I have deep respect for AMC. Despite a shoestring budget, their engineers mastered the “do more with less” mentality and was able to pioneer the crossover segment that dominates todays market.
It’s funny how a lot of engineering from the smaller automotive manufacturers like AMC, Cord, Hudson, and even the Tucker have been incorporated into the vehicles produced by the larger automotive manufacturers and they want us to think the ideas were theirs.
I agree 100 % and it appears that they (AMC) knew that they were the underdog as well, hence their early 1970's ad campaign tag line: IF YOU HAD TO COMPETE WITH GM, FORD AND CHRYSLER, WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
@@bennyhill3076 And Chrysler struggled to compete with GM and Ford. Hell, even Ford kind of struggled to compete with GM. Remember, GM was the only American automaker who didn’t enter the 1980s in financial dire straits. I’d say AMC did pretty well given their circumstances.
An interesting factoid regarding the AMC Eagle is that when the Eagle was released in 1980, it quickly found a home with the Canadian Ski Patrol. By 1983 it became the official vehicle of Canada's national ski patrol. The nimble Eagle proved to be able to climb slopes and rescue skiers with ease. The wagon's sizeable flat cargo area allowed the injured an easy transfer down the mountain with much more comfort than the trucks they had used prior.
Here in PA the Eagle lineup was a perfect family car for our weather and we sold and serviced tons of them at the AMC dealership I worked at. Customers absolutely loved them.
Can confirm. When I was a kid these things were all around lancaster county pa. My Great Grandmother had a few of them over the years. In the very early 1990s we drove her down to Rehoboth Beach in her Wagon.
AMC always managed to do a lot with relatively little. The cars were maybe a little goofy looking but they certainly had character. The Eagle is one that turned out to be ahead of it's time.
Nice to finally see the AMC Eagle get a devoted video to show how unique they really were. I remember back in the 1980's when these cars were made and for sale that they offered something that few if not any other vehicle offered. A comfortable car which had the capability to drive through seriously bad weather if need be. Living in New England at the time, these cars were fairly popular. Even though alot of front wheel drive vehicles were for sale, for those owners living on top of mountain passes or had super steep driveways, needed something that could transcend those obsticles. AMC Eagles provided the answer to this problem and sold relatively well. Our local AMC dealer was well know in our area and it was sad to see it go.
Front Wheel Drive sucks going uphill due to weight transfer. These weren't the first four wheel drive cars. Both Jensen and Subaru beat the Concord to the market. But the Jensen was limited and pricey. The Subaru was a tinker toy at the time. I still wouldn't buy a Subaru to this day. I have zero faith in their engines. The real secret to the Eagle's drive train was the New Process Gear Division transfer case and its lubricant. I'm kind of surprised that somebody hasn't done a custom car/street rod etc using the drive train from the tranny back.
I had a 84 Wagon, I used to take my Mom and Sister to the Grocery Store in the middle of a White Out. That car never flinched an inch and all three of us had a shopping cart and filled all three top and bottom. So I would pop the tailgate and load up and home we went. I was turning wrenches for a living then so I did all my work on the dual post in ground lift. Those were the good old days they’re both gone now but this video brought back great memories. Great Videos Thank You 🙏
I use to own a 1980 Eagle 2Dr Coupe. I loved that car and trust me it was an excellent car to drive in the winter snows. I could start from a dead stop and drive straight up a steep hill with absolutely no trouble in a winter blizzard. I did it and I was surprised the first time. Traction was not a problem with this car. The styling was beautiful too. After driving it for about 3 years, the front rubber boot gave way, then the rockers started to rust out. I bought the car used and by this time, it was about 7/8 years old but it was a fun and reliable car to drive. Wish I had another one.
The concept was brilliant. Subaru products of today delivery remarkable race like performance in ice and snow. Had AMC been able to refine their initial efforts, who knows? The exterior door handles, the Zeibart rust protection, and even the basic styling were all home runs.
I was working in Burlington, WI where AMC had their test track during 1979, just before the Eagle was introduced. My coworker and I would have lunch in a bar on Thursday’s when our bosses were away at the auction in Chicago. AMC engineers would frequently have lunch at the same bar driving prototypes of this vehicle. It was neat to see the vehicle before it was actually sold to the public.
