March 713S car-by-car histories
We do not have a picture of a March 713S. Can you help?.
March had two Formula 3 designs for 1971, a spaceframe based on the 1970 F3 car, and a monocoque based on the new Formula 2 car. The March 713S was the spaceframe and apart from a batch of six sold to Eifelland, did not sell in large numbers. James Hunt had some early-season success in his example.
The new spaceframe 713S was a lighter and neater evolution of the 1970 spaceframe F3/FF car developed by Bill Stone, but with the bodywork of the new Formula 2 712M. It was fabricated from 16 and 18 gauge square and round tube, a change from the 1970 spaceframes which used only square tube. Removable fibreglass sidepods housed Marston bag tanks, as required by new 1971 F3 regulations. Front suspension was highly conventional, except that the wishbones were unusually narrow. The main change in this area from the 703 is that the shear plates used to configure the car for different formulae in 1970 were dropped in favour of conventional welded pick-up points. Suspension was also conventional at the rear, but the 713S and 713M differed from the 712M in having a reversed lower wishbone required by the Hewland Mk 8 gearbox, while the 712M had the parallel double lower link as used on the F1 701. The nose was the same as the 712M with air ducted from under the nose through an angled radiator and venting through the top. The 1600cc Ford-Lotus twin cam engine used on the prototype was built by Holbay, and had Lucas fuel injection. The 713S had 10-inch front and 12-inch rear wheels, and used Firestone tyres.
The generous budget of Günther Hennerici's Eifelland Caravans team in Formula 2 and Formula 3 was a significant factor in the success of March's junior formulae production cars in its first two seasons, especially when they ordered six of the new 713S F3 car at the start of 1971. The works also fielded one in their official Formula 3 team for James Hunt, the young Englishman who had impressed in a Lotus 59 in 1970. Hunt won the opening race at Mallory Park, but only four cars were at the circuit for this first event of the 1600cc formula, and Hunt was later disqualified when the plug was found to have fallen out of his airbox. Hunt then took impressive wins at Montlhéry and the Nürburgring, before his season was disrupted by a series of accidents. After flirting with F2, Hunt was given a new monocoque 713M, and the 713S was repurposed for Dave Morgan to use in F3 and Formula Atlantic after the talented Englishman had two works-loaned Formula Atlantic Marchs sold from under him.
If you can add anything to these histories, please contact Allen Brown (allen@oldracingcars.com).
New for James Hunt to race in F3 in 1971 as part of the Rose Bearings-sponsored March Racing team. Won its first two races but then crashed by Hunt at Silverstone on 8 May, when the car went airborn and hit the sleepers. The March was rebuilt at the factory and raced by Hunt at Zandvoort a week later, only for Hunt to crash again, the car this time overturning and ripping off the rollhoop. Rebuilt as any effectively new car for Dave Morgan, initially appearing as a Formula Atlantic car at Snetterton in late June, and then as F3 car for the GP meeting in July. Raced by Morgan and by Reg James in F/Atlantic later in 1971. Sold in May 1972 to Jack Cavill (Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire), the owner of Mike Wilds' car, and converted back to F3 spec for Wilds until his new Ensign was ready. Retained by Wilds in 1973. Likely to be the "ex-Hunt" car raced by Chris Pilborough in Formula 4 in 1974, and then the "ex-Hunt/Morgan" F4 car of Mark Pritchard in 1976. Maybe Richard Penny's F4 car in 1977. Subsequent history unknown.
Driven by: James Hunt, David Morgan, Reg James, Mike Wilds, Buzz Buzaglo and Chris Pilborough. First race: Mallory Park, 14 Mar 1971. Total of 22 recorded races.
New to Eifelland for Formula 3 and delivered in March 1971. It is not known which of the Eifelland team drivers used this car. See March 713Ss in 1971.
New to Eifelland for Formula 3 and delivered in March 1971. It is not known which of the Eifelland team drivers used this car. See March 713Ss in 1971.
