No doubt the Eagle SX/4 is a joke; the only question being whether it’s a good one or a bad one, or whether the joke is on us. Did I have to ask?
In mythology, the trickster appears in many forms, a real shape-shifter. The SX/4 is the final variation of that all-time clown-mobile, the Gremlin. Designed on an air-sickness bag, the Gremlin created a whole new category of car: the problem is finding the right words to describe it. Tricky indeed. A big six cylinder up front, no room in the back; effectively a two seater; and the worst overall packaging of the modern era. Just call it the Gremlin class; of one.
But the troublesome little troll wouldn’t go away; it morphed into the Spirit, which saliently asks the question: “Why horse around?” Good question indeed.
The ill-fated Kammback version was a much less ambitious effort at horsing around, being that it was just a Gremlin with a bigger side window. As if anyone would actually sit back there to take advantage of the views.
When AMC unleashed the all-wheel drive Eagles (CC here) on the world in 1980, the body choices were sedans and the popular wagon. AMC Chairman Gerry Meyers was quoted as “what the hell is this”, when first confronted with the jacked up Concord. What he must have said a year later when the Spirit and Kammback were propsed for the same treatment has been politely left out of recorded history. “The joke’s on you, Gerry. We were just kidding; we didn’t really mean to suggest that you put these in production!”
And not only the Spirit, which became the SX/4, but also the Kammback. Sadly, the odds of finding an Eagle Kammback anymore are not good at all: only some 6k were ever built in 1981 and 1982. I was happy enough to find this SX/4, which actually was the best selling Eagle in the lineup the year it first appeared, 1981.
Like so many desperate AMC products in its dementia declining years, the SX/4 had a one-year sales pop, and then also crashed, and lasted only a year longer than the Kammback. The joke got around pretty quickly. But it was a good one: I vividly remember my aching sides when I first saw a picture of one. Holy Toledo; what will they pull off next; oh right, the Pacer. (Update: oops, that came earlier; Rernault came next). Yes, laughing was a good remedy to offset the pain of watching the last American independent go down the drain.
I’ve been a bit harsh on the poor SX/4, I know. It had its redeeming qualities, as long as you didn’t mind 14 mpg from its giant 258 CID six and the interior room of an MGB-GT. Everything has its trade-offs, and the Eagles Selec-trac full-time AWD system was a gem. The SX/4 was the forerunner of a whole raft of AWD/sports car imitators:
Did I miss someone? (Update: Oh yes…a couple of more recent ones; which at least have the interior space problem licked, sort of)
They were all equally successful, that’s for sure. It’s a niche that’s just irresistible, at least to certain makers of cars whose business, or at least certain models are/were heading for hospice care. That’s how the trickster works…”follow me!”
The SX/4 is fun to drive, the owner of this one told me. Undoubtedly. More smiles per mile; from the inside or from those watching it go by on the outside. I forgot to ask.
Ok, we’ve had our laughs with the SX/4. Obviously, Subaru ended the joke quickly, offering well-made four wheel drive wagons, sedans, hatchbacks and even coupes that had twice the interior space and got at least twice the mileage. But they’re not nearly as amusing all these years later; well, with a few exceptions.
The SX/4 has carved out a special place in the automotive mythology indeed; the only thing wrong was its name. It should have been the Eagle Coyote.
As an avid Mad Max I loved this car the first time I saw pictures of it. But I guess I will never see one in real life. I once saw an Eagle wagon for sale here in Norway, but if more than one was ever imported, there’s not much chance of accidentaly running into it/them on the streets anywhere.
I guess it’s bad luck for AMC that there wasn’t more people like me around when they made them.And that gas wasn’t cheaper, and that they didn’t have a decent engine to put in it. It sure looks like a good compromise of just about everything all at once.
And now everyone want’s car like this.
It’s a lot like the BMW X6 of today
(does that mean BMW is ‘heading for hospice care’ ? )
Thanks for the reminder; I just updated the pictures some more. Probably not BMW, but the X6, quite likely; or at least I hope so. I saw my first on ever (in Eugene) recently (or maybe the first one I could bear to actually look at); what a monstrosity.
I’ve seen two, and they’re hard to miss.The last one just two days ago, in white. It looked like the helmet of a stormtrooper from Star Wars, with four huge wheels stuck where it’s neck should have been
)
It’s an absolutely ridicoulous car. and I love hatchback coupe’s, and I wouldn’t mind a 4×4 in the winter, but it’s just too much of everything.
(I actually ended up buying an 18 year old BMW 525Ix this winter, not very proud of it, but I’ve saved loads of money on gas, gotten a lot of excersise and broken two bones in my hand because of it allready
Makes me wonder what they smoke ar BMW the X6 really is a mess,in comparo the AMC isnt too bad certainly more useful than the Joke or RAV4.
