'70 AMC Mark Donohue Javelin SST

Mark Donohue was a well known American racer who died from injuries sustained at the Österreichring in preliminary sessions at the 1975 Austrian Grand Prix. He was 38.

Coming from an affluent, comfortable background, and graduating from Brown, Donohue was no dilletante, just enjoying his handsome looks and good fortune. He was a genuine racer, intense and insular at times, more so than some of his immediate competitors, he was one for pursuing and gleaning the absolute maximum performance from his cars, delving into the minutiae of the setup, working with the engineers for the smallest improvement.

He raced at the peak of the Can-Am years in the early '70's, piloting the fearsome Porsche 917/30KL, a car that in part was developed by him, producing over 1575bhp in race trim and took victories in the last six of the eight races in 1973.

Whilst best known for his racing in Can-Am, he genuinely was a racer across many disciplines. He campaigned in NASCAR, winning in the Winston Cup Series and taking the victory flag at the Indianapolis 500 in 1972. Donohue was also a star in Endurance racing, competing at the 12 Hours of Sebring and running close a number of times at Le Mans. Formula One is oft-cited as the apex of a driver's career, and whilst he never drove the more competitive cars, he certainly wasn't there to make up the numbers. Donohue raced across the world, in many formats, driving 911's, Lotuses, GT40's, MGB's, Ferrari's, McLarens and Chevrolet, but it was his incredible success in AMC Javelins within the Trans-Am series that really solidified his name with the wider public.

From 1967-70, Donohue won 20 races, obliterating the opposition which included greats such as Parnelli Jones and Dan Gurney. He was easily the most successful driver of the competition's, and probably North America's, greatest motorsports period. It was the highwater mark of the 'pony' car era, with Cougars jousting with Z28's and Mustangs across the country.

In 1970, AMC, had to homologate their new car, the Javelin, prior to campaigning it in the Series. It was stipulated by the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) that 2501 vehicles had to be made to comply, and the Donohue SST, alongside the 'Trans Am' model, was the result.

Donohue had a large part in developing and tailoring the Javelin for better performance: designing the rear ducktail spoiler and adding the Ram Air bonnet. During his racing career he was known as a heavy and disciplined tester, once estimating that he droves two miles in practice for every one competitively, ("...testing is the key...") and the Javelin was no mere 'signature' car in name only. There were various incarnations, with this version powered by a 6.4 litre V8 producing 325bhp. The 'Go Package' option provided enhanced brakes, anti-roll bars, uprated tyres and tuned exhaust. Whilst the Javelin in this guise finally had a large cubic engine to really upstage it's big-block rivals, the essence of the car was performance not gained by large power or over-gearing, but simply by being lighter.

"Mark knew where every bolt, nut and spring was on every car he drove. And, he not only knew where they were located but what they were supposed to do and if they were doing their jobs. If not, he wouldn't drive the car. He simply would not over-extend a piece of machinery that he didn't have the most confidence in. He was, I feel, the finest road race driver that this country has ever produced..." - Bobby Allison, 3-time Daytona 500 winner, 84 NASCAR career wins