I remember seeing them here in the Netherlands in the car year catalogues. Even then, having never seen them in the flesh, I knew they were something special. Love that late dark blue one with the "wood". Nice car for northern winters!
Another awesome video Adam! I grew up with with the Eagles my family had a bunch of them. My Aunt and Uncle bought the 2 door sedan brand new the first model year 1980. It was brown with tan interior. My grandmother ended up with it after my Aunt bought a brand new 1988 Mercury Cougar XR7. The Eagle was the best car in the snow at the time here in NY in the lake snow belt. We had 3 SX/4’s and my mom had a 1985 Wagon I bought for $150 drove it out of a snow bank in the middle of winter where it had been sitting it ended up being the most reliable car she ever had. We drove that wagon everywhere and still ran like a champ. It was so smooth and so quiet compared to other cars of the time. The other area they rust out is between the front inner fender well that attaches to the frame there is a ledge there where the upper control arm attaches where the sand, salt and moisture collects and that was the end of the Eagle Wagon when the inner fender gave in and was rubbing against the steering shaft. My personal first car was a 1983 SX/4 sport with the 258 and automatic transmission. We had another SX/4 with the T5 5 speed which I preferred over the automatic. They would all get into the 20’s mpg on the highway. The shift on the fly Select-Trac from 1985 to the end was the more reliable system as it only had one vacuum actuator at the transfer case where the older models had a front axle disconnect with another vacuum actuator as well and why the vehicle had to come to a stop to shift in and out of 4WD. The vacuum actuators were problematic after sitting and not used. They all ran forever well over 100k miles the frame rails rusted out before the 258 died.
That interior is beautiful. I remember these cars in the 80's. We owned an autoshop at the time and remember getting to ride in one. Thanks for the walk down memory lane.
Bravo on a great video. "Fit and finish on these vehicles were the worst but that's part of the charm." Indeed, since the components stamping the sheet metal at the factory were stamping the same parts since the early 70's on the AMC Hornet.
I worked with a girl in the late 80’s and her father was obsessed with the wagons because they lived on an acreage out in the country here in Canada so at one point the family had 3 of the wagons. The one my friend drove had the wood on the side and leather interior.
Nice! When these came out they really captured my attention as a young kid..being a 9 yr old , it made zero sense to me that with four wheels, the average car had power going to two, if not one wheel only. Eagle being a somewhat decent looking car WITH 4x4, I just thought that was so cool. It was right up there with the Firebird and Camaro in my book.
Tremendous respect for AMC!! They worked w/what they had and were smart with their finances.. well for the most part lol I remember seeing a flood of listings a few years back and was tempted to buy one.
Should have , now the prices went into orbit . I have the 81 Kammback , runs but looks like crap . This guy stopped me the other day and offered me nine grand for it ! Tempting but said no , best car Ive ever had .
The Eagle was ahead of it's time. Excellent car. When I was in highschool my friend had one. He installed a stereo in it and it causes an electrical.short. The Eagle caught on fire as We both just watched it burn down to the frame.. heartbreaker.
So many people have watched as their cars burned to a crisp. I blame this on Hollywood stunt men for making every car wreck turn into WWIII with 200 gallons of gasoline in the back seat and 10 lbs of dynamite. Absolutely everyone believes their car is going to explode just like on TV. They don’t People have left their friends in burning cars because they thought it was going to blow any second. So sad
Man With The Golden Gun. AMC looking pretty darn sweet in 1974, Adam needs that red Hornet X, and a Matador too! Would be very cool to have the whole AMC Designer Series. Bill Blass Ambassador, Oleg Cassini Matador, Pierre Cardin Javelin, Gucci Sportabout, Levis Gremlin... were there other AMC Designer Series cars? Would love to have one of these AMC Eagle Wagons! awesome post.
Hi Adam, I've been watching your videos for quite some time. I really appreciate your niche of reviewing old classic cars that aren't muscle cars. You have helped me to appreciate the styling and quality details I never appreciated when I was young when these were common place. Thanks again for all of the great content and i look forward to more. Cheers!
Although the fit and panel gaps may not have been great I think the quality of materials was better than most domestic cars. I seen many Eagles, Concords parked in the desert for years with no cracked dashboards. Paint certainly held up better than contemporary GM cars.
