The Pacer was AMC’s Hail Mary pass. We all know how that turned out. So now what? AMC’s passenger car business was kaput, the company was essentially broke, and the development fund kitty might have just bought enough rounds of Leinenkugel at one of Kenosha’s watering holes for the executive team to thoroughly drown their sorrows. But somebody in the back shop was still coming up with ideas, and pretty radical ones at that.
Freed from having to worry about more pressing matters, a few AMC engineers led by Roy Lunn cobbled up a jacked-up Concord with a Jeep full-time AWD system. When AMC Chairman Gerry Meyers first saw it, his reaction was “what the hell is this?” Pretty rich, coming from the guy who green-lighted the Gremlin and Pacer. But why the hell not? It’s not like we have anything else other than the Jeep Grand Wagoneer that we don’t have to practically give away. What have we got to lose? We’re as good as dead anyway.
The Eagle was green-lighted for production without any sort of proper market analysis or consumer clinics. Once the AMC brass figured out that it was something they desperately needed, they just rushed it into production.
From today’s vantage point, it’s pretty hard to imagine how different the automotive landscape was in and before 1980. No minivans, no CUVs, and SUVs were big heavy truck-based rigs with rough rides and abysmal fuel economy. Four wheel drive was something ranchers ordered on their pickups out west, except the Jeeps, of course. Audis were strictly FWD. The Subaru wagon was the pioneer in offering a four wheel drive passenger car, but that was still strictly a part-time affair that could only be engaged in non-paved roads or snow, since there was no center differential.
But Jeep had introduced Quadra-Trac in 1973, a full-time system based on Borg-Warner’s innovative BW1339 transfer case and central locking differential. It was inspired by the revolutionary AWD system developed by Ferguson for the Jensen FF. As utilized in the Eagle, the system used an inter-axle differential pack utilizing a multi-clutch pack encased in silicon fluid to provide automatic limited slip function between the axles. It all worked like a charm.
The Eagle was truly a revolutionary car. It may have looked more than a bit silly, a Concord all jacked up and with plastic fender flares. And of course, the Eagle was a transitional vehicle leading to much more civilized small SUVs like Jeep’s own XJ Cherokee. Although the Cherokee and other SUVs were instantly “hot”, there were plenty of folks who weren’t yet ready to embrace that new fad. Plus, the S-10 Blazer, Cherokee and Bronco II were still a few years away in 1980. The Eagle created and owned a small but real market for itself, especially in snow and mountain country. It didn’t do much for AMC dealers hurting in Texas or Florida.
That’s not to say that the Eagle didn’t have its limitations. It was still an elderly Concord body sitting on stilts, and everything that implied. Meaning, mediocre space utilization and ergonomics. The Eagle really wanted something new and bold sitting on its new and bold underpinnings, but that’s what there was, and it kept the lights on in Kenosha long enough until Renault started paying for the bills.
And the other limitation was under the hood. Like the Pacer, the Eagle, which gained 300 lbs along with its AWD, suffered from the smog-strangled 258 (4.2 L) si during those pre-fuel injection years. Performance was modest at best, and the thirst was great. AMC offered fours, first the GM Iron Duke, and AMC own 2.5 L four beginning in 1983. The truth, hardly any were actually built with the four,; they were there to allow some half-way decent EPA numbers in the ads. The Eagle was just too big and heavy for the fours, especially since the AWD system typically backed up a Chrysler automatic.
Not surprisingly, the wagon version was by far the biggest seller over the Eagles’ fairly long life from 1980 through 1987. Over 100k wagons were sold during that time. The Gremlin-derived Spirit got the Eagle treatment too, and the odd little hatchback SX/4 (CC here) was the second biggest seller in its first year, followed by the four-door sedan, two-door sedan, and the other Spiritual oddity, the Kammback.
Undoubtedly, numerous folks have transplanted the Cherokee’s fuel injected 4.0 six into Eagles. Had that been available in the Eagle’s time, it would have really made an impact, not that the Eagle didn’t. It gave rise to the whole genre of AWD wagons and the Eagle can certainly be called the mother of all CUVs. Yes indeed; desperate times can be creative times, and Roy Lunn and his engineers deserve a pat on the back for their creative adaptation of what they had at hand.
The Vise Grips clamping something next to the wagon’s steering column is a nice touch.
