This 1971 AMC Javelin 401 SST has been a model of patience. It has now been sitting for around 27-years, just waiting for someone to take hold of it, and return it to its glorious bet. If you are that person, then you will find the Javelin located in Los Angeles, California, and listed for sale here on eBay. The BIN on the AMC has been set at $8,750.

The Javelin is finished in Classic Black, and it is a car that appears to be largely complete. Two of the original Rally wheels are missing, along with a few minor exterior trim pieces. Even though it isn’t pictured, the front bumper is present, and it appears to be in good condition. As far as rust is concerned, there is a small amount near both the windshield and rear window, along with a small amount in the trunk lid channels. The floors and trunk appear to be very clean, while there is no external rust visible in the lower body extremities such as the rockers or lower quarter panels. The windshield will need to be replaced, but the rest of the glass would seem to be in good condition.

The interior is going to require a complete restoration, but the original owner certainly didn’t mess about when he got his hands on the order form for this car. He decided that air conditioning would be nice, as would Rally gauges with a Tick-Tock-Tach, a tilt wheel, rear defogger, center console, and leather upholstery for the seats. If the new owner is seeking to return the interior to its original best, then this is not going to be a cheap proposition. Leather covers for Javelin seats are not a volume-selling item, meaning that they can command a premium when sourcing replacements. I’ve done a bit of a search around, and figures of between $1,800 and $2,000 seem to be fairly common for a full set of covers. Of course, it might be possible to source these at a lower price with a bit of intensive searching, so all the next owner can do is try.

The Javelin 401 SST was a serious toy when it was new, with its 401ci V8 packing a healthy, and some would say conservative, 330hp. This is sent to the Twin-Grip rear end via a 3-speed automatic transmission. At this point in time, drum brakes would still have been standard fitment. Thank goodness the original owner did get their hands on the options list because they chose to equip this car with power steering and power front disc brakes. Performance when new was all that you would have expected from a combination like this. The SST could sprint from 0-60mph in 6.4 seconds, while the ¼ mile could be knocked over in 14.6 seconds. It wasn’t just raw acceleration that was this car’s forte, as it could then work its way to an impressive 137mph, which isn’t hanging about in anyone’s books. The bad news here is that the Javelin doesn’t run, and it hasn’t done so for more than 27-years. However, the engine does turn freely, so maybe it won’t take much to tickle this one back into life.

The owner makes some pretty bold claims about the relative rarity of the ’71 Javelin 401 SST, and these really need to be examined. SST production amounted to 17,707 cars during that year. Interestingly, there are several resources that seem to confirm that of those cars, less than 600 were fitted with the 401 engine. Some even quote a figure as low as 520 cars. The VIN for this car confirms that it definitely rolled off the line as a 401, and that low build total certainly qualifies this as a rare AMC.