The Eagle is a very rare bird today! I don't remember the last time I saw one on the road. I have always wanted the 2 door coupe version. Great video and keep up the great work.
AMC was my childhood ride. First the Eagle wagon, then a Cherokee. I loved those cars and I have some great memories of family camping trips, my dad putting it in 4wd on rough roads even though it probably wasn't necessary lol. One time we got stuck in a whiteout snowstorm though, going through Kansas. Our Eagle was one of the only cars able to drive on the road. Dad was proud of that haha. Later on when I turned 16 my first car was a 79 Cherokee Chief. One of the big daddy Cherokees. I drove the wheels off that thing. AMC gave me a lot of great memories, wish they were still around. Funnily enough I can't stand most modern CUVs and crossovers. Love me some AWD wagons though.
I've always had a soft spot for AMCs. I learned to drive on a '62 Rambler Classic wagon (3-on-the-tree) and my parents had just bought a new '72 Matador around the time I graduated from high school. Given Adam's focus on large GM and Ford premium cars from the 1960s and '70s I was a little surprised to hear he does have an AMC in the stable. Nice, can't wait to see a video about it. He's correct to note AMC's mechanicals were very robust and reliable and also correct to note build quality was not its forté. Not so bad in the early to mid-60s but the quality started going downhill around 1967. Even though I think it's a great looking car, I would agree the money spent developing the Matador Coupe turned out to be a costly mistake. The Pacer, though, was an even bigger mistake. What the company really needed was a thoroughly modern chassis from which it could produce a variety of efficient compact and intermediate cars, both 2- and 4-door. The Pacer may have been unique, cool even, but couldn't appeal to a broad enough segment of the market to be anything more than a niche vehicle. To spend the company's dwindling resources on a 2-door only model was not a recipe for success.
If you're an AMC fan like myself, I highly recommend this book , it is my favorite book on AMC! American Motors Corporation: The Rise and Fall of America's Last Independent Automaker Hardcover - November 25, 2013 by Patrick R. Foster (Author)
I love my AMC Eagle. I have a 1985 AMC Eagle with the 258 and 5 speed and it's just wonderful to drive. I live where I have to drive up a mountain climb from an altitude of 7200 to 8400 4 days a week and while I have to shift down to 3rd gear about half way up it makes it up there doing at least 45mph. I still have things on mine that I have to fix, and I wish I had the tilt steering wheel but hey it's a work in progress! But there's a junkyard 2 hours from me that has an amazing 5 AMC Eagles in their yard so I can get every part I need and then some!
Wow, I sure do miss my 1985 Eagle wagon. I live in the primary snow belt in northeast Ohio and I remember in the mid 1980s it seemed like every other car on the road was an Eagle.
Thank you for this video. I just bought an '86 wagon back in March that had been sitting in a field for over 10 years for $500. A couple hundred bucks and some time, I had her running and driving. She was my daily driver for about 4000 miles until a couple of weeks ago. Transmission is going out, so I need to save up to replace or rebuild it. I love it.
Hi Adam, great reviews on the Eagles! My brush with them began in mid-1979. My dad was a military contractor later in life and scored two proposal projects with AM General over a couple of years. I was along to help with research, printing and the like (It was my first trip to Detroit, as well) We were at the old AMC HQ building on Plymouth Rd which was now engineering home for AMC, Jeep, and AM General. About this time Renault began pumping cash into the organization for a piece of the business. The synergies between the two automakers looked like a perfect marriage. The parking lots at Plymouth Rd was amazing. The Eagles had just landed and there were many on display. Jeeps everywhere too. There were also a couple of competitor machine being evaluated, first gen Range Rovers. Eventually Renaults started to show up, R9s (which was to become the Alliance) and a mix of R18, R20 and R30s. I was a heady time to be there, met some great people early in my career. Keep up the great work!
In high school a buddy bought an 80’s wagon at auction for $1500 dollar , which was great for a 3 year old car at the time. It needed minimal repair, also the removal of the smog equipment, installed a header and Weber carb( which we change later to a Holly) it ran quite good. Added mud and snow tires with more aggressive tread it four wheeled pretty good in the foothills of the Santa Cruz mountain range above the valley we lived in. It was very surprising when four high school guys get out of a station wagon atop some ridge where guys in CJ5 were kicking back wondering who are what was coming up the trail. Sure sometimes three of us would have to get out and push , but that little rig did quite alright.
