Chevron B25

[Chris Townsend]

This is going to be the first of three Chevron Atlantic threads [B29 is too long] that I'd like to keep specific. Chevron B25 seems to be the easiest to work out of all their Atlantic/F2 cars, but extension of knowledge and advice, especially on the Webb car, would be most useful.

Chevron B25 [25.73.01]-BDA
Chassis number observed on the Team Gunston car of John Love in the 1973 South African Formula 1 championship [F2 class]. Retained by the team, with Lexington sponsorship, and run for Guy Tunmer [1974] and Roy Klomfass [1975]. Sold to the Domingo brothers for the inaugural year of the South African Formula Atlantic championship along with chassis 3.

Chevron B25 [25.73.02]-BDA
Chassis number observed on the car of Tony Martin in the 1974 and 75 South African Formula 1 championship [F2 class]. Originally one of three B25s sold to Team Gunston in 1973. The car of Mike Fogg at the second round of the 1976 South African Atlantic championship is described by A/S 15.2.76 as ‘ex Martin’.

Chevron B25 [25.73.03]-BDA
Chassis number observed on the Team Gunston car of Ian Scheckter in the 1973 South African Formula 1 championship [F2 class]. Retained by the team, with Lexington sponsorship, and run for Brian van Hage [1974] and Ian Scheckter [1975]. Sold to the Domingo brothers for the inaugural year of the South African Formula Atlantic championship along with chassis 1.


Chevron B25 [25.73.04]-BDA
Sold to Ed Reeves in spring 1973 for Dave Morgan to use in the 1973 European F2 championship.
Retained 1974 and used in the British Atlantic championship, run by Harry Stiller.Sold to David Peck [A/S 2.1.75 p.3] but seemingly not used.

Chevron B25 [25.73.05]-BDA [“the Webb car”]
There are three cars that appear in the early part of the 1973 season where chassis numbers are not known [those of Martin Webb and John Lepp in Atlantic, and Pierre Maublanc in the European hill climb championship. However, on the basis of appearance dates these are respectively allocated 5, 8 and 6 on the basis of appearance dates. Webb’s car is the first to appear, so the lowest numbered. Used by Webb for the first half of the British Atlantic season but without a great deal of success. By a process of elimination the car seems to go in 1974 to Chris Skellern, who uses it in libre races, hill climbs and sprints. [For sale by Skellern A/S 16.5.74 p. 64 with Hart BDA; again 27.3.75]. A strong candidate for the Paddy Woods car that appears in Irish Atlantic races in 1975. If so, retained by Woods until 1977, then probably to David Lambe until 1979.

Chevron B25 [25.73.06]-BDA [“the Maublanc car”]
There are three cars that appear in the early part of the 1973 season where chassis numbers are not known [those of Martin Webb and John Lepp in Atlantic, and Pierre Maublanc in the European hill climb championship. However, on the basis of appearance dates these are respectively allocated 5, 8 and 6 on the basis of appearance dates. Maublanc’s car is the second to appear, so allocated the next lowest number. Used by Maublanc in the 1973 season, with a BMW engine fitted, then most likely the car sold to Alan Rivoire that appears in the European Hill Climb championship in 1974 with a BDA engine.

Chevron B25 [25.73.07]-BDA
Chassis number given for the works car for Peter Gethin in the 1973 European F2 championship. Sold to Reg Phillips for hill climbs in 1974, [described as ‘ex Gethin’ and this seems to be the only B25 Gethin used]. Retained by Phillips in 1975.

Chevron B25 [25.73.08]-BDA [‘the Lepp Atlantic car’]
There are three cars that appear in the early part of the 1973 season where chassis numbers are not known [those of Martin Webb and John Lepp in Atlantic, and Pierre Maublanc in the European hill climb championship. However, on the basis of appearance dates these are respectively allocated 5, 8 and 6 on the basis of appearance dates. Lepp’s car is the last to appear, so the highest numbered. The known history of chassis 9 suggests that Lepp ran the car in the early part of the Atlantic season because his own car was not ready, before returning it to the works F2 team.
Lepp then ran his new car through 1973, and it may have been the car he ran at the Estoril F2 round [even though this seems to have carried the plate from chassis 7]. Sold to Patsy McGarrity at the end of 1973 and used by him throughout the 1974 Irish Atlantic season, then sold on to his brother, Harold, and raced until the end of 1977.

