Hi Chris:
I didn't know some of the recent history, however American Motors
Corporation, of Kenosha, Wisconsin, aka AMC, was formed in 1954 by a merger
with Nash and Hudson not Packard. After the deaths of the names Nash and
Hudson in 1957, all AMC products were called Ramblers - after the Nash
Rambler compact introduced in 1950, itself named after the original Rambler
which was the ancestor of Nash.
The Hudson connection was commemorated in the names of two of AMCs '70s
cars, the Hornet and the Pacer. These were famous model names of Hudsons
during the early '50s. In fact the Hudson Hornet was a NASCAR/AAA champion
for several years.
The Nash connection was through the Rambler and the Ambassador. AMCs small
compact in the '60s was the American and its muscle cars were the Javelin
and the AMX.
AMC acquired Jeep from Kaiser Corporation in the mid '60s and it was this
asset which led to the eventual purchase by Chrysler. The Eagle name
originated with the Willys car of the early '50s. Willys was owned by
Kaiser. It is interesting to note how AMC looked to its roots to name its
vehicles.
John McEwen
>To really set the record straight, it goes like this. Nash/Packard became
>American Motors. American Motors built a car called the Eagle in the 70's.
> It was a four wheel drive car built on the same platform that brought us
>the Pacer. American Motors also owned Jeep.
>
>Chrysler bought American Motors in the 80's, to get the Jeep name. At this
>time, American Motors was actually owned in part by Renault, and the cars
>being offered at this time were co-designed with Renault (Alliance, Encore,
>Premier). In order to appease all the interested parties at AMC at the
>time, Chrysler agreed to continue to manufacture cars that at the time were
>being sold by AMC dealers, as part of the buyout. The AMC product line
>became Eagle. The original marketing plan called for the division to offer
>cars that would be "import-like", to fight for the market segment owned by
>the Japanese, and to a lesser extent VW. Recent offerings included the
>Vision - an Eagle badged LH sedan (like the Dodge Intrepid), the Talon
>(Co-built with Mitusbishi, also sold as the Plymouth Laser and with a
>Mitsubishi nameplate), and a little sedan and a microvan that were
>re-badged Mitsubishis.
>
>With the end of the 1997 model year, the Eagle brand was discontinued. A
>current move is underway to consolidate dealerships that carry Jeep with
>other dealers, probably Chrysler-Plymouth dealers, as the Dodge dealers
>already have a viable truck product.
>
>Regards,
>
>Chris
>
>At 09:19 AM 12/4/97 -0600, John Steczkowski wrote:
>> i maybe terribly wrong, but i thought chrysler had a hand in eagle.
>>i know that the talon, plymouth laser, and mitsu eclipse were the same
>>car for a period of time....in fact, manyof chrysler's cars were re-
>>badged mitsubishi's for awhile....since NAFTA, chrysler builds them in
>>mexico...
>>robt.
>>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>>
>>
>>Benjamin Ruset wrote:
>>
>>> >1. Lots of marques disappear without a word. I'm old enough to remember
>>> >De Soto, Hudson, Rambler, American Motors, Packard. The only one I do
>>> >remember a fuss over was Tucker, and that was a scandal, not a regret.
>>> >Back then us kids could tell the cars apart, and identifying the year and
>>> >make of a car was important to kids. Now all the cars look like they
>>> >should be squashed with the heel of a shoe. Perhaps that's why we like
>>> >classic cars, they have style and romance about them.
>>>
>>> Isn't AMC = Eagle?
>>
>>Actually, AMC=Jeep and most Jeap dealers are Eagle dealers.
>>Isn't Eagle now kaput as well?
>>
>>
>>>
>>>
>>> I agree. Most of these econbox commuter cars should be squished!
>>>
>>> >Also, the Jaguars that you are so high on are owned by Ford, who greatly
>>> >improved their quality.
>>>
>>> ... and their looks, and their styling, and ...
>>>
>>> BEN RUSET
>>> -----------------------------------------------------
>>> 89 Mercury Cougar
>>> 78 MGB Roadster
>>> -----------------------------------------------------
>>> Crossroads - http://www.monmouth.com/~bruset
>>> Safety Fast! - http://www.infi-pos.com/~oasis
>>
>>
>>
>>--
>>John Steczkowski
>>Director, Business Systems Solutions, Central
>>PSW Technologies, Inc.
>>512-343-6666
>>stecz@pswtech.com
>>http://www.pswtech.com/~stecz
>>http://www.pswtech.com O-
>>
>>
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