AMC Eagle: Unpacking the Legacy of the Original Crossover SUV

In 2015, amidst a Pennsylvania downpour, an unexpected automotive experience unfolded. Behind the wheel of an Amc Eagle, a vehicle from 1985, I navigated challenging terrain – gravel roads washed out by rain and muddy tracks. This wasn’t a modern off-roader, but a thirty-year-old station wagon, yet it tackled the ascent effortlessly. The AMC Eagle, even in its age, showcased its remarkable four-wheel-drive capability, never faltering, never losing traction.

This experience encapsulates the essence of the AMC Eagle: a vehicle ahead of its time, blending an older design with innovative engineering. AMC enthusiasts proudly proclaim the Eagle as both the first four-wheel-drive passenger car and the original crossover SUV. However, this claim often sparks debate, reminiscent of the “Well yes, but actually no” meme.

Well yes, but actually no meme

While the AMC Eagle debuted in 1980, it’s crucial to acknowledge earlier four-wheel-drive passenger vehicles. The Subaru Leone (1972), Jensen FF (1966), and GAZ M-72 (1955) all predate the Eagle. Therefore, at best, the AMC Eagle could be considered the first American four-wheel-drive passenger car. But the question remains: can it simultaneously be the first crossover SUV? The definition itself creates a point of contention.

The term “crossover” often implies a vehicle built on a car platform but styled to resemble traditional, truck-based SUVs. It’s more than just a lifted car with all-wheel drive. By this standard, vehicles like the Audi Allroad and Volvo Cross Country, sharing body panels with their wagon counterparts, are not typically classified as crossovers. In contrast, the Audi Q5 and Volvo XC60, with distinct SUV styling, are.

The AMC Eagle’s design was strikingly similar to the AMC Concord, available in sedan, wagon, and hatchback forms. Despite its lifted stance, four-wheel drive, and plastic cladding, the Eagle shared its core body and interior with a passenger car line. For many years, the prevailing view, including my own, categorized the Eagle as a four-wheel-drive car, not a crossover SUV.

However, delving into the AMC Eagle’s original 1977 product proposal reveals a different perspective.

Product proposal for AMC Eagle

Following American Motors’ acquisition of Jeep in 1970, Roy Lunn, a British engineer with Ford GT40 experience, was brought in to modernize Jeep’s product line and explore the feasibility of a four-wheel-drive passenger car. In 1972, Lunn experimented by combining an AMC Hornet with a Jeep Quadra-Trac system. While functional, the prototype suffered from excessive noise and vibration due to the Jeep system’s characteristics and the Hornet’s unibody construction. With strong demand for existing AMC and Jeep models, the project was temporarily shelved.

AMC engineer Roy Lunn with an Eagle sedan

In 1976, a breakthrough emerged: the FF Developments/GKN viscous-coupling transfer drive. This system promised a quieter and smoother four-wheel-drive experience. Unlike the Quadra-Trac’s metal-on-metal limited-slip differential, the viscous coupling used discs spinning in silicone fluid. Lunn believed this technology could resolve the noise, harshness, and vibration issues encountered with the four-wheel-drive Hornet prototype.

AMC viscous coupling 4WD system diagram

Lunn, circumventing company policy that prioritized product planners for new vehicle concepts, secured funding to revive the project and build a new prototype. He collaborated with FF, GKN, and New Process Gear, the American licensee of the viscous technology. By June 1977, FF had constructed a four-wheel-drive Hornet prototype in England and shipped it to the United States. In July, Lunn presented his refined concept to AMC’s board.

Lunn’s insight extended beyond engineering. He observed a growing disconnect between Jeep’s marketing, emphasizing off-road prowess, and the actual usage by consumers. In a technical paper for the Society of Automotive Engineers, Lunn noted:

“It was evident that many consumers coming from the 2WD segments were buying the vehicles (Jeeps) for the security they offered for on-highway driving, although the only vehicles available were accented to off-road usage. This out-of-context purchase, particularly in high volumes, raises the question of whether there was a need for a new type of vehicle with a different balance of compromise accented to highway usage.”

In essence, Lunn recognized that while Jeep commercials showcased off-road adventures, most buyers sought on-road security and all-weather capability. This observation, commonplace today with the prevalence of SUVs primarily used for daily commutes, was a significant insight in the mid-1970s. Automakers were slow to realize that most Jeep buyers weren’t hardcore off-roaders; they desired four-wheel drive as a safety net for inclement weather. While a Jeep Wagoneer or Cherokee might be excessive, it still offered more practicality for families compared to a pickup truck, especially when four-wheel-drive passenger cars were scarce.

AMC tech illustration

By 1977, AMC’s passenger car sales were declining rapidly. Lunn’s product proposal, titled “8001 Plus Four,” offered a strategic path forward:

“American Motors has functioned most-profitably in situations where its products were unique in the marketplace. The current passenger-car decline is unquestionably partially due to a demand for larger vehicles; but our disproportionately low share of the small-car market is highly influenced by increasingly superior imports and domestic competition.

