Eagle 68/69 'Mk 5'
After
the red herring of the 3-litre Formula A, the real Formula A started
in 1968. The first manufacturers included Lola, McKee and LeGrand but the
firm taking the most high-tech approach was Dan Gurney's AAR. The 1968 Indy
Eagle
was the obvious basis for a Formula A car and Gurney had designer Tony Southgate
make the few necessary changes. The monocoque was slightly slimmer and made
from mild steel, instead of the chrome-moly required by USAC. The Indy car
was already equipped with new all outboard front suspension, ideal for road
courses, and the wheelbase was retained at the USAC's mandatory ninety-six
inch minimum. According to a Doug Nye interview with Tony Southgate which
appeared in Autosport (28 Jan 1971 pp18-20), this car is said
to have been denoted the Eagle Mk 5. John Zimmerman has seen Southgate's drawings and these are also denoted Mk 5.
Only two cars appeared in 1968, for Lou Sell and George Wintersteen, but these two dominated that first season, Sell winning five and Wintersteen two, with only Jerry Hansen's Lola T140 breaking the stranglehold with an inherited win at Elkhart Lake. In 1969, five more cars would appear and, although production ceased after 1969, several more cars appeared in 1970 and 1971. However, 1969 was a much more competitive season; the Eagle won five of the first six races but then the McLaren M10A and Surtees TS5 started to take over. With no further development coming from AAR, the Eagle faded into history.
Tracing the 14 1968/69 Formula A Eagles has proved exceptionally difficult so far and only four cars have turned up so far with unconfirmed rumours or two or three more. Clearly, and not for the first time, OldRacingCars.com need lots of help. Please email Allen at allen@oldracingcars.com if you can add anything.
The material that provided the original basis for this research has been provided by Wolfgang Klopfer and his efforts are very gratefully acknowledged. I'm also very grateful to Kathy Weida at AAR and Eagle historian John Zimmermann, who kindly provided details from AAR files identifying the first owner of each chassis, and to 1969 Formula A Champion Tony Adamowicz for his recollections. Further information has come from Chris Townsend and ex-Eagle owners/racers Dave Jordan, Phil Henny, Jim Mapson and Steve Davis.
| Chassis | History | Current owner |
|---|---|---|
| Eagle Mk 5 501 |
 Lou Sell 1968 (won championship);
advertised by Roy Campbell Feb 1969 - Lew Florence 1969 - to Posey to replace
the car wrecked at R1. Florence well up in practice before selling car.
Posey did not start the race as the car was
"not to his liking". Presumably
the car wrecked in transporter accident after R5 Seattle 6 Jul 1969. Replaced
by McLaren M10A. This car then to Gerard Raney for
the 1970 season. |
Missing |
| Eagle Mk 5 502 |
 George Wintersteen 1968 - Milestone Racing 1969 for Tony Adamowicz.
Crashed in testing at Willow Springs April 1969 and not repaired (despite
Autoweek reporting Tony's car as ex-Wintersteen during the 1969 season).
Wreck advertised by Carroll Smith of Milestone Racing 4 April 1970 (NB Round
1 was 20 Apr at Riverside). Sold to Phil Henny (Van Nuys, CA) and rebuilt.
Adv 17 Oct 1970 "1968 Eagle F/A. Brand new, rebuild, never raced, immaculate".
