Weekend Special- Eagle (1988-1998)

This is the badge that appeared on all Eagle
models during it's 10 year lifespan
(image credit-pinstopin.com)

The Eagle division of Chrysler was formed from the ashes of American Motors Corporation (AMC), which was about to go belly-up (you would think that "Phoenix" would have been more appropriate).  The Chrysler Corporation bought out AMC mostly to acquire the Jeep line of trucks as well a new-ish assembly line in Canada.  These nifty new assets also came with some sour ones, including their out-dated Eagle crossover and a pair of Renault's, the compact Medallion and full-size Premier.  Since Chrysler didn't want any of these cars badged as Chrysler, Dodge or Plymouth, these cars were marketed through a new division called "Eagle," after the former AMC product.  (I've heard rumors that then, Chrysler CEO Lee Iacocca liked the name "Eagle" and was considered a third contributing factor to AMC's buyout.)

The new Eagle division took flight in 1988 and consisted entirely of imported and rebadged models from Renault, Mitsubishi, and other Chrysler models (which would be a continuing theme throughout the brands life).  These cars were sold alongside Jeeps in mostly former AMC dealerships.

An AMC Eagle, which served as the inspiration for the new
Eagle brand.  The Eagle wagon was included in the lineup
for 1988 only.  

From day one, Eagle was more or less a thorn in Chrysler's butt, due mostly in part to the Medallion and Premier being built by Renault, who by that time was more or less shunned by the public and the press due to poor reliability and build quality.  Hell, even mechanics grumble under their breaths whenever a Renault came in because they were so frustrating to work on.  As a result, Chrysler's marketing department didn't put forth much effort into marketing the vehicles.  Bob Lutz, who was in charge of Chrysler's Global Product Development program at the time claimed in his autobiography that the Medallion and Premier were "sales proof," meaning that no matter how attractive and competitive the cars were, there was simply not enough consumer interest to justify giving the cars any marketing attention.  What sucked even more was that Chrysler was forced to sell these cars as part of the AMC buyout agreement.  So they more or less dumped Medallions and Premiers on the showroom floor and waited for an excuse to stop making them, which happened in 1989 when the Medallion was swept under the rug.  The Premier, while also a dust-collector on showroom floors, proved to be more useful to Chrysler, as it would serve as a basis for a future Eagle product.

1990-1994 Eagle Talon

Eagle would take more of a center stage in 1990 when they released the Talon, a sports coupe that was co-developed between Chrysler and Mitsubishi and assembled in Illinois.  The Talon was quite the performer, as it proved popular with the tuner scene (believe me, old beaten up and riced out Talons were a common sight in my high school parking lot).  The vehicle also sold relatively well and even outsold it's Plymouth sibling, the Laser.

1995 Eagle Vision sedan
photo credit-Hyline79 of Wikipedia 

  By 1993, Chrysler became "Renault-free" when they discontinued the Premier.  To fill the full-size car void, Chrysler introduced the "Vision," which was one of three cars built on Chrysler's new LH platform.  What made the Vision as well as it's Dodge and Chrysler siblings unique was it's "cab-forward design" which meant that the wheels were moved to the edges of the vehicle to make the ride much more smoother and the passenger cabin was moved forward to improve visibility.  The Vision was also noted as being the first car that can be equipped with paddle shifters (which were prone to failure).  I also heard that the Vision was the perfect car for going on Vision Quests! (Vision Quest is a movie...you should go watch it...no, there aren't any Eagle Visions in it.)

Aside from the Talon and the Vision, Eagle also sold the Summit sedan and wagon (although the latter looked more like a van than a wagon) compact vehicles. These cars were also built by Mitsubishi and were sold as the Dodge and Plymouth Colt.  The Canadian market had their own unique models, called the Vista and the 2000GTX (which were rebadged versions of the Summit's predecessor).  If I recall correctly, the Summit sedan was the most recent vehicle anyone can buy without an airbag.

Despite having an interesting lineup, Eagle cars never really caught on, mostly for the following reasons:

• The SUV boom was in full swing in the 1990s, and since Eagles shared a showroom with Jeeps, many customers who may have intended on buying an Eagle were swooned away by Jeep's Cherokee and Grand Cherokee.
• As mentioned before regarding the Premier and Medallion, Chrysler never put much effort into marketing the cars.  Whenever an Eagle product was showcased alongside a Dodge, Chrysler, or Plymouth, the Eagle would either be in the back, or partially blocked by the other cars.  
• There wasn't any car that was unique to the Eagle brand.  All their cars were rebadged models from other brands.  And a lot of these cars found themselves competing with its fellow Dodge stablemates.

In 1998, The Chrysler Corporation was bought out by Daimler-Benz.  One of the first orders of business under the new management was to shed unprofitable divisions, and Eagle was at the top of the list (Plymouth would follow three years later).

The 1990-92 Premier I saw in Kenosha

I knew several people over the years who have had Eagle products (mostly Talons, because SPORTS CAR!).  As far as my favorite Eagle car goes, it's actually a tie between the Premier and the Summit van.  As unreliable as it was, the Premier was quite an interesting car.  It was a smooth ride, looked like a BMW, and came in some interesting color choices.  A few months ago, I came across a near mint Premier ES Limited (top of the line) while I was in Kenosha on business.  Have I not been in a rush that day, I would've waited for the owner to return and shook his hand.  I at least snapped a picture, though! Even more ironic was that this particular Premier was parked in a lot that was once the site of the old AMC assembly line.

As far as the Summit van goes, I actually had a personal experience with one.  When I was 2, my family visited Disney World and we were given a red 1995 Summit van as a rental.  My parents praised it's good gas milage  and maneuverability.  My dad especially liked the fact that it did not have a 3rd row back seat (which we would have never used).  Had we not have gotten a new vehicle the year before, we would have definitely considered buying one.  Another unique thing about the Summit was that it can come equipped with all-wheel-drive AND a manual transmission.  I actually have a friend who has been looking under rocks for a stick-shift AWD Summit for years.

An Eagle Summit van similar to the one my parents
rented in Disney World.  

Here's an informative video on what to look out for when buying a new car that uses the Eagle Talon and Vision as examples.

Here's a promo video for the Eagle Summit wagon/van.

P.S-it has just occurred to me that the name of the street that leads up to my town's Police Department is called  "Eagle Summit Drive"...strange