Eagle Aircraft Flyer

It’s hard to believe now, but the Indianapolis 500 used to be a showplace for innovative, off-the-wall designs. Some of them worked brilliantly, some of them not so much, but all garnered plenty of attention from rivals and spectators alike. One of the last truly unusual cars to take part in the Month of May was this curious creature, the 1982 Eagle Aircraft Flyer. This long, skinny machine, nicknamed “The Cropduster,” was powered by a normally-aspirated Chevy Small Block V8 and driven by short track standout Ken Hamilton(father of more recent Indycar driver Davey Hamilton). Unfortunately, it failed to run fast enough to qualify for the traditional 33 car field, and was never entered in another race.