March 703 car-by-car histories
Hannelore Werner in her Eifelland March 703 at Hockenheim in July 1970. Copyright Jim Culp 2019. Used with permission.
The March 703 was the new company's production Formula 3 car based on the successful prototype March 693. It sold in large numbers but was not competitive with the Brabham BT28, Lotus 59 and latest Tecnos.
A lot of buzz was generated around March, despite the name "Much Advertised Racing Car Hoax" being suggested by more cynical elements of the motor racing press. The spaceframe design being used for the Formula 2, Formula 3, Formula B and Formula Ford production cars was Robin Herd's first spaceframe, and it leant heavily on existing Brabham practice. The design was highly conventional with outboard springs all round, narrow wishbones at the front, twin radius arms at the back, and rather boxy bodywork. Although a bit outdated by the standards of F2, it compared well with other F3 designs and sold well to English, German, Swedish and Swiss customers. March's official records say that 16 703s were built, but the chassis numbers go up to 703/18 with both 703/8 and 703/12 omitted. Also 703/15 was shown as not sold. Of the 15 that can be traced, two went to the works/Petonyer team, five were invoiced to Günther Hennerici's Eifelland team in Germany, and another eight went to private owners Ed Reeves, Rüdi Gygax, Eddie Jacobsson, Leif Hallgren, Geoff Bremner, Dave Morgan, Michel Dupont, and Peter Deal.
A number of factors make March 703s particularly difficult to track. Firstly, surviving March records are patchy. Secondly, the Eifelland team, a big customer for March in its early years, bought so many 703s for so many drivers that it impossible to know who drove each car. And finally there is the change to Formula 3 from 1000cc to 1600cc at the end of 1970, leaving few places to run the old 703s. New cars built from 1971 tended to be monocoques, and few spaceframe cars such as the 703 were rebuilt for 1600cc engines. Two 703s went to the US for Formula C, the masses of ex-Eifelland cars carried on in German national events, and the two Swiss cars continued in their domestic 1000cc class. Others were scattered across a number of other minor categories.
If you can add anything to these histories, please contact Allen Brown (allen@oldracingcars.com).
Colin Vandervell in the Petonyer March 703 at Thruxton in September 1970. Copyright Chris Bennett 2019. Used with permission.
Described in March records as a Works F3 for Ian Ashley, first run in early June 1970 and in red and white colours. Raced by Ashley in British F3 for Petonyer Air Navigation Racing until he left the team at the end of August, and then probably the Petonyer car raced by Colin Vandervell and Cyd Williams at the end of the season. The car was wrecked twice, needing new frames, and it is unclear what happened to it after the second rebuild. As 703/2 was in the US by April 1971, and 703/11 had been racing in France since March, 703/1 must be the "ex-Petonyer" 703 advertised by Jim Gleave's MRE in April and May 1971.
Driven by: Ian Ashley, Dick Barker, Colin Vandervell and Cyd Williams. First race: Silverstone, 6 Jun 1970. Total of 13 recorded races.
Ben Treadway's March 703 in CSR specification. Copyright Ben Treadway 2019. Used with permission.
Simon Armer in his Petonyer-liveried ex-Tom Walkinshaw March 703 at Silverstone in October 2013. Copyright Keith Lewcock 2019. Used with permission.
