March 73S - 74S - 75S - 76S - 77S

[allenbrown]

Threads seem to start with big ambitions on 10 Tenths so I thought I'd give this one a subject line that covers all 38 of March's Group 5 sports cars (plus the mystery Can-Am 77S).

According to Lawrence, March built 35 2-litre cars: 19 73S, 11 74S, five 75S and two 76S plus a 3-litre 76S. The 77S doesn't appear in Lawrence but Bobby Brown drove such a car in Can-Am in 1977.

It is this latter car I'm trying to find out about. I know it was imported into the US by March importer Doug Shierson with chassis plate "77ST-1". After Brown, it went to Greg Sorrentino and converted to single seat form; then to Charlie Monk then John Kalagian then J. Byron Walker who still has it.

Walker believes it was a works rebuild of the crashed Ultramar Edwards/Lepp 3-litre 76S-DFV. Could anyone tell me what became of that 76S? Did Edwards have two March sports cars that season or did the 76S-DFV get a Hart 2-litre later in the season?

Thanks

Allen

[Jeremy Jackson]

Hi Allen,

An Ultramar-liveried 76S is in the Rosso Bianco Museum.

http://www.shmoo.com/~bmc/photos/Car...f0050.jpg.html

By the central airbox, I'd guess this is the DFV-powered car.

The DFV-engined car was involved in a transporter accident before Imola in May '76. Not sure what happened after that.

Lepp raced an uprated 75S-Hart in Ultramar colours in the 1976 RAC championship in 76.

[allenbrown]

Thanks Jeremy

I quickly found the reference to the crash on the M2 (Autosport 27 May 1976 which says it was "only partially damaged") and I couldn't see any further reference to the car after that. The livery on the Ross Bianco car matches the picture in Autocourse (1976/77 p218) almost exactly but - as I've learnt to my cost - that can mean that I'm looking at the same picture the restorer used.

So my attention has to turn to Lepp's 75S-Hart. That was the quickest sports car in Britain in 1976. Does anyone know what happened to it in 1977?

Allen

[allenbrown]

I've had another email from J Byron Walker and he has sent photos that very clearly show the Ultramar colours under layers of paint on the rear wing. While a rear wing could easily be swapped, Walker says he has found the same colours on the rear bodywork section.

I hate to jump to conclusions, but have we found the John Lepp March 75S here?

The British Sports Car Championship seems to have died after that 1976 season so several cars could have headed out to the 2-litre category of the new Can-Am series. But why was the 75S - if that's what it is - repreented as a brand new 77S?

Adam - do you have any March sports car records?

Allen

[Jeremy Jackson]

Allen,

As background info., the RAC Championship did die after 1976 - As I remember, there were only about 4-5 Group 6 cars of various ages turning up, with the fields bolstered by Clubmans cars.

Autosport's Seasonal Survey for 1976 says Ultramar withdrew sponsorship (from the European Championship, at least) as they weren't getting great exposure for their money. However, their colours were still around in 1977, with Guy Edwards' Lola T294 (or T296 depending which race report you read)...

As to why March would re-name it a 77S...

[Dan Rear]

Jeremy, as I recall the 1976 British Gp6 series usually had more than 4-5 'proper' cars plus the Clubmans, maybe nearer 7-8 per round...

The Lepp 75S, coloured red in 75, and backed by 'Lepp, The Jewellers' was a year later in Ultramar decals. All part of the same deal that Edwards put together including the 76S DFV in 76. Either car could well have been the mystery CanAm 77S I guess, as I have no recollection of reading about them after 76. Could it later have been converted to a single seater though ??

On March Gp6s generally, I think most went to Japan. Weren't 3 of them, supposedly 75s', converted to GpC Juniors and raced out there from about 83-85? I presume the 76S 2-litres went out there, don't recall any being reported in Europe, or US. The hills in Europe maybe ?

