Chevron B20

[Chris Townsend]

CHEVRON B20

Here's the second new thread for Chevrons. Both a publication of where
I've got to and a plea for information.

The B20 was built as the 1972 combination F2/F3/FB car by Chevron.
However, the first car was built in 1971 as a development model and at least one was delivered new for the 1973 season.
All sources suggest that nine were built, and the following engine configurations are given for these cars:
1 BDA Smith; 1 BDA Richardson; 1 BDA Race Engine Services; 1 BDA Hart
5 Lotus t/c.
The t/c engines would have been fitted to the FB cars in 1972/3 and to the solitary F3 car.

Help on what the plates actually said, on what car, would be greatly valued!!
Some chassis numbers are known, but they sometimes vary on what seems to be the same car and may not be altogether helpful. So I have labelled the cars by other distinctive characteristics and then included known chassis numbers including variants.
Of the BDA engined cars we know that Lepp’s British Atlantic chassis was initially fitted with a Richardson, that Gethin’s works F2 car ran a Smith, and that Green’s car used in SE Asia had a Hart.

1: The 1971 development car [20.71.01]-Lotus t/c
According to an advert on race-cars.com this went to Fred Opert and was used by Bobby Brown in the 1971 Bogota GP, and subsequently by Brown and Jim Grob. Grob carried on using a Chevron B20 in SCCA [as both an FB and FC] for a number of years. Given the known histories of other Opert B20s it seems likely that this was 20.71.01.
Still extant in USA

2: The Skeaping car. [20.F3.1?/20.72.1?] [Lotus t/c]
A semi-works car run by Chris Skeaping in the British F3 series. Finished in February 1972 so assigned the first number in the 1972 series. Probably the B20 F3 for sale by Chevron A/S 2.8.73. Sold to Alex Lowe and used in British Monoposto and F4 series for a number of years. To Nick Crossley 1994. Currently for sale as having had only three owners [Skeaping/Lowe/Crossley].

3: The Lepp car [20.72.2/20.F2.1?]-BDA Richardson
MN report of the Mallory Park European F2 race says that Gethin appears in Lepp’s car for this race. This suggests that the Lepp car was earlier in the build sequence and the F2 cars were not ready in time. Subsequently used by Lepp in the British Atlantic series in 1972. Not known after this date, but by process of elimination [assuming nine built] the car used by Eris Tondelli in the European Hill-Climb Championship in March 1973.

4: The first 1972 works F2 car [20.72.2/20.F2.2]-BDA Smith
The regular works car for Peter Gethin in the European F2 Championship, sometimes taken over by Vic Elford. Both chassis numbers are given in race reports suggesting that a certain amount of plate or chassis switching took place, but since Lepp is racing regularly in Atlantic his car has to be a distinct entity from this one. Won 1972 Pau GP. Taken to the South American series for Dave Morgan. Sold to Tony Martin in South Africa in 1973 from there in a deal that also involved a March 722 and Brabham BT38. Run for Glenn Martin in South Africa in 1973. Subsequently unknown.

5: The first 1972 Opert car [Lotus t/c]
Delivered to Opert in April or May 1972. Used by Bobby Brown in 1972 SCCA pro championship. Given the known history of the other 1972 Opert car in 1973 this more or less has to be the car run by Joe Shepherd [Indianapolis] in SCCA and pro FB races in 1973 and 1974. Perhaps the car run by Peter Symond in SCCA in 1976.

6: The second 1972 Opert car [Lotus t/c]
Delivered to Opert in May 1972. Used by Brian Robertson to win the 1972 Canadian championship. (Since they never appear together, Robertson and Brown could have been using the same car. However, in 1973 the number of B20s appearing together suggests that Opert had to have two new cars in 1972 plus the 1971 development model sold off to Grob. Canadian Motorsports Bulletin reports that the Robertson car goes to Peter Ferguson’s Samsonite team for his girl-friend/team mate Linda Wilson in 1973. Sold back to Opert at some point, as f/s Opert, Formula June 75, p. 13, ex Robertson, Canadian Championship car. Could well be the mystery Price Cobb B20 in 1974, which appears at the same races as Shepherd and Ferguson [A B20 was recently for sale with 20.FB.14 stamped in the roll hoop, and described as ex Price Cobb, having subsequently raced in SCCA SW and SE regions to 1978.] Could be the Peter Symond car in 1976.

