Eagle T1G Formula 1

Eagle T1G Formula 1

In principle, it was decided to entrust Len Terry with the design of a dual purpose car, not exclusive to F1. Terry had worked at Lotus with Colin Chapman, so he applied Lotus 38 design principles such as suspensions and a lightweight alloy monocoque.

In 1966, the first Eagle driven by Dan Gurney used 2,750 cm3 Coventry Climax 4-cylinder engines. The best result was a fifth place in the French Grand Prix. Subsequently, after regulatory changes, a V12 engine enlarged in displacement up to 2,997 cm3 was adopted, which reached a power of 364 hp.

In 1967 Coventry Climax V12 engine already rendered a power of 410 hp, but in contrast was the problem of overweight that took away agility from the car. Even so, Dan Gurney secured a victory in the “Champions Race” held in the legendary Brands Hatch scenario, although it did not score points for the championship.

Later in June 1967 Gurney won a victory at the Belgian Grand Prix, a historic achievement. But bad fortune came soon with a streak of bad results. In 1968 the Eagle competed for the last time in Formula 1 at the Italian Grand Prix, where Dan Gurney also said goodbye to the category to begin his return to activities in the United States.

The Eagle showed up in the Indianapolis 500 Miles with acceptable results. They then got a victory with one of the Eagle with an Offenhauser engine driven by popular driver Bobby Unser.

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