Yahoo Autos Historic first AAR Gurney Eagle headlines Gooding's Amelia Island sale
Fans of rare American cars will want to pay close attention to Gooding & Company's upcoming Amelia Island sale. The auction house will offer several high-profile classics, including the first of four AAR Gurney Eagle race cars built and a 1935 Auburn 851 SC Boattail Speedster.
Dan Gurney made a name for himself as a pilot before he started building cars. He drove for Ferrari, British Racing Motors, and Shelby, among other teams, and he competed in numerous big-name races including the 24 Hours of Le Mans. When the time came to build his own cars, he got funding from Goodyear and teamed up with none other than Carroll Shelby to create All American Racers (AAR) in 1965.
The firm designed a Formula 1 car called Eagle that used a 2.7-liter Coventry Climax engine. Four examples were built, and the one headed to the Amelia Auction (chassis number 101) is the first one. It raced on both sides of the Atlantic and was driven by Bob Bondurant, Phil Hill, and Gurney himself, among other drivers. It also raced in the 1967, 1968, and 1969 editions of the Canadian Grand Prix.