7: The second 1972 works F2 car [20.72.3/20.F2.3]-BDA
Appears at Oulton Park n/c F2 race for John Watson. In 1973 most likely the car of Nelson Todd in Irish libre races, and then used by Jim Sherry, Mike Nugent and Richard Parsons in successive years of the Irish Atlantic Championship. [There is an established provenance from Todd to Parsons.] MN 24.2.77 P. 15 says Parsons’s car is 'ex Kinnane'; and again MN 17.3.77 p. 8; then described as 'ex John Watson MN 9.6.77 p. 13.

8: The Ferguson car [Lotus t/c]
Appears at first round of the Canadian championship in 1973 for Peter Ferguson’s Samsonite team; described as “brand new” in Canadian Motorsport Bulletin. Retained 1974.

9: The Green car [20.72.09?] [Hart BDA]
Appears at the Singapore GP [22.4.73] driven by John Green. Retained 1974 and subsequently to Steve Millen for 1975. A car with this chassis number is now in Australia and is thought to be Millen’s car.


Summary
1972 1973 1974
1 Opert/Grob Grob Grob
2 Skeaping at works Lowe
3 Lepp Tondelli? unknown
4 Gethin/Elford Martin Martin
5 Brown Shepherd Shepherd
6 Robertson Wilson Cobb?
7 Watson Todd Sherry
8 Not raced Ferguson Ferguson
9 Not raced Green Green

[Bryan Miller]

Chris,

Car 9 , A 1996 letter from Dave Schollum to current owner details in many pages this car , brand new it appears to John Green [ John Green and Dave Schollum both worked for an offshore oil drilling co. in Japan] the car did the 1973 Singapore G.P. and probably ''The Gap '' hillclimb .
John Green died in 1974 and Greens wife contacted Dave Schollum regarding purchasing the car which they did , Steve Millen was contacted and flew up for the Malaysian G.P. in April, the car was shipped to Macau for the 1975 race and housed in the same garage as David Purley/Team Harper Modus. Either before or after Macau the car was shipped to NZ and fitted with a Cosworth FVC 1800cc.
In 1976 the car was sold to Ian Grey who had Caterpillar sponsorship and was painted yellow/black , he had car in S.E.Asia for about 3 years untill sold to Dick Ward in Perth Western Australia who was building a batch of sports sedans for export to the Phillipines and they used uprights / wheels etc as patterns .

Most of the components were rescued by the current owner with the assistance of Dick Ward and the car is now back to period spec owned by Harry Hickling of Canberra at the moment fitted with a Cosworth BDM [ injected BDD 1600CC. ].

Bryan.

[David McKinney]

Millen raced the Schollum car in Asia in 1974 and 1975 and in NZ between seasons

[Ted Walker]

A Friend of mine has B20-72-6. Supposed to have been sold new to france and fitted with a Renault engine and used for Hillclimbs.

[allenbrown]

Originally Posted by Ted Walker

A Friend of mine has B20-72-6. Supposed to have been sold new to france and fitted with a Renault engine and used for Hillclimbs.

A beautifully inserted spanner! Good man Ted!

[Ted Walker]

Allen I dont think so this time !!! I assume that the numbered list above ie 1-9 does not refer to chassis Nos ????

[Chris Townsend]

Ted

One sold new in France [presumably to a hillclimber] is definitely a spanner...
It might well be the Tondelli car in 1973 for example.
Might the nine built refer only to the 1972 production?

I've also learned from experience that the Chevron stated production record
does not necessarily correlate too closely with what went out the factory doors
[as you'll see on B27s]

Chris

[allenbrown]

Originally Posted by Chris Townsend

Ted

One sold new in France [presumably to a hillclimber] is definitely a spanner...
It might well be the Tondelli car in 1973 for example.
Might the nine built refer only to the 1972 production?...

If it did go to Tondelli then it later returned to France as Roger Damaisin was running a B20 in French hill climbs in 1974 (Auto-Course 20 April-5 May 1974 p41).

[Harry Hickling]

FYI - I have listed that B20-72-6 was sold to M.Maublanc (France). This would have come from the Chevron Files that Roger Andreason has. I then have it listed in 1990 as Du Toya (France). Possibly something I stumbled across. Hope that helps.

