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Porsche powered
March 85G

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The History of
the March GT
Prototypes

Red Lobster M1

Kreepy Krauly
March 83G
GTP Car

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The History of IMSA

We are pleased to announce the representation, for sale, of this very special March GTP car, better known as the “Red Lobster” car.

This March 83G started life as one of Al Holbert’s Marches in 1983. He raced two of them, selling the second, a Porsche-powered car to the Kreepy Krauly team at the end of the season and they promptly won the 1984 Daytona 24-Hours.

This, the first of Holbert’s cars, Chevrolet 366 cu. Inch powered, scored three victories, and a second place, before David Cowart and Kenper Miller bought it in 1983. They have kept it ever since! This, probably the best known of all the GTP cars, is now for sale. Price: SOLD

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Al Holbert had always been the consummate race driver. Fit, focused on winning, (“he was amazed when we congratulated him on winning”, said one of his crew, Vince Evans. “He thought that was what he was being paid to do”), and with the right training and background to take on the very best in the World.

After winning several races in the late 1970’s, always in a Porsche, usually an RSR Carrera, Al Holbert had forsaken the GT cars for single seaters. Now he was back, and this time with a formidable weapon.

Because of time constraints, Holbert had his team install a “standard” Chevrolet 366 cu. Inch Chevrolet in his first March, number 83G/3, but had Andial, in the shape of Alwin Springer, develop chassis number 83G/4 with a single-turbocharged Porsche engine.

Holbert had a stunning season. He unleached his first, Chevrolet powered March at the Miami Grand Prix. Although John Paul Jr. had qualified on the pole in his Lola T600, Holbert beat him fair and square. Victory number one. Al was sponsored by CRC Chemicals and the Marches were decked out in their red and white colors.

When the IMSA circus went west, to first of all Riverside, and then Laguna Seca, Al Holbert capitalized on his first success with the March. Although beaten into second place at Riverside by John Fitzpatrick and David Hobbs in John’s Porsche 935 K4, Al Holbert made no mistake at Laguna Seca, beating Bob Tullius’ Jaguar XJR-5 into second place. The points were amassing.

At Charlotte, Holbert, teamed again with Jim Trueman, won again, this time over another March, ironiacally, (in the light of future events) the 82G of David Cowart and Kenper Miller. Both Marches were Porsche engined, Holbert debuting his latest March, chassis number 83G/4. He won by over two laps.

Joined by Doc Bundy, Al Holbert’s March/Porsche, though taking pole position, had a few problems and finished five laps down on the leader at Lime Rock, though still managing to take fourth place.

It rained at Mid-Ohio and, knowing the tight nature of the course, Holbert used the Chevrolet powered car again, using its torque to great effect and finishing no less than eleven laps ahead of the second placed Porsche 935 of Bob Akin. Bobby Rahal, one of Holbert’s two co-drivers, (the other being Doc Bundy), set the fastest qualifying lap also.

Knowing that the Porsche-powered March was now race-ready, Al Holbert sold the Chevrolet-powered car to Cowart and Miller.

They debuted the car at Brainerd, Minnesota in the spectacular “Lobster Claw” paint scheme of the well-known restaurant chain and promptly scored a second place to, guess who? Yes, Al Holbert in his new Porsche-powered 83G!

Over the next two years, this spectacular March finished in the top ten eleven times, including four second-place finishes. One of the noticeable weaknesses of the March GTP cars had been their Hewland DG300 transmissions and, after suffering several DNFs, the team overcame the problem by substituting the well known LG600 ‘box, which cured the problem.

Note: The car has now been totally restored.

83G/03: 1/83. Holbert Racing. 366 Chevrolet. Hewland LG600.

1983: CRC Sponsored.
27/2: Miami G,P: Holbert, #41; 1st.
24/4: Riverside: Holbert/Trueman, #14; 2nd.
01/5: Laguna Seca: Holbert, #14; 1st.
19/6: Mid-Ohio: Trueman/Bundy, #14; 1st. (Chev engined car).

Sold to Cowart/Miller. Red Lobster sponsored.

10/7: Brainerd. Cowart/Miller, #25; 2nd.
24/7: Sears Point: Cowart/Miller, #25; 4th.
31/7: Portland: Cowart/Miller, #25; DNF. (Axle).
14/8: Mosport: Cowart/Miller, #25; 2nd.
21/8: Road America: Cowart/Miller, #25; DNF. (Axle).
11/9: Pocono: Cowart/Miller, #25; DNF. (Axle).
27/11: Daytona Finale: Cowart/Miller, #25; 4th.

1984:
4-5/2: Daytona 24-Hours: Cowart/Miller, #25; DNF. (Axle).
25/2: Miami GP: Cowart/Miller; 9th.
24/3: Sebring 12-Hours: Cowart/Miller, #25; DNF. (Axle).
08/4: Road Atlanta: Cowart/Miller, #25; 4th.
29/4: Miller/De Narvaez, #25; 3rd.
06/5: Laguna Seca: Miller, #25; 2nd.
20/5: Charlotte: Cowart/Miller, #25; DNF. (Axle).
28/5: Lime Rock: K. Miller, #25; 6th.
03/6: Mosport 6-Hours: Cowart/Miller, #25; 2nd.
10/6: Mid-Ohio: Cowart/Miller, #25; 18th.
07/7: Watkins Glen: Cowart/Miller, #25; 19th.
29/7: Portland: Cowart/Miller, #25; DNF. (Axle).
05/8: Sears Point: Miller, #25; 6th.
26/8: Road America: Cowart/Miller, #25; DNF. (Axle).
09/9: Pocono: Cowart/Miller, #25; 21st.
15/9: Michigan: Cowart/Miller, #25; 2nd.
30/9: Watkins Glen: Cowart/Miller, #25; DNF. (Axle).
25/9: Daytona Finale: Cowart/Miller, #25; DNF. (Axle).

1985:
2-3/2: Daytona 24-Hours: Cowart/Miller, #25; DNF. (Axle).
24/2: Miami GP: Cowart/Miller, #25; DNF. (Axle).10th.
14/4: Road Atlanta: Cowart/Miller, #25; DNF. (Axle).