Lot 457: 1983 Gurney AAR Eagle Indy Car
Coachwork by Single-Seater Indianapolis Racing Car
Max Dowker was supplied with a second AAA Eagle chassis in 1982 by his sponsor, Bob Soltow of Jet Engineering Inc. Like chassis no. 8102 it used titanium extensively in its structure. It was driven by then two-time World of Outlaws Sprint Car Champion Sammy Swindell, a rookie at Indianapolis, who passed his driving test in the car.
Faced with competition from the sophisticated Cosworth turbo-supercharged engines that took 32 of the 33 1982 starting places, the Chevrolet-equipped Jet Engineering car was unable to go fast enough to qualify.
After Indianapolis it is believed that 1979 USAC sprint car champion Gregg Leffler drove this car in four CART races during 1982. Dogged by continuing engine troubles, its best finish was a sixth place on the road course at Riverside, California.
In 1983 Billy Vukovich was at the wheel of this car at Indianapolis, but again it failed to qualify against the Cosworth-engined competition. During the balance of the 1983 CART season Leffler raced it on three road courses and Tom Bigelow, another dirt-track star, at a fourth with its best finish an 11th place at Mid-Ohio by Leffler.
The car is believed to be complete, but is not fully-assembled. It is believed that putting it in shape for vintage racing would be straightforward and, equipped with a Chevrolet V-8, quite inexpensive. It is accompanied by its USAC and CART logbooks.
| Auction |
Collectors' Motorcars and Automobilia Bonhams & Butterfields, Quail Lodge Resort & Golf Club, Carmel, California |
|---|---|
| Type | Car |
| Lot Number | 457 |
| Estimate | $40000-$50000 |
| Hammer Price | $50000 |
| Hammer Price (inc premium) | $58500 |
| Year | 1983 |
| Condition rating | 0 |
| Registration number | |
| Mileage | - |
| Chassis number | 8109 |
| Engine number | |
| Engine capacity (cc) | |
| Engine - cylinders | |
| Number of doors |