Used sporty coupes seem to fall into one of two categories: they either have been thrashed within an inch of their lives, or have been treated with such kid gloves that you wonder if the owners enjoy them at all – and then second owners sometimes thrash them within an inch of their lives. Today we’re going to look at one from each camp: a ’70s classic that needs more miles on its odometer, and a ’00s factory hot rod that needs some sympathy.
Friday was Halloween, and we celebrated with two home-built jobbies that were enough to scare any gearhead. We had a “Locost” built in the style of a Lotus 7, and a Manta Mirage that was so modified it was barely recognizable. Several of you begged for a “neither” option, but as you know, that’s not how the game is played. When the dust settled, the not-really-a-Lotus took the win, but I don’t think any of you felt good about it.
Personally, that Locost scares the hell out of me. The seller says it was built from “plans” from Lotus, which as far as I know don’t exist. Where did these plans come from? Why deviate from them so much? Why use the engine out of a Chevy S-10 pickup? I don’t feel great about the Manta either, but at least it looks cohesive.
Give a young person a flashy two-door car, and they’re probably going to do some very ill-advised things with it. Give an older person the same car, and they will often coddle it, taking it out only on weekends when the weather is nice, and barely racking up enough miles to keep the juices flowing. Subsequent owners are often much harder on such cars. Today we’re going to look at two coupes from the Denver area, one of which looks like it was babied, then abused, and then left to sit, and another that looks like someone beat the hell out of it before crashing it and repairing it badly. Here they are.
1971 AMC Javelin SST – $3,900
Engine/drivetrain: 258 cubic inch OHV inline 6, three-speed automatic, RWD
Location: Denver, CO
Odometer reading: 81,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives, but tires are old and cracked
In the late 1960s and early ’70s, pony cars were all the rage. Ford had the Mustang, and Plymouth, Chevy, and Pontiac all countered with the Barracuda, Camaro, and Firebird, respectively. Not wanting to be left out of the fun, AMC introduced the Javelin in 1968. The original Javelin design was a handsome fastback, but pretty tame compared to this 1971 second-generation design, with its bulging fenders. Whether or not the redesign is an improvement is a matter of taste, but I’ve always liked it.
Like other pony cars, the V8-powered Javelins are the best remembered, but the basic six-cylinder ones were probably a lot more common. Both 232 and 258 cubic inch versions of AMC’s inline six were available; this one has the 258, backed by a three-speed automatic. It sat for many years, until the seller revived it a couple months ago. The ignition, fuel, cooling, and brake systems have all been gone through, and the seller has been driving it around their neighborhood, but it needs tires before it’s ready for the open road.
This Javelin has the SST package, which was just an appearance package, despite the fast-sounding name. It’s similar to the RS package available on the Chevy Camaro. The SST has fancier upholstery and a sporty three-spoke steering wheel. This one looks pretty good inside, especially for its age. The dashboard looks like it was taken apart and put back together badly, but it could probably be fixed. You might have to take it apart again anyway, to replace the heater core, which leaks and has been bypassed.
Outside, it was originally blue with a white stripe, but someone spray-painted it flat black at some point. The good news is that the only rust to speak of is in the rear quarter panels behind the wheels, and I’m sure repair panels are available. The bent rear bumper and cracked reverse light lens might be harder to replace, however.
2006 Acura RSX Type S – $3,450
Engine/drivetrain: 2.0-liter DOHC inline 4, six-speed manual FWD
Location: Denver, CO
Odometer reading: 192,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and “lot drives”
Japanese sports coupes like the Acura RSX, and its predecessor the Integra, could arguably be called pony cars as well. Available in both inexpensive basic versions as well as high-performance versions for a little more money, and marketed to young buyers, they filled the same niche in the market that Mustangs and Camaros and Javelins did decades earlier. This is one of the higher-performance versions, the Type-S, with more horsepower, lower gearing, stiffer suspension, and an extra gear in the transmission.
The RSX Type-S is powered by a 210-horsepower version of Honda’s K-series engine, driving the front wheels through a six-speed manual. This one runs and drives, but it has been in an accident bad enough to set off the airbags, and somewhat haphazardly repaired. The radiator support is a different color from the rest of the sheetmetal, and the ad says there may be further frame damage. It drives around their lot, but you’d probably want to get it checked out by a body shop before trying to drive it anywhere.
The interior is a bit of a mess, and not just the deployed airbags, which look like they’ve been cut away. I get the feeling someone was actually driving this car like this. The airbags will need to be replaced, obviously, and the steering wheel could use re-covering too. And the shift boot and glovebox door are both missing. I could probably keep looking at the photos and finding more wrong, but I’ll stop there.
