March 782

[allenbrown]

Anyone know which March Duncan Bain had in 1982? He won a libre at Brands on 25 April when Autosport called it a 1.6 March 78B-Nicholson McLaren.

[Dan Rear]

The Bain car I've queried before, Allen. It looked like a genuine 782/78B rather than a bitza, and as with all his cars, was well turned out. He used it in various FA races as the series died over here in 82-83. An ex-Paul Smith car perhaps. David Newell had a similar car in 83.

[allenbrown]

If the Bain car was a 782, the most likely candidates would be Barton's 782/79B/792, last raced by Barton at the end of 1981, and Jim Stevenson's 782, last seen in 1980 as far as I can tell.

A Paul Smith car is a possibility if Edmonds didn't buy his car directly from Smith but Steve W says he did. Also Ian H told us that Tilanus bought his 782 directly from Smith.

Less likely but still a possibility would be one of the three UK hillclimb cars converted back to circuit spec.

Allen

[Chris Townsend]

I think I aksed the Duncan Bain question of Roger Orgee, via Drifty, and got a negative, so not a Paul Smith car

Chris

[Chris Townsend]

Bain appears with a 78B at Thruxton at the end of 1981. Charlie Kirby is in the same race with his ex Cheever 782 conversion, so it can't be that. It could, however, be Martin Mansell's 78B, which goes missing at that point.

Chris

[Simon Hadfield]

Hamish Somervilles 782 is chassis 11. from Alain Filhol (still with the switch labelling - in french - as seen on the photos of the tracktest of the car in autohebdo which identified it as Jariers) via me to Fred Harris in the US, Fred never finished the car and I believe David Irwin completed the restoration -the tub had been shortened 4" for Hillclimbing- for whoever sold the car to Hamish

[Simon Hadfield]

BTW The ex-Polak car -which is in very original trim - is in the same shop

[Dan Rear]

Originally Posted by Chris Townsend

Bain appears with a 78B at Thruxton at the end of 1981. Charlie Kirby is in the same race with his ex Cheever 782 conversion, so it can't be that. It could, however, be Martin Mansell's 78B, which goes missing at that point.

Chris

Did both cars, the Bain and Kirby ones I mean, strta the race? If not, I wonder whether they could have been the same car, given they raced together in Clubmans. Perhaps they were mates, and Bain bought his from Kirby?? I'm fairly sure the Bain car wasn't the Barton one, the latter had been pretty much altered by 81, the Bain car in 82 looked like an 'unmessed' 782/78B.

[Chris Townsend]

Dan

You might be right. Kirby certainly has his car for sale at that point [though interestingly in American magazines, at least it's a 782B described as ex Cheever and in the UK] so you might be right. I only have a mint programme page. If someone was there with a lap chart...

Chris

[allenbrown]

Roger Philpotts' March 782

I noticed that I broken a link to an image above showing the 1981 Loton entry list with Adam's annotations. I've fixed that but also added my own scribbles to this copy:



The "ex-Crompton" comment doesn't fit against anything we know for either Paul Williams' ex-Turnbull 762 or Roger Philpotts' ex-Stevenson 782. The "ex-Franklin/Richard" suggests that Richard Ames' March 752 is the ex-Franklin March 742/772 which doesn't make a whole lot of sense either.

Allen

[Adam Ferrington]

Allen

I can't add much, other than that your interpretation of my 1981 scribbles seems correct.
Note, however, that the Ames car note is "? ex Franklin & Richards" so I must have had some doubts at the time.
The "ex Crompton" comment would definitely refer to Philpott's car, not to Williams'.

[Dan Rear]

Is the implication that the Williams car is ex-Turnbull? Ex-Germany could mean the Jim Evans car, which I think was an ex-KWS German F2 car (Willy Deutsch???).

[allenbrown]

Yes - ex-Germany/ex-Turnbull would be Turnbull's ex-Kauhsen 762-4. Evans had a sister car, the ex-Kauhsen/Willi Deutsch car: 762-11 probably.

[Steve Wilkinson]

Originally Posted by allenbrown

Yes - ex-Germany/ex-Turnbull would be Turnbull's ex-Kauhsen 762-4. Evans had a sister car, the ex-Kauhsen/Willi Deutsch car: 762-11 probably.

