Midway through the 1975 season, the Penske team, recognizing the failure of their PC1 project, abandoned their in-house-built car and purchased a March 751 with chassis number 5 to continue the season. This car was referred to as the PC2. Unfortunately, the PC2 was completely destroyed in the fatal accident that claimed the life of the team’s driver, Mark Donohue, during practice for the 1975 Austrian Grand Prix. Many of its components were used to assemble the new Penske PC3.
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| PENSKE PC3, John Watson Jarama, Spanish GP 1976 |
The new car from the American team, which maintained its operational base in Poole, UK, made its debut during the practice session of the season’s final race at Watkins Glen with John Watson at the wheel. However, its fragility and lack of competitiveness led the team to revert to the old PC1 for the race. The PC3 was once again designed by Geoff Ferris, featuring an aluminum monocoque chassis fitted with the classic 3.0-liter Ford Cosworth DFV V8 engine and a Hewland FG 400 gearbox.
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| PENSKE PC3, John Watson Montecarlo, Monaco GP 1976 |
As it was merely a transitional car pending the development of the new PC4, already in progress by Ferris and Roger Penske, the PC3 bore a strong resemblance to the March 751, from which it was derived. It featured a snowplow-style front end, though during the season, the previous PC1 nose design was reintroduced. The car also had very long sidepods, housing the radiators at their ends. To comply with regulations prohibiting air intakes above the driver’s head, the PC3 had side-mounted air inlets next to the cockpit. The car had a wheelbase of 2,692 mm and weighed 582 kg. The PC3 was used for the first six races of the 1976 season, driven by Penske’s official driver, John Watson. The results were relatively decent, including a fifth-place finish at the South African Grand Prix at Kyalami, where Watson had qualified third. From the Swedish Grand Prix at Anderstorp onwards, the PC3 was replaced by the new PC4.
PENSKE PC3, Boy Hayje
Zandvoort, Dutch GP 1976
However, the PC3 continued its racing career with the F&S Properties team, which acquired the car and entered it in the Dutch Grand Prix, where local driver Boy Hayje managed to qualify but retired from the race. The PC3 also appeared in two rounds of the 1977 season: at the Swedish Grand Prix, driven by privateer Jac Nelleman, and at the British Grand Prix, entered by the Hexagon of Highgate team with Derek Bell. In both cases, the drivers failed to qualify.
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