1970 · AMC · United States
1970 AMC Javelin: Penske Arrives, and Two Cars Nobody Can Prove They Own
Penske and Donohue brought the Javelin to Trans-Am, and the showroom answered with 2,501 Mark Donohue Javelins and 100 red-white-blue Trans Am Javelins, while total production fell to 28,210.
United States · researched through 2026-09-22
AMC gave the 1970 Javelin a new grille, hood and taillights, and split production between a base car and the better-equipped SST much as it had in 1969, though the totals shrank: 8,496 base Javelins against 19,714 SSTs, a reported 28,210 in all. AMC's own 1970 full-line literature documented the SST's four-speed power teams with both the newly available 360 and a 325-horsepower 390, the two biggest engines the Javelin had yet offered.1
The bigger change that year had nothing to do with sheet metal. Penske Racing joined AMC's factory Trans-Am program for 1970, and Don Cox, who arrived in November 1969 as the team's first dedicated engineer, later recalled AMC's proposal as financially attractive. That racing relationship reached the showroom in two forms: the Mark Donohue Javelin, identified by a rear spoiler carrying Donohue's own signature, and a limited Trans Am Javelin finished in red, white and blue.2,3
Both editions are counted inside the 19,714 SST total, not on top of it: Planet Houston AMX gives 2,501 Donohue Javelins and 100 Trans Am Javelins, leaving 17,113 other SSTs, which JavelinAMX.com's own count matches exactly. A rival figure of 2,500 Donohue cars appears in Old Cars Weekly's coverage; this record leads with 2,501 as the more specific figure and treats 2,500 as a rounded or variant count rather than a genuine conflict about how many cars actually exist.1,3,4
Both special editions share an unusual problem for a factory car: nothing on the car proves it is one. Planet Houston AMX states plainly that the VIN, door tag and build sheet do not identify a 1970 Donohue or Trans Am Javelin, and that memos attributed to AMC advertising director E. B. Brogan allowed dealers to build either package to order. The same source calls the pair among the easiest AMC muscle cars to clone convincingly, since no factory paperwork exists to confirm or deny a given car's originality.1
Engine choices for 1970 ran from the 145-horsepower 232 six up through the 390 four-barrel at 325 horsepower and 420 lb-ft, with a 210-horsepower two-barrel 304 and two versions of the new 360 in between: 245 horsepower with a two-barrel carburetor, 290 with a four-barrel. The 360 four-barrel's torque figure needed a second look at the source: an earlier reading of AMC's own engine chart had it at 390 lb-ft, but a re-read of the same chart found 395 lb-ft at 3,200 rpm printed alongside the 290-horsepower figure at 4,800 rpm, and this record now carries the corrected 395 as the chart's actual printed value.
AMC's factory tally sheet again splits the two trims by engine, and the pattern from 1969 held: the base Javelin still leaned toward its six and small V8, with 4,147 232 sixes and 3,593 304s against only 633 360s and 123 390s, while the SST (a figure that necessarily includes the Donohue and Trans Am cars, since neither can be separated on the tally sheet) put far more buyers into the two largest engines, 6,798 360s and 2,730 390s, against 9,331 304s and just 855 sixes.5
Prices climbed from 1969's levels: $2,720 for the base Javelin and $2,848 for the SST, both effective from the September 1969 introduction, against Old Cars Weekly's separately reported $2,863 for the SST. The two SST figures may simply describe different things, a factory price against a dealer window price, but neither source states its own basis clearly enough to say for certain, so both are shown rather than one silently discarded. The Trans Am Javelin carried its own flat price of $3,995, and the Go Package added $321 with the 360 or $409 with the 390.1,4,6
The Go Package itself grew more serious for 1970. Beyond the four-barrel 360 or 390, power front disc brakes, E70x14 white-letter tires and a handling package, it now added Ram Air induction paired with the AMX's power-blister hood, a functional-looking scoop shared with AMC's two-seat flagship. AMC's own literature describes the same content under a slightly different footnote, adding dual exhaust and six-inch wheel rims to the package's specification.6
Big Bad paint, the story of the 1969 model year, nearly vanished from the 1970 order book. JavelinAMX.com counts only 60 Big Bad Orange Javelins for 1970, with Big Bad Blue and Green not available at all that year; Planet Houston AMX adds that the true Big Bad total including any Donohue-edition cars painted in it is not actually known. Against 1969's 2,282 cars across three colors, 1970's count (at least the part of it that can be confirmed) reads like a program AMC was already easing away from, even as the racing program built around the same cars was just getting started.3
Interior choices widened for 1970 to five colors on both trims, black, blue, green, red or brown, with the base car's Rattan-weave vinyl set against the SST's choice of Ventilaire vinyl, corduroy cloth, or genuine leather, though leather was not offered in the blue or green interior codes. Shipping weight moved from 2,845 pounds for the base car and 2,863 for the SST up to 3,340 for the Trans Am Javelin, a nearly 500-pound jump the red-white-blue paint and trim alone do not fully explain and that this record does not attempt to account for beyond what the source states.1
AMC's tire chart shows the same base-versus-SST divide running all the way down to the rubber: a six-cylinder Javelin rode on C78x14s, a V8 SST stepped up to D78x14s, and the performance options climbed further still, to E70x14 red-line tires or F70x14s in white letters. Wheel choices ran from plain discs, standard on the SST, up through Turbo-Cast or wire wheel covers and mag-styled wheels offered with a space-saver spare, while a sports steering wheel with a rim-blow horn was likewise standard SST equipment rather than a separate purchase.