From whom did Turnbull get the car? Was it direct from Germany or was it already in speed eventing?

[Dan Rear]

Steve, either Evans as above, or the ex Adrian Russell/Richard Robarts car, or the Ehrlich one. We've sorted these out I think on the F2 Marches in G8/Aurora thread.

[driftwood]

saw 782-16 today in a shop
what can u tell me?

[allenbrown]

ex-Kenny Smith?

[driftwood]

are u asking me or telling me?
what would liccle kenny be doing with a 782?

[allenbrown]

Sorry Drifty - scrolling up is too much like hard work is it?

Originally Posted by Chris Townsend

Based on Adam Ferrington's copy of build records; F1R; various observations and press notes:

782-15: Works: Riccardo Zunino then Theodore Racing: Alan Jones [Macau] [March sales record with note that converted to FAt for Jones at Macau on loan to Yip then Murray Taylor for NZ]. However, carrying plate from 782-16 by this time. 1979: Teo Fabi (NZ) observed with chassis 16 on, but said to be ex Zunino/Jones then to Ken Smith; 1980: Smith and retained to 1985 at least

782-16: Maublanc: Jean-Pierre Jarier[F1R and March sales record] used by Ertl at Hockenheim; chassis plate to 782-15 at post-season rebuild!

[driftwood]

also re read previous note on 782 16/ 15 MRS car is now in uk being rebuilt to be repainted in MRS

[allenbrown]

Echappement early 1979 (March p36) shows a picture of Michel Pignard's March 782 at a racing car show. It is said to be Jarier's car from the Temporado with a Maublanc-prepared BMW and will be used in hill climbs.

[driftwood]

Originally Posted by allenbrown

Echappement early 1979 (March p36) shows a picture of Michel Pignard's March 782 at a racing car show. It is said to be Jarier's car from the Temporado with a Maublanc-prepared BMW and will be used in hill climbs.

could this be the car now being painted in MRS colours to race in euro F2 this year


Originally Posted by Chris Townsend
Based on Adam Ferrington's copy of build records; F1R; various observations and press notes:

782-15: Works: Riccardo Zunino then Theodore Racing: Alan Jones [Macau] [March sales record with note that converted to FAt for Jones at Macau on loan to Yip then Murray Taylor for NZ]. However, carrying plate from 782-16 by this time. 1979: Teo Fabi (NZ) observed with chassis 16 on, but said to be ex Zunino/Jones then to Ken Smith; 1980: Smith and retained to 1985 at least

782-16: Maublanc: Jean-Pierre Jarier[F1R and March sales record] used by Ertl at Hockenheim; chassis plate to 782-15 at post-season rebuild!

[allenbrown]

Originally Posted by driftwood

could this be the car now being painted in MRS colours to race in euro F2 this year

Maybe, but Pignard wrecks the car at Dunieres on 28/29 July and has to use an old Ralt RT1 for the rest of the season, losing the championship to Frequelin. The March may come back later - I can't yet tell.

[Buckaroo]

I owned a 782 in ZA in about 1989 - I was told it was an ex-Henton car so it could be #23 - it was converted to a sports car by me & raced in a Sports Car series by Brett Hudson & me in that year - if it is #23 it did not lose its gearbox to the project as it still had the Hewland DG200? ( I think ) when I sold it in about 1991. It had been converted before me to Mazda Rotary power which was used as the norm in the local single-seater series during the 80's. I sold the car to Rory Nesbitt who has since told me that he in turn sold it to Bernard Tilanus who is restoring it - thus meaning that if it is #23 (although there was talk at the time ( I think it may have been said by Ian Scheckter whose car it was not but who raved about the 782 as a racecar ) that my car was ex-works & I seem to recall a chassis no on the plate of #7 not #23 -my recollection before I read this thread which oddly ties in re #7 -but my memory could be letting me down) BT has 2 x 782's -#2 & #23 (or#7?)
Craig Buck.

[Dan Rear]

Mmmmm, how does this fit with our thinking chaps?? -2 was Dougall/Paul Smith IIRC, and -23 Henton/Toleman.