A Five-Time IMSA GTP Winning Toyota is Up for Auction
It's not a Supra, but this 1990 AAR-Toyota Eagle HF89 race car will snap more necks than any other Toyota could. This particular race car was designed and built by Dan Gurney's All American Racers in partnership with Toyota for the 1990 IMSA GTP series. The Eagle was raced under both the HF89 and HF90 names to reflect chassis design updates after the 1989 season. With Juan Manuel Fangio II at the wheel, it won at Heartland Park in Topeka, Kansas, Sears Point, Del Mar, and San Antonio during the 1990 season, as well as a win at Watkins Glen in early 1991. This Toyota Eagle saw its last share of action with Rocky Moran at the wheel before being retired.
This racing legend spent the next few years either in storage or on static display before receiving a cosmetic refurbishment in its period-correct Topeka livery in preparation for display at the Museo Fangio in Argentina. It was then purchased by its current owner in 2015, who entrusted the experts at Canepa with a two-year restoration that reportedly cost over $800,000. The Eagle was back in full force and stretched its legs once more at the 2016 Rolex Reunion.
Under the hood is a turbocharged 2,140cc Toyota inline-four engine that uses Nippon Denso fuel injection, a custom Life Racing ECU, and dry-sump lubrication. The engine was overhauled in 2016 by Advanced Engine Research in Essex, England, along with custom engine and chassis harnesses and updated sensors to ensure peak racing performance even 35 years after it left the factory floor. The lubrication system was also reportedly updated in 2023.
The car uses an aluminum honeycomb monocoque wrapped in carbon-composite body panels, with a Hewland five-speed manual transaxle, AP Racing slotted and ventilated disc brakes, coilover suspension with sway bars adjustable from within the cockpit, staggered-width 18' multipiece BBS wheels, and a single racing seat with a six-point harness. That transmission is said to have had its gears and dog rings replaced in 2023. Additional aerodynamic features that help the Toyota Eagle slice through the air include faired-in headlights, front dive planes, an intake snorkel, brake cooling ducts, and a dual-plane rear wing.
Race cars come up for sale on a semi-regular basis, but a five-time IMSA GTP winner like this 1990 AAR-Toyota Eagle HF89 is hard to come by. It gets bonus cool points for being piloted by Juan Manuel Fangio II during all five of those victories. At the time of writing this, there are eight days left in the auction, with a current bid of $101,098. Upon purchase, the new owner will receive an FIA Historical Technical Passport valid through 2029, binders from the Canepa restoration, and a bill of sale.
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