A 1977 TOJ SC303 driven by Marc Devis, exiting the pit lane during qualifying for the CAN-AM 50 Interserie Challenge Trophy.
The SC304 was engineering by former Porsche engineer Kurt Chabek and Dieter Baatz. Wholly conventional, it featured an aluminium monocoque with independent suspension on all four corners. The step up to the three-litre class was made relatively straightforward by the readily available package of the Cosworth DFV V8 and Hewland five-speed gearbox. Tightly wrapped in a fibreglass body, the SC304 made a great first impression by setting the fastest naturally aspirated time during its World Championship debut at Dijon in the hands of Rolf Stommelen. Obermoser himself won an Interserie race in the SC304 later in 1976. A second car was also built for Kurt Hild, who campaigned the car himself and also as part of the Warsteiner backed factory team. For the 1977 two brand new cars were built, which incorporated subtle changes including a full width rear wing that was integrated in the rear bodywork. In a departure to the naming logic, the new cars were not dubbed the SC305 but the SC302 to indicate, it was the second generation of the three-litre TOJs. Obermoser scored two more Interserie victories and in the World Sports Car round at Le Castellet, the SC302 gave the factory Alfa Romeos a real run for their money and ultimately placed second. Two more cars were built for the 1978 season, dubbed the SC303. By that time Obermoser had lost his Warsteiner backing but the cars did retain the unusual gold anodised monocoques. With BP backing, one SC303 was entered for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. During qualifying, the engine failed and with no spare available, the car could not start the race. Having lost his main backer, Obermoser closed shop at the end of 1978 season. In various guises, his cars continued to be raced for many more seasons. Some were even converted to Group C specification. In more recent years, four of the six three-litre TOJs have been restored to their original configuration and campaigned in historic races.
Size: 4076px × 2671px
Location: Silverstone Circuit, Towcester, Northamptonshire, NN12 8TN
Photo credit: © John Gaffen / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: -, 50, 1977, 2016, 24hrs, american, canadian, challenge, classic, cosworth, cup, devis, dfv, driver, endurance, interserie, le, mans, marc, qualifying, racing, sc303, silverstone, toj, trophy, v8
