Eagle FF wanted

[Michael Rand]

Anyone know of an Eagle FF on the market ?
Or for that matter, how many were built and where are they now ?
I will talk with old pal David Loring, who not only built them but won a National Championship in one in 1978, but he has yet to drag his sorry butt in to the shop yet, of course it is only 9:30AM !
I have always been intrigued with these cars and would be interested in pursuing one to run alternating with the trusty Crossle 30F.

[akilcoyne]

You might want to check with Steve Beeler to see if he has contact info for Bruce Drenth. Bruce ran an Eagle in Cen-Div(from North Dakota if memory serves) for several years. Last I had heard his car was apart for a rebuild. Haven't seen or heard of him out in three or four years.

Another lead would be to contact Hans Iwand. I believe he's from Nebraska, also an occasional post(er) on apexspeed. Beeler likely also has his contact info.

[Michael Rand]

Thanks Andy, I will check with Steve B and contact these Eagle owners.
Erik Shepard emailed me direct with Hans email address.
Thanks to you both.
Any other leads out there ?

[Bill Kincaid]

I owned and raced chassis number 005 for quite a few years in the San Francisco region. To my knowledge there were 11 built by AAR before they sold the tooling and rights to Sandy Dells. No one is sure how many Sandy made but probably only a handful. The Dells cars have somewhat different frames and no numbers (AAR cars had no chassis plates, but they did have a 3 digit chassis number stamped into the bracket for the roll bar brace at the rear bulkhead). I used to know the whereabouts of a number of these cars but it's been a while.

[Michael Rand]

Thanks Bill,
Your car looks great.
I have heard that one of the cars was made into a side radiator car due to cooling issues, did you experience that ?
Talked with David Loring this morning, he says, and confirmed with Kathy at AAR, that they built 13 at AAR including the prototype. He is unsure how many, if any, complete cars, Sandy Dells built.
Then the project was sold by Dells to someone in Northern California, who maybe built a few sportsracers. Anyone have any knowledge of that ?
Loring says I'd be stupid to run an Eagle while I have a perfectly usable Crossle 30F.......
Which cools my desire some but I will continue to pursue any and all info regarding the AAR built cars. At least until my mid-winter boredom lifts......

One more thing, David says Kathy told him AAR has one car that they are restoring in his, Davids, livery from his Runoffs win in '78 and it will grace the AAR foyer.

[Bill Kincaid]

Hans Iwand converted his to side radiators. There are pictures of it around somewhere. Yes, there were cooling issues- on hot days, if you ran them hard.

Bob McCormack (at Sears Point) got the rights from Sandy, but never built any cars. I believe he passed them on to Hans. I know for sure Hans has the blueprints and tooling. One of the Eagles, Marc Hoover's (I forget the number), was converted to a DSR.

The Eagle was a great high speed car but for twisty tracks you're better off with a Crossle. The wide track kit helped a lot but I could never quite beat the best Crossles. I sure don't regret running it all those years though.

Ironically, the one AAR bought back for their lobby is not an original!

[Michael Rand]

The AAR car is a Dells car ?
Like an Anderson ADF ? A good/great "copy", or continuation car, but not a Bruns car, in the ADF case, or not a Ward car, in the Eagle case ?
I can only assume they know that......

[Bill Kincaid]

I dunno if they know it or not, but I do know the supposed chassis number of that car, and I also know where the real one is!

[eaglefordracer]

Well, it's always interesting to read all of the info about Eagles, and then to wonder why nobody bought the silly cars when they were being built.
I have all of the prints, molds, and fixtures for the car, even the hand written notes that somebody (Loring/Ward?) wrote up to build up a frame.

I did go to side draft radiators (very easily converted back) because nose radiator just wasn't getting it done here in the hot midwest. Now, there's plenty of cooling.

Bob McCormack engineered a wide track front suspension which really did improve the car.

Bruce's car is in pieces, I've heard his health isn't good. He claims that his car is AAR001.
Then, along with Bill Kincaid, I was informed by AAR that Ward (still an employee of AAR) "recognized" his car as the one they currently have...but I'm with Bill, I don't think so.