I live in the UK and I have a liking for a lot of American cars and this is one I do like. It looks robust and agile but the ride hight gives it a kind of unique feature that pretty much raise it above others. I'm not sure if you're familiar with vauxhall in the states but it's always been a favourite of mine.
Maybe it was just a "Seattle thing", but I recall the AMC Eagle was very popular in the Pacific Northwest. The Eagle had a similar appeal as the International Harvester Travelall and Scout, but with the smaller dimensions of a compact car. That Eagle wagon looked great with woody side trim and I still think the vehicle had a future but it needed a manufacturer with deeper pockets than AMC. I've always wondered how that central viscous coupling held up in high mileage versus low mileage cars.
I'm a big AMC fan, too. The Matador coupe was really cool looking. Still love the Pacer and, especially, the Gremlin. I just wish they'd actually made the AMX-GT.
That's it! One of my neighbors where I grew up in the trundra in Chicago had one of those. The SX/4 as he used it to drive to work in the snow, cold, ice and prolific potholes in the city. I was a kid so thought the headrests were pretty cool allthough it looked a little odd. The first snowstrom made me a believer though--cars that go through snow! It had a 5 speed so an 82 ? It was a riot blasting it through the snow and driving around people stuck in the snow. I admit it, I thought the 79 Pacer V8 wagon was pretty cool also, I was a kid....my parents dropped me on my head but the Javelin, Pacer wagon and those Eagles I always thought had enough quirkiness to be cool. Ahhhhh, the rust belt...miss it sometimes. The grass was stout with a steady diet of sodium and iron... rust. Do some doughnuts in a parking lot for me. Tahnks for the history, cool to see cars of my youth that my neighbors drove around. Now for the Opel GT, the Ford Fiesta from the late 70's and see if you can find a V6 Ford Pinto Wagon--the unicorn?
AMC's sins were being early with the Matador's styling (elements of which showed up in the Taurus, 83-87 Capri,...) and the crossover. I remember the conversations about all of these things at the time: "who needs 4wd in a wagon?"; "did the same guy that designed the Matador design the Taurus?". Thank you for this video.
Conheci os carros da AMC através dos vídeos do RU-vid. Achei os veículos dessa marca muito interessantes, realmente eram carros muito bons. Obrigado por compartilhar! Mais um excelente vídeo 👏👏👏
I have a soft spot for AMC eagles , As a teenager in the early/mid 90s my friend inherited an eagle wagon, my self snd another friend had lifted 4wd pickups and my friend with the eagle would follow us places in the woods that you’d never think a crossover wagon would go. My friend put that eagle thru absolute hell and that thing kept ticking. The eagle my friend had proved itself to be very capable and robust, my friend was not at all easy on that poor thing. Funny the memories this video is bringing back.
I used to work in airport operations for the City and County of Denver in the mid 90's. I remember we had one bronze colored Eagle that was about 8-10 years old at the time. No one seemed to use it since there were other newer vehicles. I always used it when I had the chance because I always thought the 4-wheel drive feature was unique and inventive. The maintenance department added a natural gas tank in the trunk. With the flip of a switch mounted on the dashboard you could choose between natural gas or regular gasoline. As you say,the vehicle was underpowered, but reliable. I would say the power was reduced about 30 percent when operating on natural gas, but once again, I thought that was a cool feature and at the very least saved on gasoline. The vehicle had excellent traction on the ramp and taxiways in foul weather. I also remember my older sister buying a brand new 1974 Levi Gremlin. It was a standard blue paint job with a blue Levi stripe on the outside and a denim Levi interior that was really neat. Her car had a straight 6 engine and no power steering. I got my license at 16 in 1973 and I remember driving it around. The car had terrible understear which was made even worse without power steering.
I had a 1980 Eagle back in 1986 I picked up cheap. Was a beautiful vehicle white with tan interior. Cold ac no rust fantastic on fuel. Wish I would have held on to that one. Never had any problems with it.