Described in March records as a Works F3 for Tom Walkinshaw, first run in early June 1970 and in Petonyer colours. Raced by Walkinshaw until he crashed it heavily at Brands Hatch at the end of August. Rebuilt on a new frame and presumably the car that Walkinshaw raced at Thruxton in November, his first race since the Thruxton accident. Almost certainly the car sold to Fred Ashplant (Wayne, NJ) and raced in SCCA Formula C in 1971, fitted with a 1000cc Lucas engine. However, at the Runoffs at Road Atlanta in November, Ashplant drove Walter Nelson's car, equipped with a 1100cc BDA built by Vegantune. In 1972, Tom Watson (Richardson, TX) acquired 703/2 and used it in Formula C at a few SCCA events in Southwest Division. He won the division in 1972, against minor opposition, and also qualified for the Runoffs in 1973. In 1974, the car was raced at least once in Nationals by "household engineer" Karen Watson (Richardson, TX), which was sufficient to qualify for the Runoffs. She placed 13th at Road Atlanta, the only woman out of the 440 qualifiers. In March 1975, the car went to David Carter (Tulsa, OK), and he won the Mid-Am Regional title in the car in 1975. He advertised it in December 1977 when it had a SCA engine, but still a Hewland Mk 8 gearbox. It was sold to Gerry Strickfaden (Los Alamos, NM) February 1978, who converted it to C Sports Racing specification with a Datsun engine. Acquired by Ben Treadway (Roswell, GA) from a friend in Atlanta, GA in 1984, and raced briefly as a CSR. In 1990, the car was restored to F3 specification for him by David Irwin, and raced once in SVRA in 1992. Sold in January 2005 to Patric Capon (Bickley, Kent). Sold by Capon in March 2009 to John Counsell (Coleby, Lincolnshire), who raced it in Historic F3 in 2010-2011. Counsell sold it in June 2012 to Simon Armer, who raced it in HF3 from 2013 onwards.
Driven by: Tom Walkinshaw, Fred Ashplant, Tom Watson, Karen Watson and David Carter. First race: Oulton Park, 4 Jul 1970. Total of 19 recorded races.
New to Eifelland for F3 in 1970, and delivered in April 1970 with a Holbay R70 engine. It is not known how this car was used in 1970.
New to Ed Reeves for F3 in 1970, and delivered in March 1970 with a Holbay engine and blue bodywork. Raced extensively by Reeves in British F3, and also appeared in some European races. To Roger Hurst (Folkestone, Kent) of Lenham Hurst Racing Organisation for 1971, and fitted with a Rowland twin cam for the new 1600cc F3. Sold to 19-year-old Formula Ford driver Richard Croucher (Kent) in October 1971, and intended to be used in F3 with a Piper engine in 1972. Only entered at a few races in 1972 for Croucher as the Lenham LM1. Converted to Formula Ford 2000 specification by Hurst in 1974 or 1975, and presumably the car entered by Brian Davis in 1975. Later to Tim Campbell 1977/78 but unraced by him. Subsequent history unknown.
Driven by: Ed Reeves and Roger Hurst. First race: Mallory Park, 30 Mar 1970. Total of 17 recorded races.
New to Rudolphe 'Rüdi' Gygax (Wabern, Canton of Bern, Switzerland) for F3 in 1970, and delivered in April 1970 with a Novamotor installation and blue bodywork. Raced by Gygax across Europe during 1970. Retained for 1971 and raced in the 1000cc class of Swiss national events. Subsequent history unknown.
Driven by: Rüdi Gygax. First race: Brands Hatch, 17 Jul 1970. Total of 9 recorded races.
Eddie Jacobson's March 703 in the paddock at Brno in May 1970. Copyright free (image by Lubomír Karbusický) 2019. Used with permission.
New to Eddie Jacobsson for F3 in 1970, and delivered with blue bodywork to utilise Jacobsson's own Novamotor engine. Raced by Jacobsson in many races across Europe during 1970. Retained for 1971 and used in a number of 1000cc and 1600cc class events. By the end of the season it had a very standard 1600cc Ford twin cam engine. Subsequent history unknown.
Driven by: Eddie Jacobsson and Bert Hawthorne. First race: Mantorp Park, 26 Apr 1970. Total of 12 recorded races.
