Here's my next installment of this lovely lecture series.

]AMC/Jeep/Renault

While the late great American Motors Company was having issues at the start of the 1980s, the famous Jeep brand was still raking in the dough. Why? it was the vehicle that helped win World War II. The CJ in its various revisions lasted for almost 30 years.







When the French automaker Renault acquired majority control of AMC in 1982, Renault started development of a new Jeep model which sparked the SUV revolution. This vehicle was the Cherokee (XJ) with its sister model the Wagoneer. Renault also pumped money into advertising and marketing big time with some pretty over the top ads.





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I just love in the last ad where the XJ passes the GMC Blazer on the left. This is a little jab at the fact the the XJ beat GM when it put the XJ on sale first.

Also was introudced was the XJ-derrived Commanche (MJ). It was one of the few Jeep-branded pickups. I just love the fact the train stops in the first ad.





At the time of Renault's control of AMC in 1982, there was 3 seperate vehicle lines: Renault, AMC, and Jeep. Each one of these had their own seperate sales, marketing, engineering and management groups. Dealers pretty much sold all three. This next video illustrates all 3 product lines. It was a video played at dealers.



Renault introduced its first US-produced model, the Alliance which was based upon the Renault 9 sold in Europe. Renault showed this long ad for the Alliance Convertible that was pretty weird. However, having lived in France briefly in roughly the same era, Renault produced just as looney ads there.




This was one of the first ads to highlight the concept of an American company making European cars.





During this era, there was only ONE celebrity endorsement of any Renault/AMC/Jeep vehicle. and it was Geroge C. Scott

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Another vehicle introduced was the Fuego. The Fuego was I beleive the only car in Renault's lineup other than the Renault 5/Le Car that was pretty much a common design around the world. It was an all original design instead of just being extensions of previous Renaut models. Interesting tidbit: Car & Drive magazine apparently did not know what to classify the AMC-built Renault cars as Imports or Domestics.



There was also the Renault Encore, which its high then falling sales started the spiral to end the french-ownership of AMC. The commercial is kind of nutty too.



While there was all this hype with Jeep and the Renault lines, the AMC brand had one last hurrah; the AMC Eagle. The Eagle was a result of combining the body of a AMC Concord with the off-road performance of a Jeep. The development lead to the first vehicle with All-Wheel Drive, contrary to what Subaru claims they invented it first. (The Eagle beat the Subaru Loyale to the showroom one year earlier)

Anyone remember the "We are Dodge, and this is how we build our trucks"! commercials, where they would drop in to the frame from the ceiling behind the spokesman?

i love how Skelly waxes poetic all over Jeeps and Renaults but anyone who was actually old enough to DRIVE these cars and trucks when new knows what UTTER FLAMING PIECES OF SHIT THEY WERE. The early Cherokees and Wagoneers were rocking crappy GM engines that had about as much performance as my left testicle. The early 2.8's were crap. And then Renault??? Renault, AMC's and Jeeps were GUARANTEED to be rotted out inside of four or five years here in the northeast. I don't mean that endearing ugly rust, either. I mean the rust that means the car is about to break in half.
A Renault Alliance made a Chevy Cavalier of the same vintage look like a Bentley. It made a Plymouth Horizon look like a rally car.

Let's see, there was the Encore, the Alliance and the Fuego... all ugly, all junk. And then Renault folded their tents and went home. I think their last gasp was the Eagle Premier/Dodge Monaco...

there was a reason AMC went tits up, ya know.
Why was there no ads for the Jeep Scrambler? I always wanted one of those.

Posted by Samurai i love how Skelly just fawns all over Jeeps and Renaults but anyone who was actually old enough to DRIVE these cars and trucks when new knows what UTTER FLAMING PIECES OF SHIT THEY WERE. The early Cherokees and Wagoneers were rocking crappy GM engines that had about as much performance as my left testicle. The early 2.8's were crap. And then Renault??? Renault, AMC's and Jeeps were GUARANTEED to be rotted out inside of four or five years here in the northeast. I don't mean that endearing ugly rust, either. I mean the rust that means the car is about to break in half. there was a reason AMC went tits up, ya know.

Hahaha. I'm writing these like I am Joe Isuzu

I actually never cared for the Americanized Renaults; they were awful cars. The Renault Engineers at the time just didn't get how to build an American car; I've read that the AMC engineers tried to tell the engineers over in France on the Alliance about many things that would fail and they did not seem to understand. They gave up trying when the Fuego came out. However, they were PRESSED for input on later became the last truely designed AMC/Renault car, the Eagle Premier which did probably the best of them all in sales.

The selection of GM engines on the early CJs and SJs actually was more of a cost cutting measure, they knew they sucked balls, but it lead the AMC engineers to develop the famous AMC 242.


I think they may have been successful if they had the AMC engineers just taking Renault designs and doing the conversions themselves. I only mention them just for being the automobile oddity they were. Renault does make great lightweight cars, but it just didn't work right here.

The only Renault I really really loved was the Renault 5 aka the Le Car. My family had the 5 when I lived in France and man, that little bugger did pretty good. It kind of reminds me of the Yugo, which I believe Samarui you actually were impressed with.

a guy i work with had a FLEET of Yugos and I actually had the opportunity to beat a GV like it owed me money. There was nothing you could do to hurt that car. The engine didn't have enough cam to let it wind hard enough to blow up. It didn't have enough gearbox to get really rolling. It didn't have enough tire to let you drive it over a twisty road hard, BUT YOU COULD DRIVE THAT FUCKER UP A LOGGING TRAIL LIKE IT WAS AN ATV. Out on the ice, it was a fearless motherfucker. There was just no place that car would not go. I remember we took it across a beaver flow into Moose Mountain Pond here... had water coming over the hood, Rob into the throttle for all it was worth, the car just BLASTING through the fucking water... Another time, he was jumping it off the shanty ramp at the local boat launch. It was only a 4 foot drop, but at 40-50mph, it's a goodly distance. I remember there was a Subaru Justy and a Daihatsu Charade in attendance that night... it became a challenge to see which car would break first.
(as I recall, the Justy broke first)

The coup de gras was when Rob put a GV body on a CJ5 frame...

