It’s hard to believe that AMC couldn’t hang on longer than it did when it offered such interesting, useful, and just plain cool vehicles as this 1980 AMC Eagle 2-Door Sedan 4×4 with the Sport Package. This body style is hard to find today, and this one can be found here on eBay in Guttenberg, Iowa. The seller has a $14,500 buy-it-now price listed, or you can make an offer.
This rare, Olympic White 2-Door Sedan Eagle has the “Sport Package”, which includes some 4×4 graphic details, along with black bumpers, two black side view mirrors, fog lights, and some interior features. In case you were wondering what the front end looks like, here it is. Looking appropriately dated with individual rectangular headlights, I’ve always wondered what an updated, second-generation line of AMC Eagles would have looked like.
AMC offered the all-4×4 line of Eagle cars from late 1979 for the 1980 model year, until Chrysler took over in August of 1987. The only version that lasted for the 1988 model year was what was now called the Eagle Wagon, and it’s the body style that gets most of the love, and almost all of the airtime, as they made a lot of those compared to the other body styles. My personal favorite is the Eagle Kammback, a 4×4 version of the Gremlin, basically. The 2-door sedan only sold to 14,962 customers throughout its three-year run from 1980 through 1982.
The interior seems positively decadent, and if it were a Limited with leather seats, power windows, and power locks, it would be even more posh inside. This one looks almost like new inside, with beautiful era-perfect plaid seats both front and rear. Being a notchback sedan, this one has a trunk, and it also looks perfect. AMC used a lot of rustproofing measures on the Eagle line, and it seems to have helped preserve a lot of these cars for decades. The underside appears solid, and the seller believes the 59,767 odometer reading is correct. That being said, there are quite a few nicks, scratches, dings, and dents around the body of this car.
The engine is AMC’s famous 258-cu.in. OHV inline-six with 110 horsepower and 210 lb-ft of torque when new. It passes through a Chrysler-sourced three-speed TorqueFlite automatic and sends power to all four wheels as needed. The seller doesn’t give any information at all about how this one starts, runs, and drives, but we have to believe all is well mechanically, and it sure looks good cosmetically. Have any of you seen a 2-door sedan Eagle?
This looks like a nicely preserved example. I questioned the black bumpers at first but looked online and saw others from back then with them. I always thought they were chrome. It looks terrific inside and out. I think the mileage claim is legitimate. I am not sure about the price, it seems reasonable to me, if it is just as nice in person as it is in the photos. I think most of us on here are still in shock with walking out of the grocery store with two bags for 85 dollars. At least I am.Nice write up Scotty thank you.
Thanks, Driveinstile! Yes, sir, the black bumpers were part of the “Sport” package. A few years ago, this price would have seemed crazy, but as you mentioned, all bets are off in 2025 on prices.
Imagine Howard 😎 driving this I6, automatic beauty in a snowstorm ❄️ 🏔 just cruising along sensibly, passing many other 4wd trucks and awd vehicles that slid off the road like curling rocks. 👋
The thing is Stan. It really would do it too. These are terrific in the snow.
I’ve owned a few of the wagons and one of these sedans. Absolutely fantastic vehicles in all conditions especially SNOW. This is a stunner to say the least. They are a rarity these days even on the FB page dedicated to them. Just a shame that AMC did not stick around for a second and third generation.
“I’ve always wondered what an updated, second-generation line of AMC Eagles would have looked like.”
AMC actually did produce a prototype for 2nd-generation Concord and Eagle. It was still based on the same basic Hornet body, but tweaked to look more formal and angular. (The project was shelved due to financial constraints.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BN14FCrVGdQ&t=424s
Nice find, but… IMHO…. AMC may have survived had they targeted a different market. The AWD was a great idea, and AMC/Jeep had the credibility. But they always tried to appeal to a luxury class market. The vinyl top and fancy trim just didn’t mix well with the raised AWD. They should have gone with brush guards, rally lamps, and utility interiors. Hose out interiors like the Honda Element, and the go anywhere camping marketing of a Subaru. Just my opinion, but I see what people are doing to old Eagles today.
IM not so humble O. THIS is one of the best of the last AMC products. Anyone who regularly visits Barn Finds will not be surprised. Although too small and lacking chrome bumpers and trim, the Landau roof, OTT interior and accouterments make it a bon Marche. After the demise of AMBASSADOR, I lost all interest. But this definitely takes my EAGLE eye. But not enough to buy.
I can relate to your stance as regards the Ambassador. I owned three over the years. They were very reliable, easy to work on, floated down the road and made for some happy memories.
Either someone paid the asking or the seller changed their mind. It’s no longer available.
I think the auction ended with no takers at the seller’s asking price, JeffJ.
When I was a kid, I washed cars and took out the trash at an AMC dealership in a very small town in Alabama. We had a pretty much identical Eagle Sport 2-door to this one, except it was silver with a silver vinyl top. It was positively salesproof, and I’m quite sure it had at least one birthday on the lot. The owner would get so frustrated it wouldn’t sell that he tried everything to garner attention, including parking it backwards on the lot and writing something like “buy me” in white shoe polish on the windshield. I recollect it finally sold to a single military guy who had been calling around to stores looking for that very spec Sport, and flew in from up north and drove it back. I’m quite sure the dealership lost a ton of money on that thing, and that was the first and last Eagle we ever stocked.
I always thought these were very cool – but also was sure they’d look so much better without the ridiculous vinyl top and opera windows, especially for the Sport. I could never for the life of me figure out why one couldn’t get this with the original Hornet slick top and full rear quarter windows…it would have looked so much better – and definitely “sportier.”
I’ve owned two of these. One just like this one except it was red and black. Also had an 83 with the 258 and the selectable 2 or 4 wheel drive that was silver and black. Put close to 300,000 miles on each one. Loved them.