Beyond performance and appearance, AMC's 1970 options sheet covered the ordinary business of living with the car: air conditioning, tinted glass, an Adjust-O-Tilt steering wheel, a trunk-lid luggage rack and a bundled convenience group alongside a separate light group, plus a cold-start package, an engine-block heater and, for California cars specifically, fuel-vapor emission control. None of those options carry an installation count in the sources gathered here, so their popularity next to the Go Package or the Big Bad colors stays an open question this record does not answer.
Fact sheet · 1970 · United States
The numbers
1970 AMC Javelin — Penske and Donohue brought the Javelin to Trans-Am, and the showroom answered with 2,501 Mark Donohue Javelins and 100 red-white-blue Trans Am Javelins, while total production fell to 28,210.
Coverage: Partial — researched sections are shown; missing ones are not yet sourced. Researched through 2026-09-22.
Every figure is labeled with how sure we are. Reported means a manufacturer, registry, or reference figure we cite but have not reconciled against factory records ourselves. Disputed means credible sources disagree and both are shown. Rows are separately scoped; don't add them together unless the note says they make up a total.
Key facts
- Base Javelin 8,496; Javelin SST 19,714 (including 2,501 Mark Donohue and 100 Trans Am cars).1
- Trans Am Javelin: factory price $3,995, shipping weight 3,340 lb; most carry paint code 00.1,7
- Big Bad Orange Javelins: 60 (JavelinAMX.com; blue and green not available).3
- 1970 Javelin Go Package: $321 with the 360 or $409 with the 390, now with Ram Air and the AMX power-blister hood.6
Production
| What was counted | Count | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Javelin (base), body 7079-51,3 Javelin · 2-door hardtop · US production | 8,496 | built, model-year | Reported |
| Javelin SST, body 7079-7 (incl. Donohue and Trans Am)1,4 Javelin SST · 2-door hardtop · US production | 19,714 | built, model-year | Reported |
| Javelin SST excluding Donohue and Trans Am editions3 Javelin SST · 2-door hardtop · US | 17,113 | built, model-year | Reported |
| What was counted | Count | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Donohue Javelin1,3 Javelin SST 'Mark Donohue' · 2-door hardtop · US (Kenosha) Old Cars Weekly gives 2,500 (see conflicts). Planet Houston AMX notes that not all have the 7079-7 door tag and that the edition could be ordered in any color, including the Big Bad colors. | 2,501 | built, model-year | Reported |
| Trans Am Javelin (red-white-blue)1,3,4 Javelin SST 'Trans Am' · 2-door hardtop · US (Kenosha) | 100 | built, model-year | Reported |
| What was counted | Count | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Javelin, all trims1 2-door hardtop · US Equals base plus SST (8,496 + 19,714). | 28,210 | built, model-year | Reported |
| What was counted | Count | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Bad Orange3 Javelin · 2-door hardtop · US Planet Houston AMX says 1970 Javelin Big Bad counts, including Donohue cars, are unknown. | 60 | built, model-year | Reported |
| What was counted | Count | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base, 232 six5 Javelin (base) · 2-door hardtop (7079-5) · 232 six · US, Canada and export market; built at Kenosha | 4,147 | built, model-year | Reported |
| Base, 304 V85 Javelin (base) · 2-door hardtop (7079-5) · 304 V8 · US, Canada and export market; built at Kenosha | 3,593 | built, model-year | Reported |
| Base, 360 V85 Javelin (base) · 2-door hardtop (7079-5) · 360 V8 · US, Canada and export market; built at Kenosha | 633 | built, model-year | Reported |
| Base, 390 V85 Javelin (base) · 2-door hardtop (7079-5) · 390 V8 · US, Canada and export market; built at Kenosha | 123 | built, model-year | Reported |
| SST, 232 six5 Javelin SST (incl. Donohue and Trans Am) · 2-door hardtop (7079-7) · 232 six · US, Canada and export market; built at Kenosha | 855 | built, model-year | Reported |
| SST, 304 V85 Javelin SST (incl. Donohue and Trans Am) · 2-door hardtop (7079-7) · 304 V8 · US, Canada and export market; built at Kenosha | 9,331 | built, model-year | Reported |
| SST, 360 V85 Javelin SST (incl. Donohue and Trans Am) · 2-door hardtop (7079-7) · 360 V8 · US, Canada and export market; built at Kenosha | 6,798 | built, model-year | Reported |
| SST, 390 V85 Javelin SST (incl. Donohue and Trans Am) · 2-door hardtop (7079-7) · 390 V8 · US, Canada and export market; built at Kenosha | 2,730 | built, model-year | Reported |
The Donohue, Trans Am and regular-SST rows are components of the 19,714 SST row. Do not add them to it.
