122 SEPTEMBER 2019 leisurewheels.co.za
RETRODRIVE AMC Eagle
T
HE American Motors
Corporation (AMC) was
formed in 1954 and wasconsidered a competitor to GM,
Ford and Chrysler.
AMC was particularly good at
building odd vehicles that almost
nobody wanted, which inevitably
led to its demise in 1987.
Now, nearly 30 years later,
the now defunct company is
being redeemed by the fact
that it was responsible for the
first crossover.
Back in the mid ‘70s, the
engineers at AMC realised that
off-roaders were massively
over-engineered, offering way
more 4×4 ability than the
average driver ever used. In
their minds, there was space
for a vehicle that was cheaper,
more fuel efficient and easier
to live with, yet still offered
just the right amount of
traction and security for
harsh weather situations.
They went to the drawing
board and came up with the
Eagle and in 1980, it was
introduced to the public.
From its launch, it was
available as a sedan, station
wagon and coupé. Sounds
familiar, doesn’t it?
Looking back now, it was
an impressive car. It featured
a 4.2-litre straight-six engine
which developed 85kW
and 285Nm of torque. The
power was fed to the wheels
via a three-speed automatic
transmission.
All Eagles were equipped with
permanent four-wheel drive
with a viscous fluid coupling that
allowed the system to operate on
hard surfaces without drivetrain
wind-up. As standard, it was
equipped with Dana 30 and
Dana 35 differentials, which
meant AMC actually included
more 4×4 kit than most
crossovers feature these days.
Initially it was a huge success.
It sold exceptionally well inThese days, it’s hard to
believe a car like the Eagle
failed, or at the very least,
moved on to a second-
generation. Considering the
modern consumer’s obsession
with crossovers, the Eagle was
undoubtedly ahead of its time.
There are many theories as to
why sales dropped as drastically
as they did. Some reckon
Chrysler did a poor job of
marketing the car while others
think it went downhill after the
racing stopped.
Looking back, we think it had
something to do with the
economic climate. The USA was
in rude health at that time.
There were some serious
Gordon Gekko, “greed is good”
vibes going on at the time.
There was no need to buy a
smaller, more fuel-efficient car
because why would you? Most
people had enough money to
buy a Bronco and they did...
We’re quite certain that
had the Eagle been built at the
turn of the century, or any time
after 2007, it would have been
one of the biggest names in
motoring today.
Alas, it was before it’s time
and because of that, it’s destined
to be forgotten.middle America, where snow
was a regular occurrence. It did
so well that AMC eventually
killed one of its other models
to increase Eagle production.
The end result was an increase
in sales of 18% over the
previous year, all down to the
humble Eagle.
Sales continued to grow
throughout the ‘80s but by 1986,
Eagle sales started to spiral
downward. Customers had
started worrying about AMC’s
future and were hesitant to
invest in a brand that might go
belly-up. Interestingly, the
downward spiral in sales
coincided with AMC pulling the
Eagle from the ProRally series,
where it performed admirably.
By 1988, Eagle sales dropped
to just over 2 000 units. In a
country as big as the United
States, it was simply not good
enough so the new parent
company (Chrysler) shut down
the operation.We like to think of the crossover as a recent invention
but it actually dates back more than 30 years. The
concept of a high-riding station wagon that could
handle some light off-roading was invented by AMC
but it was a case of the wrong car at the wrong time.
THE FIRST TO
CROSS OVER
1980 AMC
EAGLE
Years of manufacture:
1980 to 1988
Engine: Six-cylinder petrol
Size: 4 235cc
Power: 85kW
Torque: 285Nm
Gearbox: Three-speed
automatic
4WD system: Permanent
four-wheel drive
Ground clearance: 180mm
Top speed: 154km/h