AMC Eagle

The AMC Eagle is a compact-sized four-wheel drive passenger vehicle that was produced by American Motors Corporation (AMC) from one thousand nine hundred seventy nine to 1987.

• American Motors: August 1979–1987
• Chrysler (Eagle): August–December 1987

• Eagle Wagon
• American Eagle

• United States: Kenosha, Wisconsin (1980–1983)
• Canada: Brampton, Ontario (1984–1988)

• 2-door coupé
• 2-door liftback
• 2-door hatchback
• 4-door sedan
• 4-door station wagon
• 2-door convertible

• 150 cu in (Two.Five L) AMC I4
• 151 cu in (Two.Five L) GM Metal Duke I4
• 258 cu in (Four.Two L) AMC I6
• 219 cu in (Three.6 L) VM I6 turbodiesel

• 4-speed manual
• 5-speed manual
• 3-speed TorqueFliteautomatic
• Overdrive (diesel only)

• 97.Two in (Two,469 mm) liftback/kammback
• 109.Three in (Two,776 mm) coupe/sedan/wagon

• 166.6 in (Four,232 mm) liftback/kammback
• 186.Two in (Four,729 mm) coupe/sedan/wagon

• 73.0 in (1,854 mm) liftback/kammback
• 72.Three in (1,836 mm) coupe/sedan/wagon

• 55.Two in (1,402 mm) liftback/kammback
• 54.Four in (1,382 mm) coupe/sedan
• 54.6 in (1,387 mm) wagon

Eagle Medallion(for sedan, coupe and wagon)

Introduced in August one thousand nine hundred seventy nine for the one thousand nine hundred eighty model year, the coupe, sedan, and station wagon figure styles were based on the AMC Concord.

The AMC Eagles were the only four-wheel-drive passenger cars produced in the U.S. at the time. [1] They were affordable cars suggesting a convenient rail and treating on pavement together with superior traction in light off road use through AMC’s innovative engineering and packaging. [Two] Albeit the definition is not precise, the AMC Eagle is today known as one of the very first crossover vehicles. [Three] All models featured “passenger-car convenience, plus 4wd security for all-weather security.” [Two] Fuel-thirsty vehicles built for rugged off-road were on the market. Comparable sedans and compact station wagons models were not available from other manufacturers, especially at the Eagle’s price point, and AMC “predicted that consumers would embrace a vehicle with the convenience of an automobile, but the rail height and foul-weather capabilities of a four-wheel-drive utility vehicle.” [Four]

In 1981, the two-door subcompact-sized AMC Spirit-based models, the SX/Four and Kammback, joined the Eagle line aimed at both first-time buyers and fleet sales. [Four] The Sundancer convertible conversion for the larger Eagle two-door model was available during one thousand nine hundred eighty one and 1982.

In March 1987, Chrysler Corporation reached an agreement to acquire AMC. Production of the Eagle continued (retaining the AMC badging) until December 14, 1987.

Contents

The concept Edit

The initial proposal for production of what would become the AMC Eagle came from Roy Lunn, the chief design engineer for AMC Jeep. [Five] “Project eight thousand one plus Four” was Lunn’s code name for a fresh “line of four-wheel-drive vehicles with the rail and treating conventions of a standard rear wheel drive car” built on a unit-body platform. [Five] In February 1977, AMC contracted FF Developments to build a prototype vehicle based on a production V8 powered AMC Hornet with drive torque split 33% front and 66% rear. [Five] Testing and further development proved the feasibility of a vehicle with greater ground clearance, larger 15-inch wheels, as well as a torque split closer to 50% – 50%, with Lunn recommending using the AMC straight-6 engine coupled to an automatic transmission. [Five]

Thus, the AMC Eagle came about when Jeep’s chief engineer joined a Concord bod with a four-wheel-drive system. [6] Such a vehicle was a logical step for AMC, according to then CEO Gerald C. Meyers, as a 2nd energy crisis had hit in 1979, and sales of AMC’s very profitable truck-based Jeep line dropped, due in part to their low fuel efficiency, leaving AMC in a precarious financial position. [1] The Eagle provided a low-cost way of bridging the gap inbetween AMC’s solid and economical, but aging, passenger car line and its well-regarded, but decidedly off-road-focused, Jeep line, as the Eagle used the existing Concord (and later, Spirit) automobile platform.

