Beschreibung
To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION at RM Sothebys' Amelia Island event, 22 May 2021. Estimate:$200, 000 - $300, 000 USD Offered from the Estate of John CampionThree-time IMSA race-winning car, including 1983 Miami GP and 1984 Watkins Glen 500 KMDriven, along with 84G-4, by Randy Lanier to win the 1984 IMSA Camel GT ChampionshipTwo-time Sebring 12 Hour competitor, finishing 2nd overall in 1984Driven to pole position in the 1984 Miami GP by double World Champion Emerson FittipaldiDriven by two Le Mans winners: Bill and Don WhittingtonImmaculately presented in 1984 Miami GP “Spirit of Miami” colors and ideal for continued track use One of five Adrian Newey-designed 83Gs constructed, the chassis offered here, 83G-2, was purchased by Pepe Romero and then Leon Brothers Racing. The car’s most significant race result during this period occurred in Romero’s ownership, when Doc Bundy and Romero himself drove the car to 7th place in the 1983 Road Atlanta 500 KM. In 1984, ownership of the car passed to the eponymous team of IMSA regular Marty Hinze, who entered the car in the 1984 Daytona 24 Hours. Driven by Hinze, Randy Lanier and Bill Whittington, the car qualified well in 5th place but retired early in the race with gearbox issues. For the second round of the 1984 IMSA Championship, the car was loaned to Miami GP promoter Ralph Sanchez, who coaxed Emerson Fittipaldi out of retirement to drive the car with Tony Garcia. Appropriately liveried in the “Spirit of Miami,” colors the car sports today, Fittipaldi took a stunning pole position, before sadly retiring with transmission problems. However, in a subsequent interview he was quick to acknowledge the significant part the car played in rejuvenating his career; one which would subsequently encompass two Indianapolis 500 victories. With the car returning to Hinze’s newly re-branded Blue Thunder Racing Team after Miami, the car achieved the finest result of its career with Hinze, Randy Lanier, and Bill Whittington placing an excellent 2nd overall in the Sebring 12 Hours. Whittington claimed 2nd place in the Road Atlanta 500 KM and a dominant race win in the late summer Sears Point 100 Miles, whilst his brothers Don and Dale drove the car to a creditable 4th place in the Pocono 500 KM; Lanier/ Dale Whittington also securing a memorable race win in the Watkins Glen 500 KM that autumn. At the season’s end, Lanier and Bill Whittington finished 1-2 in the IMSA Camel GT Championship, 83G-02 having played a significant role in the successes of both. Fully restored by former March engineers in 2006, and acquired by the consignor in 2018, 83G-2 has been used only occasionally since, including an emotional reunion with Fittipaldi at Homestead-Miami in early 2019. The car is accompanied by an assortment of miscellaneous spares in addition to four wheels and tires. Highly original, with an illustrious IMSA-winning pedigree, and an impressive roster of former drivers, it would be a highly competitive and economical entry into the many IMSA GT/ Group C events for which it is eligible. 1983 March-Chevrolet 83G IMSA GTP, Chassis No. 83G-2 DateEventRace #TeamDriversQualifiedFinished 27 February 1983GP of Miami41Holbert RacingAl Holbert41 19 March 1983Sebring 12 Hours47Pepe RomeroBill Whittington/ Pepe Romero/ Doc Bundy8DNF 10 April 1983Road Atlanta 500 KM47Pepe RomeroDoc Bundy/ Pepe Romero17 24 July 1983Sears Point 3 Hours12Leon Bros. RacingDoc Bundy 9DNF 31 July 1983Portland 3 Hours12Leon Bros. RacingAl Leon/ Doc Bundy4DNF 21 August 1983Road America 500 Miles12Leon Bros. RacingAl Leon/ Art Leon10DNF 5 February 1984Daytona 24 Hours16Marty Hinze RacingRandy Lanier/ Marty Hinze/ Bill Whittington5DNF 26 February 1984Miami 3 Hours84R. Sanchez RacingEmerson Fittipaldi/ Tony Garcia1DNF 24 March 1984Sebring 12 Hours57Blue Thunder Racing TeamRandy Lanier/ Marty Hinze/ Bill Whittington 2 8 April 1984Road Atlanta 500 KM57Blue Thunder Racing TeamBill Whittington 52 29 April 1984Riverside 6 Hours57Blue Thunder Racing TeamRandy Lanier/ Bill Whittington DNS 6 May 1984Laguna Seca 100 Miles57Blue Thunder Racing TeamBill Whittington1DNF 20 May 1984Charlotte 500 KM57Blue Thunder Racing TeamRandy Lanier/ Bill Whittington DNS 28 May 1984Lime Rock 1 Hour57Blue Thunder Racing TeamBill Whittington18 8 July 1984Watkins Glen 6 Hours57Blue Thunder Racing TeamBill Whittington/ Randy Lanier1DNS 29 July 1984Portland 3 Hours57Blue Thunder Racing TeamBill Whittington/ Dale Whittington86 05 August 1984Sears Point 100 Miles57Blue Thunder Racing TeamBill Whittington11 26 August 1984Road America 500 Miles57Blue Thunder Racing TeamDon Whittington/ Dale Whittington9DNF 09 September 1984Pocono 500 KM57Blue Thunder Racing TeamDon Whittington/ Dale Whittington43 16 September 1984Michigan 500 KM57Blue Thunder Racing TeamDale Whittington19DNF 30 September 1984Watkins Glen 500 KM57Blue Thunder Racing TeamDale Whittington/ Randy Lanier31 25 November 1984Daytona Finale 3 Hours57Blue Thunder Racing TeamRandy Lanier8DNF 24 February 1984Miami 3 Hours57Blue Thunder Racing TeamDale Whittington/ Randy Lanier/ Bill Whittington10DNF 12 January 1985Daytona Finale 3 Hours7Blue Thunder Racing Team DNSTo view this car and others currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM website at rmsothebys. com/ en/ auctions/ am21.
