With just over six thousand of them having been produced over a two-year period, AMC’s unusual Eagle Kammback is the rarest of their Eagle 4×4 models. Yes, they were based on the former Gremlin body, your eyes aren’t deceiving you. The seller has this rare 1981 AMC Eagle Kammback listed here on eBay in Conrad, Iowa and the current bid price is $1,580.55, but the reserve isn’t met.
There’s the Gremlin look that we all know and love, or most of us. Some of us? Well, I do anyway. Combine that with AMC’s Eagle honeycomb grille, their AWD chassis, and in this case, a GM four-cylinder engine, and you have the Eagle Kammback. I have been looking for a really nice example of this model for years and they’re rare to see in any shape.
You can see that this AMC Eagle Kammback needs work. It’s nice to see the rear hatch and tail lights are still there and in good condition, those can be almost impossible to find. Unfortunately, all four bumper ends are not in good condition and are in fact missing. The seller may need to fill the rear cargo space with four-leaf clovers in order to locate replacements. Missing side trim on the driver’s door shouldn’t be as tough to locate but wheel center caps and any other trim may be a chore to find.
The seats appear to be in fine condition if a bit dirty. The carpet is almost impossible to see but I’d plan on at least a deep cleaning if not replacing it. The dash has a cover on it and we don’t know if it’s cracked underneath or if that’s for protecting it from being cracked. The back seat appears to be in perfect condition. The seller doesn’t give us much information about this car but they provide two videos here on YouTube, and another one here. It sounds like it needs exhaust work, add that to the list.
The engine is a Pontiac-sourced 2.5L “Iron Duke” inline-four which would have had 87 hp and 126 lb-ft of torque. The seller tells us that it runs and the four-speed manual shifts fine. They say that the rear brakes need work and that’s all we know about this car. Given how rare these cars are today, someone will have a fun project here and one that they likely won’t see parked next to them at any car show. Have any of you seen an Eagle Kammback or owned one?
Over the years I have seen these show up from time to time. They usually have the iron duke. Seems like this was made to be the value leader of the Eagle brand. Here is yet another case where AMC was the innovator but never reaped any benefits of its design. The Eagle wagon was a pioneer when it came to offering a midsize crossover wagon like the Audi Allroad or the Subaru Outback series. I would also argue to say the Kammback was the first personal crossover coupe that other manufacturers later copied.
It’s a shame AMC was at the wrong place and at the wrong time. It was a good company that was handed the wrong deck of cards. Every merger and acquisition seemed doom to fail. I guess history proves 2 wrongs don’t make a right. It will be interesting to see what comes of the Stellantis merger. I was working on a Jeep Renegade that was built in Italy with Alfa Romeo and Fiat parts. I was a Alfa trained tech back in the day. If someone told me a Alfa Romeo would form the basis of a Jeep I would have never believed it.
You mean you’ve never seen an Alfa 1900 Matta, alphasud?
I have! Even had a twincam “four,” just like a real Alfa!
Can’t cay I have. Or even a Alfasud in real life. Not too many made it to our shores. The Matta is a real off-road vehicle. The Renegade not so much.
This is a pretty cool AMC Eagle Kammback especially with the 4-speed. I’ve never heard of this model much less seen one. Thanks Scotty! No underside pics by the Seller so I’m guessing there is a reason for that due to rust.
If anyone is interested – I will be in the area of Conrad, IA this weekend. Will gladly take pictures of the underside, or what ever you need, to help you in your final quest to purchase this AMC.
Poor AMC. Always a bridesmaid, never a bride. They came out with these things, when 4WD cars were a novelty. If they could have just hung on until the 2000’s!
I purchased an 87 Eagle wagon last summer and am having fun with the hopes of making it to the Mendota IL AMC show in August. The Eagle was a pioneer here in the US of A. While the Gremlin Eagle is rare I would say the Eagle Limited 2 Dr is the best looking of the bunch.
One more tangent. I drove a 1990 Audi 200 Quattro wagon last weekend. 5 speed, 5 cylinder turbo all wheel drive California car. Very sharp! $47,000 in 1990 money. I may try to wait the ad out for a lower price.
I love my Eagle but the Audi was probably the high water mark of AWD in that era.
This is so cool to see, and a 4 speed as well. Nice find.
How available are Eagle AWD these days?
Always considered myself a AMC fan , but certainly not an expert. Took my driving test in the family 79 concord wagon. But give never seen a gremlin eagle. Very cool
Sam61, I have one of those Audis. I don’t drive it (many other cars in the fleet) But it drove great until the the fuel pump quit. (and I have not done anything in the repair side to fix it, it might just be the relay) If you are anyone else is interested, let me know.
This AMC is kind of neat. And there are lots of hop up goodies for these engines. (But really expensive!) The fact that if you want a cheap jump in horse power, you can just install a SBC as the bell housing is the same bolt pattern.
Wayne, Sam61. If you see this please email Audi pics and info. samnobinus@gmail.com. Thanks
I had a black limited wagon with beige interior and the woodgrain, beautiful car imo. Wish I had kept it
Nice find, Scotty! Around the 7th grade, having subscribed to R&T, C&D, and MotorTrend for years, I dreamed of building the ultimate rally car, a 304-swapped SX/4. Now that seems sad and pathetic, and I’m talking about my youth, not AMC. These seemed so high-tech, and you really felt like AMC had their act together. I’d prefer the 258, but this would draw a crowd at any car show, and get the puzzled looks and thumbs-up driving around. It’s no wonder I never had a girlfriend until the 10th grade. Thanks, buddy!
I like it. Agree a 258 would be nice, I don’t believe a V8 is needed for these cars. If you live in area where you get snow and ice on the roads or can take it out in the country for some off roading it would be fun to own. I live in a big city in the south so we seldom get weather that requires 4 wheel drive, and there’s not much off roading around here either, so I’ll leave this one for someone who can really enjoy it.
God Bless America
It amazes me how many variants and how many years AMC got out of the basic original Gremlin and Hornet body designs. This model is really unique and rare, and neat to see it here.
I love the eagles and their awd but this one is a dog to me !
Wow! I just watched this auction clock run down and with heavy bidding during the last five minutes, this one sold for a mind-blowing, crazy, gotta-be-a-world-record price of $15,100 for a project Eagle Kammback! The world is ending.