There was a time in America when, unlike today, open-wheel racing was hugely popular, and the Indianapolis 500 was truly "the greatest spectacle in racing".

This car, a former CART (Championship Auto Racing Teams) racing car, harkens back to that era.

Bonhams has been unable to conclusively verify the history of this chassis, but at the time of cataloging our research suggests that this may be a 1981 March 81C once campaigned by the Whittington Brothers in events including the Indianapolis 500. More research is required to verify this provenance.

What we do know is that the car is fitted with a Cosworth V8 Turbo engine of the era, and we have uncovered a period CART sticker assigning this car serial number 195.

This exciting find represents a golden era in American racing, and once provenance has been firmly established, it will provide an interesting entry into a number of high-profile vintage racing events.