Tag Archives: march

March-Alfa Romeo

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1990 March-Alfa Romeo 90CA

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Coral Gables, Florida | March 2024

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

March Engineering built their first CART open-wheel race car in 1981 after being around Formula One since 1970. The 1990 90CA would be their last chassis to compete at Indianapolis. Only three 90CA chassis were built.

Two of them were powered by Alfa Romeo engines for that year’s 500. It was a turbocharged 2.65-liter V8 that made about 700 horsepower. The competition history for this car, 90CA-001, includes:

  • 1990 Indianapolis 500 – 13th (with Al Unser)

For the rest of the season the car was campaigned by Roberto Guerrero in various races, also for Patrick Racing. This car represents the last time either March or Alfa Romeo competed at Indy. And it was driven by one of the best ever at the Speedway. The estimate here is $80,000-$120,000. Click here for more info.

March 84C

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1984 March-Cosworth 84C

Offered by Mecum | Indianapolis, Indiana | May 13-21, 2022

Photo – Mecum

We are making our way back through time with these March Indy Car chassis. Eventually we’ll get back to 1981’s 81C, but for now we have March’s 1984 chassis: the 84C. This one is Cosworth-powered, with a turbocharged 2.7-liter DFX V8 mounted behind the driver.

This car was supposed to be A.J. Foyt’s ride at Indy in 1984. He took the green in qualifying and then blew the engine. So he hopped in George Snider’s car and put it into the show. A.J. Foyt Enterprises swapped a new Cosworth engine into this car for Snider to go make a run in. He made the race as well, finishing 11th.

It’s been restored and is being offered out of Ray Evernham’s collection. You can read more about it here.

Update: Sold $104,500.

March 881

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1988 March-Judd 881

Offered by Silverstone Auctions | Hendon, U.K. | March 5-6, 2022

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

The March Racing Team was founded in 1969 and appeared on its first F1 grid the following year. They took a few breaks over the years, returning to F1 in 1987 after a four-year absence. For 1988 they had a young new designer on staff. That guy was Adrian Newey, and this was the first Formula One car he designed.

The team was branded as Leyton House March Racing for 1988 (they would race under the Leyton House Racing name in 1990 and 1991 before the March name returned for the team’s final year in ’92). The car features a naturally aspirated 3.5-liter Judd V8. The complete race history for this chassis is not known, but the team’s drivers were Mauricio Gugelmin and Ivan Capelli, the latter of whom is said to have run this car at the Japanese Grand Prix in 1988 where he qualified fourth and DNF’d.

The 881 was kind of a success, scoring a decent number of points and achieving two podiums in 1988. It was also used by the team for the first two races of the ’89 season. No pre-sale estimate is yet available, but you can read more here and see more from this sale here.

March Formula One

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1977 March-Cosworth 771

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Le Castellet, France | November 19, 2021

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Not only was March Engineering a fairly long-lasting Formula One team, but they were also a race car and chassis constructor for other series for quite a long time. The F1 team first appeared on the grid in 1970, and they would continue to participate through the 1992 season.

The 771 was one of two chassis the team used for 1977. This is the first of two such examples built, and it’s powered by a 3.0-liter Cosworth DFV V8. The competition history for this chassis includes:

  • 1977 Canadian Grand Prix – 18th, DNF (with Ian Scheckter)

It was also used as a test car during the season and was actually merged with the second chassis prior to its Canadian Grand Prix outing. Later use included U.K. hill climb events, which must’ve been pretty exciting in a contemporary F1 car. It has an FIA Historical Technical Passport and had some decent refreshes about six years ago. It’s expected to bring between $345,000-$435,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $355,985.

Porsche Indy Car

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1990 March-Porsche 90P

Offered by Gooding & Company | Pebble Beach, California | August 13-14, 2021

Photo – Gooding & Company

Porsche North America contested three Indy Car seasons: 1988, 1989, and 1990. The company used specially built March chassis and then stuck their own powerplant behind the driver. For 1990, they had a brand new chassis designed, dubbed the 90P.

Power is provided by a turbocharged 2.6-liter Porsche V8 capable of 725 horsepower. Porsche’s two drivers in 1990 were Teo Fabi and John Andretti, the latter of which piloted this chassis, #5. The competition history for this car includes:

  • 1990 Indianapolis 500 – 21st, DNF (with Andretti)
  • 1990 Budweiser Grand Prix of Cleveland – 5th (with Andretti)
  • 1990 Molson Indy Vancouver – 5th (with Andretti)
  • 1990 Texaco/Havoline Grand Prix of Denver – 6th (with Andretti)

Actually, John Andretti drove this car in all but two of the 1990 points races. He finished 10th in the championship. The car was sold by Porsche to a collector in 2017, and then this car passed to the current owner the following year. It’s a ready-to-go historic open-wheel car with a pre-sale estimate of $350,000-$500,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $346,000.

March 811

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1981 March-Ford-Cosworth 811

Offered by RM Sotheby’s | Amelia Island, Florida | May 22, 2021

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

March Engineering debuted on the Formula One grid in 1970. Their best years were their early years, and they left after a points-less 1977. March reappeared in 1981, and then packed up their ball again and went home after 1982. They reappeared yet again in 1987 and raced as Leyton House Racing in 1990 and 1991 before a final season as March in 1992.

