Almost Perfection–1990 Leyton House CG901/3

Examining the Leyton House CG901 it is as much about the man who designed the car, Adrian Newey, as the car itself. It was Irish novelist James Joyce who said, “A man of genius makes no mistakes; his errors are volitional and are the portals of discovery.” Despite Joyce’s quote, it is not always the genius, or the step toward genius that others appreciate or perceive. It will therefore be no surprise to understand that Newey, on his road to ultimate success, encountered troubles along the way. Indeed, this very car cost him his job at Leyton House.

March, the brainchild of Messrs. Mosley, Rees, Coaker and Herd, hit the Grand Prix scene in 1970 with a number of their 701 cars on the grid, entered in the form of works, semi-works and private entrants. Designed by Robin Herd and Peter Wright, the car took advantage of the reliable combination of the Cosworth DFV engine for power and the Hewland gearbox for transmission. In fact, the whole car wasn’t designed to be radical, but more of a “work horse” suitable for customers to purchase to enter the world of Formula One, not forgetting that the era of sponsorship was still a very new concept and therefore financial opportunities were aplenty.