Vehicle Description
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Five-time race winner and first Toyota GTP racecar to win a
race
Driven by two-time IMSA champion Juan Manuel Fangio II
Designed and constructed by Dan Gurney's All American Racers
Toyota 2.1-liter turbocharged engine - 815 horsepower, 614lb/ft of
torque (corrected at crank)
Complete concours mechanical and cosmetic restoration by Canepa in
2017
Extensive testing, race preparation and setup performed
Eligible for historic racing in both U.S. and European events
IMSA's GTP racing series is considered by many the height of
prototype racing. Teams were required to come up with inspired
designs from sets of rules that had them exploit every engineering
loophole, often times resulting in designs that were radically
different from one another. All American Racers (AAR) led by Dan
Gurney were the premiere American team, having successfully won the
IMSA GTO championship in their AAR-designed-and-built Toyota
Celicas. Looking to go full bore and reign king of IMSA GTP, Toyota
gave the green light and both AAR and Toyota began development on
their newest creation, the HF89.
Tasked with the monumental design challenge of the GTP car was
engineer Ron Hopkins and aerodynamicist Hiro Fuhimori. Using their
initials, the car was officially named the HF89 and subsequently
the HF90, but also known as the GTP MKII as it was Toyota and AAR's
second GTP design. Key in design of the day, the GTP cars focused
on ground-effect aerodynamics which AAR had extensive experience
with from the team's Indy cars, also designed by Hopkins.
Conventional in design, the GTP MKII was built around an aluminum
monocoque which featured a honeycomb core for reinforcement and
produced an extremely rigid chassis. A separate rear subframe was
used to mount the engine and gearbox. Suspension were double
wishbones on all four corners, with the springs and dampers mounted
almost vertically to make room for the ground-effect tunnels
underneath the car.
The only engine that Toyota had available was the 2,140cc inline-4
engine, the same successful engine that was used in the
championship Celica GTOs. Based on a production unit, it featured
twin overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder. It initially
produced over 600 horse-power, while being mated to a Hewland
five-speed manual gearbox.
AAR signed Juan Manuel Fangio II to pilot the HF89, but the 1989
season proved to be a harder task than originally envisioned due to
the boosted Toyota engine's reliability. During the offseason that
year, AAR worked tirelessly to modify the carbon-composite bodywork
to increase engine cooling. The work paid off big time, with Fangio
nabbing the pole position and taking the first GTP win for Toyota
vs. Geoff Brabham's Nissan at Heartland Park in Kansas. He would
later go on to win at Sears Point, San Antonio, and Del Mar,
finishing second place overall for that season. HF89 would race
again with Fangio early in the 1991 season when he won at Watkins
Glen before the new MKIII racer was ready later in the season.
However, the car's driving was not done, as it was then passed from
Fangio to Rocky Moran.
Since AAR retired HF89, it remained well preserved during its time
in different collections. AAR Toyota racing veteran Dennis Aase
bought the car from the team and later had it refinished to its
Topeka-winning livery. It was later displayed at the Museo Fangio
in Balcarce, Argentina, as a showpiece. During its time spent away
from the track, the car remained in a preserved yet non-running
condition.
2015 marked the beginning of HF89's long journey to its original
GTP glory. Purchased by a client, Canepa was charged with the
restoration to return the AAR/Toyota Eagle MKII back to its
original specifications, restored to race condition and ready for
historic racing. A 100% mechanical and cosmetic restoration took
place that was period correct, fully sorted, and fully tested to
provide an unparalleled experience for historic racing. Canepa
embarked on the 2-year restoration, leaving no stone unturned, no
surface untouched and every system restored. Upon completion, this
AAR Eagle MKII HF89 became one of the finest restored GTP racecars
in modern times.
The Eagle's carbon-composite bodywork was removed from the body and
placed to the side to inspect the inner workings of the chassis and
its components. The suspension pieces were disassembled to allow
better access to the inner workings of the chassis, with all parts
catalogued during the disassembly. The engine, gearbox and rear
subframe were unmated from the car, revealing what was now a bare
aluminum monocoque. Underneath all of the inner panels were
scribblings from team members who wrote down notes and messages
during the building of the car. There was even a lucky quarter
attached to the bottom of the chassis underneath the driver's seat.
These team mementos were saved during the restoration and remain on
the car today.
With disassembly completely finished, phase two of Canepa's
prodigious restoration process began with the refinishing of every
component on the car down to the last bolt. The aluminum monocoque
was sanded and polished by hand with ultra-fine sandpaper,
returning the surface finish to a gleaming clean surface. The
integrated roll bar was refinished in black, and new rear firewall
material was added to complete the monocoque. All suspension
components were crack checked, refinished, and assembled with new
hardware. The brake system was rebuilt, and new brake rotors were
installed. Every surface on the vehicle was refinished in the
proper surface finish, from paint to powder coat to anodizing. The
transmission was rebuilt in house at Canepa, inspecting and
replacing all components that needed servicing. In all, every
system on this legendary GTP car was inspected, serviced or
refinished as necessary, ensuring that everything was in proper
working order.
The powerhouse of an engine was sent out to be rebuilt by best in
the business, Advanced Engine Research of Essex, England. They were
tasked with rebuilding the 2.1-liter turbocharged engine back to
its original GTP-making power levels of 1989 and 1990. They fully
inspected the stout powerhouse, tearing down the engine to each
individual component to inspect it further. With an engine that is
dependent on tight tolerances and is being pushed to the limit such
as this, Advanced Engine Research spent their time and did their
due diligence to ensure the engine performed flawlessly. Once the
engine was built, it was thoroughly dyno tested and broken in
according to the proper specifications, then shipped to Canepa to
be installed into the Eagle. When final tuning was completed at
Canepa, the 2.1-liter turbocharged engine produced a staggering 815
horsepower and 614lb/ft of torque (corrected at crank).
The carbon-composite high downforce bodywork was expertly repaired
back to its original specifications with the Eagle receiving a true
concours-level bodywork and paint process. The carbon-composite
body panels were thoroughly adjusted and massaged to fit better
than they ever have, and with the panels painted in white they were
ready to accept the livery that the car sported in 1990. Countless
vintage photographs were consulted to ensure that the livery placed
on the car was accurate down the inch. Canepa even consulted with
the All American Racers archives for unpublished photographs which
allowed greater reference for period correctness. As you see the
car today is how the car looked in 1990.
Since the completion of the Eagle MKII, t...for more information
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