Chevron B25 [25.73.09]-BDA
Chassis number given for the semi-works car run for John Lepp at the F2 race at Mallory Park 11.03.73 Lepp used the same car in the supporting Atlantic race. Chassis number given by MN for Gerry Birrell’s car at Hockenheim F2, 8.4.73. Presumably Birrell’s car throughout the season up to its destruction in Birrell’s fatal accident at Rouen. This suggests the car was handed back to the works early in the 1973 season when Lepp’s ‘proper’ car [08] was ready to run in Atlantic. This is reinforced by A/S 5.4.73 p.24 report BP round at Mallory Park which says that Lepp has ‘blue bodywork this week’. Though the car had previously been described as blue in programmes, photographs suggest it may have been in the works red at Mallory. 09 is probably used by Lepp in the first two Yellow Pages races of the season and perhaps by George Silverwood, his team mate, at the first BP round at Oulton Park. A car described as ‘ex Gerry Birrell’ is now owned by Klaus Fiedler.

Chevron B25 [25.73.10]-BDA
A new B25 appears in July 1973 for Scottish Formula Libre racer Campbell Graham. On the basis of appearance dates this is likely to be chassis 10. Graham sells the car in early 1974 to Iain McLaren who also uses it in libre events. Then to Andrew Jeffrey for 1975. A candidate for the car of Charles Munro in Scottish libre races in 1977, and of Ted Dzierzek in 1978-79. A rarity in that the car seems never to have run in Atlantic.

Chevron B25 [25.73.12]-BDA
Chassis number given by MN for Brett Lunger’s new car, run by Space Racing, at the Nivelles round of the 1973 European F2 championship. Chassis number noted by Adam Ferrington on Nick May’s Wessex Finance car, 1974. Chassis number noted on John Pollock’s car by Adam Ferrington at John Player Atlantic round at Silverstone, July 19, 1975. Bill Gowdy’s car in 1976 is described as ex-Pollock and seems to have been retained in 1977. Then to Paddy Farrelly [1978 – 79] to Cyril Lynch, Paul Deveney and Seamus [Shay] Lawless. This provenance from owner Nick Overall, via Marcus Pye.

Chevron B25 [25.73.14]-Ford t/c
At Trois Rivieres 1973 Chip Mead appears with a Chevron B25 described as ‘brand new’. On the basis of build and appearance dates, and with all other cars still in use, this has to be chassis 14. Perhaps the only B25 to go to the USA/Canada in period as all the others seem to be in UK, Ireland or European hill-climbing in 1974-76. Therefore, probably the B25/27 used in FC racing by Paul Henry in 1975, and the basis of Richard Guider’s Can-Am car in 1979. A B25 with this plate was briefly for sale by New England Classics in 2003-4.

Chevron B25 [25.73.”15”]-BDA
Jim Crawford appears late in 1973 with a ‘works development’ B25 in Formula Atlantic, based on ‘a spare F2 chassis’ [AS/MN]. This might be a rebuild of the ill-fated chassis 9 [and therefore the basis of Fiedler’s current car], or else a new car. Chevron development cars did not often carry plates, so this attribution may be one of convenience. Sold to Richard Shardlow for hill-climbs [A/S 11.4.74 p. 46 ex Crawford B25'] and retained 1975. A candidate for the John Stuart hill-climb car of 1977 [along with chassis 7].

[Bryan Miller]

B25-73-04 , driven by my favourite driver Dave Morgan seems to have pretty quickly recieved an update kit and is entered/referred to as a B27 by 1975 .

Bryan.

[Bryan Miller]

Chris,

In case you haven't checked , the 2 race car sales sites I look at , one in the U.S.A. and one in G.B. the U.S.A. site in the archives has zero references to B25's and the G.B. site has only for sale one in Dec. 2003 described as ex Gerry Birrell .
Where have they all gone .??? especially B25-73-04.

Bryan.

[James Murray]

Does anyone know if the 3 "Gunston Cars" are still in South Africa? Maybe IANHEB who posts on this site may know, being a resident in SA.