The eight engine rows from the AMC tally sheet partition the base (8,496) and SST (19,714) rows; 7070 TOTAL is 28,210. The 304 and 360 counts include both carburettor versions; the sheet does not separate 2-bbl from 4-bbl.
Both 360 versions together: 7,431 (1970 sheet, row 7070 TOTAL, Kenosha 360 column); the sheet does not split them by carburettor.
Prices when new
| Model | Price | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Javelin (base)1 | $2,720 | 'factory price' as tabulated (basis not stated), 1969-09 |
| Javelin SST1 | $2,848 | 'factory price' as tabulated (basis not stated), 1969-09 |
| Trans Am Javelin1 | $3,995 | 'factory price' as tabulated, 1970 |
| Go Package with 3606 | $321 | option price as reported, 1970 model year |
| Go Package with 3906 | $409 | option price as reported, 1970 model year |
Prices are the nominal dollars of the day, not adjusted for inflation.
Engines
| Engine | Factory rating | Availability | Built |
|---|---|---|---|
| 360 V8 4-bbl 360 cu in · 4-barrel | 290 hp @ 4,800, 395 lb-ft @ 3,200 (period factory advertised) | optional | Not yet sourced |
| 390 V8 4-bbl4 390 cu in · 4-barrel | 325 hp @ 5,000, 420 lb-ft @ 3,200 (period factory advertised) | optional | 2,8535 Reported |
| 232 six 1-bbl 232 cu in · 1-barrel | 145 hp @ 4,300, 215 lb-ft @ 1,600 (period factory advertised (gross)) | standard (basic and SST) | 5,0025 Reported |
| 304 V8 2-bbl 304 cu in · 2-barrel | 210 hp @ 4,400, 305 lb-ft @ 2,800 (period factory advertised (gross)) | optional | 12,9245 Reported |
| 360 V8 2-bbl 360 cu in · 2-barrel | 245 hp @ 4,400, 365 lb-ft @ 2,400 (period factory advertised (gross)) | optional | Not yet sourced |
Ratings are the manufacturer's advertised figures under the standard shown (SAE gross before 1972, SAE net after). They are not dyno results, and gross and net ratings can't be compared directly.
