March 74A
After
the brief promise of the 72A, the 73A had bombed completely and it was always
going to be difficult for March to shift any of their 1974 design. The Dempster
Developments team of Colin Phillips and Colin Bennett bought one for their
F3 driver Mike Wilds and the bearded Englishman actually led the UK points
standings after two races. But he faded badly as the season wore on. The
car was raced by Mick Hill in 1975 and then found its way to the US, turning
up in the hands of Tom Jones, who still owns it to this day.
Thanks to Wolfgang Klopfer who found the adverts that pieced together the movements of the surviving car. Thanks also to the enthusiasts at F1Rejects.com for their biography of Tom Jones and to Adam Ferrington for supplying March factory records
There are still gaps. Please e-mail Allen at allen@oldracingcars.com if you can add anything.
| Car | History | Current owner |
|---|---|---|
| March 74A/1 |  Dempster
Developments UK 1974: for Mike Wilds at R1 (second), then retubbed
for R2 (second). Tested by Taylor prior to R3 Silvestone 6 Apr. For
Wilds at R3 (sixth) then replaced by newer 74A/2
and returned to Bicester. Probably for Wilds again after destruction
of 74A/2: three or four races (R10, R11, R13?, R14). To Mick Hill UK
1975 - unknown Jamaica owner
1976 ... John Gunn
Feb 1977 ... Tom Jones:
raced in Can-Am 1977 (2 races), SCCA FA 1978, Can-Am 1979 (2 DNS), Can-Am
1980 (1 DNS); retained 2001. Tom Jones is regarded by some as the most
obscure driver to appear at a Grand Prix: for a full biography, see
the F1
Rejects site. |
Tom Jones (US) 2001 |
| March 74A/2 | Dempster Developments UK 1974: entered for Ian Taylor alongside Wilds at R3 but left in the transporter after Taylor's sponsor did not appear. For Wilds at R4 Oulton Park Good Friday 12 Apr (retired), R5 Brands Hatch (pole position), R6, R7 and R8 Thruxton (crashed while lapping Tony Dean's Chevron and "extensively damaged"). Autosport report the "huge" accident on page 2 (Autosport 30 May 1974) and Wilds wrist and leg injuries, also mentioning that Dempster "have a spare chassis, originally intended for Ian Taylor". Three weeks later, the same publication mentions that Wilds is recovering and "hopes to return ... driving the back-up Dempster March". It is safe to assume that 74A/2 was written off in this accident and Wilds continued in 74A/1. | Destroyed |
In July 1975, a March 74A is advertised in Autosport: "complete rolling chassis, all new parts and tub etc".
A
note on chassis number identification
The chassis numbers used here are taken from March factory records and provided by Adam Ferrington.
| Chassis | Customer | Colour | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 74A/1 | Demptser | Red/Gold | 12 Mar |
| March 74A/2 | Demptser | Red | 5 Apr |
These histories last updated on 28 February, 2006 .