New to Leif Hallgren for F3 in 1970, and delivered in March 1970 with a Holbay R70 engine and orange bodywork. Raced by Hallgren mainly in Swedish events, but also appeared in Germany, France and Britain. Retained for 1971 and used in the 1000cc class at some F3 races. Retained again for 1972, and raced at least once, again as a 1000cc. To Glenn Hyatt (Farnham, Surrey) for Formula 4 in 1973. To David Pullen for F4 later in 1973. Next seen with Patrick Capon in F4 in 1976. To Mike Murphy and Dave Chorley as a rolling chassis in 1976, and raced by Murphy at Prescott hillclimb and in Monoposto in 1977, 1978 and 1979. Subsequent history unknown. A car with this chassis number raced by Tony Keele in 2001-2004. Raced by Andrew Thorpe in the HSCC Classic Racing Cars Championship in 2010 and 2011. Advertised by Thorpe in 2018, having been restored by Peter Denty and Jon Waggitt in 2010, and raced by Peter Needham in 2017. According to the the 1000cc F3 HRA, this car is owned by Neil Armstrong in 2019, having previously been owned by Thorpe and Tony Steele. In October 2022, it was raced at Dijon by Patrick Jamin.
Driven by: Leif Hallgren, Glenn Hyatt, David Pullen, Patrick Capon, Dennis Chorley and Mike Murphy. First race: Anderstorp, 3 May 1970. Total of 32 recorded races.
New to Eifelland for F3 in 1970, and delivered in April 1970 with white bodywork. It is not known how this car was used in 1970. ONS Meittilungen once reported this number for the car of Fred Ebener (Bensheim, West Germany) at a hillclimb in July 1972.
Driven by: Fred Ebener. First race: 20 Jun 1971. Total of 3 recorded races.
Rodney Dahlgren's March 703 in July 2019. Copyright Rodney Dahlgren 2019. Used with permission.
New to Eifelland for Willi Deutsch in F3 in 1970, and delivered in April 1970 with white bodywork. Raced by Deutsch from April to June, but Motoring News noted that the car was to be driven by (Hannelore) Werner later in the season. Presumably the car raced by Deutsch at Hockenheim and Diepholz in July, but how it was used later in the season remains unresolved. History then unknown until 1978 and 1979, when it was raced in German hillclimbs by Karl Schmitt (Marienrachdorf, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany), using a 1600cc BMW engine. It was still in Schmitt's bodywork in 1991 when it was bought in Bonn, Germany, by Robert Hensel. At this point it had spares and documentation, but these were stolen before the car was picked up. Hensel sold the March to Rodney Dahlgren (Napa, CA) as part of a multi-car deal with three Trabants. Dahlgren stored it for many years until offering it the car for sale in September 2016. At this point the car was identified as 703-10 from its Arch Motors number. In 2020, it was sold to Jeff Hecox (Campbell CA).
Driven by: Wilhelm "Willi" Deutsch and Karl Schmitt. First race: Nürburgring, 19 Apr 1970. Total of 19 recorded races.
The Petonyer Air Navigation Racing March 703 raced by Geoff Bremner at Thruxton in September 1970. Copyright Chris Bennett 2019. Used with permission.
John Pennington's March 703 in 1972. Copyright Jim Hawes 2019. Used with permission.
New to Geoff Bremner for F3 in 1970, and delivered in March 1970 with a Lucas engine and green bodywork. Raced extensively by Bremner in British F3 in 1970, with support from Petonyer Air Navigation Ltd and Marriott. Sold to American Dr John Pennington (Beverley Hills, CA), and converted to the new 1600cc F3 by fitting a Conrero Alfa Romeo twin cam engine for Cliff Haworth to race in F3 for 1971. Entered for Haworth by Team Pschitt Soda mainly in French F3 in 1971, but rarely mentioned after the Monaco GP F3 race. Shipped to California after the 1971 season for Pennington to race in SCCA Southern Pacific Division Formula B in 1972, still with its Alfa Romeo engine. By this time the car had F2 wheels, long-range fuel tanks and wider bodywork. Pennington was to drive it in Nationals, and Bruce Campbell in Regionals, but Pennington, who was used to the 10,000 rpm of the Novamotor engine in his Formula C Tecno, soon blew up the Alfa engine. It was then delivered to Don Alexander who was to rebuild or replace the engine and use the car for some Toyo Tire publicity events. To Gary Wadley for 1973, but "totalled" in practice at Willow Springs at the end of the season. The car may have survived, because in 1977, Rick Taylor (Oakland, CA) was reported to have a March 703 in Formula C. Subsequent history unknown.
