And, in 1948, American Eagle Automotive released its first production automobile to the Gasmea Region…
#The 1948 Delux Coupe
(Yes the spelling is intentional, it is pronounced with a short e sound.)
In 1948 it was released only in coupe trim. Carrying some chrome cues borrowed from other cars of the time, it looked rather average or normal to the common man. But the Delux Coupe was not meant to be super flashy, or eye-catching. It was designed to showcase confidence modestly, as you would want from only the best business man or salesman.
And it was designed to attract the young, but modest, business man or salesman. It came only with a premium vinyl bench seat and a 3 speed manual transmission that limited the car to a top speed of about 70 mph. The paint was the semi-matte “Rover Blue” color, or gloss black only, as American Eagle Automotive did not have the funds to acquire more color choices at the time of production.
As Andrew Eagleson and his salesman-minded friend, Eric Johnson, went around the country to tour the new car in 1947, they started asking people how much they’d spend on this new car if they could buy one. The initial prices were higher than Eagleson or Johnson expected! People really liked the idea of the premium interior, and the optional premium am radio was very popular, so popular that Eagleson made it standard equipment when he got back to the factory! With a standard markup of 20%, the Delux Coupe was reasonably priced at $2,991.67
And It sold well, helping recoup the costs of starting an automobile company faster than anticipated. But that’s not to say they payed all debts back, not yet.
Because in 1949 American Eagle Automotive released two more trims based on the Delux body.
#The 1949 Delux Club
A four door variation of the Coupe, made to target the family categories in the Gasmea Region. After realizing the initial success of the coupe, and noticing how many were bought and used by families, AEA decided to produce a family-oriented trim.
With two cloth bench seats for a total seating of 6, The Club sold well. Still using the standard premium am radio, 100hp 200ci engine, and the same 3 speed manual transmission, it was fairly easy for AEA to produce the Club along side the Coupe. And it came standard in one of this year’s newest colors: “Baby Blue”.
At the same time, AEA was also able to set up a smaller assembly line for the variant Oliver Redhawk felt was needed:
#The 1949 Delux D-100
The truck variant. It was equipped with a spartan interior… That is, as basic as possible. Standard cloth seats, painted floorboards replacing the carpet used in the other trims, less safety features, and the same engine and transmission as the other trims. The D-100 did well in the delivery markets, the biggest complaint being the chrome trim on the bed sides would get damaged easily, and was unnecessary. Many even completely removed the trim from the sides when it first got damaged as a result.
The D-100 was also noted for good off-road manners due to the 4X4 design, and it also came equipped with knobby tires, and manual lockers standard. It was only available in the new “Sand” color, or gloss black.
All three trims did well in 1949, but as 1950 approached American Eagle Automotive was not prepared. Other manufacturers were releasing brand-new models for 1950, eroding some of the success AEA had enjoyed earlier. And that erosion continued into 1951.
##Model Refresh
But the Delux Coupe got a refresh in 1951. In it, the rear chrome strip was deleted, and “Sunburst” became a new color choice, though few opted for it. And sales went up… Slightly. The refreshed trim was not enough. American Eagle Automotive needed to do something more. So the small design team started working on a new body to take over the Delux name, along with minor refreshing to the other two trims.
Oliver Redhawk also got to work designing a new engine variant based on his 200ci Gen 1 V8. This, the Club, and the D-100 refresh came in 1952. Both trims came with an upgraded 3 speed manual transmission capable of 100mph. But even this did not stir the general public in 1952.
###Hopefully Andrew Eagleson and Oliver Redhawk could keep up with the ever-changing automotive landscape with the next body for the Delux, scheduled for release in 1953.
