An Eagle of a different breed (and you thought OUR cars were rare...)

[DarthGremlin]

This '88 (?) Eagle Medallion wagon has appeared at the repair shop just up the street from me.  It appears to have not been washed for some time, but has current tags.  Other than being dirty, it could very well be the finest remaining example on the planet.

I remember seeing one of these on the lot at the Jeep/Eagle dealer in Gloucester, VA when they first came out, but I don't think I EVER saw one actually on the road.  I'll bet the production numbers on these make sales of the AMC Eagles look like an Accord or Camry.

Probably interesting only to me, but thought it was so unlikely I would share it with the group.  There would have been a time where this car sat on the same dealer lot as the final-year AMC Eagle.  (Even though the French Weirdness factor is just too high for me to even ask if this car is for sale, it does seem like it has an incredible amount of space for a compact wagon, AND it has a forward facing third row seat, which I would never have expected.)



Badge says: "Imported for EAGLE"

[mudkicker715]

To me its horrible chyysler did that. I hate all thoughts to this breed.

[shanebo]

There used to be a few of those things running around here in colorado springs, most were the sedans however. I havent seen one for 15 years or better. It was intended to replace the not so popular (in the states atleast) 18i sportwagon. It first hit showrooms in early 87', possibly even very late 86', but was only sold through AMC for a few months as a "Renault Medallion" when Chrysler snatched up AMC on March 9, 1987 it was rebadged the"Eagle Medallion"....it was short lived though, Chrysler dropped it in I believe early 1989. It was sold in europe up until 1994.

[Gil-SX4]

DarthGremlin if there are to many complaints about this so call Eagle you will get ban from the forum for the rest of your short life since some real AMC Eagles will be sent to take care of the problem.

[DaemonForce]

Last week I went to the local transmission shop and saw an Eagle Summit in the parking lot next to what had to be the oldest looking Honda in existence. This car looks so plain. Is it a RWD?

[DarthGremlin]

I wasn't looking to get banned from the forum for the rest of my life (although I hope it is not "short")...just thought this car was odd enough to share with the group.  I certainly don't condone it's existence as an "Eagle".  I think we all agree that the hurried nature with which Chrysler cobbled together the "Eagle" brand was, at best, ineffective, and, at worst, a travesty of epic proportions for those of thus who cared so much about AMC and the real Eagle.

I was just shocked that there was still one of these out there that was moving under its own power.  The fact that it was a wagon made it even more strange.  Just trying to share a unique sighting.

So, guys, just to be clear, I think this Medallion is a horrible car.

[Jurjen]

The European version was called Renault Nevada.
It was bad car, but very popular because of the space it had.

[Sunny]

The only eagle brand car that's not horrible is the talon. A buddy of mine had one in highschool and was pushing 450 horsepower and he still drove it in the winters because it was awd. I don't love them but he never had any problems with his and he loved it.

[amc78concord]

To me its horrible chyysler did that. I hate all thoughts to this breed.

I second that.  I don't really care what happens to these cars... 

[T5258]

So, guys, just to be clear, I think this Medallion is a horrible car.



[/quote]

 As someone who owned a Medallion (Renault badged) for several years, as well as an Eagle Premier, AND 2 SX/4's and an 84 wagon, let me say the Medallion was by no means a horrible car.  It was a victim of the Chrysler takeover, just like the Premier was...The Medallion was BY FAR the most "americanized" Renault to that point in time.  It had a decent amount of power, good handling (without the typical french car lean) and an excellent ride.  My parents purchased it new in Nov 87, and had NO problems with it at all.  I took it over in 1992 and had it for a couple of years, the only major expense being a t-belt replacement before it decided to break.  So, to say the Medallion is a horrible car is a little unfair....should it (or the Premier) have been badged as an Eagle?  No, but that isn't the car's fault.....

[shanebo]

renaults and mitsubishis had their ok cars and their terrible cars as most all auto manufacturers have (except AMC  ). In my opinion a true "Eagle" was a model of car that went down fighting in a blaze of glory in 1987 being the last actual AMC passanger car produced....The "Eagle" brand in my opinion is just a symbol of chryslers lack of ambition. About the only "eagle" that chrysler actually had a major hand in was the "Vision"

[Gil-SX4]

So how long were this things in the market?
Is Renault the Co that one of its major shareholder was the Vatican or was that the Fiat?

[shanebo]

I would imagine fiat...being Italian and all....however Mercedes Benz has built the "Pope-Mobiles" for the Vatican for some time now....I wonder if Mercedes has some financial ties to the vatican as well.

[AMCKen]

Perhaps connected with the Vatican in that you prayed you'd get to your destination. : )

[captspillane]

In my opinion a true "Eagle" was a model of car that went down fighting in a blaze of glory in 1987 being the last actual AMC passanger car produced

I disagree with that. The Jeep Cherokee was one of the most popular cars ever in terms of how long they were made without any significant changes and by how many were sold. The XJ is entirely AMC engineered. Even my 2000 XJ shares the same doors, engine, fenders, and interchangeable bumpers as a 1986 AMC XJ. It was all Chrysler could manage to improve small things like the intake and fuel injection. They were working with a solid design and they couldn't make anything drastically better. My 1985 AMC CJ8 Scrambler is also a direct ancestor of my 2006 Jeep TJ. I still consider it an AMC design that Chrysler just ran with. Lastly is the military Humvee and Generation one hummers. Those were designed by the same AMC engineers that designed the Eagle. It wasn't until Renault bought out too much stock in AMC that the government mandated that AM General be split off as its own company to prevent a foreign company from controlling a military vehicle supply. I'd love to put a Humvee NP242AMG where I now have a NP242J in my Eagle. AMC had a huge influence on many cars still made today.