I didn’t see that. Thanks for pointing that out. Made me laugh.
The hood release lever is notorious for breaking.
own an amc egale sx/4 and its in good condition like the wagon
-
Never seen one but it looks like a good idea Subaru certainly played this card well how come AMC disolved from here? This should have beem the kickoff point to success Awful as they are Jeeps sell this should have been a thriving company not a dead brand coasting.
I think it all comes down to the door panels.
Look at that lovely, padded door panel. Really look.
Have you ever seen a door panel working so very hard to look rich and quality-laden as these AMC door panels? The script on the forward part might as well say “I’m nice, I’m a great deal, pick me!”
A couple other CCs focused on how crappy some GM door panels were from this era. Sure, they might have been hard plastic which you could scratch your name in after a few years, but they were attached to cars you might actually want to be seen in or drive in some cases.
The nerd in me sorta likes these AMC Eagle cars. They’re different, they’re rareish, they’re interesting. But no amount of door panel fluff or “value” is going to coax me into giving someone money for one.
They couldn’t kick off because there was no money left to kick.
That’s the way all car companies die. They get behind on the monies, so there’s less for development, so each year’s models fall pregressively behind the competition, and they sell at lower prices and need more incentives, and every year the vicious circle tightens a little more, until said companies’ noses touch their tails and there’s nothing left. It happened to all the independents in the ’50s, it happened to AMC in the ’80s, and it’s happening right now to Saab.
I always thought these cars were just a few years ahead of their time in concept, while of course being a bit behind the times in mechanical design. If they had been able to follow it up with a properly-engineered more modern version they might have become quite competitive again. But the contemporary Federal safety standards and emissions standards made it even more expensive than it historically had been to develop new vehicles.
These cars sold really well in mountainous rural areas though, as did the Wagoneer. It just wasn’t a large enough market to make them profitable.
I am loving AMC week, BTW.
One of my top Dream Cars is the Nash Airflyte. Yes, I’ve always been a little weird…
I lovvve Airflytes. And am dying to find one.
I will forever associate Eagles with Back To The Future, didn’t Marty McFly’s girlfriend’s family have one?
Of all cars I haven’t seen in 20 years, this would one of them. Someone’s mom in Catholic School had one.. 20 years ago, that was replaced, with a Cherokee.
The rear end was raised by flipping the axle from “above the leaf spring” to “below the leaf spring”
That sort of shadetree trick plays hell with steering geometry if it aint compensated for.
Are you sure that’s so? Not to cast doubts, but just curious as to whether that was what was done. Mounting the axle above the leaf springs would have been quite unusual for an American sedan. I wonder…
Yes. I am quite sure. I still remember reading about the AMC Eagle at the time of its introduction. The Hornet/Concord/Gremlin/Spirit had the rear axle above the leaf (like most leaf-sprung passenger cars). The Eagle had it below the leaf (more truck like, and conveniently jacked up with just about zero tooling costs) I think changes to raise front suspension were more elaborate.
It’s actually quite obvious from the profile shot above of the sedan. Notice the leaf springs aren’t visible. If the leaf springs were below the axle like normal passenger cars, they would be clearly visible.
I have a derelict Eagle being stored here; it could be a clone to the sedan in the photos. Having just taken a quick peek, I can confirm that the rear axle is indeed under the leaf springs.
I believe you. For some reason, this morning, it didn’t quite jibe. It does now.
Ford did the same thing in reverse when they were modifying the Ranger platform to create the original Explorer–they moved the springmounts from above the axle to below.
Explorer chassis design is not exactly an example of engineering prowess, though, is it?:)
Chrysler did the same to convert their Dodge Dakota pickup truck to the first gen Durango SUV.
The only Eagle I lust for. The commercials should have gone like this:
“Hey you got your truck in my wagon! No you got your wagon in my truck!” (With sincere apologize to peanut-butter cup makers.)
My grandfather had an Eagle 4-door sedan. He bought it when he was a rural mail carrier in Virginia’s mountainous region after his first retirement. He drove it for years on his route until he started driving Aries K sedans, but kept the Eagle until a bit past his second retirement in the mid/late-90s to use during wintry weather. Even past his retirement he would talk about some of his coworkers who were buying RHD Jeeps for their route and how they collectively derided the RHD Subaru drivers who would still get stuck starting off on snowy/icy hard-pack dirt roads on the routes they drove.