Driven by: Geoff Bremner, Cliff Haworth, John Pennington, Gary Wadley, Rob Taylor and Rick Taylor. First race: Silverstone, 5 Apr 1970. Total of 33 recorded races.
David Morgan in his Adelphi Staff Bureau March 703 at Thruxton in September 1970. Copyright Chris Bennett 2019. Used with permission.
New to Dave Morgan for F3 in 1970, and delivered in March 1970 with white bodywork to utilise Morgan's own Felday engine. Raced by Morgan in British F3, with occasional foreign forays. Then unknown until it was bought from Sid Marler by Roger Lea for Monoposto in 1975. It was sold by Lea to fellow Monoposto racer Pete Watling, who had not raced it by early 1978. Advertised by Lodge Corner Agencies in early 1978. Subsequent history unknown.
Driven by: David Morgan and Roger Lea. First race: Silverstone, 26 Apr 1970. Total of 23 recorded races.
New to Michel Dupont (Switzerland) for F3 in 1970, entered by Ecurie La Meute and using a Funda engine. History then unknown until it was raced by Claude-André Bubloz (Switzerland) at the Gurningel hillclimb in September 1974. Nothing more known until the car was advertised in Switzerland in 2003. A car with this chassis number raced by Alfred Moser (Unterlunkhofen, Switzerland) in Swiss historic hillclimb events from 2009 onwards. Still with Moser in November 2021.
Driven by: Michel Dupont and Claude-André Bubloz. First race: Diepholz, 19 Jul 1970. Total of 3 recorded races.
New to Peter Deal for F3 in 1970, and delivered in April 1970 with red bodywork to utilise Deal's own Lucas engine. Raced by Deal in F3 and libre in 1970, but in 1971 he replaced it with a much older Brabham BT21 with twin cam engine. The 703 may have been sold to the US for SCCA Formula C in 1971. This car was next seen when brought back from the US to the UK by Andy Jarvis in 2015, and raced in HSCC Historic Formula 3 from 2016 onwards.
Driven by: Peter Deal. First race: Silverstone, 26 Apr 1970. Total of 18 recorded races.
New to Eifelland for Harald Ertl in F3 in 1970, and delivered in April 1970. Raced by Ertl up to July, after which he left Eifelland after a disagreement. March records indicate that this car was crashed and rebuilt on a new frame, and seem to say that the original frame from this car was used to rebuild 703/1 after one of its accidents. Subsequent history unknown. In 1987, a car with this chassis number was advertised by John Harper, in 1990 from Barrow, and in November 1995 by Cliff Worthington (Preston, Lancashire). In 2002, a car with this chassis number was owned by John Counsell (Coleby, Lincolnshire). This is believed to be the car raced by Grant Saunders in HSCC Classic Racing Cars and Historic Formula 3 Race from 2010 to 2015. Mike Faloon advises that this car has been with Bob Saunders and John Counsell, and is now with the family of the late Peter Groh (Germany).
Driven by: Harald Ertl and Heinz Düchting. First race: Nürburgring, 19 Apr 1970. Total of 6 recorded races.
March 703s in 1970
First owners are known for most of the March 703s that were delivered, the exceptions being the cars delivered to Eifelland. In total Eifelland took delivery of five 703s: 703/3, 703/9, 703/10 (for Willi Deutsch), 703/17 (for Harald Ertl), and 703/18. The three cars where first owners are not recorded would logically be the regular cars of Wolfgang Bülow, Franz Pesch and Hannelore Werner, but this is almost certainly oversimplistic, as the cars are likely to have been moved between drivers. For example, the Motoring News report on the Chimay F3 race in May said that Deutsch's car was due to be driven by Werner later that year.