Re Chassis No's. When I spoke to Paul Owens in 1995. He was very clear:

B20 - Model Type.
71 / 72 - Year.
# - being the Chassis No (I believe for the year, but back then I didn't know anything anyway, and not enough sense to properly clarify).

So you have a range of Chassis No's.

B20-71-1
B20-72-1
B20-72-2
etc.

I believe that B20-71-1 and B20-72-1 are different cars. Making 10 definite cars raced / sold by the factory. B20-71-1 was the prototype car and you may have seen the photo's of it in the bare orange fibreglass body. No Splitters as per the Factory Cars and B20-72-9.

But to mix it up a bit the Race Records for many of the F2 events clearly have recorded Chassis No's B20-F2-2 and B20-F2-3. I don't know, but I assume if you have on the official race records that the Chassis No is B20-F2-2 then that is what would be on the car. I have all the race records and there is a definite sequence of events for each of the chassis No's.

B20-72-2 and B20-F2-2 is the same lineage of the Factory Gethin Car. Although possibly a couple of actual chassis's in this. Certainly photo's of the cars show some changes and the car was in a bad wall of death crash at Rouen. But just to confuse you all Ian Phillips writes back in March 1972 re the Watson drive at Oulton Park of B20-72-2 "being the hired works car and the fourth F2 chassis of the year". Which suggests that quite possibly some extra cars where developed. The car certainly had new body work by the end, wings and changed suspension from the original car.

B20-F2-3 was the Watson car. Probably renumbered and sold at the end. When I spoke to Paul he was quite adament that the Watson car was destroyed.

B20-72-2 has been owned by Roger Andreason for a long time and is in beautiful fully restored condition.

One last bit of trivia about B20-72-9 before I go. A couple of years back I purchased the remaining Factory FVC engine for the car. With the intention that eventually I will have it running as per Steve Millen Tasman Series Spec. As noted in the thread the Factory confirms that the car was sold new with the 1600cc BDA and after Steve Millen (Schollum Brother owned the car) it was sold to Ian Grey in 1976 who ran a Fuel Inject BDM in the car (As per current setup). From here the car went to Australia - never raced. Owned by Dick Ward in Perth, then in bits sold to myself. Now fully restored and on the race track again! At long last.

[Mick Henderson]

May I join in your discussions & ask for pictures & info about B20s. I have recently purchased B20 71 01 for restoration, this car was owned by Nelson Todd in Belfast from 2000 until Feb2006. I work at Crossle and am familiar with it, as I repaired the main steel spaceframe within the monocoque, the RH front corner having suffered accident damage. The project ground to a halt for various reasons and was sold to our agent in France, he also had to lay it to the side until he sold it to me in June.
This does contradict a comment that it is restored and looking great, I've no idea how that came about, I intend to call Nelson to let him know his car's back in NI.
I have the FIA papers & SCCA log books, the only named keepers are James Grob , Peter L Symonds until 3/8/75, Jack Van Dell - 3/8/85, and in Belgium, Pierre Haverland - 19/11/88. I intend to keep it as original as possible so any help would be much appreciated.

[merriewells]

Just curious if anyone has any info on these two models that were built for F-B in the states...........M.W.

[Harry Hickling]

Hi Chris et al,

Firstly, I have attached a photo of Steve Millen in B20-72-9 during the NZ Tasman Series. And a good detailed photo of Peter Gethin's car - Front Suspension and Rear Suspension, to help show how the cars should be set up. B20-72-9 matches theses photos and I think all B20's will except for changes to the wing mounts and some early cars had armstrong shocks, but most with Pre-Set non-adjustable Bilsteins.

Secondly, for those interested in the Engine Listing in David Gordon's book: "Chevron - The Derek Bennett Story." It lists three 2 litre cars.

I just stumbled over an interesting detail: The John Green car, B20-72-9 is listed at the 1973 Singapore GP as Chevron B20 Hart. I had understood from Chevron Cars in 1997 that is was the 1600cc BDA-Richardson. So perhaps it is actually the 2000cc BDA-Hart detailed in David's book?

Also for B20-F2-3 / B20-72-8, Chevron Cars advised that B20-72-8 had a 1900cc BDG injected motor. This is the ex John Watson car.

Hope you like the photos.