The Eagle also bridged the sizable price gap inbetween the low-end imported 4WD Subaru and the large-sized domestic four-wheel-drive vehicles like the Jeep Wagoneer. [7] The Eagle models provided the fattest fresh boost to the automaker’s profit mix. [1] Sales were brisk since Day One, [7] with the manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) for the basic 2-door model beginning at $6,999 (US$20,344 in two thousand sixteen dollars [8] ) and the 4-door station wagon at $7,549 (US$21,943 in two thousand sixteen dollars [8] ). The Eagle represented a “burst of AMC’s genetic creativity. quickly captured the attention of many American drivers who found its unique union of four-wheel drive safety and security with the convenience of an automobile.” [9]

A very first in mass production passenger cars, [Ten] [11] the early AMC Eagles came with a true full-time automatic system that operated only in permanent all-wheel drive. The four-wheel drivetrain added approximately three hundred pounds (136 kg) to the Eagle’s curb weight. [7] The AMC Eagles were also the very first mass-produced U.S. four-wheel-drive vehicles with an independent front suspension. [Two]

The AMC Eagle’s central differential behind its TorqueFlite automatic transmission was single-speed (without a low-range option) and used a viscous fluid coupling for quiet and sleek transfer of power to the axle with the greatest traction, on moist or dry pavement. The central unit consisted of closely spaced, wavy clutch plates operating in a “honey-like Silicone fluid” performing a “limited-slip function” inbetween the front and rear drives, as well as under adverse driving conditions sending torque to the axle with the most traction. [Two]

Designed as “reasonably size[d] passenger cars” suggesting a convenient rail and treating on pavement, the AMC Eagles “behave more like mountain goats” when off the road. [Two] The value of four-wheel drive in the AMC Eagle was apparent when driving in lubricious conditions, and they were used in America’s very first ice-driving school. [12] The Eagle models provided the convenience and appointments expected of passenger models with off-road technology suggesting an extra margin of safety and traction. [13] The Eagle was designed for customers that “must get through regardless of road or weather conditions (doctors, police, emergency personnel and so on)” as well as those living areas of bad weather or roads, and adventurous hunters and fishermen. [14] The AMC Eagle did not challenge with traditional, rudimentary four-wheel-drive vehicles. The company did not design the Eagle as an off-pavement recreation vehicle, but rather as a passenger car that offers added benefits. [15] Not built for off-road spectacle as a Chevrolet Blazer or a Jeep Cherokee, the Eagle “will overcome mud, sand, snow, and obstacles that would stop ordinary sedans cold.” [16]

The AMC Eagle was the very first production car to use the finish “Ferguson Formula” (FF) full-time all-wheel-drive system from Britain’s Ferguson Research. [17] Other four-wheel-drive automobile-type vehicles – the Subaru DL/GL (1972 for the Japanese domestic market and two years later in the U.S. [Legitimate] [Nineteen] ), and much later the Toyota Tercel SR5 Wagon (1983) – only had part-time four-wheel-drive systems that could not be engaged on dry pavement. [20] The Eagle was also years ahead of Subaru’s simplistic, part-time front-drive/4WD system, due to Roy Lunn’s creativity and Jeep’s practice producing 4WD vehicles. [6] Another feature was the Eagle’s independent front suspension, accomplished by mounting the front differential to the engine block with universal joints and half shafts to drive the front wheels.

As the very first mass-produced American passenger car with four-wheel-drive of any type, automotive industry analysts were taken by surprise at the fact that AMC, a company most had deemed past its capability to produce competitive vehicles, turned the best of what they had into a revolutionary, novel, and all-around competent vehicle. [13] In doing so, the petite American manufacturer was seen as having cleverly pioneered a fresh market segment – one that would grow insanely over the next twenty five years and beyond, as evinced by Four Wheeler magazine’s conclusion in one thousand nine hundred eighty that the fresh AMC Eagle was, indeed, “The beginning of a fresh generation of cars.” [21] Even as the automaker was fighting financially, “AMC’s reputation for developing vehicles on the cheap is only exceeded by its legacy of midwifing the SUV”, including the Eagle to be the precursor to one of the most popular vehicle types on the market. [22] Indeed, the Eagle’s basic concept – that of a station wagon with AWD, raised ground clearance, total range of power options and automatic transmissions, as well as rough-road capability – has inspired vehicles like the Subaru Outback and Forester lines, the Audi Allroad, the Volkswagen Passat Alltrack, the Volvo XC range, and many others. [6] [13] Similarly, motoring journalist Marty Padgett described AMC’s car-based one thousand nine hundred eighty Eagle, combining all-weather capability with better gas mileage, as “the very first crossover,” that was succeeded by entire generations of Subaru vehicles and other models. [23]

In a road test of a two thousand nine crossover vehicle, the AMC Eagle “combined two disparate personalities — rugged childlike playfulness and staunch paternal responsibility — in a way that few thought possible in 1980. And for all the Eagle’s lowly heritage, it has set a lasting standard for utility and a friendly, innovative spirit that has eluded most of the compact crossovers on the market today.” [24] An article in a series about innovations and icons, the Big black cock wrote “the Eagle was, in essence, the kind of segment-busting product that engineers and marketers spend entire careers attempting to create.” [25]

