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1997 Eagle Vision TSi
Country of Origin: USA
Design Info: A four-door full-size sedan, built on the front-wheel drive Chrysler LH platform, shared with the Chrysler Concorde, the Dodge Intrepid, and its eventual replacement, the Dodge 300M. The design was based upon Chrysler’s then-new “cab-forward” philosophy, with a larger cabin compared to contemporary vehicles to improve passenger room.
Engine Info: A 3.5 liter SOHC V6, the Chrysler EGE, which would also be used in the Plymouth Prowler. The engine produced 214 HP and 221 lb-ft of torque, though later more powerful, all-aluminum versions of the engine would be produced.
Type/Competition: A front-wheel drive saloon car, the Vision was sort of aimed at both Japanese and European imports. Giving it a shot at Acuras, BMWs, and Audis from this era would be appropriate. It would benefit from an expansion of more pedestrian, “regular” cars though.
History: When is a Lamborghini a French Chrysler? Well, never…But the Eagle Vision is as close as one gets.
It started with a design concept called the Navajo. The Navajo was never actually built, but when Chrysler acquired Lamborghini in 1987, designer Kevin Veruyn was asked to develop that design into a new concept car for Lamborghini, which was unveiled in 1987 at the Frankfurt auto show. Built with many Jalpa components, the concept car was considered a triumph of design by many at the time, with its dramatic scissor and reverse-scissor doors, and the wheels essentially put at the four corners of the car, creating very short overhands and an exceptionally large cabin. The “cab-forward” design, as Chrysler called it, was the most influential aspect to Chrysler’s executives, and plans to put a vehicle with these characteristics went into motion.
Meanwhile, financial problems at Renault and the assassination of Chairman Georges Besse, the biggest advocate for Renault’s future in America, meant that the French company wanted to divest itself of American Motors. A previous business arrangement with Chrysler made it a desirable buyer, and Chrysler purchased Renault’s AMC shares in 1987. Chrysler CEO Lee Iacocca had primarily been interested in acquiring Jeep, which would prove a valuable asset to the company in later years. Other aspects of the deal, however, were less advantageous.
Renault had spent a great deal of time and money developing a vehicle called the AMC Premier, based on the Renault 25, which it was then unable to take advantage of. The purchase agreement for Chrysler, therefore, included a requirement that Chrysler build a significant number of the Premier, with Renault recouping some of its losses by selling PRV engines to Chrysler.
As the AMC brand was not the desirable part of the purchase, Chrysler discontinued it in favor of the new Jeep and Eagle (named after the AMC Eagle) brands. While Jeep would be focused on building SUVs like the Cherokee, Eagle was envisioned as a brand appealing to Jeep customers with passenger vehicles, including the now Eagle-branded Premier.
As Chrysler continued developing the cab-forward design, it was failing to make money with the Premier. Though the car was not financially successful, many aspects of the design were praised, and while Chrysler defaulted on its agreement with Renault to build 300,000 Premiers and was forced to pay $200 million in penalties, Chrysler began adapting it into a new platform it would call LH.
With cab-forward designs inspired by the Portofino, Chrysler launched three LH platforms cars for 1993: The Chrysler Concorde, the Dodge Intrepid, and the Eagle Vision.
The Vision, aimed primarily at domestic buyers who typically preferred European cars, was built with some unique features, including European-styled amber indicators, a more taut touring suspension, and a tiny grill in the front badge. It also featured an unusual ad campaign, declaring it a “new concept car” which needed many changes to appeal to the mass market, but changes that would not be coming, as the Vision was “not intended for the general public.”
Unfortunately, this tagline was more prophetic than Chrysler would appreciate. Though the Vision would receive good reviews from a number of journalists, the car did not sell anywhere close to its LH siblings. Whether through poor brand recognition, a questionable marketing campaign, or a lack of clear identity, the Vision, perhaps the best of the LH cars, and Eagle as a whole, were discontinued in 1997.
Why it’s cool/unique/significant: The Vision, in many ways, is a seemingly pedestrian car with a very unusual ancestry. It was the only car Chrysler actually designed for Eagle, which otherwise sold AMC carryovers and badge-engineered Mitsubishis. It was also the last new car Eagle would introduce.
In another way, the Vision is the conclusion of a story, that of AMC. Eagle was really just a new name for American Motors, and the Vision, with its slightly unusual design, innovative features, and a bit of underdog status, is highly reminiscent of many of the vehicles in AMC’s past. It may not be a happy ending, a retirement into obscurity, but its influence carried on in Chrysler design for years, and its hardware even to today, with the current Dodge Challenger still built on a (highly-modified) version of the LH platform, the LA. Besides all that, it’s a French Chrysler Lamborghini. How weird is that?
