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Eagle MkIII

Eagle MkIII
2011 11 26 Toyota HQ-20-37 - Flickr - Moto@Club4AG.jpg
Category IMSA GTP
Constructor All American Racers
Designer(s) John Ward
Hiro Fujimori (aerodynamicist)
Predecessor Eagle HF90
Technical specifications
Chassis Carbon fibre and aluminum honeycomb composite monocoque with steel roll cage
Suspension (front) Double wishbone with pushrod-actuated inboard spring/damper
Suspension (rear) Double wishbone with pushrod-actuated bellhousing-mounted spring/damper
Length 189 in (480.1 cm)
Width 79 in (200.7 cm)
Height 40 in (101.6 cm)
Wheelbase 105 in (266.7 cm)
Engine Toyota 3S-GTM 2.1 L (128 cu in) inline-4 with single Garrett AiResearch turbocharger and intercooler, mid-mounted.
Transmission Ray Eades/March 5-speed + reverse manual
Weight 832 kg (1,834 lb) 1992
914 kg (2,015 lb) 1993
Fuel Elf custom racing fuel (82% toluene)
Tyres Goodyear Eagle
BBS wheels, 13x17 front, 15x17 rear
Competition history
Notable entrants All American Racers
Notable drivers Argentina Juan Manuel Fangio II
United States P.J. Jones
United Kingdom Andy Wallace
United States Rocky Moran
United States Mark Dismore
Debut 1991 Grand Auto Supply Camel GT
Races Wins Poles F.Laps
27 21 18 16
Teams' Championships 2 (All American Racers, 1992 & 1993)
Constructors' Championships 2 (All American Racers, 1992 & 1993)
Drivers' Championships 2 (Juan Manuel Fangio II, 1992 & 1993)

The Eagle MkIII is a sports prototype racing car built by All American Racers in 1991 to IMSA GTP specifications. Powered by a turbocharged Toyota inline-4 engine, the car was campaigned in the IMSA Camel GT series by Dan Gurney's Toyota-sponsored AAR team from 1991 through to the end of 1993. The Eagle MkIII won 21 out of the 27 races in which it was entered and is considered one of the most successful and technologically advanced designs of the IMSA GTP era — "a car that proved so overwhelmingly dominant that the class for which it was created has now been assigned to history", according to Racer magazine.

From 1989 through 1991, AAR campaigned the Eagle HF89 (also known as the MkII), the team's first in-house, race-ready IMSA GTP design. While some success was had with the HF89 and its HF90 evolution, the chassis had a very small margin for setup error — in the words of driver Juan Manuel Fangio II, "When we were in the window, the car was good in every way, but out of the window, the car was not right at all." It was clear to the team that a clean-sheet design was needed to significantly advance the chassis and provide the best platform for competing against the Nissan and Jaguar factory entries.

Two veteran AAR designers were tasked with leading the design of the MkIII chassis. John Ward focused on the tub and mechanical aspects of the car, while Hiro Fujimori was responsible for aerodynamics and styling — hence, the car was internally codenamed WFO 91 for Ward, Fujimori and Others, 1991. Team members nicknamed the project "Wide F'n Open". The design parameters given to the team were not groundbreaking and the designers looked to avoid risky, cutting-edge solutions wherever possible; rather, for reliability's sake, the mantra was to make the chassis simple while taking full advantage of proven technologies. However, there was one significant technological advance planned: the MkIII would be the first carbon-fiber monocoque manufactured in-house by AAR.


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