Model years Edit

1980 Edit

Based on the AMC Concord, the one thousand nine hundred eighty AMC Eagle was introduced in August one thousand nine hundred seventy nine and available as a four-door sedan and station wagon, as well as a coupe. [26] Standard equipment included power steering and power front disk and rear drum brakes, as well as 15-inch wheels with fiberglass belted radial whitewall tires. [27] The Eagle came base and upscale Limited trims, both of which carried the same features as the Concord DL and Limited, respectively. A sports package was available only on the 2-door and wagon models featuring in addition to “Sport” emblems the following items: Durham Plaid fabric seat trim, leather-wrapped sport steering wheel, P195/75R15 Tiempo steel belted radial tires, sport fog lamps, halogen highbeam headlamps, dual black remote mirrors, 4X4 sport graphics, black bumpers with nerf strips, black lower bod moldings, blackout grille, taillamp paint treatment, side gauze stripes, and black moldings on the windshield, rear window, door frames, and B-pillar. [28]

All Eagles came with “Ziebart Factory Rust Protection” as standard that included a five-year “No Rust Thru” transferable warranty. The cars were built using aluminized trim screws, plastic internal fender liners, galvanized steel in every exterior assets panel, and the bod went through an epoxy-based primer bath (up to the window line). Eagles were backed by the AMC Buyer Protection Plan, a twelve month/12,000 mi (Nineteen,312 km) warranty on everything except the tires. [29]

The drivetrain consisted of one engine, the two hundred fifty eight cu in (Four.Two L) straight-6-cylinder, in conjunction with a three-speed automatic transmission (a version of Chrysler’s A998), with Dana thirty and Dana thirty five differentials. All one thousand nine hundred eighty Eagles came standard with a permanent four-wheel-drive system that employed a Fresh Process one hundred nineteen transfer case that had a viscous fluid coupling that permitted the four-wheel-drive system to operate on moist or dry pavement without causing undue suspension and drivetrain wear. Optional trailer towing packages were available for treating trailers weighing up to Three,500 lb (1,588 kg) that included a weight distributing (equalizing) tow hitch, seven-connector wiring corset, wiring, auxiliary transmission oil cooler, Trio.54 axle ratio, and required the optional heavy-duty battery and automatic load-leveling air shocks. [30]

The one thousand nine hundred eighty Eagle’s appearance differed from the Concord’s in that the bods were raised three in (76 mm) further off their suspension to afford better ground clearance. [Two] To pack in the enhanced visual space inbetween the tires and wheel wells, AMC used durable Kraton (polymer) plastic wheelarch flares that flowed into rocker panel extensions. The grille was similar to the one thousand nine hundred eighty Concord’s, but with the horizontal bars spaced slightly further apart, and the Eagle graphic mounted to the driver’s side-center. Because coupes and sedans carried Concord DL equipment as standard, they also carried the Concord DL coupe and sedan roof treatments, featuring vinyl coverings, and opera windows. However, bumpers were pulled closer to the figure than those seen on Concords, due to the Eagle having been classified by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a light truck, and was therefore exempt from passenger car regulations that required front and rear bumpers that could sustain a five mph (8 km/h) influence with no harm. However, as seen on the Concord, black plastic end caps were featured on one thousand nine hundred eighty Eagle bumpers.

Request for the innovative four-wheel-drive models caused AMC to discontinue the slow-selling Pacer in December 1979, to permit for enlargened Eagle production capacity at its assembly facility in Kenosha, Wisconsin. [31] The four-wheel-drive components underneath a conventional car made the Eagle popular in regions with snow, and AMC made the Jeep connection explicit creating “an early crossover” vehicle. [32] Production for the one thousand nine hundred eighty model was: 9,956 4-door sedans, Ten,616 2-door sedans, and 25,807 station wagons with a grand total of 45,379 units. [33] The Eagle models helped AMC increase total car production to 199,613 units, an increase of 18% over the previous year. [31]

1981 Edit

Switches to the standard (Series 30) Eagle lineup for one thousand nine hundred eighty one were notable. The GM one hundred fifty one cu in (Two.Five L) “Metal Duke” inline-four engine became standard equipment, as AMC’s two hundred fifty eight cu in (Four.Two L) I6 became optional. The four was only available with the manual transmission in the Eagle sedans and wagons. [34] The AMC inline-six was redesigned to produce more low-end torque, as well as made smoother running, more economical, and required less maintenance. [35] The engineering improvements to the venerable AMC engine also diminished its weight by ninety pounds (41 kg) to four hundred forty five lb (202 kg), thus making it “the lightest in-line Six in the domestic industry”. [36]

