1983 March 83G Coupe

This IMSA GTP Coupe has a remarkable race history. With CRC, Red Roof Inn livery, it won the IMSA GTP Championship with the legendary Al Holbert driving. It then went to the 24 Hour Race at Daytona where it finished first overall - the first Porsche-powered GTP to do so. It's flat 6, 3.0 litre engine has a single turbo and produces more than 650 horsepower.

Chassis number 83G-4 was given a red and white GRC/Red Roof Inns livery. Its first competition outing was at the 500K races at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 15th of 1983, claiming pole position and 1st Place in a competitive field that included Bob Tullius in his new Jaguar. The car earned a 4th Place at Lime Rock, followed by a disappointing finish at Mosport. The car lost a turbo and was forced to finish in 9th place. This was followed by three race victories, taking 1st Place at Brainerd, Sears Point, and Portland. The next race was a 6-hour race at Mosport where it finished in 7th place, followed by a 15th at Road America, and a DNF 36th at Pocono. Holbert and his co-driver Jim Trueman won the season-ending Daytona 3-hour finale. This victory, along with their other racing accomplishments, was enough to crown Holbert as the 1983 Camel GTP Driver's Champion and March as the Manufacturer's Champion.

After the 1983 season, Holbert needed to make some room in the organization for his new Porsche 962s. March 83G-4 was sold to the owner of Kreepy Krauly, a manufacturer of swimming pool cleaners in South Africa. Drivers Sarel van der Merwe, Graham Duxbury, and Tony Martin won the first race of the year - the 24 Hours of Daytona. The remainder of the 1984 season was met with a moderate level of success. Van der Merwe achieved six top-10 finishes including a win at Lime Rock Park on May 28th.

The March finished its competitive racing career with Jim Hotchkis at the wheel and his co-driver Jim Adams for six events in 1985-1986 with the best result being 6th at Riverside.

Portland-based racer Monte Shelton purchased the car in 1986. It is believed that Shelton raced the car in a single event in Portland before selling it to collector Rasim Tugerk. Mr. Tugerk would own the car for approximately 18 years. A complete overhaul was completed in approximately 2003. The work included stripping the car all the way down to its aluminum honeycomb tub. All mechanical systems were rebuilt including the 935-derived single turbocharged 3.0-liter Porsche flat-six engine. The car was painted in the 1983 CRC/Red Roof Inns livery. Tugberk used the March-Porsche sparingly, with its only apparent on-track appearance being for parade laps at the Rennsport Reunion at Daytona in 2004.

The current owner acquired the car in 2005 with the intention of using it occasionally for vintage racing demonstrations and shows. The car has made track appearances at Pocono, New Jersey Motorsports Park, Laguna Seca, and Daytona for the 50th anniversary of the 24-hour race that was held in 2012. The livery was changed back to the blue and white Kreepy Krauly paint scheme just prior to the Daytona event to pay homage to the accomplishment of 1984.

By Daniel Vaughan | Apr 2019