Identification is complicated by the appearance of guest drivers at some events, such as Manfred Mohr at Keimola in June, Hans-Joachim Stuck at Hockenheim in July, Heinz Düchting at Diepholz in July, Hans-Werner Brohl and Klaus Enders at two races in October, and Willi Sommer at Neubiberg in late October. We do not have any clues on Mohr's car at present, but Stuck and Düchting were probably in Ertl's car (703/17) as he was the only regular driver missing from those two meetings, and Brohl and Enders were probably in the cars of Deutsch (703/10) and Ertl (703/17) as both were absent when they raced. Ertl left the team in July, and Deutsch acquired Fredy Link's Tecno about the same time.
To lessen our chances of identifying cars from photographs, most Eifelland cars were supplied white.
Wolfgang Bülow (Koblenz, Rhineland-Palatinate, West Germany) raced a March 703 as part of the Eifelland Wohnwagenbau team in German F3 and in German hillclimbs during 1970. As one of the first cars to appear, this is likely to have been either 703/3 or 703/9. Subsequent history unknown.
Driven by: Wolfgang Bülow. First race: Nürburgring, 19 Apr 1970. Total of 14 recorded races.
Franz Pesch (Köln/Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany) raced a March 703 as part of the Eifelland Wohnwagenbau team in German F3 during 1970. As one of the first cars to appear, this is likely to have been either 703/3 or 703/9. Subsequent history unknown.
Driven by: Franz Pesch. First race: Nürburgring, 19 Apr 1970. Total of 9 recorded races.
Hannelore Werner (Hermülheim, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany) raced a March 703 as part of the Eifelland Wohnwagenbau team in German F3 during 1970. Werner's first known appearance was at Hockenheim in May, and she could have been driving Harald Ertl's 703/17 at that race, as he was absent. Then Willi Deutsch's 703/10 was said to be due to go to Werner, and this may be possible, depending on when Deutsch started racing his Tecno.
Driven by: Hannelore Werner. First race: Hockenheim, 10 May 1970. Total of 11 recorded races.
March 703s in 1971
Of the 15 March 703s discussed above, only five cars can be tracked with confidence into 1971: Ed Reeves' 703/4 went to Roger Hurst; Rüdi Gygax retained 703/5; Eddie Jacobsson retained 703/6; Leif Hallgren retained 703/7; Geoff Bremner's 703/11 went to Cliff Haworth. The five Eifelland cars (703/3, 703/9, 703/10, 703/17 and 703/18) cannot be tracked individually, but enough 703s appeared in Germany in 1971 to explain their whereabouts. That leaves another five that go missing: both the works/Petonyer cars, 703/1 and 703/2, plus Peter Deal's 703/16 all disappear from England. Dave Morgan's 703/13 and Michel Dupont's 703/14 in Switzerland are missing during 1971 but both turn up again within the next few years. As we have seen, 703/8 and 703/12 do not appear in March records, and 703/15 was shown as not sold, but we cannot be certain that these cars were not produced.
Of the five ex-Eifelland cars, Dieter Kern, Josef Kremer and Heinz-Jürgen Rüller all drove 703s at the opening race of the 1971 German season, and they were later joined by Peter Krause, so that explains four. Fred Ebener also made a few rare appearances in a 703, and his may have been the fifth.
It appears that two 703s also headed to the US to race in SCCA Formula C in 1971. Fred Ashplant finished third in SCCA Northeast Division Formula C in 1971 using a 703 fitted with a 1000cc Lucas engine, almost certainly 703/2, but then used Walter Nelson's 1100cc BDA-engined 703 at the Runoffs. Later appearances of 703s in Texas and California suggest that a total of three 703s reached the US, the third car arriving after the 1971 season. We know one of the works/Petonyer cars, 703/2, was one of these Formula C cars, and it is quite likely that its sister 703/1 was the other. Morgan's 703/13 turns up later still in England, so it probably did not head Stateside, leaving Peter Deal's Lucas-engined 703/16 as the other contender to be the second Formula C car. These Petonyer cars did not necessarily go through the March US agent Joe Grimaldi, as one of the ex-Petonyer cars was offered for sale complete with '70 Holbay by MRE Racing Services in mid-April 1971, some time after Ashplant had first raced 703/2 in the US.