All Eagles took on a fresh plastic eggcrate-style grille divided into twenty four squares at the front. The Eagle name moved to the grille header bar. Bumpers were updated so that their end caps flowed slickly into the Kraton plastic wheelarches and rocker panel trim. The Sport package, carried over from one thousand nine hundred eighty on all three bod styles, used the Spirit’s spandex hood and grille header bar trim beginning in 1981. At 183.Two in (Four,650 mm), the Series thirty Eagle was also three inches shorter than the previous year. [34]

Two smaller subcompact models, the AMC Eagle Kammback, based on the AMC Spirit sedan (née Gremlin [37] [38] ), and the sporty Eagle SX/Four, based on the Spirit liftback, debuted as “Eagle Series 50” models. The Kammback and SX/Four came standard with GM’s one hundred fifty one cu in (Two.Five L) “Metal Duke” four-cylinder engine, four-speed manual transmission, and power steering. [34] The Series fifty Eagles reflected the styling updates that the larger Series thirty models displayed for 1981. The SX/Four model was available with a Sport package, as well. “Billed as ‘the sports car that doesn’t always need a road’ the SX/Four two-door hatchback had a sporty look, but hardly qualified as a sports car.” [39]

At the beginning of the model year, all Eagles carried over the new-for-1980 permanent all-wheel drive system with viscous fluid coupling that protected the suspension or driveline components from wear during dry pavement use. A “Select Drive” option, which permitted the Eagle to run in two-wheel-drive (RWD) mode and be switched to four-wheel-drive via a dashboard switch, was suggested as a fuel economy measure at midyear. Select Drive required the vehicle to be stationary when switching inbetween two-wheel and four-wheel-drive.

Road tests by Gary Witzenburg in Popular Mechanics described the one thousand nine hundred eighty one “Sport” model station wagon as “Snowbird Supreme” after driving it in Detroit’s worst winter weather and noting the numerous improvements that were incorporated for the fresh model year building on the AMC Eagle’s “soundness of design and originality of its concept.” [40]

Production was: Five,603 Kammbacks, 17,340 Liftbacks, Two,378 two-door sedans, 1,737 four-door sedans, and Ten,371 station wagons for a total of 37,429 units. [41]

1982 Edit

Fresh low-drag disc brakes were featured as standard equipment. A five-speed manual transmission joined the options list. The optional automatic transmission received broader gear ratios for better fuel economy. All received as standard equipment the “Select Drive” system that could be switched inbetween all-wheel drive and two-wheel drive for a potential increase in fuel economy. The system put the front axle and prop shaft into the gas-saving freewheeling mode from the driver’s seat. [42] The Series thirty sedan was no longer available with the Sport package.

Even with the choice of two wheelbase versions and five assets styles, the most popular model was the wagon with 20,899 built out of total Eagle production of 37,923 for the one thousand nine hundred eighty two model year. Other production was: five hundred twenty Kammbacks, Ten,445 Liftbacks, 1,968 two-door sedans, and Four,091 four-door sedans. [43]

1983 Edit

Few switches were seen for 1983. The Series fifty Eagle Kammback and Series thirty Eagle coupe were both dropped from the line, due to slow sales. The Series thirty Eagle sedan lost its Limited trim line, leaving only the base model in the Eagle sedan line. The Series fifty SX/Four and Series thirty wagon continued basically unchanged. All were measures to save production costs by pruning the slow-selling models from the line, thereby streamlining their processes by reducing production variations, and therefore, complexity.

Commencing in February 1983, the AMC one hundred fifty cu in (Two.Five L) I4 theoretically substituted the GM Metal Duke one hundred fifty one under Eagle spandex hoods as the standard engine, tho’ the installation rate is unknown. The two hundred fifty eight cu in (Four.Two L) I6 was improved for better spectacle by enhancing the compression ratio to 9.Two to one (from the previous 8.Two to 1), as well as a fuel feedback system, a knock sensor, and the CEC; thus permitting the continuing use of regular-grade fuel. [44]

A long-term road test by Popular Mechanics began with the editors describing that the “Eagle is best when working hard” and “you can feel the tremendous traction” of its big all-weather tires in four-wheel drive providing “a fine feeling of security.” [44]

Production was: Two,259 Liftbacks, Three,093 four-door sedans, and 12,378 station wagons for a total of 17,730 units in 1983. [45]

1984 Edit

The Series fifty SX/Four was dropped for 1984. This left only the base Series thirty Eagle sedan and wagon, and a Limited wagon. Now that the SX/Four was gone, only the wagon carried the Sport option package.

