22 replies to this topic

[Peter Morley]

Does anyone have any information (or better still photos) of Jörg Zabrowski's entry in the 16th April 1978 round of the Aurora AFX Championship at Snetterton.

All I know is that he failed to qualify in March 761-7.

I'm trying to fill in the gap in this car's history between Williams selling it, in 1978, to it ending up with Anthony Bamford, before I bought it.

Anything about Mr Zabrowski's ownership of the March would be interesting.

[Allen Brown]

Peter

Many years ago, I was talking to Malcomn Johnstone about something or other and he mentioned this car. Apparantly, Zaborowski took the car back to his base in West Germany, where it languished in his transporter until 1980 when Graham Hall just pipped Johnstone to the car. Hall advertised the car during the first part of 1980 but Hall and the 761 then disappeared. I tried to find Hall many times but have always drawn a blank.

According to Roger Cowman (talking to me in October 1993), the car had been bought by Robert Marsland, of St Peters Port, Guernsey, who wanted the engine and gearbox for a sports car project. At some time the car had been used in hill climbs once or twice, still with its DFV, before the driver, a friend of Marsland, had scared himself silly and given up. The engine and gearbox had later been sold and the rest of the car had languished in a barn near Derby for many years until Cowman got involved, and that same month, sold the car to a certain Belgian-based collector.

Does that help or did you already know all that?

Allen

[Peter Morley]

Allen

Thank you, that adds a bit more detail than I knew.

As you probably know, the March was in a depot belonging to the Bamford's (next to Chitty Chitty Bang Bang) when I picked it up.

I bought it direct from Robert Marsland - but last time I asked Roger he tried to confuse me by saying it belonged to Bamford!

Malcolm Johnstone & Graham Hall don't ring any bells, should they?

Any idea if Zabrowski is contactable?

Or what hillclimbs they did with the car (Bouley Bay presumably?) - think I will now dive for my record of hillclimbs book!!

Thanks
Peter
p.s. 741 is now in USA with Andy Gilberg of Marchives (joining all the others out there!).

[Michael Oliver]

Originally posted by Allen Brown
Peter

Many years ago, I was talking to Malcomn Johnstone about something or other and he mentioned this car. Apparantly, Zaborowski took the car back to his base in West Germany, where it languished in his transporter until 1980 when Graham Hall just pipped Johnstone to the car. Hall advertised the car during the first part of 1980 but Hall and the 761 then disappeared. I tried to find Hall many times but have always drawn a blank.

According to Roger Cowman (talking to me in October 1993), the car had been bought by Robert Marsland, of St Peters Port, Guernsey, who wanted the engine and gearbox for a sports car project. At some time the car had been used in hill climbs once or twice, still with its DFV, before the driver, a friend of Marsland, had scared himself silly and given up. The engine and gearbox had later been sold and the rest of the car had languished in a barn near Derby for many years until Cowman got involved, and that same month, sold the car to a certain Belgian-based collector.

Does that help or did you already know all that?

Allen

Allen, this is very interesting - and I hope I'm not hi-jacking the thread in any way - but Jorg Zaborowski (I think that is the correct spelling) and Malcolm Johnstone have just cropped up in something I'm researching and I wonder whether anyone - you maybe? - can help fill in some gaps (or better still PM me with Johnstone's contact details?)...

In mid-76 Jeremy Lord sold his Lola T280-DFV sports car to 'a German who raced in the Interserie'. Spool forward towards the end of 76 and one Jorg Zaborowski is listed as having competed in a round of the Interserie with a Lola T280-DFV. The next I know of the car is that Malcolm Johnstone was advertising it for sale around 1980, so I wonder did he do a deal with Zaborowski to buy the March and the Lola?

Peter, I've tried tracking down Zaborowski and could only find a couple of possibles, both in the US, IIRC. However, it is always difficult trying to trace people with umlauts in their names on the internet, as you never know whether to put in Jorg or Joerg!! Maybe someone else on this forum knows of the man's whereabouts. If you get to hear of them, I'd really like to know too, if you didn't mind...by PM if you prefer!

