AMC Javelin - 1974
Hidden in the darkest recesses of the garage at Leuze, with its nose angled threateningly downwards, it looks like a big cat ready to pounce. A young American lion, surrounded by the carcasses of dozens of pre-war pussy-cats. Ghislain Mahy was not a fan of this kind of youthful potency. But son Ivan and grandson Michel both had a weak spot for this excess of horsepower on four oversized wheels. The Javelin has since become an American icon for lovers of young-timers. However, acquiring this status was by no means self-evident. In 1954, the American Motors Corporation combined Hudson and Nash in the largest merger that the automobile industry in Detroit had ever seen. AMC specialised in cheap models aimed at the average American consumer, but it could not compete with the Big Three: General Motors, Chrysler and Ford. It was thought that the trend towards ‘muscle cars’ at the end of the 1960s would do little to change this. A coupé with an exaggerated rear end and a powerful engine was not really AMC’s style. Or at least it wasn’t until veteran Richard ‘Dick’ Teague came up with a design for a first model of the Javelin. True, it was still a tame version, but it offered potential for the future. That future arrived in 1971, with the second generation of Javelins. With this car, AMC was looking ahead to the 1980s, with daring lines that risked scaring off its traditionally cautious customers. Under its concave bonnet there now roared a powerful eight-cylinder engine, good for 177 horsepower and resulting in two successive victories in the Trans-Am Series for muscle cars. From 1973 onwards, the modified version got even more power, as well as a black vinyl roof and a body in various shades of brown and green, complete with racing stripes. The matching interior, with its angled dashboard, looked like the cockpit of a jet fighter. The real daredevils opted for the limited edition with upholstery by fashion designer Pierre Cardin. In 1974 alone, AMC sold almost 30,000 of this poor man’s version of the Corvette. The company’s Buyer Protection pledge was a cool added bonus: if the Javelin broke down more than 100 miles from home and you had to stay the night in a motel, AMC would pick up the bill. Of course, this mint-green version from the last year of production is now many thousands of miles from home and AMC has long since ceased to exit. Sic transit gloria mundi.
5.900 cc
V8
220 hp
Mahy - a Family of Cars
09/09/2021 - 31/10/2021
Vynckier Site
Nieuwevaart 51-53
Gent
Belgium
AMC Javelin - 1974
Hidden in the darkest recesses of the garage at Leuze, with its nose angled threateningly downwards, it looks like a big cat ready to pounce. A young American lion, surrounded by the carcasses of dozens of pre-war pussy-cats. Ghislain Mahy was not a fan of this kind of youthful potency. But son Ivan and grandson Michel both had a weak spot for this excess of horsepower on four oversized wheels. The Javelin has since become an American icon for lovers of young-timers. However, acquiring this status was by no means self-evident. In 1954, the American Motors Corporation combined Hudson and Nash in the largest merger that the automobile industry in Detroit had ever seen. AMC specialised in cheap models aimed at the average American consumer, but it could not compete with the Big Three: General Motors, Chrysler and Ford. It was thought that the trend towards ‘muscle cars’ at the end of the 1960s would do little to change this. A coupé with an exaggerated rear end and a powerful engine was not really AMC’s style. Or at least it wasn’t until veteran Richard ‘Dick’ Teague came up with a design for a first model of the Javelin. True, it was still a tame version, but it offered potential for the future. That future arrived in 1971, with the second generation of Javelins. With this car, AMC was looking ahead to the 1980s, with daring lines that risked scaring off its traditionally cautious customers. Under its concave bonnet there now roared a powerful eight-cylinder engine, good for 177 horsepower and resulting in two successive victories in the Trans-Am Series for muscle cars. From 1973 onwards, the modified version got even more power, as well as a black vinyl roof and a body in various shades of brown and green, complete with racing stripes. The matching interior, with its angled dashboard, looked like the cockpit of a jet fighter. The real daredevils opted for the limited edition with upholstery by fashion designer Pierre Cardin. In 1974 alone, AMC sold almost 30,000 of this poor man’s version of the Corvette. The company’s Buyer Protection pledge was a cool added bonus: if the Javelin broke down more than 100 miles from home and you had to stay the night in a motel, AMC would pick up the bill. Of course, this mint-green version from the last year of production is now many thousands of miles from home and AMC has long since ceased to exit. Sic transit gloria mundi.
5.900 cc
V8
220 hp
Mahy - a Family of Cars
09/09/2021 - 31/10/2021
Vynckier Site
Nieuwevaart 51-53
Gent
Belgium