Transmissions
| Transmission | Availability | Built |
|---|---|---|
| Four-speed manual (360 and 390 SST) | optional | Not yet sourced |
| Three-speed manual, floor (standard with 232 and 304) | standard | Not yet sourced |
| Shift-Command automatic, column or console (all engines) | optional | Not yet sourced |
Options and packages
| Code | Option | Price | Installed |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Go Package: 360 (290 hp) or 390 (325 hp) four-barrel, power disc brakes, E70x14 white-letter tires, handling package, heavy-duty cooling, space-saver spare, Ram Air with AMX power-blister hood6 | $321 | Not yet sourced |
|
Mark Donohue Javelin (rear spoiler with Donohue signature)3 | — | 2,5011 Reported |
|
Heated rear glass (new for 1970)1 | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Javelin 360 or 390 Go Package (footnote 2: 4-bbl V-8, dual exhaust, power front disc brakes, E70x14 red-line tires, 6-in rims, handling package, ram-air carburetion with AMX hood) | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Vinyl-covered roof: black, white or blue | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Bucket seats, fabric (SST); bucket seats, genuine leather (SST); vinyl buckets standard | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Dual exhaust for 360 4-bbl (standard on 390); tachometer and 140-mph speedometer (V-8); Twin-Grip; quick-ratio manual steering | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Power steering; power brakes; power front disc brakes (V-8) | — | Not yet sourced |
|
AM radio; AM/FM radio; rear speaker; 8-track stereo with manual AM radio and 2 rear speakers | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Console (with column-shift transmission); armrest and center cushion (standard SST); air conditioning; Command-Air ventilation; tinted glass; trunk-lid luggage rack; Adjust-O-Tilt wheel | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Convenience group (6); electric wipers and washers; visibility group; light group (7); space-saver spare | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Bumper guards (rear for Javelin); insulation group; anti-scuff side molding | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Sports steering wheel with rim-blow (standard SST); wheel discs (standard SST); Turbo-Cast or wire wheel covers; mag-styled wheels with space-saver; simulated-exhaust rocker panel molding; roof spoiler (not with vinyl roof); rally/racing stripes (black, white or red) | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Handling package (6-cyl. or V-8); heavy-duty cooling; 70-amp battery; cold-start package; engine-block heater; fuel-vapor emission control (California) | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Tires: C78x14 (standard six), D78x14 (standard V-8 SST), E70x14 red line, F70x14 white-lettered | — | Not yet sourced |
Paint
| Code | Color | Built |
|---|---|---|
00 |
Trans Am red-white-blue scheme (most Trans Am Javelins)1 | 1001 Reported |
|
Big Bad Orange3 | 603 Reported |
Color names are the factory's. We don't show color swatches, because a screen color is no guide for a restoration.
Interiors
| Code | Trim | Built |
|---|---|---|
061 / 063 / 064 / 065 / 066 (J) |
Base: black, blue, green, red, brown; Rattan weave vinyl1 | Not yet sourced |
061–066 (F, L or E) |
SST: same colors; F Ventilaire vinyl, L leather (not in blue 063 or green 064), E corduroy1 | Not yet sourced |
Specifications
| Measure | Value | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Shipping weight, base1 | 2,845 lb | 7079-5 |
| Shipping weight, SST1 | 2,863 lb | 7079-7 |
| Shipping weight, Trans Am Javelin1 | 3,340 lb | Trans Am edition |
| Axle ratios, four-speed (360 4-bbl and 390) | 3.54 (3.15 and 3.91); with Go Package and automatic 3.15 standard (2.87 and 3.54 optional) :1 | Javelin 360 4-bbl / 390 |
Identification
- Donohue and Trans Am editions
- The VIN, door tag and build sheet do not identify a 1970 Donohue Javelin. These editions are among the easiest AMC muscle cars to clone. Most Trans Am Javelins carry paint code 00.1
Where the sources disagree
Mark Donohue Javelin count
Lead with 2,501 and note that 2,500 is a rounded or variant figure.
1970 Javelin SST price
Show both with basis labels. They may differ in basis.
1970 360 four-barrel torque
- 390 lb-ft (as carried in this record from the comparisons file)
- 395 lb-ft @ 3,200 rpm (290 hp @ 4,800)
The printed chart reads 395; treat 390 as a transcription variant and lead with 395.
Identification
Read a 1970 AMC VIN
The VIN decoder runs in your browser and never sends the VIN anywhere. How the factory numbered this year's cars:
Same model year
Also in 1970
- AMC AMX The last two-seat AMX: a restyled nose, a 360 base V8 and a 325-hp 390. At 4,116 cars it was the rarest of the three two-seat years.
- AMC Rebel and Rebel Machine AMC's intermediate supercar: a 340-hp 390, four-speed and Hurst shifter in the Rebel hardtop, first in white with red-white-blue stripes. Totals reported for the one-year run range from about 1,200 to 2,326.
- Buick Riviera The 455 (370 hp gross) arrived with a restyle; production fell to about 37,300 with some 3,505 GS cars.
- Buick Skylark Gran Sport, GS and GSX Buick's GS went to a 455 rated at 510 lb-ft, the Stage 1 option added 10 advertised hp, and a mid-year GSX package was built 678 times in two colors.
- Buick Wildcat The final Wildcat, Custom trim only, with the 370-hp 455; 23,645 built.
- Chevrolet Chevelle and Malibu SS The year the Chevelle Super Sport split into RPO Z25 SS 396 and RPO Z15 SS 454, with the LS6 454 rated at 450 gross horsepower.