Dieter Kern (Ransbach-Baumbach, Rhineland-Palatinate, West Germany) ran a March 703 in the 1-litre class of German Formula 3 in 1971.
Driven by: Dieter Kern. First race: Nürburgring, 12 Apr 1971. Total of 8 recorded races.
Josef Kremer (Köln/Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany) ran a March 703 in the 1-litre class of German Formula 3 in 1971.
Driven by: Josef Kremer. First race: Nürburgring, 12 Apr 1971. Total of 8 recorded races.
Heinz-Jürgen Rüller (Drensteinfurt, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany) ran a March 703 in the 1-litre class of German Formula 3 in 1971.
Driven by: Heinz-Jürgen Rüller. First race: Nürburgring, 12 Apr 1971. Total of 5 recorded races.
Peter Krause (Grefrath, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany) ran a March 703 in the 1-litre class of German Formula 3 in 1971.
Driven by: Peter Krause. First race: Bremgarten, 23 May 1971. Total of 6 recorded races.
Walter L. Nelson (Great Neck, NY) scored four points in NEDiv Formula C in 1971 in a March, and later in the season, his March 703 was raced at the Runoffs by Fred Ashplant, who had raced his own 703 earlier in the year. Nelson advertised a "March 703 Formula C with strong downdraft" in October 1972, and later a "March 703 FC with 1100 BDA" in January 1976. How many times Nelson raced the car during that time is unknown. He may also have loaned it to other drivers, for example his Long Island neighbour Victor Gagliano (Floral Park, NY) who raced a 703 in NEDiv FC in 1972. Subsquent history unknown.
Driven by: Fred Ashplant, Tom deLoughry and Walter Nelson. First race: Lime Rock, 4 Jul 1972. Total of 5 recorded races.
March 703s in 1972
Although F3 had moved to 1600cc, the number of surviving 1000cc cars led some countries to continue with 1000cc class racing. Switzerland maintained a 1000cc class in their national championship for some years, and some German events also had a 1000cc class. In Germany, the appearances of Felix Martin, Fred Ebener, Ludwig Rauch, Frithjof Erpelding and Gerhard Greiner can explain all five ex-Eifelland 703s. The 1000cc Rennwagen class in Switzerland proved a home for the two Swiss cars bought originally by Rüdi Gygax (703/5) and Michel Dupont (703/14). One of these must be the car raced by Casper Kunz in 1972; then later Claude-André Bubloz had 703/14 in 1974 and Hans Leuenberger raced a 703 from 1974 to 1976. In the UK, both Formula 4 and Monoposto Formula had 1000cc classes after 1970, but Monoposto's only lasted to the end of the 1973 season. The ex-Leif Hallgren 703/7 was therefore able to find a home in Formula 4 for a while.
In the US, SCCA Formula C was for 1100cc, and this class was dominated by old 1-litre F3 cars until the a 1100cc version of the BDA engine started to arrive in larger numbers in 1974. By 1972 it appears that there were three 703s in the US, 703/2 with Tom Watson in Texas, one with Victor Gagliano in the north east, and also John Pennington's 703/11 now running as a Formula B car on the west coast. Watson won SWDiv FC in his March in 1972, while both Gagliano and Tom deLoughry both scored points in NEDiv FC. Watson and Gagliano both scored points again in 1973, and Karen Watson scored points in SWDiv in 1974.
Other 703s were re-engined and these included the ex-Ed Reeves 703/4 that went into Formula Ford, the ex-Dave Morgan 703/13 into Monoposto Formula, and an ex-Eifelland 703 re-engined with a 1600cc BMW engine for German hillclimbs.