[Mick Henderson]

Thanks for posting the photos Harry, I find the detail shots very useful.
The inflight shot of Steve Millen is a great one.
Are you doing the Denny Hulme festival in NZ next week?

Mick.

[Ted Walker]

Chris I am seeing owner to-day .I will get more gen.

[Ted Walker]

Re B20-72-6.Seen a photo of car and plate and a copy of a letter from Chevrons(old letter) Quote "the car was originally supplied to Pierre Maublanc in France" It was built to F2 spec

[Chris Townsend]

Ted

Many thanks...
This means at least nine built in 1972 then.
The one in America that is alleged to have been the Cobb car is said to have been imported into Texas in 1973 and spent five years in the SCCA. I believe it was found in Texas along with the ex Peter Robinson Chevron B39. The photo of the "plate" is a brass disc riveted on the roll hoop - which isn't exactly where Chevron put their plates.
If Lepp's car doesn't go to the European Hillclimb scene in 1973 then there is a case for it being this car, but I seem to recall Chevron themselves offering for sale an ex Lepp B20 a year or two back [or did I hallucinate this?]

Chris

[Bryan Miller]

I have emailed to Chris and Allen all of Harry Hicklings notes on B20's which may change a few histories around .
Harry is the owner of car # 9.

Bryan.

[Harry Hickling]

As you have the car listed as unraced, I thought you should be aware of it's racing history post sale by Chevron. The car is definitely B20-72-9. Although as per the details sent to Bryan, I believe that there was definitely more than 9 cars, certainly more than 9 chassis No's used, and that it is possible that some of the factory racing cars where sold at the end of the season with new Chassis No's.

Key Racing results for B20-72-9 are as follows:

Asian / NZ GP Results:

• 1973 April 22nd Singapore GP - Unplaced.
• 26 Jan 1974. Peter Stuyvesant International. Lap Time 1.01.8.
• 3rd 1974 Malaysian GP (Sports Car World Article).
• 9th 1975 NZ GP – Pukekhoe and first non – F5000 car
• 3rd 1975 Malaysian 100 Mile GP at Bata Tija Circuit – KL (Source RCN April 1975) - (Steve Millen Book refers to a 2nd place in Malaysian GP is this a different race?)
• 3rd Nov. 1975 Macau GP (History of Macau)
• 2nd 1975 Penang GP (Source: – Seve Millen Book).
• 10th 1976 Macau GP – Ian Grey (Out of 40 cars).
• 8th 1977 Macau GP – Ian Grey.

New Zealand Tasman Series:

• 5th - Bay Park, Tasman Series Gold Star event, 29/12/1974, DNP in qualifying (Arrived too late) out of 11 cars (F2 Class Record – 1840cc)
• 7th – Levin, Tasman Peter Stuyvesant Series International, 5/1/75, 13th Qualifying, First non 5000, 15starters. We have an excellent photo of the car leading Warrick Brown who was the eventual winner of the 1975 Tasman Series.
• 9th – Pukekhoe, NZ GP, 12/1/75, 13th Qualifying, First Non 5000 14starters
• 10th – Wigram, Tasman Peter Stuyvesant Series Lady Wigram, 19/1/1975, 11th qualifying, First non 5000, 14 starters. 1980 cc FVC.
• 7th – Teretonga, Tasman Peter Stuyvesant Series International, 26/1/75, 14th qualifying, first non 5000, 14 starters. (F2 Class Record -1980cc).
• 1975 – 1st in under 2- litre Peter Stuyvesant Series.

[allenbrown]

Welcome Harry!

[Chris Townsend]

Richard Parsons described his B20 as 'ex Watson' in 1977. [See MN 9.6.77 p.13] This car also known earlier to belong to Nelson Todd, so it looks as though it survived.

I think ten built, including the 71 model that is used by Brown at Bogota. Agree with Harry that the works cars rebuilt into customer cars. For that reason we don't need more than 10 in all - if we assume that many more, where do they go. At the moment B20s seem remarkably self-contained and explicable.

