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This 1978 Jeep Cherokee Golden Eagle features an iconic livery and ultra-low mileage that make for a highly collectable SUV.
OG SUV
1978 Jeep Cherokee – carsforsale.com | Shop 1978 Jeep Cherokee on Carsforsale.com
The very beginnings of the SUV vary depending on your vantage point and how you define your terms. Some posit the first SUVs were the depot hacks and “wagon” versions of pickups like the Chevy Suburban and the Willys Jeep Wagon. If we are being strict and literal, the first “SUV” was the Jeep Cherokee, debuting in 1974. It was then, in Jeep promotional literature, that the term Sport Utility Vehicle was first used.
The Cherokee might have been the first vehicle to be called an SUV, but it was far from the originator of the form. Indeed, the Cherokee itself was a down-market two-door version of the successful Jeep Wagoneer. AMC took the basic idea behind the Wagoneer and sought a simpler, more rugged version in the Cherokee.
Jeep has always loved its panoply of trims and special editions, even back in the AMC days. Today’s Cool Car Find is one of the era’s most memorable and, indeed, legendary examples, a 1978 Jeep Cherokee Golden Eagle. Here is what makes it special.
Putting the Sport in SUV
In 1974, the Cherokee’s primary visual distinction from the Wagoneer was its two-door body style. The Wagoneer had had a two-door version back in the 1960s, but the new Cherokee’s innovation was, unlike that two-door Wagoneer, to dispense with a C-pillar and instead enlarge the D-pillar. This novel design gave the Cherokee its distinctive and now classic look.
The first-generation Cherokee was powered by a trio of AMC engines. The base motor was a 258 straight-six making 110 horsepower. A 360 cu.-in. V8 could be had with either a two- or four-barrel carburetor good for 175 and 195 horsepower, respectively. At the top of the heap was a gargantuan 401 cu.-in. V8, the largest displacement engine even in a Jeep (that 6.6L). Transmission options consisted of a three-speed automatic or four-speed manual. The manual came with a Dana 20 transfer case while the automatic was full-time four-wheel drive.
The Cherokee added trims throughout its first generation run. The S/Sport trim was joined by the Chief for 1976, the Golden Eagle in 1978, and the Golden Hawk and Loredo starting in 1980. These consisted almost entirely of cosmetic changed, decals here, different upholstery there. (This is unlike the CJ-7’s Golden Eagle trim that came specially with a 304 V8.)
This Cool Car
1978 Jeep Cherokee – carsforsale.com | Shop 1978 Jeep Cherokee on Carsforsale.com
Today’s Cool Car Find is an exceptionally maintained 1978 Jeep Cherokee Golden Eagle with ultra-low mileage of just 8,259 miles. It comes in Mocha Brown with the Golden Eagle decals on the sides and a huge eagle decal emblazoned across the hood and a set of dazzling bronze wheels. Under the hood is the 360 cu.-in. V8 paired with the four-speed automatic sending power to all four-wheels. And those buttons on the upholstery, those are Levi’s rivets (Levi’s occasionally did special edition upholstery work back in the 1970s, including denim-clad interiors for the AMC Pacer and AMC Gremlin).
With such low mileage and the rare appearance package, this 1978 Jeep Cherokee Golden Eagle is an exceptionally collectable SUV.
