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  Article Image gallery (20) 510 Specifications  
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Country of origin:United States
Produced from:1968 - 1969
Numbers built:14
Designed by:Tony Southgate for All American Racers
Author:Wouter Melissen
Last updated:October 12, 2016
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Click here to download printer friendly versionFor manufacturers of single seater racing cars, the newly introduced Formula A and Formula 5000 regulations that focused on stock-block V8 engines provided a very lucrative opportunity. Dan Gurney's All American Racers was one of the specialist companies that jumped at the opportunity ahead of the 1968 season. Very early in the development of that year's Indy racer, it was decided to create a Formula A car much along the same lines. The only significant difference was in the materials used, which were not quite as exotic to meet the regulations and keep the costs down.

Penned by Tony Southgate the Formula A machine was known as the Eagle Mark 5. It was built around a full-length aluminium tub that allowed for the installation of a choice of Chevrolet or Ford small-block engines. Most customers opted for the Chevy V8, which was the more competitive option. This was mated to a sturdy Hewland DG 600 gearbox. The suspension was conventional with double wishbones at the front and a multi-link arrangement at the rear. The completed car tipped the scales at just under 700 kg with the Chevrolet engine installed.

For the 1968 season, All American Racers built a total of six cars, which were all sold to and raced by customers. Among them was Dr Lou Sell, who won five of the eight races on his way to that year's Continental Championship. Two of the other three races were also won by Eagles. After winning all but one of the 1968 races, it was no surprise that the demand was up for 1969. Although still dubbed the Mark 5, the car evolved substantially with changes including the installation of the lighter Hewland DG 300 gearbox and the addition of a tall rear wing.

The 1969 season was more competitive with new cars from Surtees and McLaren joining the fray. In its second year, the Eagle Mark 5 won six of the 13 rounds. Thanks to a very consistent season, highlighted by two wins, Tony Adamowicz managed to win the Continental Championship that year, narrowly beating David Hobbs in a Surtees. At the final round of the championship, the works team fielded a Mark 5 for the first time. It was powered by a Plymouth V8 and Swede Savage managed to snatch the pole position. The race ended prematurely for the works effort due to a clutch failure.

The one off entry for Swede Savage was a sign of things to come. At least to a certain extent as the All American Racers focused its efforts on a Trans-Am campaign in 1970 with Plymouth Barracudas. This spelled the end for the Formula A program despite the huge successes scored in 1968 and 1969. AAR would eventually return to the F5000 fold but not quite with the same level of success as it had achieved during the late 1960s. A total of 14 Mark 5s were built in 1968 and 1969.

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  Article Image gallery (20) 510 Specifications