I had 2 AMC HORNETS, GREMLIN, CONCORD, and a EAGLE SX 4 with the eagle on the hood as well as the black loover's on the back lift window ....I liked all of my AMC vehicles
My in laws had a 1981 AMC Eagle burgundy "woodie" wagon with the vinyl wood grain trim on the sides and the burgundy plaid interior. It wasn't the most refined vehicle, driving wise but it was comfortable, easy to drive and a beast off road or in snowy/muddy conditions. Bullet proof dependable and reliable in the worst weather you could throw at it. Never knew that it would become such a rare, sought after and highly collectable vehicle.
@@markjohnston2675 I would disagree. The Suburban was around even before that (1935), and maintained the same SUV form throughout every model year since then.
desde que lo vi en Popular Mechanics , me fascino, eran sueños de libertad poseer un auto 4x4, un auto con una tecnología inedita, un diseño muy muy logrado, hermoso y fuerte, me encanta al dia de hoy..... felicitaciones, gran video !!!!!!!!!!
I was stationed at Bitburg Air Base in West Germany from 1978-1981. A guy in my shop had an AMC Eagle wagon. It was great for the climate there with a lot of ice and occasional snow. It got fairly decent gas mileage although I think it had a straight six. I had the exact opposite type car, a 78 Trans Am. However, the TA had locking differential and did a great job as well on the ice and snow. Biggest problem with the TA was the freezing fog which plagued the area for about four months of the year. It was nearly impossible to get the drivers door open in order to get to or leave work. The guy with the AMC was smart in choosing the AMC for his time there.
I had a 74 Hornet Sportabout. It was okay. I can’t say anything bad about it or good really. It was cheap feeling but solid and drove just fine. Took it cross country no problem in 1987. Exhaust fell off in the first 10 miles but we kept driving since the straight 6 was still fairly quiet even with just a headpipe for an exhaust. Can’t complain about anything really. It drove/handled really well even though it seemed like a pile of junk to me at the time.
This is another car that does (did) not get the respect it deserves ( ie - mustang SVO). It was waaaay ahead of its time. It was a precursor to today's SUV. It's genius is only now starting to be recognized.
I remember how cool it was that there was a car or wagon that actually had AWD. Living and driving through some rough Minnesota winter this vehicle stood out as an answer to someone who just had to get somewhere no matter what. Of course Subaru was the pioneer of AWD but they were small and underpowered rust buckets. The Eagles,on the other hand, were rated as the most expensive car per mile driven than ANY other passenger car at the time. Leaving me with a 68 Chevy equipped with skinny, tall bias-ply aggressive snow tires as an alternative.
Excellent video the update AMC platform that truly filled a niche which was not yet served by the big 2 1/2 - with Chrysler being the 1/2 . I agree with what was said to be the root of AMC financials. Personally, the bulkier big car look of the mid-1970'ies never appealed to me. At AMC is began with the front nose extension of the early 70's Ambassadors. Back to the Eagle, its three variants help to keep AMC in business long enough to develop the remarkably practical Jeep XJ Cherokee. Yeah, the malaise era versions of the venerable 4.2 liter / 258 cubic inch straight six was down on horsepower to 129 hp - but is 210 lb. ft. of torque was all in by 1800 rpm. This was a decade before Chrysler added multiport fuel injection to what was by then a 4.0 liter. Last but not least, I've never seen a Kammback variant in the wild. It would be interesting to own one of the last 500 made.
I bought a low-mileage 1980 Concord in 1994. The way the suspension components constantly went bad, I can’t even imagine the problems I would’ve had with an Eagle. Every car I’ve had since then has been Japanese.
The Eagles were fun and had huge fuel tanks. My mother had a Concord at one point and the range if you filled it up was huge as I remember. No power house but steady as she goes.
We had a 1978 AMC Concord 4-Dr sedan. It was a base model but we added the AM radio, bumper guards and strips, heavy duty suspension, automatic transmission and the AMX dashboard. We ordered it through the PX in Germany. We only had the 232 but it kept up with most cars on the autobahn in spite of its 85mph speedometer. Great car, it had more standard equipment than its competitors.
Dad wanted one of these when they first came out, but mom kept balking at the cost. I remember they weren't cheap, especially after you optioned them up.