To Peter Schäbitz (Munich, Bavaria, West Germany) for 1972, and run as part of Formel-Team, München in Germany hillclimbs. Retained by Schäbitz for 1973. Subsequent history unknown.
Driven by: Peter Schäbitz. First race: Hockenheim, 14 May 1972. Total of 11 recorded races.
New to Paul Zitzen (Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany) for German F3 in 1971, and delivered in April 1971 with silver bodywork and a Holbay engine. To Dieter Rothe (Hamburg or Marburg, West Germany) for 1972 and used in hillclimbs. Retained by Rothe for 1973. Subsequent history unknown.
Driven by: Paul Zitzen and Dieter Rothe. First race: 20 Jun 1971. Total of 8 recorded races.
New to Eifelland for Formula 3 and delivered in March 1971. Listed in March records as for "Erwin", so presumably the car raced by Erwin Derichs (Kottenheim, Rhineland-Palatinate, West Germany) in some German national F3 races in 1971 as part of the Eifelland Caravaning team. According to Manfred Werner, this was then the car of Bernd Rack (Kelkheim, Hesse, West Germany) in 1972 and 1973. Subsequent history unknown.
Driven by: Erwin Derichs and Bernd Rack. First race: Diepholz, 18 Jul 1971. Total of 14 recorded races.
New to Eifelland for Formula 3 and delivered in March 1971. Identified by Autosport as the car raced extensively through 1971 by Wolfgang Bülow (Koblenz, Rhineland-Palatinate, West Germany). To Utz Schad (Oberafferbach, Johannesberg, Bavaria) for 1972. Subsequent history unknown.
Driven by: Wolfgang Bülow and Utz Schad. First race: Nürburgring, 12 Apr 1971. Total of 21 recorded races.
New to Eifelland for Formula 3 and delivered in March 1971. It is not known which of the Eifelland team drivers used this car. See March 713Ss in 1971.
Comparing the appearances listed in this car's Wagenpass with the known races of 713S drivers in Germany, it would appear that this must have been the car of Willi Deutsch, as both Klaus Enders and Hermann Unold appeared at Schottenring in late June.
The Wagenpass appears to show the name Krauss in May 1972, so this would be the car driven by Peter Krause (Grefrath, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany) in 1972. Subsequent history unknown.
Driven by: Peter Krause. First race: Nürburgring, 27 May 1972. Total of 3 recorded races.
New to Eifelland for Formula 3 and delivered in March 1971. Although there is no contemporary identification of this car's first driver, it was identified by Bonhams in a sale in Germany in August 2003 as Willi Sommer's car, commenting that the car had its original ONS-Wagenpass issued in 1971. Sommer raced a March 713S through the 1971 season as part of the Eifelland Wohnwagenbau team. According to Chris Townsend, it then went to Hans Deffland (Munich, Bavaria) for 1972, entered by Formel Team München. After the 1972 season, Deffland exchanged it for the crashed Porsche 910 of Walter Proebst (Adlkofen, Landshut, Bavaria), and Proebst raced the car in German hillclimbs, initially in the F3 class and later in F2. Bonhams did not account for its history after 1971 until it was restored "1996-99 by Auer of Dortmund". With Eric Walter in 2022, and being raced in Germany.
Driven by: Willi Sommer, Hans Deffland and Walter Proebst. First race: Nürburgring, 12 Apr 1971. Total of 28 recorded races.
New to Peter Bloore for driver Lee Kaye, and run by MRE in British F3. Also driven by Bob Muir at a couple of races, and by Ole Vejlund at one race at the end of the season. Unknown in 1972, but very likely to be the car advertised by Peter Slade from Folkestone and Hythe phone numbers in June 1972, especially as it was advertised with a Rowland engine, and the only 713S noted as having a Rowland engine in 1971 was the Bloore/Kaye car. Advertised again from the same phone numbers in October 1972, but without engine or gearbox. Raced by Steve Coen in Formula 3 in 1973. Subsequent history unknown but geography would suggest it was the March "713/73" used by Peter Orlando (Shepperton) in Formula Ford 2000 in 1975. Again, geography would suggest this became the Lydden libre car later in the 1970s.