For 1984, the popular two hundred fifty eight cu in (Four.Two L) I6 was optional in place of the one hundred fifty cu in (Two.Five L) AMC I4. The four-cylinder engine was installed in only one hundred forty seven Eagles, but this still permitted AMC to advertise its fuel economy of twenty four mpg‑US (9.8 L/100 km; twenty nine mpg‑imp) city and thirty mpg‑US (7.8 L/100 km; thirty six mpg‑imp) highway with the four-speed transmission and thirty two mpg‑US (7.Four L/100 km; thirty eight mpg‑imp) with the five-speed on the highway. [46] The Select Drive system was redesigned to permit Shift on the Fly. (Prior model-year Eagles required two palms to operate the shifting switch, making it difficult, if not unlikely, to switch while the car was in mobility.)

All Eagle models were now built in AMC’s original factory in Brampton, Ontario, Canada because the automaker’s main Kenosha plant was used for the Renault Alliance and Encore models.

Production was: Four,241 four-door sedans and 21,294 station wagons totaling 25,535. [46]

1985 Edit

Exterior styling was slightly revised as all models used the “power bulge” spandex hood, seen previously on the 1981-83 Eagle Series fifty models. The grille header bar and spandex hood ornament/trim disrobe were deleted in the process. “Shift-on-the-Fly” capability was added to the Select Drive 4-wheel-drive system as standard equipment. A fresh key-fob-activated infrared remote keyless system with power locks was freshly available as an option. Radios with digital tuning were also introduced.

The standard powertrain was now the previously optional five-speed manual, with the wide-ratio three-speed automatic still available as a popular option. The AMC two hundred fifty eight I6 became standard. However, Eagle sales began to drop as AMC was no longer aggressively promoting the models. [47]

Production was for the one thousand nine hundred eighty five model year: Two,655 four-door sedans and 13,335 station wagons, for a total of 16,990 units. [47]

1986 Edit

American Motors introduced the open differential Model one hundred twenty eight transfer case for the Eagle. The automatic transmission no longer had a lockup torque converter. Eagle sales would drop underneath the Ten,000 annual unit mark for the very first time for one thousand nine hundred eighty six (and would slide further for its remaining two seasons on the market), as the car was aging due to its seven-season life atop a platform that debuted for 1970.

Production was: 1,274 four-door sedans and 6,943 station wagons, for a total of 8,217 units. [48] The Eagles were now built in AMC’s Brampton Assembly in Canada alongside AMC’s fresh Jeep Wrangler. [49]

1987 Edit

Tho’ AMC debuted its fresh fuel-injected two hundred forty two cu in (Four.0 L) I6 engine for 1987, the fresh engine did not make it under the venerable Eagle’s bondage mask. The two hundred fifty eight cu in (Four.Two L) I6 remained the foot engine available in the eight-season-old Eagle sedan and wagon. No major switches were seen on the one thousand nine hundred eighty seven Eagle, as American Motors turned its attention to the debut of the imported Renault Medallion. The buyout of the company by Chrysler Corporation took effect officially on August Five, 1987. [50]

Production for the one thousand nine hundred eighty seven model year was: four hundred fifty four four-door sedans, and Five,468 or Four,564 (varies with source) station wagons, for a total of Five,018 to Five,922 (varies with source) units. [51]

1988 Edit

Chrysler took over AMC, but production of the Eagles continued for the one thousand nine hundred eighty eight model year. The car’s name was officially switched from AMC Eagle to Eagle Wagon. [52] However, all of the AMC badges, build sheets, and door plaques were carried over. The VIN was no different under the fresh corporate proprietor, other than the digit for the year. Albeit the paperwork that came with the one thousand nine hundred eighty eight Eagles continued to indicate that American Motors Canada, Ltd. built them, the company as named ceased to exist, since it became a subsidiary of Chrysler in the buyout, as did all AMC properties. The final car spinned out of AMC’s original Brampton Assembly Plant in Brampton, Ontario on December 14, 1987. [53]

The sedan and Limited wagon model were dropped, leaving the wagon as the only available version in 1988, its final season and now under Chrysler’s ownership. The two hundred fifty eight cu in (Four.Two L) I6 was rated at one hundred twelve hp (84 kW; one hundred fourteen PS) and came with either a 5-speed manual or automatic transmission with AMC’s Select-Drive system. [54] Standard equipment in one thousand nine hundred eighty eight that was previously optional included air conditioning system, rear window defroster, halogen headlamps, AM/FM stereo radio, light group (glove box, dome, and engine lights), and adjustable steering wheel. The following remained optional equipment for the one thousand nine hundred eighty eight production: power windows, power seats, power mirrors, radio with cassette player, cruise control, rear window wiper, wood grain side panels, floor mats, headlamp warning buzzer, intermittent wipers, wire wheel covers, and a cold climate group. [54] [55]

