This 1970 AMC Javelin Trans-Am Edition with the distant red, white, and blue paint job is a rare beauty. It’s a one-year only design, and a special edition of the one year. Outside of just the bold paint, this car is pretty special.
This edition is directly tied to Trans Am racing. The rule was that if manufacturers were going to enter a car in the races, they also had to offer a production/street car version of their cars. To satisfy this rule, AMC made the Trans Am Edition Javelin for the street. Only 100 versions of these were made.
They made the Javelin Trans Am Edition in red, white, and blue, and the second team car was painted blue, white, and red. These cars were painted two different colors so they could be distinguished on the track. The team had two drivers, so the street cars got the paint jobs to represent this on and off the track.
This car has the 390 cubic inch V8 that makes about 325 horsepower in the lighter bodied car. The 390 engine has a set of high-flow heads and 4bbl. carb — it was the hottest engine you could get in the car in 1970. On the track, they only used a smaller 304 cubic inch engine.
It also has the “Go” package with the Ram Air hood, free flowing dual exhaust, a handling package, power front disc brakes, and a special manual 4-speed transmission. The limited slip differential has a 3.91:1 gear, and HD engine cooling with a special fan shroud. The Javelin Trans Am was also part of the SST package, which stood for Super Sport Touring.
This car was designed to be a powerful, but also have exceptional handling characteristics. The appearance is very sleek, and design underwent a radical appearance change in 1971, so this one is extra special. It’s a really unique car that looks like it would be a blast to drive!
Elizabeth is hardcore horsepower enthusiast with unmatched intensity for making things faster and louder. She wakes up for power and performance and only sleeps to charge up for the next project that’s heading to the track. From autocross to drag racing, Elizabeth is there with you, so stay tuned for her unique perspective on horsepower news, builds, tech info, and installs — with her, it’ll never be boring!