In Europe I think there was one other 75S out, apart from the Lepp car, yellow I believe, can't recall off hand who had it and how often it raced that year.

Finally the Ultramar 1977 Lola, I recall it was reported at the time as a brand new car, Mallock and Edwards, with a BDX, so presumably a T296?

[Jeremy Jackson]

Dan,

I think the Mooncraft "C Junior" Marches were converted 73S/74S chassis, a lot of which were raced in the Grand Champion series. The 3 that raced as 75SC at Fuji in 1982 still had the open 73/74 type bodywork, not the flat 75S style.

Of the 2 2-0 litre 76S, I think one went to Kojima for Hasemi, and the other stayed in Europe, which I would guess is the chassis that Silvio Kalb races in Supersports - he says its the sole survivor of the 2, i.e. not including the 76S-DFV.

Mike & Richard Knight raced a yellow 75S at LM in 1975, Messrs Skeaping and cabral raced a couple in European before the 2-litre championship stopped after 2 races.

My point about the RAC in 76 was there weren't enough Group 6 cars to sustain a championship, I'm aware that the number of G6 cars flucuated somewhat.

[fausto]

The Italian March 75S was entered by "Walter Wolf Canadian Racing Team" and raced by Stanislao Sterzel and "Gimax", it sported Wolf colours, dark blue and gold, just like the car Silvio Kalb is currently racing in Historic Gp. 6.

[Nordic]

There was a 75s run by 'Valour racing' (Paul Jackson) in some 1985 thundersports races, I think it was all black.

[Jeremy Jackson]

Nordic,

They was some legal story to that was there? or it "disappeared" in strange cicumstances or something? Can't remeber the details now, but you're right, it was a black DFV-powered car. Jackson shared it with Rob Wilson

[allenbrown]

According to Martin Krejci's meticulously researched results, the following 75S appeared in the WSC or in the 2-race European 2-litre series (EU2):

Mugello WSC 22 Mar
2 75S-BMWs on the entry list for Fornera/Camathias and de Lamare/Neto and Lepp's 75S-Hart also on the entry list.

Dijon WSC 6 Apr
Alroy Racing (Stubbs/Johnson/Cabral) March 75S-Ford
Alroy Racing (Andrews/Stubbs) March 75S-Ford

Silverstone BRDC 13 Apr
Lepp March 75S-Hart

Monza WSC 20 Apr
Alroy Racing (Cabral/Stubbs) March 75S-Ford
Alroy Racing (Castro Prado/Andrews) March 75S-Ford
Vern Schuppan (Tunmer/Schuppan) March 75S-Hart
Pedro de Lamare (de Lamare/Neto) March 75S-BMW entry only
Citta dei Mille (Fornera/Camathias) March 75S-BMW entry only

Spa WSC 4 May
March Engineering (Lepp/Pilette) March 75S-Hart
Alroy Racing (Keegan/Andrews) March 75S-Ford
Alroy Racing (Castro Prado/Johnson) March 75S-Ford
Alroy Racing (Beuttler/Stubbs) March 75S-Ford entry only

Enna WSC 18 May
? (Castro Prado/Stubbs) March 75S-BMW entry only
? (Cabral/Andrews) March 75S-BMW entry only

Nurburgring WSC 1 June
March Hart Racing (Morgan/Lepp/Schuppan) March 75S-Hart
Alroy Racing (Knight/Mons/Knight) March 75S-Ford
Alroy Racing (Cabral/Castro Prado) March 75S-Ford

Le Mans 15 June
Madison Racing team (Mons/Knight/Knight) March 75S-Ford

Brands EU2 22 June
John Lepp March 75S Hart
Alroy Racing (Skeaping) March 75S-Ford
Alroy Racing (Cabral) March 75S-Ford
Roger Heavens (Castro-Prado) March 75S-BMW

Zeltweg WSC 29 June
March Racing (Morgan/Lepp) March 75S Hart
Alroy Racing (Cabral/Lunger) March 75S-Ford
Alroy Racing (Binder/Castro Prado/Stubbs) March 75S-Ford

Hockenheim 31 Aug
John Lepp March 75S Hart
Alroy Racing (Skeaping) March 75S-Ford
Manfred Mohr March 75S-BMW

Martin's results table of the 1975 Fuji Grand Champion Series does not show any 75S, only 73S and 74S.