Total one thousand nine hundred eighty eight model year production was Two,306 units, all station wagons. [56]

In 1980, AMC entered into an agreement with the Griffith Company for a convertible assets style Eagle, and a prototype version was developed. [57] The cars were marketed during the one thousand nine hundred eighty one and one thousand nine hundred eighty two model years as the Sundancer conversion. The Eagle’s monocoque (unibody) bod was reinforced and a steel targa roll bar was welded to the door piles for passenger compartment protection. The front portion of the roof was a removable lightweight fiberglass hatch, while the rear section of polyvinyl material and the back window folded down and had a boot cover when in the down position. [58]

The conversions were approved by AMC with the cars ordered through select AMC dealers in the customer’s selection of options and exterior colors. [59] The conversion cost approximately $Trio,000 and the dealer’s list price was $Trio,750. [60] The conversion was performed by Griffith, which was originally established to build race cars based on the English TVR sports car. [57] [61] Headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the cars were shipped from Kenosha for the conversion. [57] The company was also responsible for the similar “Sunchaser” Toyota Celica convertible. [62] These Griffith conversions are considered coach convertibles. [63]

Another factory-approved conversion was the one thousand nine hundred eighty turbo-diesel. [64] The two hundred nineteen cu in (Three.6 L) engines producing one hundred fifty hp (112 kW; one hundred fifty two PS) and two hundred twenty four pound force-feet (304 N·m) of torque were supplied by VM Motori. Only about seven are thought to have been manufactured; two are accounted for in one of the AMC Eagle clubs. [65] The literature for the conversions noted the cars would be tooled with larger fuel tanks, which together with diesel economy and an optional overdrive transmission, would give the cars up to 1,500-mile (Two,414 km) range. [65] The $9,000 price tag for the conversion limited its market appeal and it was discontinued. [65]

The AMC Eagle was campaigned in the SCCA ProRally racing series, organized by the Sports Car Club of America, a sanctioning figure supporting road racing, rallying, and autocross events across the U.S.

1981 ProRally series Edit

Drivers Stud Light and Jim Brandt finished the one thousand nine hundred eighty one Northern Lights rally just three minutes behind very first place in the Production Class “in spite of banging a tree dead center with their brand fresh AMC Eagle SX/Four.” [66] Two weeks later at the Chisum Trail rally, the Light and Brandt SX/Four captured fifth place overall, as well as won very first in the Production Class, “only the 2nd rally for the Michigan team in their fresh Eagle.” [67] The next event was the Susquehannock Trail rally that eyed the first-place winner face “a stiff challenge” from Light and Brandt’s SX/Four that captured 2nd less than a minute later. [68] At the Centennial rally held in Monument, Colorado, the Light and Brandt team in their AMC Eagle SX/Four placed third in the Production class and seventh overall. [Sixty-nine] There were three entries with AMC Eagle SX/4s in the Sunriser four hundred rally. Light and Brandt won the Production Class and finished seventh overall, followed by drivers Gene Henderson and Jim Kloosterman placing fourth in Production and eleventh overall, but Steve Dorr and Bob Lyle did not accomplish the race. [70] With only thirty three cars ending out of seventy one that entered, the grueling Press-on-Regardless Rally held in Michigan. Light and Brandt placed their SX/Four just two minutes behind the winning team in the Production Class. [71]

The AMC Eagle SX/Four cars captured both 2nd and third place the one thousand nine hundred eighty one Sno*Drift Production Class rally held on Michigan’s snow-covered gravel surface roads in January. [72] 2nd in the Production Class and sixth overall were Henderson and Kloosterman. “They were robbed of a almost certain win in the class when the route was blocked on the 12th stage by John Woolf . [who] was in 2nd place when the car slipped on the ice and went straight into a bank tearing off the right front strut and setting the car straight across the road. Henderson was blocked and had to help clear the car from the road before he could proceed. They lost two minutes, two places and a win in the class.” [73] Third place Production and seventh overall in this two-day race in Grayling, Michigan, went to Stud Light and Jim Brandt. [73] The finale of the one thousand nine hundred eighty one SCCA ProRally season was held in Reno, Nevada. This is where Light and Brandt drove their AMC Eagle SX/Four to an eight-minute victory over the second-place finisher in the Production Class, as well as placing tenth overall. [74] [75]

The Light and Brandt team ended one thousand nine hundred eighty one with 2nd place in total points for both driver and co-driver, as well as helping put AMC third in the Production Manufacturer standings for the ProRally season. [75]

