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1981 March 817 Can Am news, pictures, and information | ||
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 |  |  | Chassis Num: 817-1 |
After the cancellation of the Formula A/5000 Series, the Can-Am was reintroduced by SCCA in 1977. Chassis were supplied by March, Loal, Frissbee and VDS and rules stated that a center-seat, closed wheel configuration was mandatory. During the second rebirth of the series which lasted until 1983, drivers such as Danny Sullivan, Alan Jones, Jacky Ickx, Al Unser Jr, and Geoff Brabham were awarded to achieve victories.
The vehicle shown is a March 817 with chassis number 01. It is the 1981 Unser/Rahal car that was re-bodied in 1982 by French aerodynamicist Dr. Max Sarou. It has retained this configuration in modern times.
For the 1982 season Danny Sullivan drove the March 817-01 to seven podium finishes out of nine races. The two races that he did not get a podium finish were due to mechanical difficulties which forced him to retire from the race prematurely. Out of those seven podium finishes, one was a first place finish, three 3rds, and three 2nds. At the conclusion of the season Danny Sullivan was 3rd in the championship.
The car was sold in 1983 to a Swedish collector who occasionally brought the racer out to his private race track. After two decades it was sold to a historic racer in the UK.
This vehicle houses the original five-liter VDS OHV Chevrolet V8 racing engine and five-speed Hewland DG-300 Hewland rear mounted transaxle. The chassis is an alloy and steel monocoque unit which is held in place by an independent suspension with coil-over shocks and adjustable anti-sway bar. The potent 500 horsepower engine that drove Danny Sullivan to many podium finishes in 1982 is still in excellent working condition. The sponsorship decals from that era are still present and have been left unmolested.
At the 2006 RM Auction in Monterey, CA it was estimated to sell between $150,000 - $250,000. There was no reserve on the vehicle which meant the winning bidder got a bargain when the auctioneer announced he was the winner with a bid of $82,500.
By Daniel Vaughan | Dec 2006
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| PORSCHE MOTORSPORT NORTH AMERICA PURCHASES HISTORIC ANDIAL NAME | |
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| VOLKSWAGEN MOTORSPORT TO CELEBRATE 50th ANNIVERSARY OF FORMULA VEE AT ROLEX 24 AT DAYTONA | |
 | • Former stars of Formula Vee and Formula Super Vee will take to the track in historic cars, 50 years after the first official FV race Herndon, VA - Formula Vee will celebrate a big birthday at the Rolex 24 at Daytona this coming weekend (24–27January). Fifty years after the debut of the formula as an officially-sanctioned Sports Car Club of America race series, Volkswagen will return to the place where it all started with a number of significant car and drivers from the past. Among t...[Read more...] |
| Corvette's Chassis Innovations Refined on the Race Track | |
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| 1967 Can-Am Road America: The Beginning of the 'Bruce and Denny Show' | |
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