AMC Eagle
Why Chrysler kept the name
Chrysler bought American Motors in 1987 mainly for Jeep. The deal also brought AMC's dealers, and state franchise laws meant Chrysler couldn't simply sell Jeeps through its own Chrysler-Plymouth and Dodge stores, or Chrysler cars through AMC's.
Its answer was a third sales organisation, the Jeep-Eagle division, led at first by AMC's former president Joseph Cappy and serving nearly 1,200 former AMC dealers. AMC had sold its cars under the plain "AMC" name since 1970, so there was no car brand to carry on. Chrysler borrowed the name of AMC's best-known recent car instead.
The AMC Eagle itself carried on for one last year as the 1988 "Eagle Wagon", built until 14 December 1987. After that, "Eagle" meant a brand, not a car.
Every car sold as an Eagle
| Model | Years | What it was |
|---|---|---|
| Eagle Wagon | 1988 | The AMC Eagle's final year, wagon only, still built by AMC in Brampton. |
| Eagle Premier | 1988–1992 | A full-size front-drive sedan developed by AMC with Renault, styled by Giugiaro and built in Brampton. It became the basis for Chrysler's LH cars. |
| Eagle Medallion | 1989 | The Renault 21, imported from France. Sold as the Renault Medallion before Chrysler rebadged it. |
| Eagle Vista | 1988–1992 | Rebadged Mitsubishi Mirage and Chariot, sold only in Canada. |
| Eagle Summit | 1989–1996 | Rebadged Mitsubishi Mirage and Expo. |
| Eagle Talon | 1990–1998 | The Mitsubishi Eclipse's twin, with all-wheel drive available. The brand's halo car and its last model. |
| Eagle 2000GTX | 1991–1992 | A rebadged Mitsubishi Galant. |
| Eagle Vision | 1993–1997 | One of Chrysler's original LH sedans, and the only Eagle designed and built entirely by Chrysler. |
How the brand ended
Most Eagles were versions of cars that Chrysler-Plymouth, Dodge and Mitsubishi dealers also sold, and the brand never built a clear identity. Dealers put their effort into the far more profitable Jeeps. Chrysler announced the end of Eagle in September 1997. The Vision's planned replacement went on sale as the Chrysler 300M, and the last Eagle was a 1998 Talon.
The AMC Eagle's own story, from Roy Lunn's prototype to the last wagon, is on the home page.
Sources: Wikipedia: Eagle (automobile), Jeep-Eagle, Eagle Premier, Wikipedia: AMC Eagle.