$975 1990 Eagle Premier

The Eagle Premier is a lost sedan that has flown totally underneath the collector radar. But it has a lot of important history tied to it.

Eagle was a brand by American Motors Corportaion. AMC lasted as one piece until the 80s. First, Renault gained controlling interest. Then, Chrysler bought it out altogether and dissolved it, although they kept the Eagle and Jeep brands.

The Premier, which was designed under AMC's partnership with Renault before they were bought out, is therefore notable for being the last American Motors car ever built.

They tried to go out on top, though. The Premier was supposed to herald the brand's focus on a new range of front-wheel drive family cars to fight Detroit and Japan's offerings.

It helped they got one of the greatest automotive stylists of all time (literally voted Car Designer of the Century by the Global Automotive Elections Foundation): Giorgetto Giugiaro. Using his trademark touch, he crated the definitive large sedan shape of the late 20th century: long hood, flat planes, minimal detail, a love for rectangular forms and a big greenhouse. It was not only handsome, but aerodynamic and efficient, with an impressive drag coefficient of just .31.

The interior is equally functional-mod with an array of buttons close to the steering wheel, clear gauges and simple layout.

One of the best things about spare exterior design is that it usually means a spacious interior, and the Premier is no exception. The comfy front and rear seats as well as the trunk are all huge.

Underneath the metal lay some sophisticated equipment, including fully independent suspension and a choice between either an AMC 4-cylinder or a Renault V6.

Unfortunately the car wasn't a success. Some blame a lack of faith and promotion on Chysler's part. Others point to the crowded field of competitors in which another sedan just didn't have a chance. Production ended in 1991, along with the Soviet Union and so many other things.

Seeing that so few were sold, even less remain. These aren't exactly things that people are preserving and restoring, either. You can bet a whole bunch were lost to Cash for Clunkers. This Premier is the kind of car that gets trashed and then scrapped.

This one claims only 75k miles and a bunch of new parts but a dead battery. The seller wants just $975 for it. Granted nothing else is wrong, a car battery is usually about $60-$100. Total investment to drive a piece of automotive history would be a little over a grand. Not bad.

Available here on craigslist.

1990 Dodge Monaco

The Monaco was a clone of the Eagle Premier.

The Premier holds a special place in automotive history. It was the last car produced by American Motors Corporation before being acquired by Chrysler. The body was designed by Giugiaro (yes, Giugiaro).

When AMC realized people who bought their Wagoneer truck chose European cars for sedans, they set out to create a American car that could bring those buyers back. But with Renault parts, front-wheel drive and poor reliability, that effort failed. It was more on the level of a Camry or Accord (although it looked way cooler than both), but didn't sell nearly as many units.

The Premier was produced from 1987 to 1992. In 1990, Dodge decided to re-badge the car and sell it as the Monaco alongside the Premier. The car was identical inside and out except for some small cosmetic changes. If any examples of the Premier are hard to find today, the Monaco is even rarer. I don't have sales figures but given the brief production time and fact they get trashed then scrapped has to make them on the verge of extinction, if not so already.

The body by Giugiaro is one of his lesser known classics. Just as he set the standard with the wedge shape of the 70s, he createed the prototypical four-door family sedan shape of the 90s with the Premier/Monaco. It's a masterpiece of form over function, all clean straight lines and hard angles. No nonsense, but some people like their cars that way. I do.

The seller of this example says it has less than 94k miles on the clock, and is mercifully the V6 version. They say it was always stored in a garage, but, like a lot of craigslist ads, are scant on details. How many owners? Is there any rust? Is it even running?

Auto snobs will never accept the notion of a front-wheel drive four-door sedan as a classic, but the Monaco screams to be saved and recognized. How few examples have to be left for bells to start ringing? There's just too much history and style to be ignored.

Available here on craigslist in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for "best offer takes it". First time I've seen that.

Summer's Almost Over! 1987 Renault Alliance GTA

Just in time before the end of summer comes this Renault convertible appropriately painted in white over tan interior.

It was actually made by American Motors Company and built in Wisconsin. Since 1979, Renault had an ownership stake in AMC, which resulted in dozens of cars until AMC's eventual sale to Chrysler in 1988.

The Alliance was produced from 1983-1987. It's a rudimentary front-wheel drive compact car to compete with the likes of Chrysler's K-cars. It even looks like a K-car, although that's not necessarily an insult. The shape is simple, clean, well-proportioned and generally inoffensive.

Although hopes were high and the car initially impressed, the complexities of AMC's relationship with Renault seemed to eventually defeat the Alliance. Not a wide enough variety of body styles were offered. The cars were underpowered. And reliability grew poor. It was eventually determined that despite the U.S.-based construction, the cars were really no better than notoriously poorly built French cars. The final slap on the face was in 2009 when Car & Driver retracted their 1983 naming of the Alliance as car of the year. Ouch.

This Alliance is the final-year-only GTA trim. It was a "high performance" edition that came with a 2.0-litre 4-cylinder engine producing 95 horsepower, body skirts, and various other mechanical and cosmetic upgrades.

The seller of this Alliance says they acquired it in 2006 with just 71,985 miles on it and have since put on only an additional 7,655 miles.

They have most records from '06 onward.

They say the vehicle was in an accident at some point, but was repaired. They say the rear window is cracked, but the power top works, although there are a few tears. They say the car was only driven in the summer during their ownership, and the undercarriage has been coated with rust preventer. They do mention there are a few cosmetic blemishes.

Mechanically, they say it shifts fine and does not burn or leak oil.

These weren't great cars in their heyday and they certainly aren't impressive today, but this is a very rare one-year-only edition in decent shape.

Find it here on ebay in Holland, Michigan.

Designer Family Sedan: 1990 Eagle Premier ES

The Eagle Premier was the last sedan made by American Motors.

It also bear's Giugiaro's styling. While he is better known for his edgy supercars of the '70s, it continually fascinates me to know he and his Italdesign studio actually sat down in the mid '80s and drew the lines for this ultraconservative family sedan. I love it. It looks great. Although he was no doubt inspired by the Audi 5000, the same philosophy of large, clean, flat planes he applied to two-door coupes is also used here and it works, miraculously. I especially appreciate the luggage rack on the trunk that incorporated the third brake light. We will probably never see these on new cars again but they have a wonderful charm.

This example is an upper-level ES trim, so it has large, comfy looking leather seats and alloy wheels. 1990 was the year they replaced trouble-prone electronics with a more reliable Chrysler system. '90 cars also had four-wheel disc brakes and a stainless steel exhaust system. They also mercifully did away with the 4-cylinder engine and offered just the V6. Unfortunately, they deleted the Design Giugiaro badges but I suppose they could be added on if you grabbed them from a wrecked model in a junkyard.

The seller says they are the original owner and the car has a '92 engine with only 30k miles on it, but is not running. They do say it has been "barn-kept" since 1995.

These were only made from 1987-1991 in relatively few numbers and many get junked every year. This could be chance to grab a neat looking survivor in bright red.

Find it here on craigslist in Piqua, Ohio for $1,500.