Dan Gurney's Eagle Racing Cars
I have to admit the cars that Dan Gurney built in his shop are some of my favorite race cars that have ever rolled onto a race track. The 1972 Eagle would have to be near the top of my all-time list when it comes to legendary and revolutionary race cars.
But this is only part of the story. . .
,The other part of the story is that the cars that came out of Dan Gurney's All American Racers shop cannot be forgotten because of their incredible performance. In addition they were innovative. The Gurney Flap, the Banana wing, the ground effects of the 1981 Gurney Eagle are a few of the many innovations that were developed and showcased on the Gurney Eagles.
I've already mentioned that the 1972 is one of my all time favorites. Next on the list would be the 1981 Gurney Eagle Indy Car. Here's a couple of quick reasons why this car is on my list. A good friend of mine Rocky Moran almost had his break-out Indy Car victory at Watkins Glen driving this car for Dan Gurney. A fueling mishap ended his incredible run that day and the victory. This was against Mario Andretti, Rick Mears, AJ Foyt and the rest of the top flight drivers of the day. The second reason is for the mere fact that the car was fast and DIFFERENT! A completely different approach compared to every other car in the field. Something that is sorely missed in todays open wheel racing.
The author John Zimmermann did a great job of recording the history of Dan Gurney's Racing Eagles. John was a perfect choice for this book. He is a former editor of RACER magazine and in addition his dad was a former member of the Kurtis-Kraft race shop. Let's just say that John has been in this field all of his life and understands the subject matter very well. Numerous hours spent and interviews with Dan Gurney captured historical items that answered more than one question I've had over the years.
When it comes to photography, this book is loaded with gems. Numerous photos of behind the scenes development of the cars and additional photos of the cars on the tracks. When you finish with this book, you'll realize that Dan Gurney and his All American Racers built more cars than you probably remember.
Dan Gurney's stature as one of America's top drivers is guaranteed. After reading this book you'll realize race car builder is part of that legacy. The combination of top driver and top race car builder puts him in some very select and limited company. Dan Gurneys Eagle Racing Cars
Copyright MMVIII Ed Justice, Jr.