@@JeffDeWitt The Eagle Talon was a partnership between Chrysler and Mitsubishi; nothing at all to do with AMC. Alliance was basically a Renault with an AMC badge.
@@jamesengland7461 The Eagle brand came out of AMC, Chrysler got it from the AMC's Eagle cars. AMC also used Eagle on trim packages for some Jeeps. The Eagle Premier also basically a rebadge Renault, started out as an AMC product that Chrysler took over.
A friend of mine had two of them, I forget the years. One was the SX/4 model manual transmission and the other was a four door model automatic. Both were fun cars to drive. SHe had to replace the transmission on the SX. Come to find out the transmission was a Ford Tranmission
I used to carpool with a friend (hi Paul!) who had an Eagle Wagon. My only complaint was that the passenger seat offered only a little more support than a bean bag chair.
My buddy’s dad had a late 70’s Wagoneer with AWD - it was a great system compared to the trucks of that time where u had to manually lock the front hubs or shift a separate shifter. It was almost impossible to lose traction, even in a blizzard on unplowed roads.
I really love your retrospect of these older off the beat cars. Specially as I graduated in 1982. And these was well as the malaise car period. Just wondering. Where do you park all these wonderful cars in your collection. There seems to be a lot. Love the stories and walk around of your cars.
One more thing. I believe the Pacer had much more to do with AMC’s troubles than the Matador. The Matador was just reskinned sheet metal while the Pacer was all new from bumper to bumper with only the Powertrains carrying over.
I know that it's a big case of "what if" but I've always wondered how things would have turned out if George Mason hadn't died in 1954, and the prospective 4 way merger of Hudson-Nash-Studebaker-Packard had went through, leading to a bigger company. Of course then you could get into the rabbit hole of thoughts of what would have happened if George Romney hadn't left in the early 60's, with new management trying to constantly change things to directly compete with the Big 3, and if the new Jeep Cherokee, upcoming Grand Cherokee, just debuting Eagle Premier and brand new Bramalea plant would have helped reverse AMCs declining fortunes in the 80s... Either way, alot of AMCs legacy continued on for decades after they were extinct. The AMC/Eagle Premier was the engineering underpinnings of the "cab forward" Chrysler LH cars. The 4.0 inline six was in production until 2006, along with the last AMC engineered Wrangler. AM General is still around today making Humvees and other military vehicles, and the Bramalea plant is still in operation for Chrysler to this day.
Adam I can never thank you enough for the cars you present & the detail with which you present & them. I wish you and your family all the world’s Blessings & long lives! Just 1 question if it’s alright : any chance you might buy/review an Eagle Premier a.k.a. Dodge Monaco aka Renault 25 in the near future ?? To my young eyes back then the Premier looked like a sharper Audi 5000 than the 5000 itself. Unfortunately, reliability was not its strong suit whatsoever , & i probably haven’t seen any around in ~ close to 2 decades
Interesting to know about how they early on modified transaxles from Jeep's. I just have to push button in my Juke but I remember back then u had to pull over & stop & click! Good taste as usual. I thought these Eagles were extra cool cuz they were so chromey and padded for that era. To know they had AWD was even cooler. The two toning was awesome. AMC really deserved to make it as they tried hard to make funky cars & wagons. I agree, the Eagles were the original mass produced SUVs!
No transaxle, that’s for FWD cars. These have regular straight axles like a Jeep with a transfer case. Probably didn’t modify much more than the floorpan to make room for the T-case.
The 258 cid six was related to the 232 that was introduced in 1964. The basic design was used from 1964 through 2006 as the 232 cid, 258 cid, and the 4.0L.
I really thought about getting one until I saw just how much they were jacked up for ground clearance. Plus the 258 was dog. I thought at the time they should have gone to fuel injection. The front differential was a Dana. The rear was an AMC unit built in the Kenosha Facility. At one time AMC was making rear end gears for small Ford rear ends under contract. When the first Ford gear sets came off on machining they were set up on the test stands. These gear sets when set at proper lash howled really bad. The Ford engineer on hand said they rounded fine. The next stand over had a gear set from an AMC rear end. That just put out a low hum. The Ford guy just said we'll put in more sound insulation. All AMC rear end gear sets were lapped as the final manufacturing step prior to final wash and assembly.