The 811 was their car for the 1981 season. It featured a 3.0-liter Ford-Cosworth DFV V8, which on this example was recently rebuilt. The competition history for this chassis, 811-05, includes:

  • 1981 Spanish Grand Prix – 16th (with Derek Daly)
  • 1981 French Grand Prix – 19th, DNF (with Daly)
  • 1981 German Grand Prix – 21st, DNF (with Daly)
  • 1981 Austrian Grand Prix – 11th (with Daly)
  • 1981 Dutch Grand Prix – 20th, DNF (with Daly)
  • 1981 Italian Grand Prix – 12th, DNF (with Daly)
  • 1981 Canadian Grand Prix – 8th (with Daly)

It was later campaigned in the 1982 British Formula One championship and in the final few races of the 1982 Can-Am season, during which it was modified to look more like a sports car. It was restored to its 1981 F1 glory in 1988 and has been active on the historic circuit. It is expected to bring between $300,000-$400,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $335,000.

March CG891

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1989 March-Judd CG891

For Sale by RM Sotheby’s | 2021

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The March Racing Team was a Formula One constructor founded by Max Mosley, Alan Rees, Graham Coaker, and Robin Herd in 1969. They built race cars for F1, F2, F3, IMSA, and IndyCar. This CG891 was their F1 car for the 1989 season.

The 1989 season was also the year March’s fortunes in F1 would come undone. Their financial situation deteriorated to the point where the team was taken over by their primary sponsor, Leyton House (a Japanese real estate company), mid-season.

Leyton House Racing was an F1 constructor (although more of a re-branded March team) in 1990 and 1991. It was purchased by someone else and renamed back to March for 1992 before disappearing forever. The CG891 was one of the first F1 cars designed by Adrian Newey and is powered by a 3.5-liter Judd V8 making 610 horsepower. The competition history for this chassis (02) includes:

  • 1989 Monaco Grand Prix – 11th, DNF (with Ivan Capelli)
  • 1989 United States Grand Prix – 21st, DNF (with Capelli)
  • 1989 French Grand Prix – 14th (with Mauricio Gugelmin)
  • 1989 Hungarian Grand Prix – 22nd, DNF (with Capelli)

This car retains its race engine and largely looks like it did when it pulled off the track for the last time. It’s been static for a while, so it’s gonna need some work. RM is offering it for about $522,500. Click here for more info.

March-Cosworth 85C

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1985 March-Cosworth 85C

Offered by Gooding & Company | Amelia Island, Florida | March 13, 2015

Photo - Gooding & Company

Photo – Gooding & Company

We’ve actually featured a March 86C before, the 1986 Indy 500-winning car. This is the previous year’s model, the 85C. This car was campaigned by Penske Racing.

This March chassis is powered by a turbocharged 2.6-liter Cosworth DFX V-8 making 700 horsepower at a screaming 10,900 RPM. While this was primarily Al Unser’s ride for the ’85 season, it was also driven by Danny Sullivan and Rick Mears. It’s major competition history includes:

  • 1985 Indianapolis 500 – 4th (with Al Unser)
  • 1985 Milwaukee – 3rd (with Rick Mears)
  • 1985 Meadowlands U.S. Grand Prix – 3rd (with Unser)
  • 1985 Cleveland Grand Prix – 3rd (with Unser)
  • 1985 Michigan 500 – 2nd (with Unser)
  • 1985 Pocono 500 – 3rd (with Unser)
  • 1985 Laguna Seca 300k – 2nd (with Unser)

So what if the car never won? It finished in the top five in all but two of the races it competed in and ran 12 of that season’s 14 races. The car was last used around 2000 when it was driven in a historic event at California Speedway. It’s pretty cool, plus it has that awesome Penske/Pennziol paint scheme. It can be yours for between $200,000-$250,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Gooding & Company’s lineup.

Update: Sold $231,000.

March 711

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1971 March-Ford-Cosworth 711

Offered by Coys | London, U.K. | December 2, 2014

Photo - Coys

Photo – Coys

By 1971, March was a force in motor racing, having only been around since 1969. They built cars for their own team, but they also sold customer cars for a handful of different series’ around the world. March continued building cars into the 1990s.

This car, the March 711, was the team’s machine for 1971. It never won any races, but it was competitive and had multiple podiums. The aerodynamics were designed by Frank Costin and the competition history for this chassis includes:

  • 1971 South African Grand Prix – 10th (with Ronnie Peterson)
  • 1971 Spanish Grand Prix – 18th, DNF (with Peterson)
  • 1971 Monaco Grand Prix – 2nd (with Peterson)
  • 1971 Dutch Grand Prix – 4th (with Peterson)
  • 1971 British Grand Prix – 21st, DNF (with Mike Beuttler)
  • 1971 German Grand Prix – 19th, DSQ (with Beuttler)
  • 1971 Austrian Grand Prix – 17th, DNF (with Niki Lauda)
  • 1971 Italian Grand Prix – 13th, DNF (with Beuttler)
  • 1971 Canadian Grand Prix – 17th, NC (with Beuttler)

This is a very cool looking car and it’s powered by a Ford-Cosworth 3.0-liter V-8. It’s an ex-Lauda and ex-Peterson car from one of the golden eras of Formula One. Click here for more info and here for the rest of this sale’s lineup.

S/N: 711-2

Update: Not sold.

Update II: Not sold, RM Sotheby’s Monaco 2016.

1986 Indy 500 Champion

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1986 March 86C Cosworth

Offered by RM Auctions | Monterey, California | August 15-17, 2014

Photo - RM Auctions

Photo – RM Auctions

This was the car in CART in 1986. Fielded by Truesports, the March 86C was campaigned by Bobby Rahal for the 1986 season. It is powered by a 700 horsepower 2.7-liter Cosworth turbo V-8. Just take a look at this car’s competition history:

  • 1986 Indianapolis 500 – 1st (with Bobby Rahal)
  • 5 other wins that season
  • 1986 CART Championship

The chance to own an Indy 500-winning car is a very rare thing, and one this cool driven by such a legend makes it even better. The car still retains its race-winning engine. It should sell for between $1,750,000-$2,500,000. Click here for more info.

S/N: 86C-13

Update: Not sold, high bid of $1,550,000.