1970 AMC Javelin

This 1970 AMC Javelin SST Mark Donohue is believed to be a tribute but the owner claims this car was raced in the early stages of its life. Supposedly starting out as a 304 ci powered Javelin, it has since been turned into what it is today. The 360ci V8, automatic transmission and front power disc brakes give this Javelin the feel of serious sports cars! This high compression 4 Barrel 360 V8 is believed to put down around 290hp, and the owner believes that it contains a racing cam, and Edelbrock Carb and a Posi rear end as well. Additionally, the story of the Mark Donohue Javelin is fascinating, making this example an interesting buy.

AMC needed to take action in the late '60s. The Ford Mustang was the popular boy at school, and American Motors needed a car that could do more than just fit in. Designs were drafted and the production result was the stylishly simple Javelin. It went Trans-Am racing in 1968, began to find its groove over the next years, and with the help of Roger Penske and racer Mark Donohue, became a championship winning car. Donohue, one of the most brilliant race drivers of the time, had been a successful campaigner in Trans-Am Javelins and lent his name to this new series, which was essentially a Trans-Am Javelin SST with a thick-walled 360 V-8, 290 hp engine and a distinctive "ducktail" spoiler at the rear of the car along with a replica of Mark Donohue's signature on the right side of the spoiler. American Motors met the letter of the SCCA rules by producing an estimated 2,501 Mark Donohue Javelin SSTs, making them a rare muscle machine today.

In order to compete in that year's Trans-Am season, AMC needed to homologate 2,500 Javelin street cars, which featured the many of the performance and aerodynamic elements of the Javelin race car, most notably the 'ducktail' spoilers (designed by Donohue himself). AMC obliged with a 2,501 car production run and offered SST Donohue models with dual exhausts, power front disc brakes, ram-air induction, a four-speed Hurst shifter or a console shift automatic, a special handling package, and your choice of either the 360ci or 390ci V8.

Documenting an original Mark Donohue car is difficult, because there's basically no way to confirm it other than the window sticker and other dealer paperwork. Nothing in the vehicle identification number or door data tag identifies it; and while some AMC diehards insist a number 4 typed in the "ASC" (Automatic Speed Control) box on the build sheet is a sure sign of the Donohue package, because the 1970 Javelin wasn't offered with ASC, it has never been verified.

Complicating the matter is the fact that the big rear spoiler was available over the counter, and AMC encouraged dealers to accessorize the cars in their inventories. That makes it impossible to know how many '70 Javelins rolled off the lot with rear spoilers, although only 2,501 were officially Donohue editions.