American muscle cars are a celebrated piece of the auto industry and dating back to the 60s, muscle cars from Ford, GM and Mopar have often defined what a good muscle car or pony car is.
Cars like the Chevrolet Camaro, Ford Mustang and Dodge Challenger all date back decades and remain in production today (for now), combining muscle car heritage with modern muscle enthusiasm.
While the 'Detroit Three' are still in business and building muscle cars today, it can be easy to forget that there was a fourth major Detroit-based automaker building powerful cars in the segment heyday of the 1960's and 70's. AMC built their own muscle car, called the Javelin, which fit the same mold of other popular pony cars of the time. Thanks to HotCars digital artist Rostislav Prokop's speculative art piece, we can imagine what an AMC Javelin could look like in 2023.
UPDATED FEBRUARY 2023: Article got updated with relevant information, and we take another look at the iconic and sometimes under-appreciated pony car to remind ourselves why it vanished and whether it was in fact a great pony and muscle machine.
The 2023 AMC Javelin Concept Gets Rendered Artfully
The AMC Javelin made its debut in 1968 and last left the assembly line in 1974. Just a few years later, Chrysler acquired AMC and largely shuttered AMC's products except for some notable updates to the Jeep brand and short-lived Eagle brand of the 80's and 90's which sold partly performance-focused re-badged cars from Chrysler and Mitsubishi. In an alternative timeline where the AMC brand lives on under Chrysler, it's easy to assume that a modern day Javelin would use Dodge Challenger parts as a base for the car and as such this is the car utilized to create this render.
The front end of the Javelin render has double headlights and a front fascia that resembles the Javelin from the early 1970's. Styling through the fenders and window lines also resemble the Javelin while using taillights from a Dodge Challenger muscle car, but fitted onto a Javelin-inspired rear end along with dual exhaust and black five spoke wheels. The car uses badging that is similar to AMC badging used at the time and has the Javelin name on the rear fender of the car; a styling difference from the Dodge it got based upon.
This Modern AMC Javelin's Powertrain Should Be Compact And Powerful
An obvious question for any muscle car or pony car is what would power the car and live under the hood. An obvious choice could be 392 HEMI V8, or the Dodge Hellcat V8, to follow the Challenger-style proportions and design. However the new Hurricane straight-6 engine from Stellantis would be a great choice. A smaller, turbocharged engine like the Ecoboost unit in the Ford Mustang might suit the ethos of the car and provide a spiritual link back to the car's pony car roots while providing enough power. Given that Dodge plans to electrify their muscle car lineup in the not so distant future, it's easy to assume that should a modern Javelin exist, it would soon go the same route as the Charger and Challenger have gotten reported to be going.
As far as whether such a car is possible, it's probably not very likely. Chrysler has ceased production of other brands in their portfolio that were once performance-focused including the Plymouth automotive car brand and Eagle, both of which outlasted the AMC brand. However, assuming Chrysler still owns the rights to the AMC brand and with revivals of other retro vehicles and nameplates, anything is possible.
Why Did AMC Stop Making The Javelin, And Was It Actually Good?
The Javelin car was a sometimes-overlooked part of pony car culture, sure, but the AMC Javelin 'AMX' was a real muscle car with power peaking at around 340 hp, a performance machine for sure.
AMC's AMX models went through two distinct generations with the first being distinct to the Javelin and the second one using the Javelin's longer body.
Standard AMC Javelins are worth from $22,000-$27,000 according to Classic.com's auction database with the first generation being more costly. AMC AMX models are worth from $29,000-$35,000, with the later Javelin-based car being worth less once more.
As with most car manufacturers, the market changed through the 70s with many pony and muscle cars either getting discontinued or having to change radically in their design, incorporating smaller engines. Performance-focused cars became rarer over the decade with the fuel crisis and emissions regulations rendering the Javelin a dinosaur, albeit one with its own fan base.
The Javelin was an affordable and compelling alternative to the Ford Mustang and Chevy Camaro though, with the option of large powerful V8 engines in the range and a variety of special trims and editions.
Nowadays, the idea of having a compact, powerful pony car is a popular one and arguably something that never really died out. Today however the options are somewhat limited and the Chevy Camaro will be the last of its kind in the transition to new electric models: in this scenario, the Javelin could return as a performance EV and a classic nameplate to bring that heritage into a new age.