Driven by: Lee Kaye, Bob Muir, Ole Vejlund and Steve Coen. First race: Thruxton, 1 Aug 1971. Total of 7 recorded races.
March 713Ss in 1971
Of the nine 713Ss built, six went to the Eifelland team, one to a German privateer, Paul Zitzen, and one to Peter Bloore, while the prototype was retained by the works team for the up-and-coming James Hunt.
Exactly how the six Eifelland cars were used is still to be resolved, but 713S-5 appears to have been Erwin Derichs' car, 713S-6 has been identified as Wolfgang Bülow's, and 713S-8 has been identified as Willi Sommer's car. The other three Eifelland cars (713S-2, 713S-3 and 713S-7) are likely to be those driven by Willi Deutsch, Franz Pesch and Hermann Unold at the start of the season, but it would appear that Klaus Enders took over the Pesch car from May onwards, and that this car was then driven by pop star Howard Carpendale in a guest appearance with the team in the Eifelland-Caravaning-Pokal at the Nürburgring.
Wilhelm "Willi" Deutsch raced a March 713S right through the 1971 season as part of the Eifelland Wohnwagenbau team. Deutsch stayed with Eifelland for 1972. The fate of his March 713S is not known.
Driven by: Wilhelm "Willi" Deutsch. First race: Nürburgring, 12 Apr 1971. Total of 11 recorded races.
Franz Pesch (Köln/Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany) raced a March 713S at a few races at the start of the 1971 season as part of the Eifelland Wohnwagenbau team. He then joined George Loos' Gelo Racing Team for the Le Mans 24 Hour race, and continued in sports car racing with Gelo Racing in 1971 and 1972. The fate of his March 713S is not known, but it is likely it was taken over by one of the Eifelland team's other drivers, probably Klaus Enders.
Driven by: Franz Pesch. First race: Nürburgring, 12 Apr 1971. Total of 2 recorded races.
Hermann Unold (Ludwigshafen, Rhineland-Palatinate, West Germany) raced a March 713S through the 1971 season as part of the Eifelland Wohnwagenbau team, using a Schntizer BMW engine for at least part of the season. Unold did not continue with Eifelland after 1971, and the fate of his March 713S is not known.
Driven by: Hermann Unold. First race: Nürburgring, 12 Apr 1971. Total of 13 recorded races.
Klaus Enders (Wetzlar, Hesse, West Germany) raced a March 713S in 1971 season as part of the Eifelland Wohnwagenbau team, but was seen mainly in national events. His first known 1971 race with the team was in May, so he may have taken the place of Franz Pesch. Enders was better known as a motorcycle sidecar racer, and he returned to motorcycle racing after 1971. His last known race in a 713S was at Mendig at the end of August 1971, and as all the other German 713Ss raced in the Eifelland-Caravaning-Pokal at the Nürburgring in October, this must have been the car driven by guest star Howard Carpendale, a German-based South African singer. Subsequent history unknown.
Driven by: Klaus Enders and Howard Carpendale. First race: Bremgarten, 23 May 1971. Total of 6 recorded races.
March 713Ss in 1972
The two 713Ss based in England can be traced into 1972, and progress is slowly being made with the German cars. References to chassis numbers in ONS Mitteilungen suggest that Eifelland's 713S-3 went to Peter Schäbitz, Paul Zitzen's 713S-4 went to Dieter Rothe, and Wolfgang Bülow's 713S-6 went to Utz Schad. Manfred Werner identifies that Erwin Derichs' 713S-5 went to Bernd Rack, and Chris Townsend advises that the Wagenpass of 713S-8 shows that it passed from Willi Sommer to Hans Deffland. Also, the Wagenpass for 713S-7 appears to say that it was the car driven by Peter Krauss in 1972. That leaves just one last Eifelland car,713S-2, to be explained in 1972.