As a station wagon driver, I ask, who would want one of these over a 5-series wagon?
well.. Paul. You should do some more research. These cars are hot in the AMC circle of fans. Try the website Eagles Nest. I bought my first used on in 1991 and have owned many since then. Just soul my 1981 full time 4WD version and now purchasing the ‘select’ drive model. What a write up if you never drove one. Drives and rides like a car but has the 4 WD for the snow and in Northeast Ohio snow belt they get you around everywhere, much better control than a Jeep Grand Cherokee. And the option models had Power windows and even a CB option. AMC sold a heck of alot 1980 to 1986. America’s first 4WD drive car MADE IN AMERICA. Niedermeyer.. reminds me of a name of the character in Animal House. Oh by the way, the SCCA just inducted the Eagle SX4 Pro Rally driver into their Hall of Fame.. Mr Gene Henderson. Recommend a little more research before the tirade on a great car
Having a sense of humor deficit?
guess I did if thats what you call a sense of ‘humor’. Try the comic strip for humor
What is it about AMC that always brings out the car lust in me? The sheer “oddball-ness” of it? The “Dare To Be Different” that seems to be in my DNA?
I love these Eagles although a Concord wagon with all the options and woodgrain with Jeep Cherokee running gear would be pretty freaking cool too.
I love these for the same reason I love Studebakers of the 50s and 60s. The mechanicals were not bad and the rest of the weaknesses can be forgiven because the poor company was trying to create products out of change from the vending machines.
There was no worse time for this car to come out, by the way, than 1980-81. Fuel prices were sky high (the equivilent of $3.50/gal today) and the only stuff selling was economical and roomy. These cars were the exact opposite – thirsty and small. I guess anyone who really needed 4 wheel drive with this level of heft bought a pickup or a Bronco/Blazer/Ramcharger. They did not buy a little Eagle coupe.
International finally pulled the plug on the Scouts around this time too. This was a hard time to make a living selling cars. Think of it: Chrysler survived only with loan guarantees, Ford was on the ropes, VW with its Rabbits, Toyota and Datsun were the only ones really cleaning up. And GM was so big at that time that nothing could bring it down, or so it seemed. So props to poor little AMC – it did what it could with what it had to work with. And you did it again, Paul. For the first time in my life, I want one of these.
Looks like a Torana coupe on a landrover chassis it could have been a hit if sold where 4WD is a neccesity rather than a toy but your right Paul Subaru did it better and on lots less gas shame there wasnt a dealer in OZ out past the end of the bitumen this would have been good
My friend, are at war with punctuation?
I actually had an AMC Sprit (new Gremlin) pass me on the highway yesterday! Baby blue and cute as anything! Several double-takes, too – and lots of smiles – my wife and I almost bought one, but bought our K-Car instead back in 1981.
Zackman, do you wish that you had purchased the AMC Spirit instead?
Very character filled machine indeed. Looks to have some aggressive tires on there so I suspect it sees the dirt once and a while. If I was to buy a early 80s car based 4×4 I think I’d rather the Subaru Brat but this would be a worthy second place.
The advertising guys got pretty creative marketing this car, claiming it could outperform a Trans Am, Mustang (Turbo no less!) and an MGB. Well, sort of:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4oYhDDrK6c
In deep mud this would eat a stang
Back in 1980-81 I had a Mercury Capri Turbo RS and a young lady I started dating had a brand new 1981 AMC Spirit Kammback. I was far more interested in the young lady’s charms than her car’s.
As time passed, my Mercury became more and more of a POS, I began to appreciate the charms of the Kammback. Even with the rough and ready Pontiac Iron Duke 4 banger in there, the Kammback always started and never puked up antifreeze like my freakin Capri. The hatchback body got us through a couple of moving her to new apartment events and such, and as it turns out had more space in it’s hatchback than my Capri. We parted as friends, the young lady and I. The Capri, not so much…
I only ever saw a couple of handfuls of the SX/4′s, and at the time puzzled over their mission. I guess the real mission was for AMC to be “the” four wheel drive company and to have a complete lineup. But CAFE regs made sure anything that audacious and fuel hungry would be legislated out of existence.
Bummer.
I can’t tell from the pix in the post, but if that was a 1979 Spirit GT, it would have a 304 V8 with 130 HP, it would have been a worthy competitor to the then new Mustang V8.
EDIT: this post was in response to GregW73
Everyone rags on about the Gremlin and all the ” Hacked off Hornets” but the AMC DNA survived along time…after Chrysler bought them out and then Mercedes Benz bought Chrysler look what shows up in your local MB showroom…A Benz C class with a hacked off trunk to make a coupe! And also over at BMW the 318 Hatchback! AMC was just ahead of their time.
Good insight, Nvanbccan! As another example, look at the curious roof-line and rear-door treatment of the Nissan Armada…the curved roof, the reverse-canted C-pillar…
Right out of the AMC style studio, 1958-62.
How did that happen? American Motors’ ties with Renault go back much further than the State-owned Renault’s bailout of AMC in 1979 and subsequent purchase. In 1962, AMC licensed the Classic to Renault to be built in France…using Perkins diesel engines, for taxicabs.