There is a decent number of these around here still – mostly wagons. The most interesting one is probably this two door with a padded roof. Its the only one of this combination I can remember seeing.
Excellent find, Dave. haven’t seen one of these in almost forever.
When you think about it this is a unique cross-over: part Brougham, part SUV.
Hi Paul! This is off topic, but since I seem to recall something about your like for old buses, I wanted to let you know that I will be uploading a couple of pics of my dads bus. The bus itself is covered with a tarp, but I took a couple of pics of the badges. I also will upload a pic of my moms old Fairmont. Enjoy
That looks just like the 80 I had except for the grille and wheels. It had a funky black and white plaid interior too.
Oh, great find — love the faux-opera-coupe-meets-truck vibe! I used to see a lot of the wagons, sedans, and hatchbacks in NE PA, but these coupes were unusual even when new. Saw one a few years back in a really dreamy silvery blue with a matching padded top.
And just now I found this one, really gorgeous at http://milbank.olx.com/1982-amc-eagle-4×4-coupe-for-10950-iid-137032519 . At that asking price it might still be available. If I had money to burn it’d be mighty hard to resist.
My ex’s dad has two wagons. A good one and one for parts. The good one is in good shape. If I stayed with her I hoped to inherit one of them one day. She told me the other day that he recently acquired another wagon with wood grain sides.
…and that red sx/4 sure looks spiffy.
That SX/4 indeed does look good…it reminds me of the Local Motors Rally Fighter, but I bet even with a modern 4.0 I6 and a ton of upgrades it wouldn’t cost $59,000.
If we hadn’t already been accustomed to seeing AMC Hornets/Concords on the streets for 10 years, the Eagle would have had a much bigger impact, IMO. Since they were forced to recycle the Hornet body, the car was just viewed as odd. I admit that I was one of the people who did not ‘get’ the Eagle initially.
Once you get past the fact that it’s a Hornet on stilts, the cars’ capabilities were rather impressive. TTAC had a poll a while back on their site, asking if you had to choose just one car only to live with for a ten year period, which car? Seeing that your needs could change radically during any ten year period of your life, I chose the AMC Eagle Wagon as one of the cars.
My brother (inadvertantly) did live with an Eagle for 17 years. Considering that he’s not mechanically inclined (more like mechanically reclined), he kept that car going until it was too much to repair the body to pass Pennsylvania’s inspection. He was married a short time before he bought the car, and it took him and his family throughout and beyond the child raising years. In the end, he sold the car as a parts car to another loyal Eagle owner.
Many of the owners I knew were women, because as Paul notes in the early-mid 80′s, SUVs weren’t nearly as ubiquitous, and if you wanted a 4WD vehicle relatively inexpensively, an Eagle wagon was the way to go. It’s a shame they couldn’t keep the sales going, but I’m sure that CAFE and market pressures would have forced AMC out of the business eventually.
It’s a testament to how clean the styling was on the ’70 Hornet that it still looked reasonably modern on the Eagle in the ’80s.
I’ve always loved these. I’d be hard pressed not to buy one if the opportunity presented itself. Just the right mix of utility, bulletproof mechanicals and quirkiness.
Richard Teague designs are timeless. The 1984 XJ Cherokee is still being made in China, and still looks great aside from the grille, which was mangled by Beijing Jeep.
I’ll second that. And, frankly, I think the Pacer and Matador coupe were great designs, let down by AMC’s technical and financial limitations, along with the general automotive climate in the ’70s. Had the Matador debuted a few years earlier, before the baroque Monte Carlo look became the style du jour, it might have been a hit. Had the Pacer been lighter and front wheel drive the outcome might have been very different. Contemporary reviews raved about Pacer’s styling; only later did the car’s nerd reputation take hold.
I’ll second the almost timelessness of the Hornet–it was a favorite of mine back then, and I think it still looks good.
The Matador, however–let me put it this way–around 1978 a friend of mine wrecked his first car, a ’73 Galaxie 500, by spinning it on a wet street and plowing tailfirst into a gas station sign. His dad then brought him down to a little rural dealership that sold AMC/Jeep/Chrysler/Toyota, and bought him a ’74 Matador that was sitting on the used lot. He did that to PUNISH him.
