What is it with avian car names? Firebird, Sunbird, Thunderbird, Bluebird, Lark, Skylark, Hawk, Skyhawk, Robin, Snipe, Kestrel, Aigle (French for eagle), Aronde (old French for swallow), Chaika (Russian for seagull)… I’m sure there are plenty more. Well, there’s the AMC Eagle, for starters. But it’s pretty clear that, by picking the top feathered predator as a moniker for their latest (and indeed final) car, AMC displayed a breathtaking amount of hubris. But it paid off.
Of course, it meant the ad copy kind of wrote itself. “American Eagle soars to new heights”, yadi yadi yada. But c’mon. There’s nothing remotely majestic or predatory about a Concord on stilts. If AMC were that keen on a feathered forename, perhaps they should have gone with a wading bird. But then “Try the new Heron at your AMC dealer today” would have sounded a little less lofty.
I’m sure the overwhelming majority of you will be far more aware of the Eagles’ historical and technical background. If not, do read the full-length CC posts already produced on the subject, of which there are several (list at the end of this one). The TL:DR of it all is that AMC, having bet and lost on the Pacer, had virtually no way to devise the new car they desperately needed. So they took the Concord, itself a mildly refreshed Hornet, and slapped a Jeep drivetrain underneath to create, more out of desperation than inspiration, a very clever car.
The Eagle showed its beak in the summer of 1979 as a 1980 model and soon became a rather good seller alongside the Jeep range. The Concord died out by 1983, but its 4×4 offspring carried on. By this point in time though, AMC had been taken over by Renault, so the Kenosha plant was cleared of the legacy product lines to make way for the Encore and Alliance. Hence our 1984 example here, just like all Eagles from that model year on, was made in Brampton, Ontario.
It was, however, sold new in North Carolina, if that dealer emblem on the hatch is to be believed. Which might be the case, as it seems Eagles were only officially imported in Japan from MY 1985 onwards. Like most birds of its ilk, this Eagle is motivated by AMC’s 115hp 4.2 litre straight-6, mated to a Chrysler automatic. And like the majority of the species, it’s a wagon.
With the benefit of hindsight, it may look odd that AMC bothered to turn the whole Concord range, sedan, coupes and Kammback included, into AWD vehicles, but they were throwing everything at the wall to see what would stick. The non-wagon Eagles look odd to my eyes: very few, if any, ever made it across the Pond. Even the foreigners preferred the wagon from the get-go. Or maybe AMC never even bothered offering anything else overseas.
They weren’t exactly a common sight on European roads at the time, but I do recall seeing a few here and there, especially in the great bastion of American car culture that is Switzerland. Of course, Jeeps were the most sought-after AMC products there at the time, but Eagle wagons could be seen ploughing through snow there on a fairly regular basis well into the early naughties. I’m guessing these would have been pretty popular in places like Scandinavia as well for the same reasons.
Kudos to the owner of this one for finding this period-perfect back seat cover. Really ties the whole cabin together. The car is not the usual factory-fresh Tokyo showboat – quite refreshing.
I found this Eagle while in the company of Jim Klein and his son Max back in October of last year. It was in a spot that had already yielded a fine-looking Wagoneer, so whoever bought this Eagle has a serious case of AMC-itis.
It’s a fairly recent acquisition, too. As luck would have it, I found the very same car on this auction website, where it was posted back in January 2023. They even did a nice presentation video of it and posted it on YouTube.
Aside from that weirdly wobbly rear end, which makes it look like the car is melting, the Eagle wagon is a coherent design. Which is odd, given how cobbled-together-with-leftovers it actually is. AMC were past masters at this sort of exercise, but they outdid themselves with this one. So much so in fact that the Eagle managed to outlive AMC. And of course, the Eagle model begat the Eagle marque, rising from the cinders of AMC-Renault. If Pontiac hadn’t beaten AMC to it, they could have called this the Phoenix. Oh, that’s one I forgot in that list in the first paragraph! Mythical birds count too.
The woodgrain, the whitewalls and the sensible size all combine to make for a very attractive sum total, part cliché and part trailblazer. And with nearly 200k units made (of which over half were wagons), the Eagle at least helped AMC end on a high note. I guess they could have picked any bird name for it, save one: turkey.