Cheers

Michael

[Peter Morley]

Originally posted by Michael Oliver


In mid-76 Jeremy Lord sold his Lola T280-DFV sports car to 'a German who raced in the Interserie'. Spool forward towards the end of 76 and one Jorg Zaborowski is listed as having competed in a round of the Interserie with a Lola T280-DFV. The next I know of the car is that Malcolm Johnstone was advertising it for sale around 1980, so I wonder did he do a deal with Zaborowski to buy the March and the Lola?

Sounds likely doesn't it - I wonder if both had engines & boxes or did they share?

I wonder if this the Lola-DFV that ended up in Belgium?
I saw one many years ago at Willie Widar's, where he was tidying it up (it was one of the Le-Mans swiss cheese cars, sister to the one someone died in). I assume it ended up with Jean Blaton, but not sure.

Even if it was I don't suppose it helps with any of our searches (especially as Willie is no longer with us).

Think I will start digging out the 1980s magazines as well as my hillclimb books..........

Thank you
Peter

[Allen Brown]

Peter

IIRC, Malcolm was a dealer in Cumbria or somewhere near there. My contact details for him would be 15 or more years out of date. I may have spoken to him about this sometime about 1983.

Allen

[Michael Oliver]

Originally posted by Peter Morley


Sounds likely doesn't it - I wonder if both had engines & boxes or did they share?

I wonder if this the Lola-DFV that ended up in Belgium?
I saw one many years ago at Willie Widar's, where he was tidying it up (it was one of the Le-Mans swiss cheese cars, sister to the one someone died in). I assume it ended up with Jean Blaton, but not sure.

Even if it was I don't suppose it helps with any of our searches (especially as Willie is no longer with us).

Think I will start digging out the 1980s magazines as well as my hillclimb books..........

Thank you
Peter

Peter

They could have shared the engine I guess, although I believe the new owner blew the engine up very early on in their ownership, according to Lord, who had been experiencing overheating problems when he raced the car. I think the trail pre-Johnstone was reported as being Switzerland then Belgium.

The car you saw at Willie Widar's, how did you know it was one of the Swiss cheese cars? (BTW, the 'someone' was JoBo!) I mean, what was it that allowed you to identify it as a 72 Le Mans car, rather than the fact that it was in the Swiss cheese livery!?!?

Ditto Jean Blaton - why might it have gone to him, was Widar known to prepare cars for him then?

Either way - you are right: it does not help us much at present! Looks like another trip to the attic to scour through Autosports!

Cheers

Michael

[Peter Morley]

Michael

I thought it was JoBo who perished in one.

Widar told me it was one of the Le-Mans Swiss cheese cars! (And of course I believe everything he ever told me).

At that time I think it was just yellow rather than yellow with holes in!

Blaton was the only person in Belgium at that time who was into running DFV cars, and Willie was getting it running - as far as I know Willie didn't have much to do with JB, I suspect the only involvement would have been selling things to JB.

This could easily turn into a long detour!

[Michael Oliver]

Originally posted by Peter Morley
Michael

I thought it was JoBo who perished in one.

Widar told me it was one of the Le-Mans Swiss cheese cars! (And of course I believe everything he ever told me).

At that time I think it was just yellow rather than yellow with holes in!

Blaton was the only person in Belgium at that time who was into running DFV cars, and Willie was getting it running - as far as I know Willie didn't have much to do with JB, I suspect the only involvement would have been selling things to JB.

This could easily turn into a long detour!