Phil recalls racing it once at Riverside. Sold to Roy Woods and John Fort
of American Racing Associates (Northridge,
CA). Raced by Woods in a SoPac Division National at Riverside on 13 Feb
1971. Adv 12 Jun 1971 "Bartz ... serious enquiries". Photo shows
#69. (Note that ARA had a Lola T192 for Adamowicz at the Questor GP, presumably
the car Woods later rolled end over end in practice at R1 Riverside 1971. Woods
broke his right leg.) The Eagle was advertised again by ARA (Northridge, CA) on 11 Dec 1971,
showing a picture of the car racing and bearing #69. Subsequent history
unknown but Phil advises that it was crashed at Laguna Seca and no longer
exists. |
Unknown after 1971 |
| Eagle Mk 5 503 |
 Wayne Jones US 1969 (Plymouth engine) and raced as #97 with various drivers in 1969 and 1970. Bill
Eve raced this
car at R2 Laguna Seca in May 1969 but retired. Swede Savage then raced it at Sebring 28 Dec 1969, taking pole position but again retiring. Advertised 28 Feb 1970 with 504 "one never run, second only 2 races - pole at
Sebring". Then entered by Jones for Hiroshi Fushida US 1970
( again as #97): four races (then DNS R5 Sears Point after crashing in qualifying, Autoweek reporting
that the tub was possibly damaged beyond repair). Advertised again 15 Aug
1970 "two damaged". This car (ex-Savage/Fushida) to Ray
Lore (Miami, FL) for Jef Stevens at Sebring Oct 1970 (#3, Chev engine) and then for John Gunn from 5 Jul 1971 Mid-Ohio
(#39).
Last seen advertised by Ray Lore 6 May 1972. Subsequent history unknown
but see also the Schlehlen car (July 1972) and
the Kentucky car (July 1973 - 1975). |
Unknown after May 1972 |
| Eagle Mk 5 504 |
Bob Williams (Santa Monica, CA) US 1969 (Plymouth engine). Crashed at R1 Riverside 19 Apr 1970 and again in practice at R2 Edmonton 24 May 1970. Last seen when advertised by Jones 15 Aug 1970. Subsequent history unknown but see 'the Jones car' above. | Damaged; unknown after Aug 1970 |
| Eagle Mk 5 505 |
Fred Corbett (Portland, OR) US and SCCA Nationals 1969; then a single race at Seattle in 1971. Borrowed by Jerry Hansen for Donnybrook (Brainerd) 1969. Sold to Monty Shelton in late 1971 or early 1972. Confusingly, Shelton had run an Eagle during the 1971 season but this can't have been the Corbett car as they ran alongside each other at Sebring in August 1971. To Bill Greg (a Portland native then living in Spokane, WA) 1973. Back to Monty Shelton 1974. To Ron Brown (Portland, OR) 1980 and retained to 2007. | Ron Brown (US) 2007 |
| Eagle Mk 5 506 |
Bobby Brown (Huntingdon, Long Island, NY). Damaged in Firestone tyre testing April 1969 and Firestone bought Brown another car (see 508 below). This is presumably the damaged ex-Brown car sold by Roy Campbell to Gerard Raney (see the Raney car below). Bobby Brown's recollection is that this car was repaired by Campbell and was sold to Raney. | See the Raney car below. |
| Eagle Mk 5 507 |
Sam Posey US 1969. Well tested before R1 (AS 2 May 1969 p31). Wrecked in practice at first round of 1969 series and replaced by Lew Florence's ex-Sell 501. This is probably the car referred to in an article about Ray Caldwell in Autosport 21 Mar 1969 pp22-23. Caldwell withdrew his de Dion suspension Caldwell D8 from FA at the end of 1968 and Sam Posey was due to have an Eagle and a McLaren for 1969. It is mentioned that a "gleaming new Eagle fuselage" was at Autodynamics' Marblehead, MA workshops at the time of Pete Lyons' visit. This car is presumably one of the pair bought by Gerard Raney from Sam Posey for the 1970 season. | Gerard Raney (US) 2003 |
| Eagle Mk 5 508 |
 AAR records show that this went to Ernie Kanzler for Skip Scott to drive. Kanzler was the son on pre-war Ford production head Ernest Kanzler who had died in 1967.