Related posts:
Curbside Classics: AMC Eagle Wagon And Sedan – “What The Hell Is This?”, by PN
Curbside Classic: 1986 AMC Eagle Wagon – Ahead Of Its Time, And Behind The Times, by Eric703
Curbside Classic: 1981 Eagle Limited – The Outback Of Its Time, by PN
Mountainside Classics: AMC Eagle And “New Look” GMC Buses Still Working on Mt. Hood, by PN
Automotive History: 1980 Eagle Turbo-Diesel – Seven Were Built, One Still Survives, Not Running, by PN
What If: AMC Eagle Wagon – Let’s Talk Power Options, by David Skinner
Curbside Outtake: AMC Eagle Wagon – In Its Natural Habitat, by Ed Stembridge
CC Auto Body Repair: I’m Not Dick Teague, by Daniel Stern
COAL: 1985 AMC Eagle Wagon – End Of An Era, by Nelson James
When people talk about the Eagle, they mention it starting in 1980. But that wagon body was first introduced in 1969, eleven years earlier, as the Hornet Sportabout. Granted it didn’t have the 4WD system, but it’s still the same platform and body.
1971 model year. The Hornet was launched for 1970 as a 2- or 4-door sedan only.
The essential shape of the ’69 body was fortunate, and original (the I’ve-Backed-Into-Both-Posts-This-Time rear notwithstanding), and thus passes quite credibly for an early ’80’s original. There’s even a vague justification in it getting wood – wood paneling, for goodness’ sake – because it grandly suggests it could do what a Grand Cherokee could do grandly, even if it couldn’t.
Agreed, though, that the whole range getting jacked – up higher, for the love of god, up higher – was throwing things at walls that had no place trying to stick there. I mean, if life had reduced one to buying a Gremlin (or whatever it was by then), one did not need one’s clear impoverishment (of either money or judgement) to be elevated so even more could see it.
A minor point, I must beg to quibble about the adjective “nice” for the presentation video. It has the misfortune to adopt a modern tic which appears to infest every video produced erstwhile to inform the viewer as to the details of the seller’s product for display, for, though the product is put in a nice location, lit nicely, and has some appropriately muted but nice musical accompaniment, it then proceeds to induce irrecoverably not-nice motion sickness in the viewer by absolutely refusing to stand in one spot at any point. It reminds me of the inevitable frustrated exposition that blurts out when trying to cut a little kids hair, or to administer the some needed medication to its ear – WOULD YOU BLOODY-WELL KEEP STILL FOR A MOMENT?! That said, in between swoops, it does remind the viewer that in 1980, it was just fine to have carpeted seat-switch panels, and outside, panel gaps through which one might fit a whole 1950 model American citizen. It also does reveals the antiquity of the design by briefly showing AMC’s Knair Conditioning (their patent by which an old design got a/c vents added on that had the No. 1 industry standard for cooling of the front occupant’s outer knees).
A final thought: given that none of the birdy-cars named could actually fly, AMC could have exoticized the Eagle by calling it the Lord Howe Woodhen – a real bird on a beautiful island off this one – as it sounds vaguely upmarket and no-one could argue about it being misleading if it didn’t fly, because those birds can’t either (but then, I guess there’s a reason there was never a Chevy Cassowary or a Chrysler Kakapo, it just suggests the wrong image, I suppose).
Just as well they weren’t on sale down here then, or we might have been sent the Eagle Emu for a double-birdie.
We had an ’83 briefly: excellent and capable FT 4 x 4 drivetrain, lousy gas mileage, typically suspect AMC assembly quality (crappy in the extreme), but a great vehicle for VT snow country. Later replaced by an ’87 Grand Wagoneer, whose gas mileage made the Eagle look like a Prius in comparison. That one went away in favor of a Montero…much much better!
Excellent timing, it’s Max’s birthday today…we’ll be going out for sushi tonight.
Seeing this as we rounded the corner on that little residential street was like seeing a Grilled Cheese sandwich on Sourdough being made by a white haired lady with an apron and a large spatula in hand whilst we were in the land of rice triangles stuffed with fish for breakfast and pastries with inscrutable contents to snack on on the rack at the corner FamilyMart. (None any less delicious, I’ll hastily add). But a little slice, or large chunk as it were, of home. Also a large chunk of what were they thinking back then, but over time bearing out the genius of AMC as now every car seemingly aspires to be (the modern equivalent of) the AMC Eagle. Or maybe it’s just another case of even a blind squirrel finding an acorn now and then…. Double bonus super points for actually trying it in all possibly body styles, something that would be most welcome in some of today’s offerings actually. Or even just offering more body styles for that matter… Had the XJ Cherokee been just a little earlier to market or further in its development we might never have seen the Eagle in any of its forms.
Subaru and Audi are the two makers that of course saw the same potential very early on (and have reaped massive rewards from doing so), perhaps there was an inevitability in there being room for a third manufacturer from the other leg of the (then) auto-making global triangle. The world is a richer place for all of their offerings, in the case of AMC’s Eagle it’s good to see that what was once a bit of a curiosity and cult-like aura is accepted as a genuinely cool piece of automotive history, beyond just being featured as a “bearded lady”-like freak sighting now and again. Bonus points for Malaise Mud (Metallic) paint on this one too.