I can certainly see four 75S in there - the fifth one may have been the Michel Pignard or Enrico Grimaldi hill climb March 75S-BMW.

Intruigingly, the same page I found Pignard and Grimaldi (http://digilander.libero.it/racecars/1975.htm) also shows Lepp winning at Knockhill on 21 Sep in a 75S-BMW.

Can anyone make sense out of all this?

Allen

[Jeremy Jackson]

Allen,

Firstly the Sep 12 1976 event was an RAC round, and Lepp's car had it's usualHart-power, not BMW.

The Monza car driven by Tumner/Schuppan car was John Lepp's.

The Alroy cars were powered by BDAs and BDGs

Just to muddy the waters slightly, on Martin's brother Roman's pages http://isr.cudlici.com/ there was a "75S-Ford DFV" driven by Mario Nardari at the Treno-Bondone Euro. hillclimb event in July 1975.

[Dan Rear]

Didn't Heavens run March 74S' in 1974, for the likes of Cabral, Prado, de Lamare. I guess he must have had some Spanish money/connexions at the time. If so, I wonder whether these cars really were 75S', possibly in fact the previous years cars ??

On the Valour car, I agree there was somthing 'odd' about the team. I believe there was some drugs moneys involved, they were involved with Ross Cheever in F3 too as I recall. From dim and distant, wasn't the money behind Valour also involved with Johnny Herbert too, in a sponsorship capacity, though no suggestion that he, or Ross C or Paul J for that matter was mixed up in any wrongdoings.

What about John Travis' BRD 001. Don't know if this was based on a March tub or what, but it certainly looked very like a 75S/76S. Did it go to Les Edmunds for sprint/climbing after ?

Finally, the yellow 75S I mtnioned must have been the Alroy car. I have a set of 'TopTrump' cards showing it at Spa 75. I wonder what SuperRupe was doing out in it there ? Who, or what was "Alroy" I wonder.

[Jeremy Jackson]

There's a photo of the (rear of) Heavens entry at Brands in the Autosport report. Definitely 75S bodywork, but Heavens ran Lolas in 1975, so this looks like a one-off entry.

Valour: Wasn't that car "stolen" or spirited away somewhere without trace?

Agree with you on the BRD, but I seem to recall it was an ew tub, copied from the 75S. Not 100% on that though. It did go to Edmunds.

[Dan Rear]

From what we have so far, pure conjecture of course, the Rosso Bianco car appears to be the Edwards 3-litre 76S. Therefore it looks like the Lepp car went to the US for Brown as a '77S', given Allen's pictures showing some Ultramar paint.

The Italian 'Walter Wolf' 75S, raced in Europe in 76, may well be the Silvio Kalb car, I wonder whether this went to Valour between Wof and Silvio. If not, and it stayed in Europe, the Valour car must have been one the Alroy car.

Any thoughts ? Also are we sure that many 75S' were out in the 75 WSC, or dting 2-litre Gp6 series ?

[Jeremy Jackson]

Dan,

Kalb's car is one of the 2 2-litre 76S chassis, not a 75S. Additionally, Herbie Müller raced a 75S-BMW in a couple of races in 1977. Klaus Wittwer entered a 76S in a couple of races in 78 (One also by Herbie), so I would guess that may be Kalb's car. Eugen Strähl entered one aswell, so one isn't a 76S !

Travis' car was entered in Thundersports as a 76S, but agian, whether it was or not, I'm not sure.

