The little guy's capable little guy.(Escape Roads; American Motors' Eagle line of vehicles)

Byline: JOHN MATRAS

Never underestimate the little guy. He'll surprise you every time.

American Motors surprised just about everyone in the fall of 1979 by introducing the 1980 Eagle line. No doubt about it, AMC was the little guy, a distant fourth among U.S. carmakers and embarrassingly leaning on Renault for support.

But the 1980 Eagles-Concords raised three inches so an all-wheel-drive system could be slid underneath-not only made the press gaga, but sold at a rate to spell doom for the Pacer, which was mercifully executed for more Eagle production.

In 1976, Roy Lunn, who had headed the Le Mans-winning Ford GT40 design team, was tapped to develop a four-wheel-drive passenger car for American Motors. Lunn went to Ferguson Research for a prototype using a viscous differential, a new concept. The rights to this concept were sold to Chrysler's New Process Gear Division, and AMC worked with New Process to develop the production version for the 1980 Eagles.

With Eagles flying out of Kenosha, Wisconsin, all through 1980, two smaller birds were added for 1981. Based on the platform of the Spirit, a successor to the Gremlin, the new Eagles were designated SX/4 and Kammback. The fastback SX/4 was pitched as a sports coupe with off-pavement capabilities while the Kammback was a go-anywhere, subcompact two-door hatchback sedan. Both were available with Pontiac's ``Iron Duke'' four or AMC's 258-cid inline six and a choice of either a four-speed manual or three-speed automatic transmission. Unlike contemporary Jeeps, Eagles had independent front suspensions, but like the sedans they were based on, a live rear axle on leaf springs.

Of the two little Eagles, the Kammback was the rarer. A surviving 1982 model is now owned by AMC enthusiasts Barbara and Victor Nave of Wolcott, Connecticut. Its angular stern bears strong resemblance to the truncated Gremlin ...