01
Origins
The Medallion was conceived as a Renault: the French company controlled AMC and planned the 21-based saloon and wagon as its mid-size American offering. Between announcement and arrival, everything changed — Chrysler bought AMC in 1987, created the Eagle division from the wreckage, and the Medallion landed in 1988 wearing a badge that had not existed when it was engineered. It was roomy, softly sprung and economical, with the front-drive packaging French buyers took for granted, but it faced the Taurus at its peak with a dealer network still working out what Eagle meant. Two model years and modest sales later it was gone, replaced in spirit by the Premier. The Medallion remains a curio of corporate archaeology: a car whose maker, importer and brand all changed before its first oil change.
1987 Eagle Medallion · order_242 from Chile · CC BY-SA 2.0