There was a D-Sports that was in Minnesota, purchased by Scott Livingston (St.Louis) and returned to FF, now owned by Wizeman in St. Louis. Scott had another car, formerly B. Unser car that he sold, but I don't know where.

They're a good car, and like Bill Kincaid, I've never regretted mine. However, everything is for sale. Contact me if you're interested. I'm leaning toward thinking that as a vintage car, with all of the documentation, there is some provinance in the package.

The Crossle's are easier set up, and are a more forgiving car...unless you're Loring.

Hans C. Iwand, PE
eaglefordracer@cox.net

[GTS_CEL]

Thanks Bill,
Your car looks great.
I have heard that one of the cars was made into a side radiator car due to cooling issues, did you experience that ?
Talked with David Loring this morning, he says, and confirmed with Kathy at AAR, that they built 13 at AAR including the prototype. He is unsure how many, if any, complete cars, Sandy Dells built.
Then the project was sold by Dells to someone in Northern California, who maybe built a few sportsracers. Anyone have any knowledge of that ?
Loring says I'd be stupid to run an Eagle while I have a perfectly usable Crossle 30F.......
Which cools my desire some but I will continue to pursue any and all info regarding the AAR built cars. At least until my mid-winter boredom lifts......

One more thing, David says Kathy told him AAR has one car that they are restoring in his, Davids, livery from his Runoffs win in '78 and it will grace the AAR foyer.

I think It may have been a Gentleman by the name of Dan Clark who got the project from Sandy Dells, he was an instructor with the Russell School in the 90's and left to work with Craig T. Nelsons race team in the late 90's he moved to Tehachipi Ca.
Hope this helps

EDIT: Got this from the White Pages (661) 822-3381

[eaglefordracer]

Dan was working with Bob McCormack who had started CalEagle Racing. Dan drove all over CA and even out east to pick up all of the Eagle mfg. equipment that had been liquidated by Sandy Dells.

The money was put up by an Al Olseen, who was also racing an Eagle. Al got out and transfered the materials equipment to Bob McCormack, who still has a shop at Sears (Infineon).

Dan owned and raced the Eagle that I currently own.

Hans

[Jonathan Hirst]

Loring says I'd be stupid to run an Eagle while I have a perfectly usable Crossle 30F.......
Which cools my desire some but I will continue to pursue any and all info regarding the AAR built cars. At least until my mid-winter boredom lifts......

I've got a short list of "dream" formula fords too. An eagle is definately on it.

As someone who spent way too much money on a rare CF that he really wanted, all I can say is that the memory of the price you paid for the car will fade long before the joy of ownership does.

There is no room for reason in the world of old racing cars.


IMHO
If you find one Mike - buy it. You won't regret it.

Good luck in your search.

Jonathan

[Daryl DeArman]

duplicate post

[Daryl DeArman]

Efrain Olivares, Jr. raced one with VARA until fairly recently....not sure where it went.

His screen name here is Efrain_jr

Not sure how often, if ever, he is on this site these days...perhaps you can shoot him an e-mail or PM. If that doesn't work, I believe he is a writer for Racer magazine.

[eaglefordracer]

I don't know for sure, but I believe that Efrain's car went to AAR.

[racerxlilbro]

I don't know for sure, but I believe that Efrain's car went to AAR.

I can confirm this.

[Efrain_jr]

I can confirm that my old Eagle, which certainly was never identified as chassis no. #001, was sold to All American Racers and will be a museum piece for the rest of its life.

However, the notion that AAR bought a Sandy Dells replica of an Eagle is absurd. While it had no significant race history, we had documentation of my old car's ownership since new, and AAR confirmed that it was an original Eagle - but I certainly have never, ever made the claim that my old car was #001.

Anyone who cares to discuss can message me.

[Frank C]

I have seen an announcement for a new book on Eagles that is scheduled to come out this Spring. I wonder whether it will have a section on the FF's? The only link I have found for the book is this ad:
http://www.motorsportcollector.com/EagleBook.html

- Frank C