Where the March 703s had gone by 1973
Using a degree of speculation about where the 703s had gone by 1973, we can say that: 703/1 has not been traced, last seen in England; 703/2 was racing in Formula C in Texas; 703/3 was in German 1000cc racing; 703/4 was on its way into Formula Ford in England; 703/5 was probably the Caspar Kunz car in Swiss hillclimbs, and maybe then went to Hans Leuenberger; 703/6 was lost, last seen in Sweden; 703/7 was in Formula 4; 703/8 had not been built; 703/9 was in German 1000cc racing; 703/10 was in German 1000cc racing; 703/11 was racing in Formula B in California; 703/12 had not been built; 703/13 was missing in England but would turn up in Monoposto in 1975; 703/14 was in Switzerland and would be hillclimbed by Claude-André Bubloz in 1974; 703/15 was not sold so was probably recycled in some way; 703/16 was untraced, last seen in England; 703/17 was in German 1000cc racing; and 703/18 was in German 1000cc racing. Either 703/1 or 703/16 is likely to have been Walter Nelson's Formula C car in SCCA racing.
Later March 703s that are still to be identified
Keith Norman (Windsor, Berkshire) owned a March 703 in 1985, at the same time as a Brabham BT28 which he used to win the Monoposto Racing Club Historic Formula 3 Championship that year. Engine specialist John Beattie, who looked after Norman's cars, raced the 703 at least once that season. In 1986 or 1987, the car passed to Lew Wright, and was also driven about that time by Dave Pullen. This car was identified at the time as 703/13, but as these are now two cars claiming that identity, there is some uncertainty which one this was. Subsequent history unknown.
Alex Tyson's newly-restored March 703 broke during practice at Barbon Manor in May 1988. Copyright Steve Wilkinson 2019. Used with permission.
Alex Tyson (Foxfield, Cumbria) raced a March 703 at the Barbon Manor hillclimb in May 1987. At the time it had 1975 March bodywork, modified for a front radiator, but by 1988 it had been restored to original 1970 specification. This car was later sold to Roger Murray (Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria), and then sold via dealer Chris Alford to France. (Note that Tyson also had a second 703 at some stage, which is believed to have gone to Doug Douglas in the Preston area.) Subsequent history unknown.
This car is first known when it was with Patrick Jarmin in France in 1990. It was then raced by Frédéric Michelet in 1990 and 1991, and by Hervé Cordel (Paris) in 1992 and 1993. It was still in France in 2002, and is believed to have been the same car that was advertised from Bourges, France in 2009 and 2010, when it was said to have won races in French Trophee F3 Historic. Subsequent history unknown.
Piero Lottini (Montecalvoli, Italy) acquired a March 703 in 2010. He advises that he bought it from an agent, and that the previous owner had been Rebassi Domingo, who races as "Domingo". It is claimed to be chassis 703/13, but is not the only claimant to that identity. Still with Lottini in May 2019.
In addition to the above, unknown March 703s were driven by Manfred Mohr, Hans-Joachim Stuck, Klaus Enders, Hans-Werner Brohl, Willi Sommer, Victor Gagliano, Udo Neumöck, "Potter", Armand Giglio, Felix Martin, Ludwig Rauch, Frithjof Erpelding, Gerhard Greiner, Herbert Helfers and Hans Leuenberger.
Acknowledgements
As with many of the Junior Formulae cars on OldRacingCars.com, much of the work on the individual car histories has been done by Chris Townsend. We are grateful to Adam Ferrington and Philippe Demeyer for information from their archives, to Andy Gilberg at Marchives and Simon Hadfield for technical details of the early March production cars, and to Richard Page at the Formula One Register for his assistance, notably on the cars that went into Formula 4 in 1973. Thanks also to Mike Faloon, Archivist at the 1000cc F3 Historic Racing Association, who kindly provided details of the current owners of these cars, and of any recent ownership history; to Jim Hawes for information on Dr John Pennington's car; and to past and current car owners Palle Ringstrøm, Ben Treadway, Rodney Dahlgren, Simon Armer and Geoffroy Rivet for supplying detailed information about their cars. Finally, thanks to Michal Velebný for supplying the picture of Eddie Jacobson's car, and to Chris Bennett, Jim Culp, Jim Hawes and Keith Lewcock for their permission to use their pictures.
If you can add anything to these histories, please contact Allen Brown (allen@oldracingcars.com).
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