Roy Chapin; Oversaw AMC’s Acquisition of Jeep

Roy Chapin, 85, former chairman and chief executive of American Motors Corp., died Sunday of heart failure at his summer home in Nantucket, Mass.

Head of the automobile manufacturing company from 1967 to 1977, Chapin was instrumental in the acquisition of Jeep Corp. in 1970 from closely held Kaiser Industries. Although far smaller than competitors General Motors, Ford and Chrysler, American Motors profited during Chapin’s early tenure by expanding overseas operations and increasing sales of compact cars as oil prices rose.

Chapin’s purchase of Jeep before SUVs became popular was initially derided, but it was the ownership of Jeep that later enhanced the company’s value. When imported fuel-efficient cars from Japan crippled American Motors in the late 1970s, Renault took control and then in 1987 sold the company to Chrysler--which wanted Jeep.

Chapin, a native of Grosse Pointe, Mich., began his automotive career in 1938 as an engineer with American Motors’ predecessor Hudson Motor Car Co., which was founded by his father. He remained a director of American Motors until it was sold to Chrysler.