Ringbrothers’ 1972 AMC Javelin – Jay Leno’s Garage

We first “met” the Ring Brothers’ Prestone Javelin build back around SEMA when the car made some huge waves at the annual automotive industry show. That’s quite a feat at a show full of insane builds, but as you walk around this car Jay Leno and really check out the details that the brothers threw into the project, it becomes instantly clear why the car was such a hit with showgoers.

The main factor that made the Javelin stand out is the fact that it’s a Javelin in the first place. In an era where the domestic builds are basically dominated by Mustangs, Camaros, and classic Mopar iron, this car from the defunct American Motor Company stands out, despite the fact that AMC sourced many of the components on the car from the Big Three domestic automakers. You can see subtle hints of other domestic cars from the era in the nose, which is equal parts Camaro and Barracuda, to the humps above the front wheels that echo whispers of the second generation Corvette. The whole car in profile strongly resembles the Mustang, but the car itself is completely AMC.

Then the Ring Brothers got their hands on it, and took it from “different, but unexceptional” to “OMG LOOK AT THAT!” with their trademark sledgehammer subtlety. By modifying the cars wheelbase to reduce the overhang of the nose, they gave the car a decidedly more modern look while not really changing the look of the car itself. Then they went to work with their smaller, most subtle modifications, such as massaging the nose and hood a bit and adding the custom lower valence and rear spoiler.

Coating the car in what has been called the ugliest color of all time was actually a great decision because not only does it stand out in a crowd, it resembles the color of Preston’s antifreeze, and since it is their car, after all, that just makes sense.

Join Jay as he takes the car for a spin and check out how it behaves with 1,000+ horsepower on tap thanks to the Whipple-blown Hellcat HEMI powerplant!