The project was abandoned before the start of the season and the Eagle was sold by Pete Bryant's Autocoast team, who were due to run it for Scott, to Firestone for Bobby Brown (Huntingdon, Long Island, NY) to replace the car he wrecked in tyre testing. Brown US 1969
(10 races; best finish 2nd at R4 Sears Point 22 Jun 1969)
- Dick Smothers' Echelli Ignition
team:
SCCA Nationals 1970 (Smothers won at Riverside in Feb 1970); US 1970 (entered for Lou Sell at R4 but DNA; for Dick Smothers (#10) at
R6) - Charlie Hayes Racing Equipment (Santa Ana,
CA): for Mike Brockman (Orlando,
Florida) US 1971 (R2 Laguna Seca 2 May and R3 Seattle 23 May); advertised
from 31 Jul to 23 Oct 1971 ... Dick Moody (Manhattan Beach, CA): advertised
Jan 1975 to Oct 1976 ... Mark Pivec Racing Services (Costa Mesa, CA): advertised
Oct 1977 to Jan 1978 (Pivec was the team manager of the Brockman/Durst F5000 team in 1975). Subsequent history unknown. |
Unknown after Oct 1971 until 1975 |
| Eagle Mk 5 509 |
Hogan/Starr Racing for John Cannon US 1969 (12 starts + 1 DNS; won at Riverside, Sears Point and Mosport Park) - American International for Rex Ramsey US 1970 (11 races). Advertised by Aero-Structures Dev (Van Nuys, CA) ("featured in R&T Aug 1969") 5 Dec 1970. Unknown during 1971 but possibly the Shelton car. Kathy Wells for Michael Brayton US 1972 (#28): R1 (DNQ); ARRC 1973; US 1974 (3 races); US 1975 (1 race). Presumably the car advertised by "Michael" 11 Jan 1975 "Eagle #28 Formula 5000". Retained and restored by Brayton as at 2005. | Mike Brayton 2005 |
| Eagle Mk 5 510 |
"510" Milestone Racing US 1969 for Tony Adamowicz. Converted to Ford engine for final race. Advertised by Carroll Smith of Milestone Racing 4 April 1970 (NB Round 1 was 19 Apr at Riverside). Subsequent history unknown but Tony believes it was unused after 1969 and was owned at some stage by Joey Cavaglieri who converted it back to Chev power. In April 2007, Tony Adamowicz announced that Eagle 510 had been purchased by Doug Mangon and would be restored during 2008. The car is said to be on display at the Riverside International Automotive Museum. | Unknown after April 1970; Doug Mangon (US) 2007 |
| Eagle
Mk 5 511 |
John Crean's American International Racing Inc. Unraced 1969. AIR for #21 Dave Jordan (Cypress, CA) US 1970 using BRE Chevy (R1, R2, R3, R4, R5); fitted with Stropp Ford 305 for testing at end of season; Junor-Tarozzi for Swede Savage (Black Plymouth engine): Questor GP 1971 (crashed and destroyed in practice accident). The remnants of 511 were later picked up from John Crean's San Juan Capistrano ranch by ex-AAR fabricator Tom Beauchamp and acquired by Jim Larkin (Colorado Springs, CO) some time before 2005 for restoration. Many new parts would need to be made for the car and the restoration was still progressing in April 2007. |
Wrecked - being resurrected for Jim Larkin (US) 2007 |
| Eagle Mk 5 512 |
|
Steve Davis (US) 2007 |
| Eagle
Mk 5 513 |
John Crean's American International Racing Inc. Unraced 1969, 1970. Advertised by Dave Jordan (Cypress, CA) in May 1971 and by Johnnie Crean (California ) in Jun 1972 with both adverts stating that it was unused and Jordan's saying it was the second to last built. Sold to Terry Avery 1972 (with partner Lee Petche), fitted with Traco Chevy and ran a few times in 1972-73; crashed at IRP late 1973. Avery then shortened the chassis and modified the rear along the lines of the 1972 Indy Eagle. Raced again in 1974, winning a minor event at Road America ahead of Bobby Rahal's F/Atlantic. In 1976, the car was used as part of Avery PhD thesis. Subsequent history unknown until a Rick Lambrechts (Michigan) contacted Jim Mapson in the early 1990s saying he was restoring 513. In 2007, 513 was owned by Bryan Jedinak (Cleveland, OH). | Bryan Jedinak (US) 2007 |
| Eagle Mk 5 514 |
 Jim Busby (Newport Beach, CA) US 1970. Adv 18 Apr 1970 "brand
new ... ready to race ... 2 hrs test time only"). DNS at Riverside April 1970 (where it appears on the entry list as 'Eagle 514 Chev') after crash
in practice. Adv 11 Jul 1970 "needs front corner and tub repair".
