Today, it is common to find manufacturers rolling passenger cars off their production lines with All-Wheel-Drive capabilities. Companies like Subaru and Mitsubishi have made such drivetrains legendary with their respective WRX and Evo models. However, vehicles like the Toyota RAV4 adhere closer to the design philosophy pursued by AMC with its Eagle SX/4. Envisaged as a comfortable road car capable of coping with mild loose surfaces and off-road usage, many believe the Eagle was a decade ahead of its time. Our feature vehicle is a 1982 Eagle SX/4 that the seller located hidden away in a garage. It was a one-owner classic that its original owner parked in 1995. The seller has revived it, but the buyer will need to complete the process of returning it to a roadworthy state. However, it appears that the required tasks are relatively minor, making it a prime candidate for someone to tackle in a home workshop. Located in Hatboro, Pennsylvania, you will find the AMC listed for sale here on eBay. The bidding has been pretty spirited, racing to $2,475 in a No Reserve auction.

Sun Yellow was one of the brighter colors that AMC offered buyers during the 1982 model year, and it is the shade that graces the panels of this Eagle. It continues to hold a respectable shine, although the body has accumulated a few minor bumps and bruises throughout its life. None of these are horrendous, and a competent person should be able to address these shortcomings without the need to employ a professional. AMC placed great emphasis on its rustproofing program, making it no surprise that the Eagle is virtually rust-free. The exterior looks clean, while the underside shots reveal that the same is true of the floors. The only problems the seller identifies are small areas around the rear hatch area and cowl, but none of these have penetrated the steel. The location is no surprise because both spots are above the border of the epoxy primer bath the company used as part of its rust prevention strategies. The bumper end caps are missing, and the buyer may face a challenge sourcing replacement parts. I performed an admittedly brief online search with no success, so the next owner may have to scour a pick-a-part or two to locate end caps. The remaining trim seems in good order, and there are no visible issues with the glass.

The overall presentation of the Eagle’s interior is pretty tidy, with one glaring exception. It appears that the previous owner may have swapped the original driver’s seat for one from a Chevrolet Camaro. Its upholstery doesn’t match the rest of the interior trim, and the modified seat brackets are sub-standard. Once again, the buyer may face a journey to a pick-a-part to find a decent replacement. The remaining trim and carpet are serviceable, with no significant wear or physical damage. The carpet appears slightly faded, but I wouldn’t consider spending $270 on a replacement set before treating the existing item to a deep clean. That may produce positive results that would save a few dollars on this project. The dash and pad look excellent, as does the wheel. This Eagle features the comfort of air conditioning, an AM radio, and remote exterior mirrors.

While the Eagle’s exterior styling was pretty conventional by the standards of the time, it was what lurked below the skin that helped it stand apart from the competition. Powering the AMC is a 258ci six-cylinder engine bolted to a three-speed automatic transmission. There appears nothing too radical at this point, and with a 110hp at the driver’s disposal, the ¼ mile ET of 20 seconds also looks par for the course in 1982. However, what happened to the power once it exited the transmission had many believing that the Eagle was a decade ahead of its time. For most cars of this type released in 1982, the power would eventually have found its way to either the front or rear wheels, but in this car, it feeds to all four corners. That gives the Eagle SX/4 impressive grip on dry surfaces and significant usable traction on loose or slippery surfaces. The trade-off was increased fuel consumption compared to more conventional offerings, but the company’s 1982 introduction of the “Select Drive” system allowed the driver to disable the front wheels into “free-wheeling” mode to improve fuel mileage. When the seller located this Eagle, it had been sitting since 1995. They coaxed it back to life and say that it runs and drives well. The motor sounds excellent, the transmission is smooth, and the AWD system works as it should. The buyer should not consider the vehicle roadworthy because the seller wisely recommends a thorough mechanical inspection to confirm no underlying issues that could represent a safety threat.

I have long argued that AMC deserved to be a hugely successful vehicle manufacturer because its approach was markedly different from that pursued by the “Big Three.” Where those companies possessed the financial resources to throw enormous sums at product development, knowing that they could recover these costs through high sales volumes, AMC developed groundbreaking cars like the Eagle SX/4 on a shoestring budget. In an ideal world, the company would have gone from strength to strength on the back of these cars. However, we don’t live in a perfect world. Sadly, the company that produced this great car considered by many as a decade ahead of its time ceased to exist before the 1980s drew to a close. Economic rationalism almost guarantees that we will never see another company like AMC, and the world is a poorer place for that.