Bryan, agreed, these cars do appear to be thin on the ground. I know of the following cars.

One currently owned by Nick Overall which has already being refferred too and is or was for sale. Simon Hadfield mentioned a few years ago that he had the ex "Gethin" car but I guess he may have sold it and I saw one at the Oulton Park Gold Cup on the Chevron display but have no idea of its provenence or chasssis number.

Further to the above there is the "fiedler" car which is now owned by Oskar Christen I think. No idea of the history.

I thought the 2 works cars were black with a yellow stripe not red?

[IANHEB]

James,
Yes,all 3 cars are still here,one restored and running, the other 2 "need work".
I was also confused by an Autosport advert a couple of years ago for an "ex works,ex Gethin car" that was painted in Team Gunston colours.Certainly not chassis no 1,2 or 3,as those original plates are still attached to the original tubs.
I am at ianh@ioh.co.za if you want to talk Historic F.Ford !
Regards
Ian

[Bryan Miller]

The Lepp atlantic car is referrred to page 161 of the Chevron book.

''Spurred on by Gethin's performance , Chevron borrowed back John Lepp's Atlantic car from its new owner , Irishman Patsy McGarrity , and put a Hart BDA in so Watson could drive alongside Gethin at Albi.''

In regard to the Jim Crawford B25 , refer page 174/5 Chevron book , car built up at the works by Neil Edwards using a spare B25 F2 tub and the rear suspension and a lot of the bits off Gerry Birrell's car. This could then be regarded by the current owner as ex Birrell to some extent .

Bryan.

[James Murray]

Did a bit of searching on the web last night. There is a B25 advertised here www.vintageracingservices.com. Presumably an atlantic spec but there is no reference to chassis no or history.

[IANHEB]

Have realised why there is a Gethin link to Team Gunston.He drove B25-73-03 as a guest driver for its first race in Cape Town,Jan 1973.Love drove 01 and Scheckter 02.Thereafter 03 was the spare car until I.S. crashed 02 ,after which he used 03.
For 1974, 01 and 03 retained for Team Lexington and 02 to Tony Martin as per Chris's post above.All 3 cars had FG 400 Hewland boxes.
01 is currently an incomplete restoration project,02 is restored and runs occasionally in SA Historics and 03 is complete less engine in a museum.
Cheers
Ian

[Simon Hadfield]

B25-73-07 -I still have it, I aquired it as part of a fairly convoluted deal but basically the car came from France some years ago via the offices of the good Roger Cowman, it was he who was responsible for the "Team Gunston" flag flying. The car still has its original one piece bodywork and the colours are black and yellow -amazingly still there under brown then red then blue!

[Chris Townsend]

Simon

I'm a bit puzzled by your chassis number. Do you have 25-07?
But with Team Gunston colour scheme underneath all the other paint jobs?

Chris

[Dan Rear]

73-05 to Chris Skellern, thats interesting. I recall him in FF then 2000 in the mid-late 70s, I didn't realise he'd had an F2/FAt car before that. I rated him as pretty good in FF2000, how was he in Libre/Hillclimbs ? I wonder why he 'down-sized' to FF from a B25?

[Simon Hadfield]

It is 07, first repaint over original black and yellow was blue followed by red then brown (then primer as I brought it). I am sure there is no connection with the Gunston cars and the confusion was caused by Roger Cowman "fishing" when he first collected the car.

[Steve Wilkinson]

Originally Posted by Chris Townsend

This is going to be the first of three Chevron Atlantic threads [B29 is too long] that I'd like to keep specific. Chevron B25 seems to be the easiest to work out of all their Atlantic/F2 cars, but extension of knowledge and advice, especially on the Webb car, would be most useful.

Chevron B25 [25.73.08]-BDA [‘the Lepp Atlantic car’]
There are three cars that appear in the early part of the 1973 season where chassis numbers are not known [those of Martin Webb and John Lepp in Atlantic, and Pierre Maublanc in the European hill climb championship. However, on the basis of appearance dates these are respectively allocated 5, 8 and 6 on the basis of appearance dates. Lepp’s car is the last to appear, so the highest numbered. The known history of chassis 9 suggests that Lepp ran the car in the early part of the Atlantic season because his own car was not ready, before returning it to the works F2 team.
Lepp then ran his new car through 1973, and it may have been the car he ran at the Estoril F2 round [even though this seems to have carried the plate from chassis 7]. Sold to Patsy McGarrity at the end of 1973 and used by him throughout the 1974 Irish Atlantic season, then sold on to his brother, Harold, and raced until the end of 1977.

