AMC Javelin AMX Trans-Am race car replica could win your driveway easy

In 1971, Mark Donahue dominated the SCCA Trans-Am competition with a race-built AMC Javelin AMX, a Roger Penske-sponsored car that was the last competitive gasp of American Motors. Two years ago, that Javelin sold for $847,000 after a thorough restoration. This is not that car. Instead, it's one man slavishly detailed replica built at home over four years, that's he's now willing to part with for a fraction of what the real item costs.

As found by Autoholics, this car began as a Nevada-based Javelin that was then rebuilt to match, as close as possible, the car that Donahue drove, down to the stickers on the fenders. Under the hood lies a 450-hp 401 AMC V-8 -- a bigger engine than Penske's car, but with the same horsepower -- and competition exhausts, brakes and suspension. It's road legal, barely, and the one sop to civilization is a cut-down passenger's seat that's only visible if you stand next to it, but the seller contends it also meets current SCCA rules for classic racing.

The owner claims nothing on the car reflects any technology available after 1971; even the paint job is a simple layer, uncluttered with clear coats. As of this writing, the Georgia owner's sale on eBay has not hit its reserve after climbing to $61,000. Donahue won seven of 10 races in 1971 with his Javelin, and 40 years later it's still one red-white-blue color scheme that will run -- fast.