AMC Eagle
Source: Wikimedia Commons
American Motor Corporation (AMC) designed & built many stunning vehicles before Chrysler purchased them in 1987, and the Eagle is one of our favorites. Today the Eagle is known as the 1st crossover vehicle ever made, with its 4-wheel drive and comfort taking them off road, but back in 1980 when the vehicle launched they had no idea was a crossover was. The AMC Eagle was decades ahead of its time, it wasn’t until the 2000s when crossover utility vehicles returned to popularity.
The Eagle offered owners a plethora of options, with a coupe, hatchback, sedan, convertible and our favorite odd cool car, the station wagon. The Eagle wasn’t a luxury car, but it was designed to get owners where they needed to go, no matter the conditions. In fact, the AMC Eagle was the vehicle used for America’s 1st ice-driving school.
As the AMC Eagle was designed for everyday American, the wagon sold for under $7,500 ($21,000 today) and over 180k Eagle’s were purchased in America from 1980-1988, and over half for our favorite station wagon.
Lada Classic
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Also known as the Lada Riva, The Lada Classic is the only Russian car to make our top 25 oddly cool cars. Although the Lada Classic is relatively uncommon in North America and Europe, this Russian car is still very common in any former Eastern Bloc nation. The Lada Classic first hit the roads of the USSR in 1980 and continued in Russia until 2012. The Lada has one of the most pleasant boxy car designs we’ve seen, and Russians loved them, buying up more than 3 million over the 30 years of production.