Chevron B25 [25-73-08]

The following is from the current keeper:

1973 - Classic Cars for John Lepp
1974 - Patsy McGarrity
1975 - Pat Woods
1978 - Paddy Farrelly
1985 - Jeremy Bouckley
1986/7 - Roy Lane
1989 - Mark Colton
1990 - Richard Budge
2002 - Keith Harris (the current keeper who hillclimbs & sprints the car in the UK and hillclimbs it in Europe).

[Chris Townsend]

Steve

Brilliant! Just the sort of information that I hoped we'd get through this thread.
My ascription of some chassis numbers in the initial list was a bit of a punt based on likely delivery dates and race debuts. 05 as the Skellern car is still a hunch.
Dan: I too remember him as a very handy racer in FF2000 [Crossle 33F]. A few others downsized at the same time - Rob Cooper went from a March 722 to a Lola T580
Simon: Thanks for confirmation. I'm now puzzled about the succession of paint jobs.
We know yours was the Gethin works F2 car - and it has the right gel coat - but Reg Phillips seems to get that car and on the basis of the photo Steve Wilkinson sent me that was pretty definitively white in 1974. Did you get any trail on the car pre Cowman discovery?

Chris

[Simon Hadfield]

Tragically little, unfortunately. However the photos I have seen of Reg Phillips driving the car it seems to have a B27 body (like that on Nick Overalls B25) the principal difference is that the B27 body is two piece unlike the somewhat unwieldy one piece B25 nose/cockpit. It is also worth noting that the overpainting was none too particular -leaving virtually all the yellow and white detailing from the original colour scheme!

[IANHEB]

Chris,
It would appear that after some digging 25-01 was the car that went to Tony Martin in 1974.It was then used by Fogg,Ivor Raasch (who put the whole back end into an Escort spaceframe type of special saloon !!) and then Alan Macdonald who put it back together with a BDG and did 1 or 2 races at the end of 1979.The current owner bought it from him.
2 and 3 were retained for 74/75 by Lexington and driven by Tunmer and Von Hage.In 76 they went to the Domingo family as Atlantic cars and John Nich. drove one in Cape Town.They were then sold to Mel Lahner.In 1980 Andrew Thompson undertook the conversion of both cars to Mazda rotary engines and the chassis numbers were recorded .Tilanus,Ziman,Lahner and others drove during 81/82.He then bought the cars from Lahner approx 1983 and semi restored 03 with a dummy engine for display in the Hiedelberg motor museum.02 was retained and fully restored in 1998 for Gary Dunkerley but has recently been sold on locally.
Hope this helps
Ian

[Steve Wilkinson]

ABOVE: Reg Phillips in B25-73-07 at Prescott, 1974.


ABOVE: Richard Shardlow in B25-73-"15" at Harewood, 1974.

[Simon Hadfield]

Interesting, both cars have B27 bodywork. The separate nose of the B27 has raised "flares" in front of the wheels.

[Steve Wilkinson]

Originally Posted by Simon Hadfield

Interesting, both cars have B27 bodywork. The separate nose of the B27 has raised "flares" in front of the wheels.

Simon - the fitting of 'uprated' bodywork was and still is common place in Speed Events. Quiet often cars are listed as for example B25/27 - this would mean it was a B25 with some B27 bits on it! Plus there is more likelihood of a bodywork damaging shunt on the hills due to the proximity of the scenery! In these cases it might have been easier for the driver to get the B27 bodywork rather than try and patch up the old shattered fibreglass.

[Simon Hadfield]

Quite! I would suspect that both cars being "works"cars they would be sold with the latest more crashable bodywork and possibly the original bodies as spares-I would feel that was plausible!

[Steve Wilkinson]

Originally Posted by Simon Hadfield

Quite! I would suspect that both cars being "works"cars they would be sold with the latest more crashable bodywork and possibly the original bodies as spares-I would feel that was plausible!