Just like Alfa Romeo has its Cloverleaf badges and every German manufacturer has a signature emblem for its special models, perhaps the AMC Eagles of the world should wear something similar, perhaps this slightly less high-falutin’ sticker I saw on something or other over there:
I love these cars, so it’s always great to see one, especially in a non-native habitat.
While not related to the Eagle, one new thing I learned today is that Chaika is Russian for seagull. I actually took two years of Russian in school, but shockingly never learned the term for seagull. Well, now I know!
AMC certainly did throw everything at the wall to see what would stick, and perhaps that explains how, several decades later, I find their products to be among the most interesting American cars. The timing was just a bit off here – another few years, and a rough-around-the-edges 4wd wagon would have been a company-saving Greatest Hit.
I guess it’s not too surprising that this example originated from the North Carolina mountains – that’s one of those areas where I bet these cars were relatively popular. The dealership, Watson’s Garage, has changed hands several times since 1984, but the building is still in the same location, and still sells Jeeps, Chryslers and Dodges:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/QCxAagkYBqeEkj4U7
…and since the Eagle was evidently popular in Switzerland, it may be helpful to know that this dealership is located only an hour’s drive for Little Switzerland, North Carolina.
Oh, and I think the only thing I’d change in this particular car would be to find a matching steering wheel to replace the eye-popping avocado green wheel that’s in there now.
Great find – thanks for the writeup.
I can think of absolutely no logical reason why a Japanese resident would go through the trouble of locating this car in the US and exporting it to Japan.
Which is why I love that a Japanese person imported this car.
It’s amazing the love some Japanese people have for American cars. I have a friend in Kawasaki with a ’65 Thunderbird which he loves driving and showing. That, I can understand. This, not so much.
This example is in impressively fantastic condition.
A very wise move, avoiding another potential characteristic AMC blunder, with the additional use of galvanized steel in key body parts. Ensuring their strong lasting reputation for endurance and body integrity, in snow and salt country.
I thought the rear hatch was bent .
I never grasped why these and 4X4 Tercel wagons Et Al. didn’t fly off the lot at sticker price .
For many years they filled the Southern California self service yards in amazingly good shape and never any rust .
-Nate
I have an SX/4 (a Spirit on stilts) that I bought for $500 and saved from the crusher. Due to a missing driver door and front fender led to the subframe and floor being rotted completely out. I fixed the subframe with some c-channel, and the floor with new sheet metal. I’ve lifted it and put big tires on it as well. It’s far from a nice example, but it serves it’s purpose as a Gambler car- aside from the low power limiting me, it is a little billy goat! One day I dream of owning a nice example, but they’re few and far between.
The first AMC Eagle that I ever had a chance to look around, poke, prod, sit in, pop the hood, and generally eyeball (until the sales guy started to walk towards the car….) was a brand -new 1981 Kammback at a local mall’s annual new car show (remember those?) in October of 1980. This one was the basic, no-options-attached strippo price leader. It was beige, with a beige vinyl interior complete with radio delete. Under the hood was the 2.5 Iron Duke, attached to a 4-speed manual.(the shift action felt) really good Sure, it essentially a Gremlin on its tiptoes, but I thought it was cool, I always rooted for the underdog, so I liked this one. (When you’re 15 years old and your dad drives a 1977 VW Bus, anything else was cool compared to what he drove…).
Years later, after learning how few Kammbacks were produced, I wonder whatever did happen to that one back after it’s “Mall Fresh” days?
How many genuine AMCs do we think are still in use?
If Chrysler hadn’t bought them out It is a little surprising that Renault thought the Medallion was a serious replacement for these. However, Chrysler probably should have focused Eagle on a K or Cloud car based replacement for this considering the success of the Outback not long after (and continuously since). Instead, Eagle sold a latter day DeSoto or Plymouth Fury, a blah compact, a weird mini mini van and respectable but redundant sport coupe. In fact Chrysler or Dodge would still well with that concept now (they have the whole PSA parts bin to raid to get one). The Buick sport tourer failed because of price and lack of marketing.
In northern Michigan these were everywhere. Great in snow. There’s still one maybe 5 miles away, and it likely being used because it’s not always parked in the same spot. A wagon, just like every other one I’ve seen.
I love the looks of the hatchback the most. To me it looks like a Citation X11, with a Celebrity nose, and all jacked up like a cool off roader.
To me, the back looks like it’s been pre-rear ended from the factory.
My father’s secretary had the AMC Hornet version of this body style ( She had the Coupe’) and I always liked it! This series of cars and the forgotten International Scout and Travel all were all harbingers of our modern automotive world!