Whatever happened to this car, it happened to the right front corner. The right front fender looks original, but damaged in the accident and straightened. It also got the windshield; there’s a big spiderweb in the lower right corner. The mismatched hood is also damaged and straightened, which is weird; has it been in two accidents? Needless to say, it’s now rocking a salvage title.
Two sporty coupes from two different eras, but they have one thing in common: they’ve been subjected to some harsh treatment. One probably led an easy life at first, but has been neglected for a long time, and the other has been beaten within an inch of its life, possibly more than once. They both could use a friend. Which one would you help out?
The RSX motor & transmission would be worth it but they’ve been hammered on pretty good I’m guessing. The rest of the car is done. Looked at a lot of cars from that “rebuildable” dealer and never cared for what they were selling at the prices asked. Went for AMC today
I like both but don’t like the condition and price of the rsx plus buying something like that from a dealer already seems sketchy. I bet could do better.
That Javelin looks pretty clean the biggest problem I see is some damage a vinyl top or tree. So many I’ve seen are absolute rust buckets. For the money Javelin all the way.
I don’t even think I have to explain why I voted Javelin. I will anyway: It’s the not-basket-case.
Never got the AMC appeal. I get the feeling that they’re for people who like those dogs that people say are so ugly they’re cute or people who want to go against the grain, but not with something foreign. They always seemed like Dollar Store versions of the Big 3 with the more obvious cost cutting to match. The Javelins and AMXs, though, were at least kind of interesting even if this one is nearly the worst combination someone could have chosen. Then again, even with a V8, what are you going to go street racing in a 54 year old car? Even the V8s would probably get smoked by a minivan that didn’t even realize you were racing it in the first place, so for a cruiser, the 6 and auto is probably fine.
The RSX is the right combo, but I found them to be underwhelming to drive when new, never mind 20 years later trashed and crashed. Was that a Takata airbag? If it was, I guess that one was OK as I don’t see blood all over. The RSX would be the better investment car, but this one requires way too much and a good one could be picked up for less and not have a major crash in its record. It would probably make more sense to get a decent standard RSX and swap the parts over from this one, though I have no idea if that stuff is worth $3450 and the effort. Then, too, looking at the state of it unrelated to the crash damage, I don’t even know if I’d trust the drivetrain to not need major work.
I guess the Javelin for being less common and needing less.
Dollar store version of the Big 3, them’s fightin’ words!
Of course—fighting is the only recourse to defending a love for AMC!
eh, the 71 SST could be had with an AMC 360 I believe. it would still be int he 14’s best case stock with 70’s era Bias Plies. But for a street racer, it could be a fairly easy one to modify. Not as many go fast goodies for AMC, but I feel like a Chrysler V8 would fit in there and not be too much heresy to use. or definitely a modern LS would fit in there very easily and overcome a lot of the cars girth. the 360 or 401 by 1971 was already going down in power from a rating standpoint, but 230-250 HP was not the worst of those dark times.
The lack of performance wasn’t the point as much as I don’t see anyone street racing an ancient car in the modern world (or street racing at all unless they’re criminals doing takeovers). Unless you bring it to a drag strip fairly frequently or want to impress other old guys at boomer car shows, for the normal cruising people do in these old things, the I6 isn’t functionally really any worse than something with a big block and it gets relatively better mileage. But even without the practical concern, I’d rather swap a bigger engine and transmission into this thing than the RSX’s likely beat drivetrain into another RSX in better shape.
the fact that it is not worth much, but sort of sporty. makes it a pretty good candidate for modifying it for whatever you prefer to do with it. I would definitely be less mad about making this a drag strip king that could be run on the road with modern parts vs say a 401 powered AMX version since those were more rare and potentially valuable. Same reason I would take a tribute version of just bout any high end option muscle car from the 90’s back. That way you get to make the right mods to make an old car sort of safe while also enjoying the drive in a hot classic.
Basically start with say a 250 straight six 69 camaro with a three on the tree and upgrade versus starting with a DZ 302.
I totally agree, I’m just saying that I think it’s fine with the I6 and automatic (this might be more a note to younger me who would scoff derisively at such a combo). If I was interested, I’d fix the heater coil, throw a 30′ paint job on it, and take it on foliage drives and such with my arm on the open window sill, but certainly if someone was looking for a build, it’s a solid start that isn’t screwing with a high end spec and can be driven around while the parts are gathered.
agreed, you would likely get a lot of thumbs up and tons more guys looking at it since it seems like a rare combo survivor.
I’ll be the rare RSX voter.
