Chevron B27

[Chris Townsend]

this is where the research gets tricky.
There appear to be a number of cars in period that aren't on the build
records, and indeed Chevron give a different number to the American
magazine Sports Car than appears anywhere else.

B27 [27.74.01]
Sold to Bob Marsland to use in European F2. Stil for sale A/S 13.11.75 3 races/3 hillclimbs since update by Chevron, with chassis number given. A candidate for either the Jeremy Sumner/Mike Wilds car in 1976 or the Derek Shortall “Vista Blinds” car in Ireland.

B27 [27.74.02]
Sold to Freeman Racing, Ohio, so intended for Price Cobb but at the end of the season Cobb uses a B20 at Road America in August and Watkins Glen in October, though does perhaps appear in SCCA. Perhaps sold in 1974 to Shierson to become the team spare [see “the Muzzin car”] or returned to Opert [see “the Jaussaud car” and “the Holmes car”]. Given the Freeman team’s location a candidate for either the Tom Christ or Frank Scott cars in SCCA in 1977, as both were from Chicago, and also the Lloyd Callaway car in 1975.

B27 [27.74.03
Sold to Shierson. According to Chevron the car used by Chip Mead at Mallory Park before being shipped to the USA. Sold to Keith Feldott in 1975 and retained by him to at least 1977.

B27 [27.74.04]
Sold to Shierson. According to Chevron the car used by James King at Mallory Park before being shipped to the USA. Badly damaged by King and rebuilt around a new tub. The old tub perhaps rebuilt into a team spare and rented out to Vince Muzzin towards the end of the season. [See “the Muzzin car”]

B27 [27.74.05]
An Opert team car, used by Hugh “Wink” Bancroft in 1974. The car was owned by Bancroft, who according to Formula and Sports Car retained it un-raced in 1975, and then wheeled it out again for a few SCCA races in early 1976.

B27 [27.74.06]
An Opert team car, initially used in European F2 by Bertil Roos, where the chassis number is given by MN, then shipped to America for Atlantic. Also used by Roos in the early season British Atlantic races [MN 28.3.74 p. 12 says that the car run at Estoril had been used the previous weekend at Brands Hatch.] MN 11.4.74 said that after the Hockenheim F2 race the car was to be flown to America. Opert team car in the 1974 US/Canadian season, probably that of Roos, since Bancroft would have raced the car that he owned [chassis 5]. Used by Melville at St. Johns in July 1974, by Bill Brack at Halifax 18.8.74, and by either Rebaque or Melville at Glen after Roos left the team. Not advertised by Opert with the late 1974 team cars, so presumably sold before the end of 1974. Either this, chassis 2 or chassis 7 is the car used in SCCA and some pro races by Lloyd Callaway in 1974.
Found in USA and now being restored in UK.

B27 [27.74.07]
Sold to George Sabin. Vancouver Star report of the Westwood Atlantic race says the car used by Alan Lader was loaned by Sabin. CMB report of the Edmonton race says that Sabin appeared himself with a B27. The car does not seem to appear again, unless in SCCA, so perhaps sold on, either to Shierson or back to Opert. [See “the Muzzin car”]

B27 [27.74.08]
Derek Cook’s car is described in report of John Player round at Snetterton, March 29, 1975 as “last year’s Opert chassis”. [A/S 3.4.75 p.38] Opert team car for Bertil Roos and Hector Rebaque in British Formula Atlantic races, though it seems from press reports as though Roos in fact used his F2 car in Britain. According to MN and A/S this car was used by Jim Crawford in late season races. For sale by Opert Formula March 75 p. 8. To Derek Cook, 1975, to replace his 1974 car [27.74.14] sold to Munro. Along with chassis 9 a candidate for the Ashtune Race Hire car of Ronald Reemus – especially as that car has a Cook tuned engine. However, if this was the Cook car it must have been a lease deal. By 1976 this B27 is the one car that Cook retains and he keeps it until at least 1977, using it in ShellSport.

B27 [27.74.09]
Sold to Team Harper for Dieter Quester. Also driven by Tom Pryce and badly damaged at Enna; returned to works and rebuilt for Jim Crawford to use at Nogaro late in 1974. Sold to Doug Thompson [“late season F2 car” used Scottish hillclimb championship for sale A/S 8.1.76]. Probably the ex Pryce B27 f/s A/S 7.8.80 p. 72 by AMCO Racing. Known to have a number of owners in UK up to mid 1990s.

B27 [27.74.10]
Sold in May 1974 to Team Harper, and used by David Purley in the European F2 championship. Probably the car taken to Macau by Harper in November 1974. This car is attributed to American driver Bob Brown [not Bobby Brown] who raced what is described by A/S as an ex Harper B27 in Indyatlantic and Formula Libre in 1976. An ‘ex Purley’ B27, without chassis number, was offered for sale in 2001 on race-cars.com, in the USA; it is presumed that Brown, serving in the US air force in the UK, took his car back to America with him.