Peter

Yes, sorry, I'm aware that we are deviating somewhat ;) . If Widar said it was one of the 'Swiss Cheese' cars, he's probably right. One of these appeared in 1973 at Dijon and Le Mans, driven by Daniel Rouveyran and Francois Migault and it was plain yellow, with two extra headlamps located right in the middle of the nose, as it appeared at Le Mans 1972. A month or so later Rouveyran was killed in his March 721G/5 at the Mont-Dore hillclimb and after that the trail starts to go colder, so it is possible that this car was the ex-Rouveyran one. Any idea roughly what year it would have been when you saw it at Widar's?

Now, to get back on topic , does anyone have any photos of Jorg Zaborowski's March 761 from Snetterton April 1978?

Just a thought - have you tried Andrew Kitson on the Ten Tenths Forum? He has quite a few Snetterton pics from the 1970s IIRC?

Cheers

Michael

[Peter Morley]

Michael

1st thought is did March 721G/5 run the DFV from the Lola.

2nd thought is if Widar found the Lola I wonder what happened to the remains of the March!

It must be about 15 years ago that I saw the Lola chez Willie.

Will see if I can find out more about the Lola from this end.

Thanks for the lead to Andrew Kitson I will try ten tenths forum.

Thank you
Peter

[Michael Oliver]

Originally posted by Peter Morley
Michael

1st thought is did March 721G/5 run the DFV from the Lola.

2nd thought is if Widar found the Lola I wonder what happened to the remains of the March!

It must be about 15 years ago that I saw the Lola chez Willie.

Will see if I can find out more about the Lola from this end.

Thanks for the lead to Andrew Kitson I will try ten tenths forum.

Thank you
Peter

Peter,

I suppose it is possible, although I suspect unlikely: the March first appeared in practice for the 1972 Victory Race, October-ish IIRC, when Migault shunted it on his first or second lap, whereas the first recorded appearance of the Lola (although of course this doesn't mean he hadn't bought it earlier) was in April at Dijon. However, maybe the Lola ran the DFV from the March...

I too would like to know what happened to the remains of the March It was, by all accounts, a fiery accident so there may not have been much left at all.

I have a suspicion that somebody bought the Lola (presumably off the widow/family of Rouveyran) as a T280 appeared in 1975 and ran Dijon in April driven by Michel Degoumois/Jean Belin, was entered at Le Mans 1975 but DNA to be driven by Michel Degoumois/Francois Migault (who was also Rouveyran's co-driver at Dijon 73) and finally a T280 was entered but not accepted at Le Mans 1976, drivers to be Gerard Cuynet and Jean Belin. Do you know/have you heard of any of these characters? (apart from Migault obviously although it would be handy to have a chat with him as well). Certainly Degoumois and Belin crop up more than once...

Anything you can find out gratefully received. Likewise I will keep on working on Johnstone and Zaborowski and if I find anything will let you know.

Cheers

Michael

[Peter Morley]

by Michel Degoumois/Francois Migault (who was also Rouveyran's co-driver at Dijon 73) and finally a T280 was entered but not accepted at Le Mans 1976, drivers to be Gerard Cuynet and Jean Belin. Do you know/have you heard of any of these characters? (apart from Migault obviously although it would be handy to have a chat with him as well). Certainly Degoumois and Belin crop up more than once...

Names don't ring any bells, but I was never really into sportscars so I will start working on my contacts.

Francois Migault is easy enough to find - I think he even raced in BOSS recently?
He might be able to fill a few blanks in.

I suspect you are right and the cars didn't share engines, most people in racing (except me!) seem to be able to afford to do it.

The fate of the March does intrigue me, but the jet engined 731 looks even more interesting.......
Even more likely to have met a fiery ending though!!

[Michael Oliver]

Originally posted by Peter Morley


Names don't ring any bells, but I was never really into sportscars so I will start working on my contacts.

Francois Migault is easy enough to find - I think he even raced in BOSS recently?
He might be able to fill a few blanks in.

As ever, anything you dig up gratefully received Hadn't heard of Migault doing BOSS race, though. I gather he still lives in Le Mans so as you say should be relatively easy to find.