1982 ProRally series Edit

The very first event of one thousand nine hundred eighty two was the Big Arch Bash rally in Alpine, Texas, with Gene Henderson and Jim Kloosterman taking Production Class in their AMC Eagle SX/Four, “but even that car’s four-wheel-drive couldn’t save it from trouble in the deep water. They got stuck in the middle of a water-filled wash on stage four and had to be shoved and pulled out.” [76] The next event, the one hundred Acre Wood rally spotted “the Production Class battle was as titillating as the Overall warfare with four Production Class cars completing in the top ten, all within a minute and a half, after a utter night of rallying.” [77] The Henderson and Kloosterman team placed their SX/Four third in the Production Class and ninth overall. The AMC Eagle of Henderson and Kloosterman “in the lead . but that didn’t last. On stage ten the car flipped, ending wheels up on the stage” at the Olympus rally in Tumwater, Washington. [78] At the next event, the Northern Lights rally, the Henderson and Kloosterman SX/Four ended in sixth place in Production and tenth overall. [79] The Budweiser Forest rally held in Circleville, Ohio, put the Henderson and Kloosterman SX/Four in 2nd place for production cars and eighth overall. [80] The Centennial rally was held in Colorado with of many of the rally’s stages at a Ten,000-foot (Trio,048 m) altitude, but the Henderson and Kloosterman AMC Eagle SX/Four was just a minute and a half behind the winner with a turbocharged engine in the Production Class and placed seventh overall. [81] The next event, the Tour de Forest rally in Washington State eyed the SX/Four of Henderson and Kloosterman finish in fourth place for Production and eighth overall. [82] The SX/Four took 2nd place driven by Henderson and Kloosterman in the one thousand nine hundred eighty two Sno*Drift Production Class in Michigan. [83] “Henderson and his AMC Eagle used the car’s 4wd to good advantage and chipped away at [the] lead[er] after the rains began early Sunday morning. The rally ended, however, before Henderson could pull it off” just twenty four seconds behind very first place. [84]

American Motors was awarded third place among Production Manufacturers for the season.

1983 ProRally series Edit

The one hundred Acre Wood rally in Salem, Missouri, embarked the season with Gene Henderson and Jim Kloosterman placing their SX/Four 2nd in the Production Class and seventh overall. [85] At the Budweiser Forest rally in Chillicothe, Ohio, “Henderson was the leader in the class in his AMC Eagle SX/Four through the very first two thirds of the 12-hour rally. Some seven stages from the end, Henderson’s Eagle began to have engine trouble and lost one cylinder”. [86] The Nor’wester rally held in Tumwater, Washington, had flawless weather (cold, rain, and eleven stages covered with more than six inches of snow) that “helped Production Class winners [and fourth place overall] Gene Henderson and Jim Kloosterman since, “It was flawless conditions for our 4wd (AMC) Eagle. We love that slop”. [87] At the next event, the Olympus International, Henderson and Kloosterman was an early leader, but retired with a deepthroated engine in his AMC Eagle SX/Four; however, Gene’s son, Garry Henderson, in another SX/Four with co-driver Mike Van Leo, placed 2nd in the Production Class and sixth overall. [88] The inaugural three-day Michigan International rally should have been effortless for the AMC Eagle SX/Four, but “several of the very sandy stages that would have been to Henderson’s advantage were cancelled” so with co-driver Jon Wickens, the team finished 2nd in the Production Class and tenth overall. [89] The next event with the SX/Four was the Manistee Trails rally in Michigan, where Henderson and Kloosterman won the Production class and finished fifth overall. [90] At the November Press-on-Regardless rally, Henderson was “predominant things in the early going until a big rock took a bite out of the AMC Eagle’s transfer case putting it out of the rally.” [91] The Henderson and Kloosterman team finished the one thousand nine hundred eighty three Sno*Drift in third place for Production Class and sixth overall. [83] [92]

For the one thousand nine hundred eighty three season, Henderson and Kloosterman ranked 2nd as drivers, while AMC was third among the Production Manufacturers. [93]

1984 ProRally series Edit

There were two AMC Eagle SX/Four entries in the one thousand nine hundred eighty four Press-on-Regardless rally with Gene Henderson and Mike VanLoo car ending in third place. [94] At the next event, the Oregon Trail rally in Beaverton, Oregon, also had two AMC Eagles with the SX/Four driven by Gene Henderson and Doug Foster completing in tenth position. [95]

1985 ProRally series Edit

The team of Daniel and Betty-Ann Gilliland took their SX/Four to tenth place, while Bob Lyle and Dan Way in an AMC Eagle finished 37th in the Susquehannock Trail rally held in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania. [96] The Gillilands then went on to finish in seventh place, one of two AMC Eagles that were entered in the Dodge ProRally event in Battle Creek, Michigan. [97] In the next event, the Sunriser four hundred Forest rally in Chillicothe, Ohio, where the Gilliland’s finished in eighth place. [98]