The ongoing product situation, particularly relating to emissions and fuel economy legislation, is also necessitating complete redesign of basic vehicles to meet a new market created by standards rather than customer demand or desire. AMC is not financially or creatively capable of being able to meet this changing situation in the main segments of the market. We have, therefore, to accept progressive annihilation or get back to where we started by finding unique slots in the marketplace which are legal on a continuing basis and are within our financial and creative capabilities. This product proposal relates to creating such a unique product as a natural combination of Jeep and Passenger Car factors.”

AMC faced pressure from import brands in the compact car segment and the Big Three in the full-size market. A unique product in a less competitive niche was crucial. Lunn proposed a four-wheel-drive car as a “natural combination” leveraging existing designs to minimize development costs.

AMC 4wd tech illustration

Crucially, Lunn highlighted a strategic advantage concerning regulatory compliance. With Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) rules and stricter emissions and safety standards looming, Lunn devised a clever classification strategy:

“A most important aspect of the proposal is the legal categorizing to meet safety, fuel economy, and emission standards. The specification content and package layout are designed such that the vehicle would be categorized as follows:

Safety—multi-purpose

Fuel Economy—non-passenger cars (starts in 1979 at 17.2 mpg)

Emissions—Light truck”

“These categories have obvious and distinct advantages over passenger-car requirements. This will enable us to pursue a course of action which will require less change to our basic powertrains and maybe a lower level of [emissions] control equipment.”

Roy Lunn’s proposal explicitly positioned the AMC Eagle not as a car, but as a light truck, exploiting what is now known as the “SUV loophole.”

This “SUV loophole,” as described by Hagerty’s Jason Cammisa, stemmed from differing regulations for “passenger cars” (sedans, wagons, etc.) and “light trucks” (pickups, SUVs). Regulations for passenger cars were considerably stricter in terms of fuel economy, emissions, and safety. This regulatory disparity, partly influenced by lobbying and partly by policy considerations, aimed to provide some flexibility for trucks, which were a smaller market segment and often required more powerful engines for utility purposes.

By classifying a vehicle as a light truck, manufacturers could benefit from less stringent engineering requirements and reduced development costs. This made trucks and SUVs more profitable, incentivizing automakers to invest more heavily in their design and marketing.

These regulations inadvertently created a feedback loop that fueled the explosive growth of the SUV market. This trend continues today, contributing to issues like increased pedestrian fatalities and air pollution. The US government’s classification of a Subaru Crosstrek, essentially a lifted Impreza hatchback, in the same category as a Ram 1500 highlights the extent of this regulatory outcome.

While these rules were initially conceived when SUVs were genuinely truck-based and primarily used for utility purposes, the modern reality, even more so than in Lunn’s era, is that most SUV drivers rarely utilize their vehicles’ full capabilities. Automakers continuously push the boundaries of vehicle classification, seeking to categorize car-like vehicles as SUVs. In this context, the AMC Eagle’s pioneering role in leveraging this loophole and blurring the lines becomes undeniable.

AMC Eagle advertisement

AMC’s board approved Lunn’s proposal, and the Eagle was officially classified as a light truck. While the prototype used a Hornet, the Hornet was redesigned into the AMC Concord for 1978. Consequently, the 1980 Eagle utilized Concord bodies, with modifications like fender flares and a distinctive grille. The advanced viscous-coupling four-wheel-drive system was an industry first, later adopted in Jeep vehicles, including the Cherokee XJ.

AMC and Lunn’s strategic use of the regulatory loophole was a pragmatic move in a challenging market. The long-term consequences of these regulations on the automotive landscape were unforeseen. Ironically, Lunn likely envisioned the Eagle as a more efficient and sensible alternative to larger, gas-guzzling trucks and SUVs of the time.

The AMC Eagle, compared to traditional trucks and SUVs, was smaller, more fuel-efficient, and easier to handle. It was intended to attract owners of less economical Wagoneers, not necessarily replace family sedans.

AMC Eagle wagon woodgrain

Despite its light truck classification and pioneering role in the crossover concept, labeling the AMC Eagle definitively as a crossover SUV remains debatable. The term “crossover” was not yet in common use during its production. AMC’s marketing materials often cautiously referred to the Eagle as a “vehicle,” “automobile,” or “sport machine,” occasionally using the term “car.”

Regardless of semantics, Roy Lunn and American Motors deserve recognition for their innovative approach in developing and launching such a groundbreaking vehicle with limited resources. Lunn’s engineering of the exceptional 4WD system, which remains impressive even after decades, is an undisputed achievement.

Joe Ligo is the director/producer of “The Last Independent Automaker,” a documentary TV series chronicling the history of American Motors Corporation.

1986 AMC Eagle off road in the forest