Other Germans who raced 713Ss in 1972 include Bernd Breil, although Breil was also reported to be driving an Eifelland 723 at some of his appearances, and Günter Hölker, who drove a "713" for the H. Hundt Duckhams team from August 1972 onwards. Heinz-Jürgen Rüller raced a March "713" at the first race of 1972, but he had raced a 1000cc March 703 in 1971 and it is possible that his "713" was his older car updated with a 1600cc engine. A photograph of Rüller's car would probably resolve this.
Bernd Breil (Koblenz, Rhineland-Palatinate, West Germany) raced in German F3 during 1972 and 1973, but such is the inconsistency in the way his car was described, it is very hard to be sure what it was. It was described by ONS Mitteilungen as a March, a March 713, and an Eifelland, but also a Rilo March and an Engel. Two photographs on formel3guide.com show a 1971 March, so the current hypothesis is that it was a March 713S. Also, formel3guide.com has identified the car as chassis 713S-1, the car used by James Hunt at the start of 1971, but this is hard to reconcile with the reported later history of that car as Dave Morgan's Formula Atlantic mount, sold to Mike Wilds' backer for 1972. At present, Breil's car is unresolved.
Driven by: Bernd Breil. First race: Hockenheim, 14 May 1972. Total of 17 recorded races.
From August 1972, Günter Hölker (Dülmen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany) appeared in German F3 events with a March 713 entered by H. Hundt GmbH Duckhams Oils (Krefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia). Retained by the Hundt team for 1973, and raced regularly by Hölker in German hillclimbs. Subsequent history unknown.
Driven by: Günter Hölker. First race: Nürburgring, 13 Aug 1972. Total of 12 recorded races.
March 713Ss from 1973 onwards
In England, Mike Wilds still had his 713S-1 at the start of the season, and it reappeared in 1974 in Formula 4; while the ex-Peter Bloore 713S-9 raced in F3 in 1973 in the hands of Steve Coen. In Germany, many of the cars that had been raced in 1972 were retained by their respective owners for another season: Peter Schäbitz retained 713S-3, Dieter Rothe retained 713S-4, Bernd Rack retained 713S-5, and Günter Hölker continued to race the unidentified Hundt team 713S. Hans Deffland's 713S-8 remained in circulation as it went to Walter Proebst.
Utz Schad's 713S-6 did not appear in 1973, but made a surprise reappearance at the ADAC-Bergrennen-Alzenau in September 1974. The Wagenpass for Peter Krauss' 713S-7 shows that it did not race in 1973, but was present at the ADAC-Frankenwald-Bergrennen in April 1974.
A March 713 was reported running in libre events at Lydden from late-1979 onwards with a variety of drivers. When it was first reported, driver Alan Humberstone trying to snatch victory by taking to the grass on the approach to the finish line, it was just described as a 1.6 March 713. The next year, with Rod Turner driving, it was called Nick Cole's old March 713M. Later in 1980, Kent-based Canadian Paul Sleeman took over the drive of what was then called "the Ray Howard/Roddy Turner March 713", and bettered Duncan Gray's much newer Chevron B43. The car was sponsored by Copper Kettle Restaurant, and Sleeman drove it to regular victories in 1981, 1982 and 1983. Sleeman was still driving it in 1989, by then powered by a 1600cc Connaught BDA. Subsequent history unknown.
Driven by: Alan Humberstone, Rod Turner and Paul Sleeman. First race: Lydden Hill, 7 Oct 1979. Total of 26 recorded races.
In addition to the above, unknown March 713Ss were driven by Peter Stürtz, Heinz-Jürgen Rüller, Nicola Mennella and Bob Penny.
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 for information from his archives, to 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. Wolfgang Neumayer's formel3guide.com is an excellent resource for German Formula 3. Mention should also be made of the German publication ONS Mitteilungen which recorded very detailed results for all German motor racing events in this period and has been the primary source for hillclimb results.
If you can add anything to these histories, please contact Allen Brown (allen@oldracingcars.com).
These histories last updated on .