Ex–Mark Donohue/Penske Racing 1968 AAR-Chevrolet Eagle Indy Car
This 1968 AAR Eagle is one of eight examples built for the 1968 USAC season and was purchased new by Roger Penske as the first Indy car entry for Penske Racing and driver Mark Donohue. Powered by a Chevrolet small-block V8, chassis 406 made its debut with a fifth-place finish in the Telegraph Trophy at Mosport Park in June 1968 before a retirement from the Rex Mays 300 at Riverside at the end of the season. After a Goodyear testing session at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the car was sold to Weinberger Homes and fitted with an Offenhauser engine before qualifying but failing to finish at the 1969 Indianapolis 500 with Ronnie Bucknum at the wheel. It was sold in 1970 to Arnie Knepper, who campaigned it in USAC competition through 1973. It was then campaigned in 1974 and 1975 by the Precision Racing team of Robert LaWarre, who retained it in storage until his 1997 passing. The car was then purchased in 1999 by its previous owner, who commissioned a refurbishment that included a repaint in a period blue and yellow Penske Sunoco livery and the installation of a fuel-injected Traco-Chevrolet V8 built to replicate the car’s 1968 Riverside specification. After completion of the project in 2004, the car earned an Amelia Award at the 2005 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. It was purchased eight years ago by its current owner and subsequently appeared at the 2020 Amelia Island Concours before competing at the 2021 Monterey Motorsports Reunion and then being showcased as part of the 2026 Dan Gurney Eagle and AAR Reunion at Road America. Under current ownership, the 320ci V8 was rebuilt with a Z28 block, while the fuel-injection system was metered to run on gasoline. Features include a Hewland four-speed manual transaxle, four-wheel disc brakes, staggered-width 15” wheels, coilover suspension, an onboard starter, a single seat upholstered in black, and a four-point harness. This Eagle Indy car is now offered on dealer consignment in Oviedo, Florida, with an electric starter cart in a matching livery, invoices from current ownership, removed and spare parts, and a bill of sale.
Founded in 1964 by Dan Gurney and Carroll Shelby, California-based All American Racers debuted its first USAC contender alongside its Mk 1 Formula One chassis in 1966. After limited successes with its Eagle Indy race cars in 1966 and 1967, AAR hired former Lola designer Tony Southgate to develop a new chassis for the 1968 season. Featuring a lower, flatter monocoque sprung by outboard suspension, five examples of the redesigned Eagle Indy were entered in the 1968 Indianapolis 500, with all five qualifying and three claiming first, second, and fourth place.
This example is shown above with Mark Donohue in the driver’s seat on the day of its delivery to the Penske Racing shop. Additional images of the car during its racing career in the 1960s and 1970s can be viewed in the photo gallery below.
The car underwent a refurbishment in the 2000s that included a repaint in a blue and yellow Penske Sunoco livery with hand-painted numbers and lettering. Features include front dive planes, a yellow-tinted windscreen, dual bullet-style side mirrors, a chrome roll hoop, and a rear spoiler secured to dual exhaust pipes.
Staggered-width wheels are secured by three-eared knock-offs and are wrapped in Goodyear Eagle Sports Car Special tires measuring 23×10.5-15 up front and 27.0×14.0-15 at the rear. Stopping is handled by disc brakes with ventilated multipiece rotors.
The cockpit houses a single seat trimmed in black upholstery with matching trim over the side panels. Additional features include a Schroth four-point harness, a headrest pad, and a right-hand shifter.
The three-spoke steering wheel sits ahead of Stewart-Warner instrumentation including a rotated 10k-rpm tachometer and gauges monitoring oil pressure, coolant temperature, fuel pressure, and oil temperature. The car is not equipped with an odometer, and total mileage is unknown.
The 320ci Chevrolet V8 was overhauled by Andy Greene Sports and Vintage Race Cars in Savannah, Georgia, in 2021 with a replacement block and cylinder heads. Features include fuel injection with individual throttle bodies atop a cross-ram intake manifold, magneto ignition, ribbed valve covers with Penske logos, four-into-one exhaust headers, and a front-mounted radiator and oil cooler. The fuel injection system is configured to run on gasoline.
Power is sent to the rear wheels via a Hewland four-speed manual transaxle that was rebuilt in 2020. Adjustable rose-jointed suspension incorporates double wishbones up front and reverse lower wishbones, single top links, and dual radius rods at the rear. Monroe coilover shock absorbers and anti-roll bars are utilized at front and rear.
The car is accompanied by a three-wheeled electric starter cart that is painted in a matching number-12 Sunoco livery. The selling dealer notes that an onboard starter has been added to the car under current ownership. A collection of removed and spare parts includes a period Willans harness.
The car is shown above at the Dan Gurney Eagle and AAR Reunion at Road America in July 2026. The car’s Indianapolis 500 history includes a 30th-place DNF with Ronnie Bucknum in 1969 as well as DNQs with Arnie Knepper, Larry Rice, and John Hubbard from 1971 through 1975.
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| Current Bid | USD $50,000 by ALFcar |
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BaT Essentials
- Chassis: 406
- Campaigned by Penske & Mark Donohue in 1968
- Six-Time Indy 500 Entrant
- TMU
- 320ci Chevrolet V8
- Fuel Injection w/ ITBs
- Magneto Ignition
- Hewland Four-Speed Manual Transaxle
- Blue & Yellow Sunoco Livery
- Black Upholstery
- Staggered-Width 15" Wheels
- Adjustable Coilover Independent Suspension
- Yellow-Tinted Windscreen
- Onboard Starter
- Electric Starter Cart w/ Matching Livery
- Participant at 2026 Eagle & AAR Reunion
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