Beschreibung:

Formula 2 racing back in the 1970s was very different from modern minor-Formulae single-seater racing in which most categories admit only one single manufacturer's chassis. This was not at all the case in the 1970s when the March Engineering Company of Bicester, England, dominated the market – and often the European Formula 2 Championship - due to the sheer quality, competitiveness and speed of its products. March cars from which this 752 design was developed had dominated the customer racing market. Formula 2 racing from 1972 to 1975 catered for single-seater open-wheeler racing cars with production-based engines of no more than 2-litres swept volume. Cosworth-Ford BD-series and BMW M12 4-cylinder engines dominated the category's early years, while from 1976-1984 purebred racing engines were permitted, with Renault developing their particularly potent V6 to overturn the long domination of mainly BMW-powered rivals. March-BMW Formula 2 cars had won the European Formula 2 Championship title in 1973 (driver Jean-Pierre Jarier) and 1974 (Patrick Depailler) before being edged out of the Championship title in 1975 by Frenchman Jacques Laffite and his rival Martini-BMW – despite March cars providing the bulk of the class entries. That season saw the Swiss driver Markus Hotz win in his Lista Racing Team March-BMW 752 at Sembach in Germany, French ELF Team March drivers Michel Leclere and Patrick Tambay finish 1-2 at Rouen-les-Essarts with further March 752s placing 3-4-5-6 in their wake. Michel Leclere won again at Silverstone, Hotz again in the Swiss Formula 2 Championship round at the Hockenheimring, before Leclere and Tambay then registered another 1-2 success at Zolder, Belgium. Tambay won from Leclere in yet another March-BMW 752 top-two victory at Nogaro that September, while the Italian Rome Grand Prix at Vallelunga fell to Vittorio Brambilla in his BMW Schnitzer-powered 752 entered by Ron Dennis's Project Three Racing team. Brambilla won both qualifying Heats of the Rome Grand Prix that successful day at Vallelunga, and the 1975 racing season also saw him lead the Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix and qualify on pole position for the Swedish Grand Prix in his works March team Type 751 car. He then survived the rain-soaked and controversial Austrian Grand Prix at the Osterreichring to record the March factory team's maiden Formula 1 victory after six years' endeavour. 'The Monza Gorilla' was so elated he promptly lost control of his March 751 while waving on his victory lap, and he crashed mildly, shattering the car's nose. This recently restored, beautifully presented Formula 2 March-BMW is understood to have been campaigned Ron Dennis's celebrated Project Three racing team, the immediate predecessor of his Project Four which of course became McLaren International with all the Formula 1 Grand Prix and World Championship-winning pedigree which fell subsequently to that respected organisation. We are advised by the vendor that this car is the ex-Ron Dennis Project 3 racing team '752-22' from the 1975 racing season, which was sold subsequently to British Formula Atlantic star - and subsequent McLaren engine preparation specialist - John Nicholson We are advised that Mr Nicholson then sold the car to Austrian owner/driver Heribert Jerich - owner of Jerich Transport who updated it to Type 762 specification and drove it in some 1976 events. Fellow Austrian Walter Pedrazza then bought it for 1978 during which season he won the Austrian Hillclimb Championship title. By 1981 the car was with Fritz Kallenberger of Effeltrich, Germany and we understand that he raced it intensively (22 events) between 1981 and 1989. Today Fritz Kallenberger's original Wagenpass still accompanies the car. In 1991 this March-BMW was sold to Hans Peter of Switzerland who also raced and entered it in several retrospective Formula 2 events during his ownership. In 1997 it was acquired by new Italian owner Giorgio Bianchi who then made very few appearances in the