So this car was still unraced at this point.
Sold to Floyd Sable (Anaheim, CA)
and completely rebuilt. Sable recalls selling it to someone in Denver, CO who may have later used it at Pikes Peak. Subsequent history unknown. |
Unknown |
The 1970 mystery cars
All of the first nine Eagles can be accounted for at the beginning of 1970 plus John Crean's three cars and Jim Busby's 514. This only leaves the Tony Adamowicz 510 unaccounted for. The Raney car(s), the only other Eagle to appear from the start of 1970, is now known to be a car built from the remains of Brown's testing wreck and Posey's cars.
Other cars advertised late 1969 or early 1970.
| Chassis | History | Current owner |
|---|---|---|
| Eagle '69' 'the Roy Campbell car' |
Roy Campbell Racing (Santa Ana, CA). Adv 22 Nov 1969 "1969 FA Eagle chassis. Needs some suspension parts. Complete otherwise. Will sell cheap.". Note that Campbell had advertised the Sell 501 at the beginning of 1969 but, according to Chris Beebe, Campbell sold Gerard Raney a damaged ex-Brown Eagle. It seems likely that this is the ex-Brown car implying that it had been repaired but was still not complete. | Unknown |
| Eagle '68' 'the Smith car' |
Madelaine Smith (Los Angeles, CA). Adv 18 Apr 1970 "1968 FA Eagle ... less engine". Could this be someone at the AAR factory advertising the Wintersteen car? | Unknown |
Full list of Eagles racing in 1970: #21 Dave Jordan (511), #22 Rex Ramsey (509), #47 Jim Busby (514), #90 Gerard Raney (507), #95 Bob Williams (504), #97 Hiroshi Fushida (503), Lou Sell (508), #10 Dick Smothers (508 at R6) and #3 Jeff Stevens (503) at Sebring. Also Phil Henny (502) in Nationals.
The 1971 mystery cars
The following Eagles can be accounted for at the start of 1971: Raney had his combination of 501, 506 and 507, Woods had 502, Ray Lore had 503, Corbett still had 505, Hayes had the ex-Brown/Smothers 508; 511 was just about to be wrecked by Savage, Jordan still had 512 and 513, and Floyd Sable had 514. That accounts for eleven. So missing are 504, possibly now just a damaged spare chassis with Ray Lore; the ex-Cannon/Ramsey 509 and the ex-Adamowicz 510. The latter car is said not to have raced after 1969.
The only season-long newcomer in 1971 was Monte Shelton. How that fits into the above is not at all clear. Shelton acquired Corbett's car (both lived in Portland, Oregon) after the 1971 season but the car he raced during 1971 is a puzzle. The most likely candidate is the ex-Cannon/Ramsey 509 which then appears with Kathy Wells for Michael Brayton in 1972.
Full list of Eagles racing in 1971: #28 Gerard Raney (501, 506 and 507); #69 Roy Woods (502 SCCA races only); #39 John Gunn (503/504); #79 Fred Corbett (505); #87 Mike Brockman (508); #32 Swede Savage (511); #21 Dave Jordan (512) and #57 Monte Shelton (unknown).
Also:
#51 Ronnie Bucknam: Seattle 1971 only - Indy car? Bucknam drove Eagles in USAC in 1968 (winning at Brooklyn in October!) and 1969, his last two outings being in an Eagle-Chev at Phoenix and Riverside at the end of 1969. He drove a Cecil-Ford in 1970 and failed to qualify at Indy in 1971.