I’ll say this, though–that car survived numerous assassination attempts by my friend and kept on ticking. He finally abandoned it in a vacant lot next to another friend’s house, still driveable. Just no one wanted to.
Those were wildly popular where I live (SE WI), not only because they were locally built but because somebody had finally come up with a snow-compatible vehicle that you could transport your kids around without making them bump around in a crude truck or buying an expensive Wagoneer.
Every mail carrier had one, and my uncle owned two sedans – he had an ’80, then bought an ’86 and kept both – the ’86 for family travel and the ’80 as his personal beater.
It would be cool to own one, but they’re really expensive to buy around here and not cheap to keep on the road.
These were great driving cars. The fun part was putting them in the same places off road that the big tired rigs would go..
I always wanted to do a 2 speed transfer case swap in one but life got in the way..
A pic of my 80 Eagle with my 81 Cherokee..
AMC did very well inventing the first crossover SUV ever. If they had only added fuel injection in 1980 to the miserably strangled 4.2 liter, they might made more of an impact on the market. Too bad the 4.0 liter high output six came too late for the Eagle.
AMC was starved for cash at that point…the big question was, would the deal with Renault go through before the creditors forced a bankruptcy?…and if they did, would the good people of France, who owned Régie Nationale des Usines Renault, favor infusing buckets of money into a to-them foreign, failing operation?
The answer, of course, was yes; and no. Renault wanted markets for THEIR mediocre (manufactured quality) cars. They weren’t interested in updating the AMC line…after they took full ownership, in 1982, the AMC passenger-car lineup was axed.
This is a bittersweet story of decay, desperation, and finally getting something right but only too late. Had AMC done this in 1972, instead of mucking up the Jeepster, they could have easily crossed into an untapped market – and succeeded beyond their wildest dreams. It was actually tried much earlier…I remember a 1971 Popular Science photo blurb of a 4WD Hornet on AMC’s proving grounds. But the powers-that-be wanted Pacers and Monte-Carlo Matadors.
It ended as best it could for AMC, with Chrysler’s rescue…the best (the Jeep XJ and siblings) were saved, along with shareholder stakes and some jobs. But it could have been much better.
Good writeup.
Down under they had a real cossover google Holden Overlander those things were awesome and you could get kits to do your own
I found something rather appealing about the Eagle and the Concord it derived from. LOL, especially those cheerfully baroque interiors AMC designed for them. Dated chassis with tired ergonomics? HA! Throw some gaudy leather or houndstooth at the problem. But I do remember the front seats of my commanding officers’ command vehicle, an Eagle wagon, being very comfortable.
Chicago area had a bad winter in 1979, so when the Eagles came out in the fall, AMC dealers had a party selling them for full sticker and more. But the party was over by 1981 with still high gas prices, and some mild winters.
But, 4 wheel drive mania would return a few years later with the ‘baby SUV’s’ Blazer/Bronco II/XJ Cherokee.
I own an ’87 eagle wagon. bought it for a thousand bucks with 120,000 miles on it in 2008.
With a carb upgrade I now get better gas mileage than my friends with subaru outbacks & foresters (i average 28-30mpg hwy, 20-25mpg in town). i also have more clearance and more low end torque, the option to fit it with serious offroad tires, etc..
I live in southern utah canyon country and have taken this puppy on some pretty gnarly roads that there is absolutely no way an outback could take.
it helped to put some more aggressive off road tires on it (i chose General Tire Grabber AT2′s)
I’ve found it to be a seriously affordable alternative to gas guzzling 4×4′s.
I can’t quite go everywhere i would like to with it, but the trade off in terms of road driving bonuses compared to most off road capable vehicles make it worth it for me.
the town i live in is dominated by ranchers with big trucks and retired and younger folks with Subaru Outbacks and one thing i’ve noticed is that most of the Subies end up falling apart or in the shop three times as often as my Eagle.
The Eagles were built for longevity and the 2.58 straight six is known for lasting over 350,000 miles if properly cared for.
my grandpa had one of these when I was a wee lad. He drove it like it was an Unimog. I’ve always loved the eagles, and though I’ve never seen one I would snatch up a SX4 in a blink. AMC did some wonderful things in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Kind of an American Lancia in way (quirky, unsound business plans, and really, really cool cars). Good luck to you and yours.