1969 Eagle Santa Ana Indianapolis Car
- Engine
- 2.6L (159 cu. in.) DOHC turbocharged Ford V8 with Hilborn fuel injection, 800+ bhp
The Eagle Santa Ana was the second Indianapolis-spec car designed by Tony Southgate for Dan Gurney's All American Racers, one of only four built in 1969. Delivered new to legendary engineer-tuner Smokey Yunick, it ran as the #44 'City of Daytona Beach' entry at the 1969 Indianapolis 500, qualifying 11th and finishing 6th. After that single outing Yunick partially disassembled the car, where it remained for three decades before being fully restored around 2001 by a team that included Indianapolis car-building veterans A.J. Watson and Willie Davis.
Ownership
- —Auction saleEstimate US$350,000 – US$450,000
- 1969 → 2001Factory deliverySmokey Yunickpartial documentation
Yunick ran the car as the #44 entry at the 1969 Indianapolis 500, then partially disassembled it after the race and stored it for roughly three decades. He agreed to sell only shortly before his passing in 2001.
- 2001 → 2007Private salePost-Yunick restoration-era ownerpartial documentation
Following Yunick's sale of the car, it underwent a comprehensive restoration led by Indianapolis car specialists A.J. Watson and Willie Davis, among others, before being sold again in 2007.
- 2007 →Private saleCurrent consignorpartial documentation
The present owner entered the car at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2008 and maintained it regularly. At some point it was sold to a separate collection for a period of years before being repurchased by the same consignor.
Competition
- 1969USAC Championship Trail1969 Indianapolis 500Driver: Joe Leonard6th overall
The car qualified 11th and Leonard advanced to 2nd place while pursuing race leader Mario Andretti, but a punctured radiator caused by a loose hose clamp forced a pit stop lasting around 14 minutes; the car rejoined and finished 6th.
- 20082008 Goodwood Festival of Speed
The current owner entered the car at this historic motorsport hillclimb event shortly after acquiring it in 2007.
Maintenance & restoration
- 1969MaintenanceSmokey Yunick's workshop
Following its sole race appearance, the car was partially disassembled and placed in storage, where it remained for approximately three decades.
Yunick's dissatisfaction with the race outcome led to the car being laid up rather than campaigned further.
- 2001Restoration
Full restoration carried out by a specialist team that included celebrated Indianapolis car constructors A.J. Watson and Willie Davis, returning the car to race-ready condition.
Work was initiated just before or around the time of Yunick's death in 2001; exact completion date is not specified.
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