1979 Mara Tovarish SX-1.3tk
After their surprise success with the Irena GTC Special scoring a 3rd place after the timed stages in the Gran Turismo 1979 Rally through all five countries of the world (and the subsequent relative sales success of the regular Irena SX-GTR79 special edition), Mara was keen to try a similar exercise for their stalwart diminutive Tovarish: to take it racing once more, this time in the 1980 round of the International Touring Car Trophy (ITCT).
On the market since the late 1950s, Tovarish sales have been in decline in Archana throughout the 1970s, having already run afoul of increased safety regulations in Fruinia and other countries in the early 1970s. Mara hoped that some racing exposure - and perhaps surprise successes - could help bolster the domestic sales figures.
Mara turned to the famous Fruinian tuner Michele Maggio, one of the pioneers of turbocharging. He was tasked with adding a turbo to the Tovarish’s venerable 1.3 litre engine. This turbo literally breathed new life into the engine whose ancestors had already powered military jeeps back in the 1940s.
The Mara works team painted the resulting Tovarish ITCT race car in the colours of the Archanan flag
To be eligible in the 1300cc class of the Trophy, Mara also needed to produce a homologation special in sufficient numbers. With regular tyres and engine components, a turbo tuned more for fuel economy and basic amenities such as a radio, the Tovarish SX-1.3tk (‘turbokompresor’) nevertheless boasted competent - if somewhat harsh - handling and more than twice the power compared to the regular Tovarish L-1.3. However, the SX-1.3tk also cost over 50% more.
The road-going Tovarish SX-1.3tk followed the 1970s paint scheme of the Irena SX - a bright orange with a black vinyl roof.
Unfortunately, turbocharging was banned in the ITCT after the first year of the Tovarish’s participation to prevent cost escalation. The cost-conscious Archanan car buying public was also less than impressed by the Tovarish’s racing exploits, leading to a negligible overall impact of the short lived SX-1.3tk on Tovarish sales figures.