AMC's AMX
Back in the early seventies most auto manufacturers that had produced the muscle cars of the sixties were being hand strung by the government's new emissions standards and fuel mileage requirements. HP ratings dropped significantly, but in 1972, at least in part, it was also a factor of the manufacturer's then changing the HP ratings from gross numbers at the flywheel to actual net numbers to the rear wheels. I'm not sure if that was done to placate the government with all it's new requirements or more for the insurance companies that looked at HP ratings of cars when it came to insurance rates? But one manufacturer broke from the pack some and decided to up their game, along with their engine cubic inches. And that manufacturer was American Motors, and builder of their pony car entries, the Javelin and the Javelin AMX models. In 1971 they introduced the then very potent new powerplant option displacing 401 cubic inches with a top HP rating of 335, and producing a whopping, stump pulling torque of 430 lb-ft at 3400 rpm!
Upon doing some of my research on the car, like pictured above, and likewise, those equipt with this new, and very competitive engine I came upon an interesting story. Back in the late sixties and early seventies the Alabama Highway Patrol officers were getting a bit frustrated because their then cruisers could not keep up, or surely overtake the speeders they were in pursuit of, and mostly being the muscle cars of that period. It was time for them to replace their pursuit vehicles and purchase their latest batch of highway patrol replacements. Of course, as always the case, it mostly comes down to money and budgets, and "bang for the buck." Surprisingly, the company that seemed to offer the most was American Motors with their 401ci equipt Javelins. The article goes on to tell a story of a particular high speed pursuit, and it involved one of these new Javelins against a 454ci Chevelle, obviously with a driver breaking some rules of the highway on that day. The patrolman, going the opposite way came upon this 454ci machine going the other way, and probably doing so at a high rate of speed. He quickly turned the Javelin around, and the race was on! Within about 6-7 miles he managed to overtake the Chevelle and pulled the driver over, and arrested him. The Javelin came equipt with a 140mph speedometer, but it was estimated that the police car had reached 156mph while in pursuit of the Chevelle! Impressive? You bet!
Vince M
AMC's AMX
Back in the early seventies most auto manufacturers that had produced the muscle cars of the sixties were being hand strung by the government's new emissions standards and fuel mileage requirements. HP ratings dropped significantly, but in 1972, at least in part, it was also a factor of the manufacturer's then changing the HP ratings from gross numbers at the flywheel to actual net numbers to the rear wheels. I'm not sure if that was done to placate the government with all it's new requirements or more for the insurance companies that looked at HP ratings of cars when it came to insurance rates? But one manufacturer broke from the pack some and decided to up their game, along with their engine cubic inches. And that manufacturer was American Motors, and builder of their pony car entries, the Javelin and the Javelin AMX models. In 1971 they introduced the then very potent new powerplant option displacing 401 cubic inches with a top HP rating of 335, and producing a whopping, stump pulling torque of 430 lb-ft at 3400 rpm!
Upon doing some of my research on the car, like pictured above, and likewise, those equipt with this new, and very competitive engine I came upon an interesting story. Back in the late sixties and early seventies the Alabama Highway Patrol officers were getting a bit frustrated because their then cruisers could not keep up, or surely overtake the speeders they were in pursuit of, and mostly being the muscle cars of that period. It was time for them to replace their pursuit vehicles and purchase their latest batch of highway patrol replacements. Of course, as always the case, it mostly comes down to money and budgets, and "bang for the buck." Surprisingly, the company that seemed to offer the most was American Motors with their 401ci equipt Javelins. The article goes on to tell a story of a particular high speed pursuit, and it involved one of these new Javelins against a 454ci Chevelle, obviously with a driver breaking some rules of the highway on that day. The patrolman, going the opposite way came upon this 454ci machine going the other way, and probably doing so at a high rate of speed. He quickly turned the Javelin around, and the race was on! Within about 6-7 miles he managed to overtake the Chevelle and pulled the driver over, and arrested him. The Javelin came equipt with a 140mph speedometer, but it was estimated that the police car had reached 156mph while in pursuit of the Chevelle! Impressive? You bet!
Vince M