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Pierre Cardin Edition: 1973 AMC Javelin AMX

You can’t fault American Motors for trying different things back in the day to generate showroom traffic. The AMX 2-seat GT car. The Gremlin “sub-compact.” The Pacer upside-down bathtub. And more. The more part included hooking up with some of the 1970s most well-known fashion designers to add their spin to AMC’s products. One of these was the limited production Javelin AMX Pierre Cardin like this 1973 edition which is in the middle of restoration that has been underway for years. Located somewhere in Maine, this AMC is available here on eBay where the first bid of $4,750 has yet to be cast.

The Pierre Cardin Javelin was available across every model year of the second generation of the pony car (1971-74). It was most prevalent in 1972-73 and accounted for just 2,952 Javelins and another 1,200 of the Javelin AMX, which was the performance version of the car (though not nearly as potent as the early AMX’s of 1968-70). The Cardin Javelin was hard to miss, especially in the passenger cabin. The cars wore pleated upholstery with stripes in plum, orange, white, and silver against a black background, having something of a psychedelic look. Cardin’s philosophy on the cars was that “people should feel like they’re sitting in a living room instead of sitting in a machine.” The décor package may have been the bargain of the week, costing just $85 extra in 1972-73.

We’re told that the seller’s auto has been confirmed by the Cardin Registry. As the story goes, it was purchased new in Connecticut and was resold three years later to a party who took it to New Hampshire. Sometime in the 1980s, the Javelin was taken off the road to be restored but those efforts quickly stalled. Then, for reasons unknown, the car disappeared from the radar screen until 2009 when the third owner took possession. The restoration work began again in 2011 and quite a bit has been done off and on since then.

Rust and other damage to the floors and front fenders have already been accomplished. But the rear quarter panels are still a work-in-progress. The photos provided by the seller are said to be in chronological order, with the last ones posted indicative of the car as it sits today. The interior has been removed because it’s in fantastic condition and the parties working on the car didn’t want to damage it. The first photo provided of the interior is one of what it should have looked like when new.

The status of the 360 cubic-inch V8 engine and automatic transmission is unknown, but it’s not likely they have been used in years. This Javelin was equipped with the Go Package, giving it a cowl induction hood and a special gauge package. The car has a Hurst-style shifter that is period-correct but added by someone 40 or more years ago. The odometer reading is in the neighborhood of 70,000 miles. Everything needed to complete the car’s restoration may be there. While the car is in Maine, the seller is in Virginia and that’s where the title will come from.

Comments

  1. Avatar Claude Gagne

    Would need pictures of driver door for tag to see if original Pierre Cardin
    Before i make a bid

    Like 0
  2. Avatar sakingsbury20

    ha-ha…located somewhere in Maine, cant rely on your gps up here, never know what dead-end backwoods road you’ll end up on, he**, we only got phones here 5 yrs. ago…..

    Like 2
  3. Avatar 370zpp Member

    Wasn’t this car featured on “Trailer Park Boys”?

    Like 0
  4. Avatar Steve Clinton

    At least the right front fender is nice.

    Like 0
  5. Avatar Al Cotton

    My Cardin AMX is also powered by the 401. I’m wondering how many of these were built in ’73

    Like 1
  6. Avatar Paul Whiteside

    Are the parts needed to complete included?

    Like 1
  7. Avatar Howie

    What a mess, but $5,100 now.

    Like 0
  8. Avatar Bill McCoskey Member

    I was working at an AMC dealership when these came in for service. Those Javelin & AMX cars with factory A/C used engine vacuum to keep the main A/C vent in the center of the dash open. If the driver floors the gas pedal, the manifold vacuum drops and the cold air from the center A/C vent stops flowing, with a very loud “clunk” as the vent closes. Let up on the throttle, and the vent re-opens!

    We kind of figured the AMC engineers thought if you were flooring the gas pedal, you were racing and wouldn’t be running the A/C, so it didn’t matter.

    Like 2

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