Friday 1st July 2016

'The Beast is back': Pic Of The Week

AMC Javelin touring car returns to the track after crowd-pleasing 70s racing career

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Who doesn't like a 70s touring car? From AMG's mighty 'Red Pig' to Gerry Marshall's Big Bertha, the cars and characters of the time have a larger than life appeal that lingers to this day.

This AMC Javelin, nicknamed The Beast in period for fairly obvious reasons, is the perfect example and is being celebrated ahead of its return to the track at the Silverstone Classic later this month. From its bonnet scoop to its bulging arches the appeal of this unreconstructed 70s muscle car doesn't require too much explanation. But the back story is interesting enough to recount in brief.

Shipped to the UK by an American serviceman, it was bought in 1971 by racer David Howes and converted from road to Group 2 race spec. This included the installation of a 6.4-litre V8 and manual gearbox, among other modifications. Howes raced the car to some success over the following years, the big AMC winning crowds over with its muscular looks and brutish presence. A road accident in 1975 ended Howes' racing career and from that moment on the car has remained in storage, frozen in time and perfectly preserved. He finally sold the car last year to Belgian racer and collector Marc Devis, who set about recommissioning work to get the car back on the grid among contemporary rivals for the Historic Touring Car Challenge at the Silverstone Classic. He's also hoping to reunite Howes with his car at the event.

Should be quite a sight - to get you in the mood our Pic Of The Week is of The Beast in action back in the day. To find out more about the Silverstone Classic click here.

Traditional (4:3)
Computer widescreen (16:10)
TV widescreen (16:9)
Portrait (smartphone etc)

[5ohmustang]

Credit to you sir, for covering the more obscure cars. I'd love an Amc Eagle Wagon. The original subaru outback.

[SteveMFr]

I've always loved the Javelin's looks... Meaty and muscular.

But I'm more interested in the Capri in the background. My first car was a Capri V6 2600 :-)