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| Category | CART IndyCar |
|---|---|
| Designer(s) | Adrian Newey |
| Production | 1986 38 cars built |
| Predecessor | March 85C |
| Successor | March 87C |
| Technical specifications | |
| Chassis | Aluminium Honeycomb Monocoque |
| Suspension (front) | Double wishbones |
| Engine | Ford-Cosworth DFX 90° V8 Turbocharger Ilmor-Chevrolet 265-A engine V8 Turbocharger Buick Indy V6 Turbocharger |
| Transmission | Hewland 5-speed manual |
| Competition history | |
| Notable entrants | Penske Racing Truesports |
| Notable drivers |  Al Unser Bobby Rahal |
The March 86C is a highly successful and extremely competitive open-wheel race car, designed by Adrian Newey, and built by March Engineering, to compete in the 1986 CART Indy Car season, and eventually the 1987 Indy Car season. The season was another whitewash and a clean-sweep for March, following up on the success of their 1985 campaign. The 86C chassis dominated the season, winning 14 out of the 17 races, and taking 13 pole positions. Newey's March 86C chassis successfully clinched the 1986 CART Indy Car championship and the 1986 Indianapolis 500 with Bobby Rahal. It was primarily powered by the Ford-Cosworth DFX turbo V8 engine, but also used both the Buick Indy V6 turbo engine, and the Ilmor-Chevrolet 265-A Indy V8 turbo engine.
Owing much to its success and competitiveness, the 86C enjoyed extended use on the Indy car circuit after the 1986 season. It was used by some teams in 1987 and 1988. At the 1987 Indianapolis 500, after experiencing difficulties with their in-house PC-16 chassis, the Penske team switched their cars mid-month back to 86C. Rick Mears qualified on the front row, and Al Unser Sr. won the race, giving the 86C back-to-back Indy 500 victories. Later in the year, Mears won the Pocono 500, giving the 86C two wins in 1987.
Later, the chassis saw additional life in the American Indycar Series.
References
- "1986 March 86C Cosworth - Images, Specifications and Information". ultimatecarpage.com. Archived from the original on 2021-08-12. Retrieved 2022-06-04.
- "Great racing cars: 1986-87 March 86C". Motor Sport Magazine. 20 January 2016. Archived from the original on 2021-01-26. Retrieved 2022-06-04.
- "1986 March 86C Indy Car - Ex Chip Ganassi". Motorsports Market. Archived from the original on 2021-05-08. Retrieved 2022-06-04.
- "1986 March Indy Car | Classic Driver Market". classicdriver.com. Retrieved 2022-06-04.
- "1986 March 86C Indy Car | Hagerty Insider". insider.hagerty.com. Retrieved 2022-06-04.
- "1986 March 86C". bid.goodingco.com. Retrieved 2022-06-04.
- "REWIND: Looking back at 1986". RACER. 15 March 2021. Archived from the original on 2022-05-24. Retrieved 2022-06-04.
- "Penske Car Gallery". Archived from the original on 20 October 2021. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
External links
Media related to March 86C at Wikimedia Commons
 March Engineering | |
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