- Chevrolet Chevy II and Nova Last year the source engine table lists the big-block (as 402) in the Nova. Enthusiast-compiled production: 307,280 cars; Super Sport 19,558.
- Chevrolet El Camino SS The Malibu/Custom El Camino could carry either RPO Z25 SS 396 or RPO Z15 SS 454, including the 450 hp LS6; the El Camino share is not separately published.
- Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS The first Monte Carlo, with the SS 454 as RPO Z20: 3,823 of 145,976 Monte Carlos per Chevrolet-report-derived tables.
- Dodge Challenger Dodge's first pony car arrived as a 1970 model with nine advertised engines, base, SE, R/T, and R/T SE hardtops, two convertibles, and a one-year Trans-Am homologation special, the T/A.
- Dodge Charger The last year of the second-generation body: a new full-width grille, three series (Charger, 500, R/T), the 440 Six Pack added to the R/T, and production roughly half of 1969's.
- Dodge Coronet R/T and Super Bee The final Coronet-based R/T and Super Bee: the R/T fell to 2,615 cars, while the Super Bee added a 3-speed manual and kept its Six Pack and Hemi options.
- Dodge Dart GTS, Swinger and Demon With the GTS gone, the Swinger 340 was the only performance Dart; it kept front discs, Rallye suspension and a twin-scoop hood and sold about 13,800 beside the new Challenger.
- Ford Fairlane The last Fairlane year: the name survived only on the Fairlane 500 beneath the new Torino, with a mid-year Falcon sharing the body at the bottom of the range.
- Ford Maverick Grabber The Grabber appearance and tire package arrived in mid-1970 on the new two-door Maverick; no Grabber count for 1970 was found.
- Ford Ranchero GT The Torino-based Ranchero GT could take the 429 Cobra Jet and Super Cobra Jet; reference counts give 3,905 GTs, while Barn Finds rounds the GT figure to about 3,600 of 21,640 Rancheros.
- Ford Thunderbird The 429 at 360 hp was the standard and only engine listed in the 1970 catalog.
- Ford Torino A new, longer body on a 117-inch wheelbase; the Torino Cobra became its own model with the 429, offered in 360, 370 (Cobra Jet) and 375 (Super Cobra Jet) horsepower forms.
- Mercury Comet and Cyclone A new, longer Montego-based Cyclone in three versions: the 429 Cyclone, the small-block Cyclone GT that outsold both others, and the Ram Air 429 Cobra Jet Cyclone Spoiler.
- Mercury Cougar The last first-generation Cougar moved to the 351 Cleveland, kept the Boss 302 as an Eliminator-only engine, and built 2,268 Eliminators.
- Mercury Marauder and S-55 The second and last year of the 1969-70 Marauder: production fell to about a third of 1969's, with the X-100 near half of it.
- Oldsmobile Cutlass, 4-4-2 and Hurst/Olds The 4-4-2 got a standard 455 rated at 365 hp, the W-30 went to 370 hp, and the small-block W-31 moved to the Cutlass and F-85 coupes.
- Plymouth Barracuda and 'Cuda The E-body redesign split the line into Barracuda, Gran Coupe, and 'Cuda hardtops and convertibles, put every Chrysler performance engine through the 426 Hemi on the order form, and added the one-year AAR 'Cuda for Trans-Am homologation.
- Plymouth Duster 340 and 360 Plymouth's new Valiant-based fastback coupe arrived with a 275 hp 340 performance model priced at $2,547; the Standard Catalog lineage counts 24,817 Duster 340s among 217,192 Dusters.
- Plymouth GTX, Belvedere and Satellite Now hardtop-only, the GTX fell to 7,748 cars while its 440 Six Barrel option cost just $119.
- Plymouth Road Runner Production halved from 1969, the 440 Six Barrel became a regular option, and the winged Superbird was built as a Road Runner hardtop to put Plymouth back on NASCAR superspeedways.
- Pontiac Firebird and Trans Am A late-arriving, coupe-only second generation: 48,739 Firebirds, 3,196 of them Trans Ams, and 88 Ram Air IVs.
- Pontiac GTO A new Endura nose, a 455 added beside the three 400s, and GTO production falling to 40,149.
- Pontiac Grand Prix The SJ took a 370 hp 455, Hurst built the SSJ, and production fell to 65,750.
- Pontiac Tempest and LeMans The T-37 and GT-37 bring budget performance to the Tempest.