#78 Jerry Grant (Offy): Seattle 1971 only - Indy car? Grant ran Eagles constantly in USAC from 1966 to 1977. This was very probably a USAC car. Is this the #78 Farrell's Ice Cream Special in which Posey was bumped at the 1971 Indy 500?
The 1972 mystery cars
A lot changes after the 1971 season. Raney presumably still has 501, 506 and 507; 503 is with Ray Lore until May 1972, 504 was damaged and has been missing for a year or more, 505 goes to Monty Shelton, 509 reappears for Michael Brayton, 511 had been destroyed at Questor, 512 and 513 were still being advertised by Dave Jordan and 514 probably still with Floyd Sable. Meanwhile, ARA had stopped advertising 502 and Charlie Hayes had stopped advertised 508, the latter car isn't seen again until 1975. Also 510's location is unknown but it apparantly wasn't being raced.
As well as Brayton in 509, two other all-new entries appear at the first race of 1972, for Skeeter McKitterick and Bob Allen. If these were Mk 5s, and not converted Indy cars, then the two candidates are 502 and 508. The McKitterick car can be traced on until early 1976 which clashes with the reemergence of 508. Allen's car is only seen in 1973 and 1974 so could be 508. This would leave 502 as the likeliest candidate for McKitterick's car.
Ludwig Heimrath brought out an old ex-Indy Eagle at Round 2 and Uecker Racing from Michigan appeared with an Eagle-Chev later in the year, using the number #42 that would be used by McKitterick in 1973.
| Car | History | Current owner |
|---|---|---|
| Eagle '69' 'the Koslosky car' (1972-1976) |
 Mike Koslosky (Upland,
CA) for Skeeter McKitterick. Only seen once during 1972, at R1 Laguna Seca on 7 May 1972 (#43) but presumably the #42 Pacific
Developments car for Skeeter McKitterick US 1973: (Riverside and a DNS at Elkhart Lake only), SCCA Nationals 1973 (2nd at Riverside May 1973)
-
Jim Law (El Segundo,
CA) entered at Ontario F5000 Sep 1974 by Moody/Law Racing; adv 10 Jan 1976 "Eagle F5000/USAC. Ex-Skeeter McKitterick". Law recalls selling it to someone in the LA area. Subsequent history unknown. |
Unknown |
| Eagle 'the Allen car' (1972-1973) |
Bob Allen: US 1972 (#49): R1 Laguna Seca 7 May 1972 only; US 1973: R2 Laguna Seca 6 May 1973 only; SCCA
Nationals 1973 (won at Portland 10 Jun 1973 and 22 Jul 1973, 2nd at Seattle
12 Aug 1973). Not seen during 1974.
Allen reappears in 1975 with an Eagle 74A racing in SCCA Nationals and at R7 Long Beach 28 Sep 1975 and R8 Laguna Seca 12 Oct 1975. Luke Lundquist found a picture from 1975 which identified Allen`s car as a 1974 model with a "different nose". This may be the car, looking so much like a 74A, that Allen used to win the Laguna Seca June Sprints in 1976. These pictures may tie in with a story from Jim Mapson: he remembers meeting someone 'back east' who had rebuilt a damaged 68/69 car with a 74 Eagle rear bulkhead. Could this be the Bob Allen car evolving into what we see in 1975 and 1976? The car later became the basis of the SSE Can-Am car. Allen was involved in a multi-car shunt at the 1978 Laguna Seca June Sprints (25 Jun 1978) in his 'ASR' which may have been the Eagle or the SSE. The SSE is now owned by Donald McGreevy and he was told by Bob Allen in the early 1990s that the SSE was built using the front and rear sections of the Eagle and a tub built by Allen. It would appear that the Eagle 74A can therefore be considered no longer in existence. |
Unknown |
| Eagle 'the Heimrath car' (1972-1975) |
