richard A. Teague long to realize the folly of the Marlin and set about an attempt to correct that wrong. By 1966 drawings, clay models, and then a full-size car show concept car foretold the design of the upcoming Javelin and its sister ship, the 2-seat AMX. The AMX concept car hit the auto show circuit that year, and quickly got rave reviews. Meanwhile, back in Detroit, Robert Evans, a financier who had bought into American Motors so heavily he found himself named chairman of the company, began to hanker to construct the AMX, while the more traditional elements within American Motors, led by Roy Abernethy, were readying the Javelin for introduction in 1968. The Javelin borrowed heavily from the AMX  idea vehicle and an AMC studio concept dubbed the Rogue.

Double introductions thanks to a trick

Introducing two sporty cars was, of course, a big undertaking for the relatively small car company, and on top of that AMC was hardly synonymous with performance. But thanks to Dick Teague, AMC was able to introduce  both the AMX and Javelin  within 6  months of one another in 1967-68. How? The fabrication AMX was, in essence, a Javelin, less 12-inches.

Almost in spite of itself, the automotive press quickly took to the Javelin, attracted by the car’s sleek, no-nonsense look that retains its attractiveness today. The design glommed onto the long hood-short deck Mustang profile, but it was uncluttered in a manner quite unlike the Mustang with a semi-fastback roofline and sweeping expanses of sheetmetal. The split grille front-end was equally uncluttered, complemented with a tasteful rear-end treatment with none of the fussiness of the Mustang’s three-part taillights. It was hard to believe, in fact,  that this elegant design had emerged from an American studio.

The interior featured the same clean appearance. Up-front were two rather flat bucket seats and in the back  a bench that could, in a pinch, accommodate 3 people, hopefully close friends. Behind a thin-rimmed plastic steering wheel, the gauge package was extremely recessed and significantly less gaudy that most American dashboards of the era.

Enhancement package offered the zoom

While AMC had no performance credentials to speak of, the company was able to provide Javelin buyers with the requisite “goodies” right out of the box. While many buyers opted to get the Javelin’s great looks and not much else by purchasing the six-cylinder model  (with 145 rompin’-stompin’ horsepower from the engine’s 232 cubic inches), those seeking some fun to drive could select what became known as the “Go” package and get “Wide-Oval” tires,  power front disc brakes, and a stiffer suspension with a front anti-sway bar to go along with three V-8 engine choices.

What were those three options? Though not the stuff of automotive dreams, the 290 cubic inch V-8, 343 cubic inch V-8 and an all-new 390 cubic inch V-8 were all methodically workmanlike. The biggest engine was originally destined for the rotund Ambassador sedan, but it proved remarkably famous  with Javelin (and AMX) buyers. When one looks at the specs,  it is easy to find out why. The 390 provided  315 horsepower at 4,600 rpm and a whopping 425 pound-feet of torque at just 3,200 rpm. As they say, there’s no alternative for cubic inches.

While the 390 offered significant torque, a less expensive but still palatable option was the 343 cubic inch V-8. That engine could propel the 3500-pound Javelin from zero to 60 miles per hour in less than 8 seconds, while its 3.15:1 rear-end ratio helped the car offer pleasant highway cruising and pretty decent fuel consumption. Maximum speed was just north of 100 miles per hour, but in the U.S. that figure was largely academic anyway.

Handling outperformed  rivals

The Javelin was also a better-balanced all-around car that the  Barracudas, Camaros, the  big-block Mustangs, and Firebirds that were its major competition. Given its humble AMC underpinnings, the Javelin’s suspension was utterly  traditional–coil springs and unequal-length wishbones up front and semi-elliptic leaf springs locating a solid axle at the rear. But with the  the handling package and optional fast-ratio steering, the Javelin could hold its head up when the roads grew twisty.

Right out of the box the Javelin was a  champion for AMC. Of course,  it never turned in Mustang-type numbers, but in its maiden model year, some 55,000 Javelins roared out of showrooms, and it maintained a steady volume into the early 1970’s. One factor that aided to build the prestige of the car was the successful racing exploits of engineer-driver Mark Donohue. Along with Roger Penske, Donohue made the Javelin a force to be reckoned with on the then tremendously influential Trans Am racing circuit. In 1971,  that combination combined for a Trans Am series championship with 7 wins in  9 races, and the Javelin took the T-A championship the following year as well.

Though, despite success on the track,  the times were running hard against the Javelin. Fuel economy, safety, and insurance concerns were smacking ponycar fans in the face, and when the gas crisis of 1974 hit the country, the Javelin’s days ran out. But not before the car had awarded American Motors one shining moment in the sun.

Tagged with: American Motors • Ford • sports car

Filed under: Top Classic Cars