More than likely as Hillclimbers always like a good deal!

[allenbrown]

Just to muddy the waters a bit, Kit Henry is advertising the Chevron B25 that he and brother Paul used to race. It's evidently been in storage for over 20 years, having raced in FC into the 1980s. Chassis number isn't mentioned but history is given as:

1973 Chevron B-25 updated to B-27. Brian Hart 1100cc fuel injected motor. Car includes bodywork for either car configuration. Has extensive SCCA history including a 6th place finish at the runoffs, and numerous Cendiv Ne Ohio Championships in Formula C. SCCA Log Book included. Includes some spares + all subframes and motor mounts for Twin Cam. Was originally an FA/F2 car, and was run by Bobby Brown in Trios Riviers and Watkins Glenn Pro Races in 1973. Car was also 2nd in the F5I national championship in 1978 driven by Kit Henry beating all F5000 cars and finishing 2nd to Paul Henry.

As the Henrys still have it, this car can't have been the Dick Guider Can-Am car of late 1979 so maybe two B25s were in the US.

The Henry team can be contacted via here.

Allen

[allenbrown]

Thinking about that Guider "B25", I do wonder if it was the ex-Cicale B26 instead. I checked the Monterey entry list and it appears as "Elite Enterprises Chevron B-25" but all the other U2L entries (except Cicale's of course) were sports cars, not single seater.

Allen

[allenbrown]

Originally Posted by Chris Townsend

Chevron B25 [25.73.09]-BDA
Chassis number given for the semi-works car run for John Lepp at the F2 race at Mallory Park 11.03.73 Lepp used the same car in the supporting Atlantic race. Chassis number given by MN for Gerry Birrell’s car at Hockenheim F2, 8.4.73. Presumably Birrell’s car throughout the season up to its destruction in Birrell’s fatal accident at Rouen. This suggests the car was handed back to the works early in the 1973 season when Lepp’s ‘proper’ car [08] was ready to run in Atlantic. This is reinforced by A/S 5.4.73 p.24 report BP round at Mallory Park which says that Lepp has ‘blue bodywork this week’. Though the car had previously been described as blue in programmes, photographs suggest it may have been in the works red at Mallory. 09 is probably used by Lepp in the first two Yellow Pages races of the season and perhaps by George Silverwood, his team mate, at the first BP round at Oulton Park. A car described as ‘ex Gerry Birrell’ is now owned by Klaus Fiedler.

George Silverwood wins a libre at Cadwell Park 3 Jun 1973. His car is said to be "Derek Buller-Sinfield's Chevron B25".

Allen

[allenbrown]

I've just noticed something (excuse me if I've been slow)

Originally Posted by Chris Townsend

Chevron B25 [25.73.08]-BDA [‘the Lepp Atlantic car’]
There are three cars that appear in the early part of the 1973 season where chassis numbers are not known [those of Martin Webb and John Lepp in Atlantic, and Pierre Maublanc in the European hill climb championship. However, on the basis of appearance dates these are respectively allocated 5, 8 and 6 on the basis of appearance dates. Lepp’s car is the last to appear, so the highest numbered. The known history of chassis 9 suggests that Lepp ran the car in the early part of the Atlantic season because his own car was not ready, before returning it to the works F2 team.
Lepp then ran his new car through 1973, and it may have been the car he ran at the Estoril F2 round [even though this seems to have carried the plate from chassis 7]. Sold to Patsy McGarrity at the end of 1973 and used by him throughout the 1974 Irish Atlantic season, then sold on to his brother, Harold, and raced until the end of 1977.

Originally Posted by Steve Wilkinson

Chevron B25 [25-73-08]

The following is from the current keeper:

1973 - Classic Cars for John Lepp
1974 - Patsy McGarrity
1975 - Pat Woods
1978 - Paddy Farrelly
1985 - Jeremy Bouckley
1986/7 - Roy Lane
1989 - Mark Colton
1990 - Richard Budge
2002 - Keith Harris (the current keeper who hillclimbs & sprints the car in the UK and hillclimbs it in Europe).

In which case, what was the B25 that Harold McGarrity drove in Ireland in 1975 alongside Woods' car?

Allen