Ludwig Heimrath (Scarboro, Ontario, Canada): US 1972 (R3, R4 (DNS), R5, #75 R8). Adv 23 Dec 1972 with a 1967 Eisert Indy car "1967 (!!) Eagle FA, new Bartz Chev". Advertised again 11 Jan 1975 "USAC/F5000 Eagle, new Bartz Chev". Could this be a 1967 Eagle Indy car converted to FA? The "1967 FA" and "USAC/F5000" elements of the description match with a car that Carrol Shelby had bought as a backup for his 1971 Indy 500 program. It also matches the description of Ross Hansel's car. | Unknown |
| Eagle 'the Schlehlen car' |
Erich Schlehlen or Schiehlen (Kettering, OH). Adv 24 Jun 1972 "one of the cleanest and finest in the country". One of the rare cars to be advertised east of the Rockies. One Savage car, 503, went to Florida. | Unknown |
| Eagle 'the Uecker car' |
Uecker Racing (Monroe, Michigan) - maybe Otto Uecker - for Chuck Parsons US 1972: entered at Watkins Glen 18 Jun 1972 (#42), Elkhart Lake 16 Jul 1972 (#42), Donnybrook 30 Jul 1972 and Road Atlanta 20 Aug 1972 but only definite appearance was the last race where Parsons retired. This may have been an Indy car. |
Full list of Eagles racing in 1972: #21 Dave Jordan (512); #26 Gerard Raney (see 1970 mystery cars); #28 Michael Brayton (509); #43 Skeeter McKitterick (see 1972 mystery cars); #42 Chuck Parsons, #49 Bob Allen (see 1972 mystery cars); #74 Ludwig Heimrath (see 1972 mystery cars).
The 1973 mystery cars
Full list of Eagles racing in 1973: Gerard Raney ("501" and "507"?) and Michael Brayton (509) plus two of the see 1972 mystery cars: Skeeter McKitterick and Bob Allen.
Later mystery cars
In 1974, the new 74A-series Eagles appeared but a couple of the older cars were brought out by Raney and Brayton.
In 1975, with second-hand 74As now in circulation, it is hard to tell which of the back-markers were older 68/69-series cars, which were 74As and which were converted Indy cars. Raney finally parks his car but Brayton returns in what is described as a 74A and Bob Allen returns after missing a season but his car, in a picture in the Sep 1976 edition of Formula, looks much like a 74A too. Jim Law makes a one-off appearance in 1974 with the ex-McKitterick car.
In 1976, Ross Hansel appears in a 'Eagle Indy FA' and Greg Hodges may have had an Indy Eagle at one race. Frank Schultz raced an Eagle in the June Sprints. At the end of the season, a first 74A seems to appear: Peter Papke, who was said to have bought a (the?) works 74A, appeared at Watkins Glen in June and at Riverside in October. Chuck Bartlebaugh had a "1970 Eagle" at Riverside and Don Breidenbach and Ron Dykes both practied a 74A, Breidenbach in Papke's car.
| Car | History | Current owner |
|---|---|---|
| Eagle 'the Hansel car' |
Ross Hansel (San Jose, CA). Raced to sixth in Sears Point SCCA National 25 Apr 1976 where the Formula report identified it as "Eagle Indy FA". Advertised by Hansel 19 Jun 1976 "Eagle Formula 'A', one race on complete rebuild ... concours condition, ready to race". See the Heimrath car above which was described in a similar way. | Unknown |
| Eagle '1970' 'the Bartlebaugh car' |
Chuck Bartlebaugh drove a "1970 Eagle" at Riverside in 1976 but failed to start after practicing 38th. Entered as #26 Bartlebaugh Eagle. Chuck Bartlebaugh now runs the Center for Wildlife at Missoula, Montana. | Unknown |
Billy Scott ran a 1972 Indy Eagle owned by Marvin Webster (car #76) in one F5000 race. Another 1972 Indy Eagle was - probably - the 1974 Ruby entry.
Sources include an excellent FA preview in Autoweek 10 May 1969. Details were also provided by John Zimmerman from AAR records showing the first owner of each car.
These histories last updated on 3 May, 2008 .