Every so often, we all come across glorious automotive anomalies. Those pinch-me moments that makes us question reality, due to the sheer implausibility of seeing what’s before us. Here’s another one: This 1991 Eagle Premier ES Limited recently sold for $3,400 on Hemmings Auctions, and it might be the nicest one left in the country.
If you’re younger than 30, you’re probably wondering just what the hell is in these pictures. Allow me to introduce a mashup of Renault components and AMC styling sold under Chrysler’s umbrella. See, in the 1980s, AMC was tied at the hip with Renault, and in 1986, Renault chairman Georges Besse was, um, assassinated by a far-left militant group. Besse is remembered as a big champion of trying to make the AMC thing work, and in the wake of his sudden demise, Renault didn’t want anything to do with American Motors. Enter Chrysler, swooping in to buy AMC in 1987. The Jeep brand and the Brampton assembly plant were the real prizes, but a few products still in the pipeline ended up being sold as Chrysler products, such as the Eagle Premier.
This positively rectangular sedan represented an interesting mashup of Italian style and French mechanicals. It’s based on the Renault 25’s monocoque, uses some Renault 21 suspension bits, was offered with the PRV V6 popularized in the public conscience by the DeLorean, featured an interior by AMC’s own Dick Teague, and wrapped it all up in Giugiaro sheetmetal. It was developed on a shoestring budget from completely bonkers circumstances, and yet turned out almost normal.
Alright, so putting the lighting, wiper, and HVAC controls on weird pods behind the steering wheel was moderately ludicrous, but set those quirks aside, and the Eagler Premier becomes conventional. It’s a front-wheel-drive sedan with a pretty normal dashboard, normal gauges, normal seats, and normal styling. Well, normal styling on most trims.
See, this is the range-topping ES Limited trim, which means it gets a chunky skirt package, a monochrome exterior, rear disc brakes, bucket seats, and all the trimmings. Sure, its V6 engine made the same 150 horsepower and 170 lb.-ft. of torque as the V6 in the standard car did, but sometimes it’s swagger that counts. This thing? It’s got it.
According to the listing, this Eagler Premier was bought new at AMC-turned-Chrysler dealer Chilson Motors, traded back in sometime in 1999, and liked so much by the dealer that it was kept in a climate-controlled collection until 2022. That’s more than two decades of preservation! As a result, this thing only had 91,457 miles on the clock when it sold last week, a small sum for a 30-plus-year-old family sedan.
Okay, so it isn’t perfect. The air conditioning packed up sometime over the past three-plus decades, there are a few minor cosmetic imperfections to tend to, and the tires rock the spooky date codes of 1999. However, this is genuinely a case of “find another.” Where else are you going to see an Eagle Premier ES Limited in this condition?
There’s an undeniable appeal to well-preserved everyday cars because it feels like a public service instead of an expectation. Think of it this way: Sports cars are typically third or fourth cars, used sparingly on weekends and tended to with care. Of course, they’re going to survive. However, the regular stuff? The stuff that everyone saw around but nobody thought to preserve? That’s rare right there. It wouldn’t surprise me if there were fewer Eagle Premiers on the road in America than Ferrari F50s, and that’s a shame. So, here’s to everyone whose idea of having fun with a car is preserving something regular but meaningful. The world depends on you for its future hits of nostalgia.
(Photo credits: Hemmings Auctions)
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I have to chime in as I own a 1991 Eagle Premier ES with just under 50k miles. I bought it a little over 2 years ago and it had 47666 miles! It was the cheapest car I could find with under 50k miles. I work from home so I just needed a car get around town. This car has been great for my needs and only goes to dispensaries, car shows, and to pick up my son from school. It shows just as nice as this car and doing a google search brings up my exact car a 2 tone black with gray on the bottom. It drives very nice and I have put very little money into it. All of the problems it has are what has been mentioned and basically all poor electrical connections. The issues I have are the HVAC system has a mind of its own, I pulled the fuse to avoid it completely, the horn shorts out, and ow the odometer stopped working about tanks ago. I hace found a reputable mechanic and I have the service book with all electrical wiring diagrams. I hav also been able to find quite a few parts on eBay, from the interior clock and radio to the pinstriping. I plan on keeping this and maybe doing a full restore as it’s an all original survivor class car no one will ever see again. Until I read this article I thought I had the nicest example remaining on the roads. I still may have and wish I could post pics, but this car is sure to turn plenty of heads.
My mom had an Eagle Premier in the early 90s (and later an Eagle Vision!) the Premier had its AC fail and went through 2 transmissions in a few short years. Plus as I recall the transmission was from Renault and none of our American mechanics could figure out how to repair it.
It did have the earliest remote door unlocking device I can recall though
I was considering bidding on this when Hemmings emailed me about it, but I a) don’t have space and b) want a Suzuki Wagon R more. I hope it will get the treatment it deserves!
I unabashedly love the Premier. As you said Thomas, the last gasp of a strange alliance. I find late AMC super fascinating. I heard that this car informed the 90’s LH cars from Chrysler?
I had the opportunity to drive a clapped Premier in maroon with a matching interior back in 2011. I got to drive it when I worked for a university biological station in the great lakes of Michigan. For many years this place had no money and rarely got university vehicles except for some 16 passenger vans. The director was constantly taking donated vehicles of any kind for staff, students and researchers. People were driving anything from a first gen Tacoma with a bent frame to a fully furnished conversion van with shag carpet and swiveling captain’s chairs. The Director had reserved a donated 1976 (bicentennial edition) Oldsmobile 98 for his personal use to cruise around the island with. It was a goofy place.
I drove said Premier as we were trying to move disabled vehicles to a staging area in order to get them junked. Sadly A lot of fun cars got wreaked that day. A butt load of engine starter later and a jump we got the premier to drive under its own power. I remember it being quite floaty when taking the lumps and bumps of the dirt road (could have been low tire pressure). The digital dash and podded controls fully solidified that the future envisioned by designers of the 1980’s was superior to the cars of the 2000’s era recessions I was used to.
I was happy to get a chance behind the wheel since I’d been eyeing the Premier since arriving at the station. I had no idea what it was. It gave me the impression of a 1980’s Audi 100 or a Saab 9000 which were my only frames of reference. Now I know it comes straight from the Renault 25. Gallic automobile knowledge was absolutely absent in my small town upbringing.
I’m so glad there is a nice one being taking care of. I know the Bishop has worked on an alternate reality AMC lineup, had it lived. I would love to see the evolution of the Premier into the 90’s and 2000’s
This thing definitely has vibes that say “budget Audi 100”
I would own the hell out of that.
I love some well preserved cars. My guilty pleasures are old fire trucks. ’60s Internationals and Dodge Power wagons or rams are insanely satisfying to me. Seeing an extremely low milage one is great, especially here in Europe.
I recently learned that the transmission in these was co-developed between Renault and Volkswagen – the 095 and 096 elecontric 4 speed w/ lockup. They were *not* a good transmission from everything I read. It got improved in ~1996 to the 01M, which could just about make it out of the warranty period…
IMO this transmission is why VW stopped offering a 10/100 powertrain warranty around 2000.