Here's a photo I took of it at Birmingham in 1986. This may be the 75S that Nick Atkins/Richard Hinton drove in the BRDC C2 championship?

[Jeremy Jackson]

And this is the Wolf car at Monza 1976 (photo from 1000km di Monza, Curami/Galbiati/Ronchi)

[Dan Rear]

Jeremy, thanks for that, great pics. So the March situation is far more complex than I'd thought ! The RTH/Atkins car looks very similar to the BRD, is this in fact the latter ? Can we contact Richard on this, he may well sort this one out at least !

Have you any knowledge of the B29s we looking at on here now ?

[Jeremy Jackson]

Dan,

Every old racing car situation is complex!!

Just done TNF search, You asked Richard about this... He confirmed it was Travis' car (which makes it a 75S), but didn't know if it was Lepp's previously (obviously doubtful anyway, given Allen's original point of this thread)...

The search also pulled up some 75S pics. Muller's car similar paint scheme to the Wolf car (dark blue, silver pinstriping)... Keegan in the Alroy, and Lepp are also there.

My Birmingham pic is definitely the 75S, not the BRD, my results show that was raced in 1987.

B29 thread has gone way beyond my knowledge...

[allenbrown]

Hi folks

I finished going through Autosport for 1975, trying tio make sense of the 75S entries. THe real puzzle, as noted above, is the extra car at Brands in June. I wonder if the Knight/Knight car at Le Mans could have been new, then going to Cabral at Brands. If so, maybe Castro Prado had to take his 75S to Heavens to run for that race only if Alroy didn't have capacity? Either way, there were apparantly four 75S at Brands so, with the Michel Pignard hill climb 75S, we appear to have accounted for the entire production run.

Mugello WSC 22 Mar
No 75S present. Entry list contained: 2 75S-BMWs for Fornera/Camathias and de Lamare/Neto (as at Monza four weeks later) and Lepp's 75S-Hart.

Dijon WSC 6 Apr
Autosport adds that both the A1 Roy Racing cars failed to qualify on their debut. Both had BDG engines.
Alroy Racing (Stubbs/Johnson/Cabral) March 75S-BDG DNQ
Alroy Racing (Andrews/Stubbs) March 75S-BDG DNQ

Silverstone BRDC 13 Apr
Autosport says Lepp was in "the works" 75S with a 2-litre Hart 420R engine.
Lepp March 75S-Hart

Monza WSC 20 Apr
Autosport says Schuppan had Lepp's car and that Cabral/Stubbs fitted a new Hart-BDA for the race.
Alroy Racing (Cabral/Stubbs) March 75S-Ford
Alroy Racing (Castro Prado/Andrews) March 75S-Ford
Vern Schuppan (Tunmer/Schuppan) March 75S-Hart
Pedro de Lamare (de Lamare/Neto) March 75S-BMW entry only
Citta dei Mille (Fornera/Camathias) March 75S-BMW entry only

Spa WSC 4 May
Autosport says the BDA was still in the Prado/Johnson car.
March Engineering (Lepp/Pilette) March 75S-Hart
Alroy Racing (Keegan/Andrews) March 75S-BDG
Alroy Racing (Castro Prado/Johnson) March 75S-BDA
Alroy Racing (Beuttler/Stubbs) March 75S-Ford entry only

Enna WSC 18 May
Autosport (15 May 1975 p7) says Morgan will drive the car which "will, of course, be prepared by Roger Hire Racing, under supervision from the works".
? (Castro Prado/Stubbs) March 75S-BMW entry only
? (Cabral/Andrews) March 75S-BMW entry only

Nurburgring WSC 1 June
Autosport (15 May 1975 p7) says Dave Morgan will drive the car which "will, of course, be prepared by Roger Hire Racing, under supervision from the works".
March Hart Racing (Morgan/Lepp/Schuppan) March 75S-Hart
Alroy Racing (Knight/Mons/Knight) March 75S-Ford
Alroy Racing (Cabral/Castro Prado) March 75S-Ford