I’d assume it would take more work to get on the road, but once you do, you’ve got modern power, a manual, modern fuel economy, and modern parts availability. It’s that or a car too old to be very practical, with the least desirable drivetrain, and still needing work.
Plus, the RSX may look like a deathtrap without the air bags, but it can’t really be worse than a car from 1971, can it?
I couldn’t bring myself to desire either of these cars, so I’m sitting this one out.
The Javelin seems cool and a lot closer to a finished and drivable project.
That RSX needs an old priest and a young priest to start with… yikes!
The AMC is rough, but I wouldn’t touch that RSX with a 10ft pole.
Damn Mark – that RSX is ghastly. It has to be the AMC, which is also quite rough. The AMC is more of a $2k car for me though. The RSX…is worth the price of the engine which is less than what’s being asked considering it requires removal. There is no saving the car itself.
Is the Acura seller throwing in whatever drugs they took to come up with that insane price?
I’ll offer $1k cash for the Acura to be my next rallycross car. Otherwise I’ll skip a day and return tomorrow.
I’m walking today.
Javelin, I’d make a replica of Patriot’s from I’76. Such a good game.
Easy win for the orphan car. Even if I didn’t like AMC there is no way I would pass up a classic project with major potential and choose the most roached RSX I’ve ever seen. I’d clean up the Javelin and happily cruise along until I save enough allowance to look at an engine swap.
The RSX is one of the handful of cars from the 2000’s that I genuinely like, but a crashed damaged car with questionable frame repairs is a pretty big turn off. So Javelin it is.
Javelin. Love an RSX, but definitely not that one at that price.
Also, I can’t recall ever seeing an SST without a V8.
Growing up in a small town in SE TX we had an autoparts shop that built a drag car out of a maroon Javelin. A friend of mine in HS inherited that car and spent some time in autoshop converting it to be street legal to be his first car. By street legal I mean just barely. It had working headlights and wipers but it still had skinnies up front, giant Mickeys out back, and a sequential shifter. I’ve always loved the look of that car so of course I had to vote Javelin today.
RSX. For a grand. Not a grand off, just one (1)k. That way when it dies its last death in the backyard because I was overconfident in what I could fix and “never got around to it,” I don’t have to feel bad.
The Javelin is cool as-is. It just needs new tires and maybe some basic work and it’d be a fun toy that you could probably make your money back on when you get bored of it. The RSX looks like a potential nightmare, and it wouldn’t even make for a terribly good parts car due to the miles and unknown accident history.
I’d prefer the RSX, just not THAT RSX
That Javelin looks fun. It would be relatively straight forward to use a newer Jeep 4.0 to build a pretty monster motor without going V8 or even changing the underhood look all that much. I’d prefer it with a stick to go with that built motor, but a decent auto could still be fun.
I had a 71 Mustang as my first car, these javelins were pretty close in the design language to me. That being said, it is pretty much love/hate for most on both units. I would of course prefer a 68/69 six pot javelin, but I can appreciate this one too. It seems pretty honest, though I am surprised the SST option came with a 6. I almost prefer that since I know lots of Jeep parts fit in there. might be fun for a bit to run a HO 4.0 with an AX15 in this thing, assuming a tailshaft for just 2wd could be sourced. I think the manual Dakota’s used the AX at one time.
I think the Javelin was more in the class of the Charger/Chevelle/Road Runner/(Ford is weird here because the 71 Mustang was much more in this class of cars while the Camero stayed more in the same smaller class that the Mustang used to be, as did the Barracuda. Maybe the comparable ACM offering in that class was the Hornet 360?
ANYWAY, this old Javelin is awesome, and the 6 is a great way to go for reliability, reparability, and … being underpowered enough that the rest of the car will just take so much less of a beating!
There’s just zero reason to take a chance on that RSX. There are others out there that represent far less risk.
That Javelin seems like a perfectly reasonable starting point for a project car.
As much as I like the RSX as a model, that particular example would be nothing but problems and automotive anthropology while cursing the family line of the previous owner. Never buy cars owned by Tuner Kiddies, everything is done in the crappiest, cheapest way possible by someone who has the greatest possible discrepancy between ego and talent. Judging by that front end damage, that discrepancy extends to the previous owner’s driving, too.
Now, a pre-1973 rare pony car that runs, drives, and has a straight rust-free body is absolute gold these days. Finding parts might be a challenge for and AMC, but I don’t care.
Since they used so many parts from GM/FORD/and Chrysler. the trickiest part might be the cross reference situation. International is in the same boat on most small parts, though they have a better following and the Bespoke parts are easier to find,