AMC was created in 1954 when the Hudson Motor Car Company merged with Nash-Kelvinator. A decade later the Ford Mustang came out and AMC began to produce a couple different concepts for a car that could compete with it. These concepts were the inspiration behind the design of the AMC Javelin, introduced in 1967 for the 1968 model year. This first-year example has been sitting for years, and is finally up for sale. It can be found here on eBay in Hazleton, Pennsylvania with a current bid of $6,100.
If you’ve ever wanted a muscle car that was outside the mainstream Big Three, the Javelin was the way to go! Intentionally created to break with the public image of AMC as a frumpy manufacturer, the Javelin was a contender against the likes of the Mustang, Camaro, and Barracuda. AMC promoted it as roomier and more comfortable than the competition. It also had a number of safety innovations including fiberglass safety padding, three-point seat belts, flush-mounted door handles, and a lack of bright trim on the interior of the car to reduce glare. Starting price was $2,743.
This particular Javelin has been stored for many years (we don’t know exactly how long). The photos aren’t the best, but they appear to show a car that is rust free without any damage other than a dent in the front bumper. Of course, the dust could be covering up the actual condition of the paint, but overall it looks surprisingly good. Vinyl roofs are a serious potential rust trap though, so any potential buyer would want to do a thorough investigation.
The base Javelin would have come with either a 232 or 290 cubic inch V8. SST models had an optional 343 cubic inch V8. The seller (in the title of the listing) tells us it’s an SST, but that it still has the 290. It’s paired with a 3-speed automatic transmission. The listing states that there are only 52,881 miles on it, but of course the question needs to be asked – has the odometer turned over? The body looks low-mileage, but the engine looks more like 152,888. The seller thinks it ran when it was parked, but doesn’t know for sure. We don’t even know if the engine turns over, though if it was stored in a dry building there’s a good chance it’ll come back to life without too much work. Still, the seller says not to plan on driving it home, it’ll take some work to roll it out on those flat tires. Let’s hope they hold air!
The interior looks pretty rough at a first glance, but it’s primarily the seat covers that need to be replaced. That could be another clue that it has higher mileage than stated. The dash and door panels look good, if a bit dirty. The steering wheel has some cracks, but the interior really doesn’t need much to get back to presentable condition. This is a fun car that isn’t often seen – who is ready to be the next owner?
Had a 343 in mine. Quite a fun car, but I wouldn’t want it back.
The auction image of the rear window shows the quality of the paint job. At least the rims and valve stems have been painted to match.
And the tires…
Those RED Line Tires Were The Way To Go In The Late 60’s. Being in Pa. I’d look it over good. It has winter tires ( SNOW ) on it and if it was parked in the winter, Theirs a good chance it was cover with salt.
Must have never seen PennDOT salt because it would have rusted away long ago. My mother insisted on having her snow tires put on “just in case something goes wrong with your father’s truck.” Her car went into hibernation around Halloween and didn’t come out again until May.
How about the Ford beside it ?
Fallow the eBay link its listed too
Yes, a 1967 Galaxie is also listed.
This is a far more interesting car, and in certainly better condition, then the rusty and way overpriced ‘Cuda junk piles featured so frequentlyhere in Barn Finds. The VIN should give you the engine code. In ’69 the SST could be had with a 390 as well- I had one.
More ‘Cudas!
More Cudas!
More Cudas!
Oh yeah, more Javelins!
More Javelins!
More Javelins!
Love ’em all!
68 with a 69 grill. 390 was available in javelins , as well.
That dashboard looks so cheap.. we know AMCs state but gese!
Mine was yellow with the black factory stripe. 348 with A/C and the tan interior with console automatic, P/S, P/B. Loved that car. I was 19 and bought it with my own money.
343.
Beautiful looking car. Assuming everything is there, the car runs, and there are no rust holes to repair and replace, there shouldn’t be too difficult a restoration project.
I always thought that this was the best color combination,
& the cleanest styled year for these.
I agree. My favourite years for the Javelin and AMX are 1968 and 69.
Whenever it says “ran when parked”, I have to wonder does it still run, or has it been left neglected?
I’m more interested in the Ford sitting next to it I had to fallow the links but between the Ford and a older 4 door Nova and the 77 Camaro I may be having to hire a auto transport that can handle 3 cars
The little 290 2 barrel with a Holley 500 CFM 2 barrel replacement was a surprisingly fast and fun little car. Surprised quite a few people, and when you showed them the 2 barrel under the air cleaner, most just scratched their heads. A buddy had one with a 4 speed and beat on it relentlessly.
Ran when parked is as irrelevant as it ran when it left the factory.
LOL
“Ran when parked. “
Sexy when young.
Running when on.
Clean when washed.
Your killing me smalls.