Automodello releases three limited edition Gurney Eagles

In 1981, Dan Gurney's All American Racers (AAR) entered the CART PPG IndyCar World Series with a revolutionary car that would be banned by season's end.

Said to be one of Gurney's personal favorites, the AAR Eagle-Challenger ran counter to the prevailing theory of the time, which was to produce downforce with ground-effects that generated underbody downforce. In contrast, the Eagle applied something called, "Boundary Layer Adhesion Technology" or BLAT. The result was a car with a strikingly unique shape compared to the other cars from Penske, Chaparral, March and the like.

BLAT, as it turns out, would be a precursor the blown diffuser technology deployed in Formula 1 in 2011. Essentially, air channeled over the surface of the body would form a vortex that once over the trailing edge combined with exhaust gas to generate downforce.

In addition to the BLAT design, the Eagle ran a modified, normally aspirated Chevy stock block engine versus the omnipresent turbocharged Cosworth DFX that powered most of the rest of the grid.

By the close 1981, CART decreed that both the BLAT technology and the normally aspirated engine had to go. But the the team had garnered a victory at the Milwaukee Mile thanks to superlative come-from-behind win by Mike Mosley before it was outlawed. Geoff Brabham also drove the car the same year at Riverside and Mexico City as well as Rocky Moran, who made a start at Watkins Glen. The AAR Eagle Challenger was to the last IndyCar entered by AAR that would be a 100% Gurney creation.

Automodello now offers all three liveried versions of the AAR Eagle Chevy in 1:43 scale.

The Eagle-Challenger Founder's Edition includes a hand-signed certificate of authenticity by Dan Gurney. It comes in the yellow and white Pepsi Challenge color scheme for $194.95. The tribute edition features the same livery, but with a hand-signed certificate of authenticity by Geoff Brabham for $159.95. In a nod to car number 48, both are limited to just 148 examples of each.

Finally, another tribute edition, this time in the blue and white livery of White Castle as driven by Chip Mead, is also available for $159.95. Only 150 examples of this option will be made.

All three come mounted on a plinth with a protective, clear display cover that allows for 360-degree viewing of this highly accurate model. All come with free worldwide shipping from Automodello.