Just a few day before the GP de France 1962, Dan Gurney decided to create a company for the preparations of racing cars. He was active in the F1 for Ferrari and BRM and in 1962 for Porsche and it was his desire being involved in racing car constructions bearing his signature and bring them to the highest podium steps. He created ”Dan Gurney Racing”.
But it was during the 500 miles of Indianapolis 1964 that things started for good. All teams participating in the race decided to ditch the Goodyear tyres and to race with Firestones! The leading board of Goodyear went looking for a team that could bring their tyres back to the front. They contacted Caroll Shelby, but he was too much involved in other things; he suggested Gurney. That was the chance of a lifetime! They struck a deal, the dollars came and the president of Goodyear had only one wish: create a new business called “All American Racers” (AAR). Guney decided to be present in the American USAC Indycar championship and in the F1 world championship. In the F1 new rules would be in place for 1966 with 3000cc engines.
Left: Sebring 1965; above left: 1962 wiith Porsche F1; above right: Nurburgring 1959
It was decided very quickly to name the cars: 'Eagle', symbol of American power. Dan’s father designed the logo and a large warehouse was found in Santa Ana, California. Dan Gurney convinced the Englishman Len Terry, the engineer behind the 1965 Indianapolis Lotus 38, to join. In was also John Lambert an ex-Lotus mechanic. He would be responsible for getting the cars built. After his arrival in California, Terry started to design the two cars for the 1966 season: the Eagle MK1 for the F1 and the MK2 for the USAC. It was no surprise that the cars looked the same and were largely inspired by the Lotus. The Australian Peter Wilkins, specialist in aluminium cases for cars, also joined as did Aubrey Woods, who worked as an engineer at BRM. When the Owen organisation bought the engine enterprise from Harry Westlake, he came to work there to construct the V12 engine with 4 valves per cylinder initially for BRM. When BRM decided to use the H16 engine for 1966, the V12 project was available for another team. So, a “Gurney Westlake” engine was born with a price tag of 600000 dollars. In between, Gurney was still racing with Brabham in F1 (1964 (Photo left,Rouen)-1965 (Photo Right, Watkins Glenn), with Cobra in endurance and with Lotus AAR in Indycar.
A new European base was constructed in Rye, Sussex next to Westlake and got named: “Anglo American Racers””. Because the V12 engine was not ready, Dan bought four occasion Coventry Climax engines.
The first F1,the Eagle MK1#101, got out for a test on the Goodwood circuit on May 8 1966; the chassis was already tested at Riverside.
Gurney preferred the Indy 500 over the Monaco GP. So, on April 22, five Ford-powered Eagles made the starting field at Indy. It proved to be a difficult race. The first F1 race was the Belgium GP at Spa in June 1966. A fantastic and neatly constructed dark blue car with a central white line was one of the highlights. With the four cylinder engine, there was no change for a good result. Gurney qualified last ( 3’57”6 ) against the pole position time of Surtees in a Ferrari (3’’38”0). Being the slowest on track, he was disqualified for insufficient laps run. The most troubling thing were vibrations originated in the engine. Dan opted for a test race in Reims, but managed to finish in fifth place, three laps behind winner Jack Braham. But he collected his first two points.
For the next race, and also for the USAC, the front suspension anti-dive geometry was changed and a Mercedes steering damper system was introduced, so the car was less stiff reacting. And the old engines got an upgrade resulting in more horsepower. In Brands Hatch,the handling of the car brought a big smile on Dan’s face, but there was an engine failure in the race when he ran second. Zandvoort, he qualified on the second row,ran second, but an oil leak ended his race. He drove a strong race at the Nürburgring and got to P04 when the vibrations of the engine caused problems. He dropped to seventh.
At Monza, Sept 4th, the F1 world had a look at the great looking and compact small sized V12 Gurney-Westlake for the first time. The engine had four valves per cylinder at a narrow included angle that allowed a single cover to enclose both the close-spaced camshafts on each bank. The last test showed 365 bhp at 9500 t. The engine was put in the second MK1+102 chassis. Gurney did the qualifications in the car with the Climax engine, but choose to race #102. It was a difficult race and Gurney decided soon to box in order to save the engine. His home GP at Watkins Glenn ended in a retirement after 25 laps (clutch problems). The other car was driven by Bob Bondurant. During the race, he ended next to the track in order to avoid a spinning Pedro Rodriguez. He got a push to go again, but that was illegal, so a disqualification. For Mexico, Dan preferred the old 101 and ended the race as fifth. Bondurant got the V12 car, but fuel feed problems caused a retirement.