1986 ProRally series Edit

The opening event of 1986, the Tulip two hundred Forest rally, had four AMC Eagles racing, with Daniel and Betty-Ann Gilliland driving their SX/Four to fifth place overall, while Dave Sampson and Mike Puffenberger finished in 33rd. [99] The Susquehannock Trail rally included three AMC Eagles, with Wayne and Karl Scheible ending 32nd overall, while Bob Lyle and Dan Way ended the race in 43rd, both running in the Production Class. [100] The Dave Sampson and Mike Puffenberger team drove their SX/Four to 34th finish in the Sunriser four hundred Forest rally. [101]

1988 ProRally series Edit

The Susquehannock Trail rally in one thousand nine hundred eighty eight witnessed Bob Lyle and Art Mendolia in their AMC Eagle finish in 29th place overall. [102]

The AMC Eagle “was arguably a decade ahead of its time.” [103] It was a passenger car that “pioneered the crossover SUV” category. [6] Introduced in late one thousand nine hundred seventy nine for the one thousand nine hundred eighty model year, it “was unlike anything on the market” and in the 2000s “the somewhat traditional SUV has given way to the ‘crossover utility vehicle’ . the market has become saturated with these fresh crossovers that provide a car-like driving practice with the security of a little more ground clearance and all-wheel drive” making the AMC Eagle “about thirty years ahead of the curve.” [104]

The Eagle had character and survival abilities and gained a loyal following. [105] They were a precursor to today’s crossover models and the “vehicles worked well and sold well.” [Trio] Total production was 197,449 units in one generation. [33]

Albeit the original AMC Eagle was not produced after 1988, the Eagle brand, as part of the freshly formed Jeep-Eagle division of the Chrysler Corporation, would soldier on. [106]

After buying out AMC, Chrysler gained the lucrative Jeep operation, but it was also “saddled with a largely unsuccessful assortment of cars AMC was bringing in from French affiliate and part holder” Renault. [107] The fresh Jeep-Eagle division included a combination of the Renault-based vehicles, the imported Eagle Medallion and the North American built Eagle Premier, as well as re-trimmed Japanese Mitsubishi models: Eagle Summit, Eagle Summit Wagon, Eagle Talon, Eagle 2000GTX (Canada only), and Eagle Vista (Canada only). A Chrysler-designed vehicle, the Eagle Vision, was added in 1993.

After the AMC-based 4-wheel-drive Eagle wagon was dropped, Chrysler and Eagle officials were busy figuring out which type of vehicles would be best for the fresh division. [108] The four-wheel-drive sporty Eagle concept would proceed in spirit by suggesting all-wheel-drive optionally on the Mitsubishi-based 1990-98 Eagle Talon, the Canadian-market 1989-91 Eagle Vista wagon, and 1992-96 Eagle Summit Wagon. However, the “Eagle car lineup for ’90 differed significantly from the one that bowed in 1987, on the high-heeled slippers of Chrysler’s buyout of AMC.” [107]

The brand included vehicles from different companies with various characteristics that included economy, sportiness, and luxury. Due to poor marketing, sales never met expectations. [109] Chrysler discontinued the Eagle brand after the one thousand nine hundred ninety eight model year.

Surviving cars “look like the ‘early man’ version of a CUV, sort of a missing link of the car world.” [Three] As used cars, the AMC Eagles were “not intended for heavy-duty boulder bashing” and established a reputation as unique 4-wheel-drive passenger cars “with proven AMC bodyshells and running gear”. [110] AMC Eagles are collected for purposes of nostalgia, status, pleasure, investment as well as function. [13] They also have the distinction of being “a historically significant car.” [111]

The Eagle shares many parts and components with other Jeep and AMC models. There are many active AMC car clubs and specialized vendors for service and reproduction parts. While surviving Eagles are no longer depreciating, they do not seem to be appreciating rapidly – except for the 1981-82 Sundancer convertible. [57]

In some regions, including the Pacific Northwest United States, Canada, and Alaska, AMC Eagles are still abundant and in service and available for sale after over twenty years since production ceased. [112] [113]

Eagles that were built into SCCA Pro Rally cars have also been suggested to collectors, such as a version powered by the three hundred ninety cu in (6.Four L) AMC V8 engine. [114] Well maintained examples from high-profile owners (such as Phoebe Hearst, William Randolph Hearst’s granddaughter) have also been sold. [115] Very uncommonly do well taken care of Sundancer convertible versions, that run as well as they look, come up for sale. [116]

Related movie: