AMC (American Motors) Eagle History

Introduced in August 1979 for the 1980 model year, the AMC Eagle mated the Concord's passenger-car body to a full-time four-wheel-drive system (a viscous coupling behind the automatic transmission) and raised ride height. The result drove like a car on dry pavement but added genuine all-weather traction — a combination unlike anything else on the market, and one widely cited as the first modern crossover, a forerunner of the Subaru Outback and Audi allroad.

Drawing on AMC's Jeep four-wheel-drive expertise, the Eagle bridged the gap between the company's aging cars and its profitable Jeep line, and its timing during the 1979 energy crisis helped steady AMC's finances. It was sold as a sedan and wagon plus sportier SX/4 and Kammback two-doors, with a 'Select Drive' (later 'Shift on the Fly') option to switch drive modes.

Chrysler acquired AMC in August 1987 and wound the line down: the last Eagle was built December 14, 1987, at Brampton, Ontario, as a 1988 model — the final AMC-branded vehicle. (Chrysler kept 'Eagle' alive as a separate division brand through 1998.)