Yugos were fun because they were the epitome of shitbox and pretended to be nothing else.

Posted by Samurai a guy i work with had a FLEET of Yugos and I actually had the opportunity to beat a GV like it owed me money. There was nothing you could do to hurt that car. The engine didn't have enough cam to let it wind hard enough to blow up. It didn't have enough gearbox to get really rolling. It didn't have enough tire to let you drive it over a twisty road hard, BUT YOU COULD DRIVE THAT FUCKER UP A LOGGING TRAIL LIKE IT WAS AN ATV. Out on the ice, it was a fearless motherfucker. The coup de gras was when Rob put a GV body on a CJ5 frame... Yugos were fun because they were the epitome of shitbox and pretended to be nothing else.

The Renault Cinq was kind of like that but with a decent engine. It was meant to be a city car, but it could keep up with the sedans when you go on the highways in the French Alps at 100 MPH. Its one of the few hatchbacks I actually like.

Come to think of it, I think the Jeep divison engineers should of talked to the Renault Engineers and created a Eagle successor based up on the Renault 21. Now, that would of made Subaru shit their pants!

I had an '84 Cherokee with the 2.5 liter Renault engine. It was such a flaming POS. My '90 with the 4.0 was good, though.

And I LOVED my '82 Eagle!!

the Eagle SX/4 was actually a pretty cool car and now they are IMPOSSIBLE to find. A friend of mine's cousin has one and it has been restored, but he never drives it. Another friend of mine had an AMC Spirit that his girlfriend beat mercilessly. Basically, the Spirit was just an SX/4 with two wheel drive.

Posted by bandi I had an '84 Cherokee with the 2.5 liter Renault engine. It was such a flaming POS. My '90 with the 4.0 was good, though. And I LOVED my '82 Eagle!!

Actually...the 2.5 litre was an AMC Engine...

Posted by Samurai the Eagle SX/4 was actually a pretty cool car and now they are IMPOSSIBLE to find. A friend of mine's cousin has one and it has been restored, but he never drives it. Another friend of mine had an AMC Spirit that his girlfriend beat mercilessly. Basically, the Spirit was just an SX/4 with two wheel drive.

If you ever take a trip to Kenosha, Wisconsin, its like going back in time. Eagles are everywhere.

Posted by Agent Skelly Actually...the 2.5 litre was an AMC Engine...

It had a Renault crest stamped on the block, head and intake. And it fucking sucked.

Posted by bandi It had a Renault crest stamped on the block, head and intake. And it fucking sucked.

Sounds like it was the 2.8 which was a Renault engine, which that did suck but the 2.5 Litre was the AMC I4.

2.8 was a 6 cyl, wasn't it?

Posted by bandi 2.8 was a 6 cyl, wasn't it?

Ugh, now I am questioning my own memory so I had to go look this up:

Here is what engines were options per Wikipedia:

2.5 L (150 CID) AMC 150 I4
2.8 L GM 60° LR2 V6
2.1 L Renault diesel I4
4.0 L (242 CID) AMC 242 I6
4.0 L (242 CID) AMC 242 H.O. I6
4.0 L (242 CID) 242 Power Tech I6
2.5 L VM Motori diesel I4

well while we are at it
















here are the 80s J body quints. this body style had 6 dashboards

cavalier, cimarron, sunbird dash in the caddy (all years) chevy (82-90) sunbird (82-88)

cavalier z24 dash

cavalier post 91 dash

sunbird post 89 dash (nicest in my opinion)

buick/olds dash

yeah the first gen J bodies were a bit of a hobby

Posted by Agent Skelly Ugh, now I am questioning my own memory so I had to go look this up: Here is what engines were options per Wikipedia: 2.5 L (150 CID) AMC 150 I4 2.8 L GM 60° LR2 V6 2.1 L Renault diesel I4 4.0 L (242 CID) AMC 242 I6 4.0 L (242 CID) AMC 242 H.O. I6 4.0 L (242 CID) 242 Power Tech I6 2.5 L VM Motori diesel I4

Weird. I woulda bet my life it was a renault engine. And it definitely kinda ran on gas.

the last Cavalier commercial gave me a sincere chubby.

the 2 door in the last commercial has always been my favorite cavy.
mainly because its a safe care, it aint the prettiest but i know its safe.
when I was younger someone very close to me in my family rolled one off a bridge, it rolled 8 times and landed next to a river/stream on its roof.
the windows were difficult to kick out but eventually they got it out and made their way out of the car..........therefore I love that car

Posted by team haymaker the 2 door in the last commercial has always been my favorite cavy. mainly because its a safe care, it aint the prettiest but i know its safe. when I was younger someone very close to me in my family rolled one off a bridge, it rolled 8 times and landed next to a river/stream on its roof. the windows were difficult to kick out but eventually they got it out and made their way out of the car..........therefore I love that car

one of my best friends' aunts was in a severe wreck in a 1993 or 1994 Cavalier. She was forced off the interstate by a drunk driver, hit a culvert head on at 65mph and flipped the car end for end 6 or 7 times (according to witnesses). She walked away from the wreck with a bruised wrist and sprained ankle.

i had an 84 Cavalier Type 10. As beat and pummeled as that car was, i still was somewhat fun to drive.

those 80's cavaliers had a weird interior smell