1971 March Formula Atlantic (712B)

March sprung into life in 1969 with four men from various racing backgrounds coming together to start a company whose ideas were nothing if not grand. Max Mosely, lawyer and competent racing driver, Alan Rees, accomplished racing driver, Graham Coaker, former Hawker Siddeley employee and Robin Herd, F1 designer, the initials of their surnames being the source of the company name. From the beginning, March announced they would be building cars for just about all formulae, F1, F2, F3, FB, Formula Ford and Sports Cars, with the four founders claiming that they had a 'mystery' sponsor that gave the new company a sound financial basis, however a few years down the line, it emerged that the mysterious backer was actually an invention to hide just how short of money they actually were. The first March was the 693 F3 car produced at the end of 1969 and driven by the late Ronnie Peterson.

Formula Atlantic started in the UK in 1971, based closely on the successful US Formula B, developed by the SCCA. As initially designed, the formula specified a maximum of five gears, minimum weight of 968lbs and maximum fuel capacity of 15 gallons. It was aimed to sit between F2 and F3 and was open to production-based engines between 1,100cc and 1,600cc. At first, the approved engines were the Alfa Romeo 1600 dohc, BMW 1600 sohc, Datsun 1600 sohc, Fiat 124 dohc, Ford 1500/1600 pushrod, Lotus Ford dohc (i.e 'twin cam'), Porsche 1582 pushrod and the Ford-Cosworth BDA. The BDA, homologated for 'Group 2' at 1,601cc, would need to be reduced in capacity but would quickly prove to be the dominant engine. Formula B didn't allow the four-valve BDA but did allow fuel injection, which the UK didn't, so the Ford twin-cam dominated in the US and Canada until Formula Atlantic rules were adopted in 1974.

The current owner bought this March 712 in 2017 (712-BM-12) and has enjoyed much fun over the years since. Originally an Atlantic car but run in F2-spec in recent years with an FVA engine, the decision was taken recently to take the car back to Formula Atlantic specification, mainly because of the new series launched for these cars by our friends at Equipe Classic Racing. This new 'F2 Atlantic' Championship will feature cars built between January 1967 and December 1978 with a combined grid, but will have overall winners and separate podiums for each category.

The car therefore boasts new mechanicals including a fresh engine built by the experts at Gathercole Race Engines. Accompanied by its HSCC Vehicle Identity Form along with two sets of wheels, this looks to be a sensibly guided package that, apart from the usual preparations and checks, is ready to get straight back to competition with the HSCC or the exciting new series run by Equipe.