I have to say that I don't completely trust the plates that works Chevron F2 cars turn up with at meetings. The car that Gethin uses at Thruxton is described by contemporary reports as the car he used at Mallory and tested before then, but it seems to have a different plate - the plate that is now on the ex Skeaping F3 car, and which makes sense on that car as the first 1972 announced and built. The situation is worse on B18s, but it seems that Derek Bennett wasn't that interested in having clear identities for cars and that when dealing with works cars [or even semi-works Opert cars as late as 1977] we need to be cautious about what was written down for the plate because the relationship between that label and the car it's attached to can be a bit tenuous.
[Two examples beside the Gethin B20 are the Opert works B29 at Zolder late in 75, which F1R notes, I believe accurately, but is actually the plate for what is by then a car running Atlantic in Canada, and Galica's car at Donington in 78, which is shown in the works build records as an Opert team car, again for North America.]

Chris

[Steve Marschman]

I'll have to post up some pictures of my car this next week. Sorry I wasn't able to get to back to this thread sooner. I do believe Harry is correct in that only the nose and the wing were different. I have seen other B20 pictures and it appears my front suspension is strictly B20. There does not appear to be any other mods to the front. Were the front brake rotors vented on the B20? That's all that might be different (if the B20 were solid originally... mine are vented).

Where would the original factory chassis plate be located?

Also, I will go sand through the paint on the body upper cowl. That might be the only piece of original bodywork since on my car the entire nose piece comes off as a single unit right up to the front bulkhead. The lower bodywork was never painted, it was simply the polished aluminum.

I do have all the paperwork back to 1978. I have been out to Tacoma to visit Jeff and I drove to Colorado to pick the car up from the guy he sold (actually traded) it to.

Steve

[Harry Hickling]

Steve, Allen and Chris.

This looks consistent with my info.

Standard B20:
- Front Ventilated Disk.
- Rear Solid Disk.
- Girling AR2 Brake Calipers.

- 2 Variants of Oil Catch Tanks that I know of. (I have seen the drawings of those).

- Chassis Plaque (You don't have). Is located on the inside of the alloy tub on the top left hand side of the driver just before the instrument panel.

I'm not sure how many cars had bare alloy skin on the tub. The factory cars are all painted red. B20-71-1 was bare alloy and in the bare orange fiberglass. Having said that, Steve the car could easily have been re-skinned. By the way this first car had no rear vision mirror mounts (as per subsequent cars).

- Rear wing mounts changed from the early to the later cars.

The official Derek Bennett Engineering Ltd Chevron Suspension Settings for B20 (Photo Copy on letter head):
- 220 lbs spring front
- 190 lbs spring rear
- 1/8 toe in front and rear
- 0 deg camber front and rear
- 5 1/4 deg castor front and 1 1/2 rear
- Ride Height 3 1/4 inch front and rear
- Tyre Pressures 14 lbs front and 16 lbs rear
- Bilstein Pre-Set Shock Absorbers.

Not that any of that is particularly important, but a good bit of official trivia.

[Harry Hickling]

Whilst we are on the topic of the first three cars I want to close out the question of B20-71-1. I have just got off the phone with Nelson Todd to confirm my understanding of the following details and to update my files on the Prototype.

I think we all agree that B20-71-1 was the prototype and then the Bobby Brown Formula B car that raced at Bogota. This car stayed in the states and was owned by James Schol June 1972 – 74. The car was sold to a Belgium and then bought by Nelson Todd in Nth Ireland who owned it until recently. It is restored and looks great. Nelson has run the car at numerous events and comments about it being a great handling car. I have a copy of the log book noting that “Chevron cars Ltd confirm Chevron B20 Chassis No. 1 was manufactured in the UK in 1971 and exported to use there. It was fitted with a 1600 cc 4 cylinder engine." This is attached the inside of the James Scholl log book. The log book describes the body color as “Orange”.

Perhaps of interest “Driver was reminded of request for F SCCA cars with sport car noses that height of top corner of nose must not exceed height of front wheel rim”. Engine in log book recorded as Ford Cosworth BDD. Its SCCA Identity was 11 – 192. Chevron F/B ATL. Jack Van Dell written on cover. Also address for Peter Symonds name and address crossed out.

This car was sold by Nelson recently and has gone to Europe. Nelson is sending me the contact details and I will follow-up on this.

OK – So this is B20-71-1. All accounted for.

[Harry Hickling]

Chris, I agree with your comments.

Do you know the chassis No. of the Richard Parsons car?

Harry

[Bryan Miller]

Harry,

Glad to have you aboard, please post a pic. of the B20.

Bryan.