###Technical Data:
1948 Delux Coupe
2 Door, 3 Seat Premium Coupe
Steel Ladder Chassis, Steel Body Pannels
Drivetrain Type - FR
McPherson Front Strut, Solid Axle Leaf Rear
3 Speed Manual Trans
Weight - 2356 lbs
Gen 1 SB OHV V8 - 200ci
7.7:1 Compression
100hp @3600 rpm - Redline @3900 rpm
0-62 mph in 14.1 Seconds
Quarter Mile - 19.98s @72mph
72mph Top Speed
Cornering - 0.59 Gs @24.1 mph
Pricing
$10,080 AMU (20% markup)
1948 Price: $2,991.67
(Mid-priced, cheaper than a Lincoln, almost on par with what a Hudson would cost, more expensive than a Ford)
1949 Delux Club
4 Door, 6 Seat Standard Sedan
Steel Ladder Chassis, Steel Body Pannels
Drivetrain Type - FR
McPherson Front Strut, Solid Axle Leaf Rear
3 Speed Manual Trans
Weight - 2454 lbs
Gen 1 SB OHV V8 - 200ci
7.7:1 Compression
100hp @3600 rpm - Redline @3900 rpm
0-62 mph in 13.3 Seconds
Quarter Mile - 19.38s @73mph
73mph Top Speed
Cornering - 0.66 Gs @25.4 mph
Pricing
$10,680 AMU (20% markup)
1949 Price: $2,851.04
(Mid-priced, slightly lower than the Chrysler Town and Country)
1949 Delux D-100
2 Door, 3 Seat Basic Truck
Steel Ladder Chassis, Steel Body Pannels
Drivetrain Type - 4X4
McPherson Front Strut, Solid Axle Leaf Rear
3 Speed Manual Trans
Weight - 2326 lbs
Gen 1 SB OHV V8 - 200ci
7.7:1 Compression
100hp @3600 rpm - Redline @3900 rpm
0-62 mph in 13.5 Seconds
Quarter Mile - 19.62s @72mph
72 mph Top Speed
Cornering - 0.60 Gs @24.3 mph
Pricing
$8,132 AMU (7% markup)
1949 Price: $2,170.84
(Upper range, more expensive than most Ford, Dodge, and Chevys)
1951 Delux Coupe
2 Door, 3 Seat Premium Coupe
Steel Ladder Chassis, Steel Body Pannels
Drivetrain Type - FR
McPherson Front Strut, Solid Axle Leaf Rear
3 Speed Manual Trans
Weight - 2378 lbs
Gen 1 SB OHV V8 - 200ci
7.7:1 Compression
100hp @3600 rpm - Redline @3900 rpm
0-62 mph in 13.0 Seconds
Quarter Mile - 19.26s @72mph
72mph Top Speed
Cornering - 0.66 Gs @25.5 mph
Pricing
$10,320 AMU (20% markup)
1951 Price: $2,857.79
(Mid to Upper-priced, slightly cheaper than a Lincoln, a bit more expensive than a Hudson, more expensive than a Ford)
1952 Delux Club
4 Door, 6 Seat Standard Sedan
Steel Ladder Chassis, Steel Body Pannels
Drivetrain Type - FR
McPherson Front Strut, Solid Axle Leaf Rear
3 Speed Manual Trans
Weight - 2548 lbs
Gen 1 SB OHV V8 - 242ci
7.7:1 Compression
140hp @4000 rpm - Redline @4300 rpm
0-62 mph in 11.0 Seconds
Quarter Mile - 18.30s @82mph
100mph Top Speed
Cornering - 0.65 Gs @25.2 mph and 0.63 Gs @87.7
Pricing
$11,160 AMU (20% markup)
1952 Price: $2,936.04
(Mid-priced)
1952 Delux D-100
2 Door, 3 Seat Basic Truck
Steel Ladder Chassis, Steel Body Pannels
Drivetrain Type - 4X4
McPherson Front Strut, Solid Axle Leaf Rear
3 Speed Manual Trans
Weight - 2400 lbs
Gen 1 SB OHV V8 - 242ci
7.7:1 Compression
140hp @4000 rpm - Redline @4300 rpm
0-62 mph in 11.9 Seconds
Quarter Mile - 18.90s @81mph
100 mph Top Speed
Cornering - 0.60 Gs @24.2 mph and 0.58 Gs @84.4 mph
Pricing
$8,453 AMU (7% markup)
1952 Price: $2,223.87
(Upper range, more expensive than most Ford, Dodge, and Chevys)