In December 1966, a second version of the Westlake engine was tested at Goodwood. A lot of problems seemed resolved and the car offered more horsepower.
First race of the season was in South-Africa. Dan used the old 101 with the Climax engine, but had to retire with a suspension problem. But there was also bad news. Sponsor Mobil retired from the racing scene. Castrol came into this place, bought the 101 for Canadian driver Al Pease, but invested less money in the team. So a budget restriction already there from the start of the 1967 racing year.
Next race was the Race of Champions. Dan Gurney got his car on pole-position and his new team-mate Richie Ginther, in chassis 103, was also on the first row (third time) with the old engine installed. The race was run with two heats and a final. Gurney won all three races and Ginther was second in heat 1 and 2. An Eagle had beaten the best of the best at Brands Hatch. Back in California, Gurney contacted Harvey Aluminium looking for a way to lower the weight of the car, now at 580 kg (500 was the minimum). It was decided to build a totally new MK1 chassis 104 using titanium (suspension, exhaust) and magnesium instead of aluminium.
The European F1 season took off at Monaco, may 7th. Ginther did not get qualified; Gurney qualified 7th but had to stop in lap4 (see photo's above).
The new chassis #104 did his first laps at Goodwood and was entered in the Zandvoort race ( also the debut of the famous Lotus 49). The car was now 525 kg heavy and Gurney realised the second time in qualifying. During the race, he ran second when he had to stop in lap 8 with an injection problems.
And then up to Spa for the Belgian GP. Dan Gurney, driving the only Eagle entered, was on a high. He just had won the 24 hours Le Mans race with AJ Foyt in a Ford Mark IV. He was on the front row in between the Lotus 49 of Jim Clak and Graham Hill. In the race, he moved from P3 to P2 and in lap 21, he was leading the race. His was never under threat , came first across the line and got also the fastest lap. All smiling faces on the podium.
The next race in France and on at Silverstone, with now Bruce McLaren as team-mate in the #102 ended all in DNF mostly because of engine failures. The Nürburgring was also not a success. With here laps to go Gurney was leading with 45” and had already done the fastest lap, when the engine broke down. McLaren was already out in lap4, engine issues.
At the end of august in Canada, there was only one car and there Gurney finished third behind Hulme and Brabham. In Monza, Ludovico Scarfiotti rented the second car, but after lap 5 there was no Eagle anymore in the race; out with engine failures. In the last two races, the #104 again did not see the finish flag with a suspension failure in Watkins Glen and radiator problems in Mexico.
The second season started on a high, but ended in full doubts. Dan was eight in the championship; the engines were the point of weakness.
For the third F1 season it was clear that the F1 would get on a second level because Dan Gurney put his prime effort in the USAC championship and in the Canam. He also got serious doubts about the V12 Gurney-Westlake engines. He took Doug Orchard, ex-Vanwall, on board, got the AAR in a new factory at Ashford (Kent) and named the engines Eagle V12 Mark 1A. All should be ready around may 1th, but the season started already on januari 1th in South-Africa. There Gurney had a DNF in lap 58 with an engine overheating. He did not go to Spain, but got the AAR to Monaco (26/5). Again, Dan started from the back and hit ignition problems early in the race.
On the other side of the Atlantic, Bobby Unser driving an Eagle won the Indy 500! The interest in the Formule 1 hit a low point. For the Zandvoort race, Gurney hired a Brabham and the Eagle came again in action at Brans Hatch. There in lap 8, the fuel pump broke down.
During the rainy race at the Nurburgring, Gurney was one time third in the race, but finished only ninth. The last race for the Eagle was in Monza. Again a DNF. Dan had the occasion to test the McLaren M7A with a Cosworth engine and he decided that this was the car to finish the season.
Dsepite having plans to build a new car ,the MK6, for 1969 with the support from Tony Southgate, he made the brave decision to end all F1 adventures. The MK6 was never finished, the Ashford factoy was sold.
But still, the F1 for a small company is a complex issue and with two wins in three years it deserves a deep respect !