I suspect you are right and the cars didn't share engines, most people in racing (except me!) seem to be able to afford to do it.

The fate of the March does intrigue me, but the jet engined 731 looks even more interesting.......
Even more likely to have met a fiery ending though!!

The WHAT???

Cheers

Michael

[Jeremy Jackson]

Hadn't heard of Migault doing BOSS race, though

Michael,

Migault drove Roger Kilty's F3000 Lola in the Le Mans BOSS races last October.

[Peter Morley]

Originally posted by Michael Oliver


The WHAT???

Cheers

Michael

Somewhere on AtlasF1 someone produced a picture of a March 731 that had a jet engine fitted - it was somewhere in Scandewegia!

That would frighten a few people in TGP!!!!!!!

If you ask Roger Cowman I'm sure he can put you in touch with Francois Migault.

Rgs
Peter

[Pete Stowe]

Originally posted by Peter Morley


Somewhere on AtlasF1 someone produced a picture of a March 731 that had a jet engine fitted - it was somewhere in Scandewegia!

That would frighten a few people in TGP!!!!!!!

Rgs
Peter

Rainer Nyberg, in this thread in fact, http://forums.atlasf...&threadid=55430

[Michael Oliver]

Originally posted by Jeremy Jackson


Michael,

Migault drove Roger Kilty's F3000 Lola in the Le Mans BOSS races last October.

Jeremy

Cheers - will follow up.

Michael

[Michael Oliver]

Originally posted by Peter Morley


Somewhere on AtlasF1 someone produced a picture of a March 731 that had a jet engine fitted - it was somewhere in Scandewegia!

That would frighten a few people in TGP!!!!!!!

If you ask Roger Cowman I'm sure he can put you in touch with Francois Migault.

Rgs
Peter

Peter M

Thanks, will try him.

Peter S

Excellent - what a brave man to put those two together! Or foolhardy

Michael

[Peter Morley]

Michael

Thank you........... I'm never going to get any sleep now.
Just looked at Ten-Tenths and found a reference to myself!!

With all these web-sites to play with when will I ever find time for the real world, or trying to light the firework currently being strapped to March 761 no. 7...........

Peter

[Michael Oliver]

Originally posted by Peter Morley
Michael

Thank you........... I'm never going to get any sleep now.
Just looked at Ten-Tenths and found a reference to myself!!

With all these web-sites to play with when will I ever find time for the real world, or trying to light the firework currently being strapped to March 761 no. 7...........

Peter

Ah yes, your reputation precedes you

Sometimes work has to get in the way of scanning the forums - blasted nuisance ;)

One other thought: I looked out the Autosport report of the meeting you were asking about but didn't notice the photographer and have put said issue back in the loft now. It occurred to me that it might be worth approaching them to see if they have still got the originals? I assume you have the report - let me know if not and I can tell you the name...

Cheers

Michael

[Peter Morley]

One other thought: I looked out the Autosport report of the meeting you were asking about but didn't notice the photographer and have put said issue back in the loft now. It occurred to me that it might be worth approaching them to see if they have still got the originals? I assume you have the report - let me know if not and I can tell you the name...

I should have the original. But I have not had a look at it for some time (my excuse being the builders are still in the way!).
If you could give me the name (& issue details) that might well help my search.

Thank you
Peter

[Jorgen Zaborowski]

http://www.zabo.us/Image_39.jpg


Use the link above if the link to the picture is not working !

Jorgen


Is this what you are looking for?

By the way, I have most of the parts, from the DFV fitted in that car missing part is the block!



Find more pics at http://palmspringscam.com go left Gallery have fun!

[Allen Brown]

Welcome Jorgen!

Thanks for the link and also for clarifying the spelling of your name. It's been spelt multiple ways in this thead! I think we've had any combination of Jörgen, Jörg, Jorgen, Jorg or Jurg with either Zaborowski or Zabrowski.

Allen