B27 [27.74.12]
Built for the Baty team to use in European F2 championship and driven by Tom Pryce. Sold to Harald Ertl and used by him late in 1974 and early in 1975 in European F2. Retained un-raced by Ertl until his death. Bought from the Ertl estate by American Jack Perkins and still in his possession.

B27 [27.74.14]
Sold to Derek Cook, August 1974. Hugh Munro’s car is described in A/S report of John Player Atlantic round at Mallory Park, March 9, 1975 as “ex Derek Cook”, so Cook’s late 1974 chassis. [AS 13.3.75 p. 26]. The race report for the British GP support race, 1975, says that Munro loaned the car back to Cook after he had wrecked his “new” 73B [SDC1] against Val Musetti’s car. In the race Cook managed to hit Musetti again, on the approach to Beckett’s on lap one… Found in France and now being restored in UK.

B27 [27.74.15]
Consigned to Opert, July 1974, for a Californian SCCA driver. This was probably Bob Fisher, who raced a B27 from the very beginning of 1975 in SCCA and had probably used the car in 1974. This car cannot be one of the problem Opert cars [“the Holmes car”; “the Jaussaud car”] as these are still for sale by Opert at a time in 1975 when Fisher is racing regularly on the west coast. Sold to Jim Van Horn of San Francisco [described as “ex Fisher” Formula May 76 p. 26]. f/s Formula Feb 77, p. 45; a candidate for the car of Californian Mike Morris in SCCA races in 1977 though this may also be the ex Opert Hayes car from 1975.

B27 [27.74.16]
Sold to Peter Williams, June 1974. MN report for John Player Atlantic round at Brands Hatch, September 14, 1975 describes Mike Franey’s Samatco Racing car as ‘ex Williams’. John Scannell’s B27 in 1976 Indyatlantic is described as ‘ex Franey’. Martin Murphy has an 'ex Williams' B27 at a Thruxton Libre race, [MN 31.3.77 p. 6]. Owned by hill-climber Phil Sharp in 1984.

B27 [27.74.17]
Sold to Peter Broeker, June 1974. Canadian sources say that this car may have been destroyed in a garage fire in early 1975, however it may by that point have already been wrecked in a testing accident at Edmonton.

B27 [27.74.18]
Sold to Bobby Brown of B&B Racing Enterprises, June 1974. The car was badly damaged in an accident at Trois Rivieres in 1974. Brown says that the remains were returned to Chevron in p/x for two B29s in 1975. Perhaps broken for parts.

The unexplained B27s.
The Chevron build record stops at chassis 18. However, there are three cars that appear in 1974 that cannot be explained by the record. These are:

“The Muzzin car”
Shierson has two cars allocated in the build record [3 and 4]. However, at the small Waterford Hills race he runs three cars, with the extra entry being for Formula Ford hotshoe Vince Muzzin. This may be an extra car acquired new from Chevron, a second hand car [the Sabin B27 and the Freeman Racing B27 are candidates] or else a team build of an unplated car based upon the original tub of James King’s car. The car does not seem to appear at any other race.

“The Holmes car [chassis 19]”
One of two cars advertised by Opert in early 1975. This is described as ‘ex Holmes’ and having done only four races. It cannot be either of the original Opert cars which had done far more races than this. Howdy Holmes appears at St. Johns 27.7.74 with a B27 which CMB describes as “brand new”; two other Opert cars are present for Melville and Bancroft. Holmes appears again at Halifax 18.8.74 with two other Opert cars present for Brack and Bancroft. At Trois Rivieres 1.9.74 Pryce appears in an Opert B27 that is described as being the car used by Holmes. Three other Opert team cars are present at the same race. Finally at Watkins Glen Holmes reappears in a B27. Bancroft enters himself – presumably in chassis 5, and there are Opert entries for Rebaque and Melville. This would seem to be the four races mentioned in the advert. This car either has to be the Freeman Racing car bought back unraced, or else a new car from the works off the build record. [As the Sabin car had been raced at least twice it can’t be this car.] Only for sale in the April issue of Formula, so likely to be the car of Dick Hayes, which is described as ‘ex Opert’ Formula July 1975, and appears in SCCA races from Apriil.

“The Jaussaud car [chassis 20]”
One of two cars advertised by Fred Opert in early 1975; Formula April 75, p. 29, ‘3 Rivers car’; July 75, p. 7, ‘2 races from new’. . It cannot be either of the original Opert cars which had done far more races than this, and is advertised at the same time as the ‘ex Holmes’ car. Jaussaud appears at Trois Rivieres 1.9.74 in a car described as “brand new” by A/S. Three other Opert cars are present at that race. At Watkins Glen there are three Opert cars, plus Bancroft in his regular car entered by ‘Bancroft Racing’. If Holmes uses his chassis “19”, the cars of Melville and Rebaque must be 6 and this one. Seems to have gone unsold in 1975: the Opert entered B27 used by Tom Bagley in late season races in 1975 is described as ‘ex Jaussaud’.