Le Mans 15 June
Autosport (24 Apr 1975 p8) says this will be one of the Alroy cars with a 2-litre Ford BDG.
Madison Racing team (Mons/Knight/Knight) March 75S-Ford

Brands EU2 22 June
Autosport says Cabral has the 75S-BDG used last week at Le Mans, Skeaping has the "March-Hart/BDA 75S" and there is now a fourth 75S: "Prado's Roger Heavens run March-BMW 75S". So is this a new 75S or has Prado moved a car over from Alroy Racing?
John Lepp March 75S Hart
Alroy Racing (Skeaping) March 75S-Hart/BDA
Alroy Racing (Cabral) March 75S-BDG
Roger Heavens (Castro-Prado) March 75S-BMW

Zeltweg WSC 29 June
OK, now I'm confused. Autosport confirms that Prado's car is a Alroy Racing 75S. So where has that fourth 75S gone?
March Racing (Morgan/Lepp) March 75S Hart
Alroy Racing (Cabral/Lunger) March 75S-Ford
Alroy Racing (Binder/Castro Prado/Stubbs) March 75S-Ford

Knockhill 13 Jul
John Lepp "works" March 75S

Hockenheim 31 Aug
Autosport adds that Mohr's car was one of the BDG Alroy cars, not a BMW as Martin had it.
John Lepp March 75S Hart
Alroy Racing (Skeaping) March 75S-Ford
Manfred Mohr March 75S-BDG

Shand Carpets "100", Knockhill 14 Sep
John Lepp March 75S Hart

Was Knockhill really a European Championship race? Both Kettlewell and Krejci say there were only two rounds.

Does anyone have Motoring News for 1975? Could that help?

Allen

[Jeremy Jackson]

Allen,

Knockhill wasn't a a Euro 2-litre championship race; I mentioned earlier it was an GB/RAC championship race, but the other possibility is that it was a stand-alone race, as the 1975 GB championship didn't exactly have full grids. The 2-litre series was indeed cancelled after 2 rounds.

Maybe after LM/Brands, Alroy took over the Knight car, and thus ended up with 3 chassis? Unlikely I suppose, but...

[allenbrown]

OK, after my last post I thought "that will do for sports cars for a while, let's try to find that mystery Chevron B24". So I started looking through the Autosport classifieds for Chevrons and what do I find in the 19 June edition (p57):

March 75S, one race only, complete rolling chassis, offers. Contact Roger Heavens, Abingdon 412.

So Prado's car at Brands was brand new. Could this be the later Wolf car?

Allen

[Jeremy Jackson]

I have Autosport's & MN's sports car repprts for 76, but they only mention the Wolf car briefly, and no indication of it's previous life.

Oops time: I think the Knockhill race was a stand-alone race, I'm not even sure there was an RAC championship in 1975 - There was a race supporting the International Trophy, which I thought was the first round, but I'm not so sure. That race was either the only round of yet another cancelled champuionship, or a stand-alone event. Knockhill may well have been a scheduled championship event, that became a stand-alone race. If you see what I mean.

[Jeremy Jackson]

Along with my post re:B42s on the "another Chevron" thread, a 75S is being run in the US by Lee Chapman Racing this year.

http://www.leechapmanracing.com/our_race_cars.htm

Simon hadfield practiced, but did not reace it, at Sebring in March. As above, not mention of it's previous history.

[allenbrown]

Originally posted by Dan Rear
Who, or what was "Alroy" I wonder.

Yes, I'd been wondering that too. I found it, while trying to figure out Richard Simms' Chevron B24:

New March 2-litre team - Autosport 27 Feb 1975
"Alroy Racing will be a new name on the 2-litre sports car scene this year. The team has been formed by former Paulenco men Alan Stubbs and Roy Johnson. They will be continuing their association with March and will be running two new 75S models."

Allen