Renault’s star rises; AMC’s falls…and Renault gives up AMC for dead, and bails out Nissan! And when Nissan works out a new Americanized product line, with Renault input and money…out comes the Armada, with its long-departed Rambler-inspired roofline.
There’s so much cross-pollination in the auto biz…it’s INCESTUOUS!
That one appears to have been given a slight lift along with the oversized tires, the fender flares are remove for more tire clearance . Some guys lift them even more and put on 33″ tires. Then throw in a 4.0, 5sp and 2sp transfer case from a Wrangler or Cherokee and they are actually pretty decent wheelers. I’ve got a friend that did the 5 + 2sp conversion and slightly taller than stock tires on his, but the last I heard it still had the 258 powering it. There is one sitting under a tree near one of my houses that has set there for a dozen years or more, never seems to move, put then again it isn’t covered in the typical PNW slime. Funny thing is when I drove by it today I wondered if they might be willing to sell it. The SX/4 is pretty much the only AMC/Jeep product I’d consider owning.
Having owned an ’81 Mustang for five years or so, I can definitely state that I would rather have it back, and anyone who prefers the Eagle is welcome to it. My rose-colored glasses are not deeply enough tinted for the Eagle.
I’ll try to avoid deep mud. Thanks for the tip.
I had 2 Eagles. An 80 2 door sedan and an 87 wagon and they were great cars. Sure they were basically 1970 Hornets with AWD but they were solid.
The Eagle didn’t have Quadratrac. In 1980 it was full time 4wd “Automatic 4WD” and then a version of Selectrac “Select Drive” from 81 to 88 with the single speed T case that either had an open center diff or a viscous coupling.
.
I mis-wrote that; Selec-trac is what I meant to say. Tx.
Sorry for coming off as a bit zealous. AMC and I have a horrible love/hate relationship.
Why all the hate, Paul? The Eagle was a good concept that could have been a good car, had the required R&D dollars been in the kitty. What it needed was a more efficient, smaller engine…I’ll never understand why they sold the ex-Buick V6 back to GMC after taking over Kaiser. It was tenfold more efficient and economical than was the boat-anchor Rambler Six (before it was reworked into the hot Jeep powerplant) and would have saved the Pacer and made the Gremlin almost practical.
The whole saga, that of the Gremlin, the Eagles, and the lack of appropriate engines…are a moral in what comes of doing things on the cheap. Had they not sunk their last nickels into a Matador rework and the Pacer debacle (who in their right mind could have approved THAT!) they could have cut down the six into a four – ten years before they actually did, with Renault’s money. They could have made the most of that V6. And they could have gotten some cutting-edge smog technology, that would have boosted the mileage into industry-acceptable levels for that class of car.
Which was, you fellow old-timers remember, about 19 mpg. Computer engine controls are really wonderful things, even if they are frightening to diagnose and repair.
Anyway…this should have worked out better. I can forgive the Gremlin chassis – the Gremlin was a product of the zany tie-died 60′s, and the SX/4 was the best kind of update to be hoped for. And with the drivetrain it was perfect for what it was conceived as: a niche car in an untapped, if small, market.
The AMC,debacle, like most tragedies, was the result of too many bad things all coming together at once…caught with formerly “trendy” compact-class designs that didn’t age well, they ran out of resources in the regulation-heavy decade that stressed its hundred-times-larger competitors.
What hate? I’m amused. It’s a goofy car..but no hate; it’s my way of expressing appreciation at a joke well told.
I don’t think AMC had the dough needed to correct the odd fire like GM did when they bought the tooling back.
Though that dosen’t mean AMC couldn’t have restarted buying buying engines from Buick.
If you take a good long hard look at AMC you will start to find a lack of logic to almost every move they made after 1970.
The Spirit AMX is way cooler.
There’s nothing wrong with a weirdo car though, especially decades after its release.
Also, the Nissan Juke feels left out.
I swear, sometimes I am sure that the Spirit liftback and kammback inspired the Honda Civic restyle in the nineties…
Forgetten is that Renault imported the 18i sedan in 1980-85[?] and tried to push it as a ‘new sport sedan’ to replace the Concordes and bombed. The Premier and Medallion were too late to the party, before Lee I. came with cash.
So, Reanult/AMC were working on new cars this time, just were poorly designed or timed.
I guess I’m a “late comer” to this party, BUT ….. I KNOW where there is a low miles Kammback For Sale if any one desires to have a RREALLLY gud “laugh!”
Fun fact: as the guys over at Grassroots Motorsports confirmed, swapping the better-flowing cylinder head off a later Jeep Cherokee-sourced inline six onto the Eagle’s wheezy lump nets you — I’m not kidding — 100 instant additional horsepower. Combine that with a nearly bulletproof 4WD drivetrain and transmission and you have a recipe for fun.
As a hobby rallyist, I have been keeping my eyes open for a decent 4WD Eagle wagon with a manual trans. I always thought it would look better with the front clip from an older Hornet Sportabout bolted on…
Gee, I’ve had quite a few people tell me they really like my Kammback. I don’t see many 81 Subarus driving around these days….