Chevron B27 car-by-car histories
Jim Crawford guest-driving the Team Harper Chevron B27-BMW at Nogaro in 1974. Copyright Ted Walker 2014. Used with permission.
The 1974 Formula 2 Chevron B27 was only a minor upgrade to the B25, with sleeker bodywork and a few technical changes. It showed some promise in F2, but did much better in Formula Atlantic, winning races in the US and in Britain.
After the one-piece bodywork of its predecessor, the Chevron B25, the B27 had more practical two-piece GRP bodywork, with separate nose and cockpit pieces. As this was a simple upgrade, most B25s were updated with B27 bodywork for 1974. The main visible difference was stepped wings on the nose. Of the 16 cars built, nine went into North American Formula Atlantic, most via Fred Opert; three into British Formula Atlantic; two to Team Harper for Formula 2; one to the Baty team for Tom Pryce in F2; and one was sold for hillclimbs.
The B27 was not a dramatic success, but it continued to build Chevron's reputation for building formula cars. In Canada, Allan Lader won the opening round of the Players Formula Atlantic series, Bill Brack later dominated a round at Halifax, and Bertil Roos, Howdy Holmes, Bobby Brown and Jean-Pierre Jaussaud were all competitive in that category. In Europe, David Purley had three second-place finishes in Team Harper's Formula 2 Chevron B27s, and also finished second at Macau at the end of the year. Jim Crawford drove Fred Opert's B27 to victory in two late-season rounds of the MCD/Southern Organs Formula Atlantic championship.
There is still a huge amount we do not know about these cars. Please email Allen at allen@oldracingcars.com if you can add anything.
Bob Marsland's Chevron B27 at Rouen in 1974. Copyright Gerard Barathieu. Used with permission.
Alan Bell's Chevron B27 at Silverstone in May 2006. Copyright John Turner 2006. Used with permission.
Sold to Bob Marsland (Bromsgrove, Worcestershire) to use in European F2 and in European hillclimbs in 1974. Not seen in 1975 but advertised by Marsland in November when it had only done three races and three hillclimbs. Sold to Francis Polak for Belgian courses de côte, winning the 1976 Belgian championship. Retained by Polak for 1977, but then sold to Gérard Burgraff for the 1978 Belgian season, when he finished fourth in the series using a 1800cc Cosworth engine. Then to Christian Figue and Luc Marx, and driven by Marx in 1985. Subsequently to Nick Crossley for renovation and then to Paul Newton. Sold to Alan Bell (Lymm, Cheshire) in November 2003. Sold from Bell to Michael Bletsoe-Brown in 2011 and since converted to inboard rear brakes and the roll hoop has forward facing supports. Raced by Michael Bletsoe-Brown in the Derek Bell Trophy race at Silverstone 18 October 2014. Raced in HSCC HIstoric F2, including at Silverstone in May 2021.
Driven by: Bob Marsland, Francis Polak and E Vautrin. First race: Hockenheim (R2), 7 Apr 1974. Total of 8 recorded races.
Richard Ellingson in his Chevron B27 at Road America in 1980. Copyright Brad Ellingson 2007. Used with permission.
Philippe Reyns in his Chevron B27 at Road America in May 2016. Licenced by Royal Broil under Creative Commons licence Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0). Original image has been cropped.
Chevron build record says sold via Fred Opert to Freeman Racing (Yellow Springs, OH). However, either never delivered or bought back by Opert in 1974 and used by Jean-Pierre Jaussaud at Trois Rivieres and Richard Melville at Watkins Glen. Advertised by Opert in April 1975 as "ex-Jaussaud", "only two races". Retained by the Opert team for 1975, and used twice by Tom Bagley at Halifax and Trois Rivieres, where his car is described as "ex Jaussaud". Believed to be Michael Landrum's B27 at Road Atlanta in April 1976 in the IMSA series and at Gimli in the Players series in June. Advertised by Pierre Phillips in July 1976 as 'ex Bagley', then to Frank Scott (Racine, WI) who raced it at Blackhawk Farms in August and Brainerd in September, and then advertised it in October 1976 as 'ex Jaussaud, 8 races from new'. He advertised the car again in March 1978. Sold to Richard Ellingson and used in Mid West SCCA until 1980. Then to an autocrosser and subsequently to Paul Berg (Chippewa Falls, WI), who won the MCSCC F/Atlantic series in 1982 with the car. Owned by Bob Dupré (Glenview, IL) 1985 and heavily damaged at Road America that year. Around 2020, Art Hebert contacted Dupré, and Dupré informed him that he had sold the damaged car to J. David Kopf (Tujungam, CA). It was bought from Kopf by Johnnie Crean (Kamuela, Hawaii) in 1998. According to a later advert, Kopf had owned it for over ten years, but had not raced it. Kopf died in 2004. The Chevron was rebuilt for Crean by Graham Collins using a new monocoque fabricated by Marc Bahner. This car sold to Philippe Reyns (Chandler, AZ) in October 2008, and raced in historic events up to 2016. It was sold to Todd Willing (Melbourne, Australia) in December 2019 to race in US historic events, and then bought from WIlling as "27-74-15 ex Jean Pierre Jaussaud" by Alex Dodd (San Francisco, CA) in 2022. It was sold again in early 2023 to Tony Smith in Wisconsin.
Driven by: Jean-Pierre Jaussaud, Richard Melville, Tom Bagley, Michael Landrum, Frank Scott and Richard Ellingson. First race: Trois-Rivières, 1 Sep 1974. Total of 14 recorded races.
Chip Mead in his Chevron B27 at Gimli in 1974. At the rear wheel is mechanic Keith "Wombat" Devereux. Copyright Brian Williams 2020. Used with permission.
Chip Mead's Chevron B27 on the grid at Trois-Rivières in 1974. Copyright Paul Nemy 2020. Used with permission.
New to Doug Shierson Racing via Fred Opert for Chip Mead (Dayton, OH) to race in Formula Atlantic, initially in the opening races of the British series, then in North America. The car was blue and ran in North America as #23. Sold to Keith Feldott (LaGrange, IL) and raced in SCCA Central Division Formula B in 1975, scoring 11 points to finish ninth in the division. Retained for 1976, when Feldott finished second at Mid-America Raceway and at Grattan Raceway in May, and again at Grattan in July to finish the season on 37 points, tied for second in the division, and racing at the Runoffs. Retained again for 1977, but seen more rarely as Feldott moved into Trans-Am. Subsequent history unknown.
Driven by: Chip Mead and Keith Feldott. First race: Mallory Park (R1), 10 Mar 1974. Total of 31 recorded races.
Bertil Roos in his first Chevron B27-based Can-Am car, at Mid-Ohio in 1979. Copyright Mark Windecker 2005. Used with permission.
Chevron build record says sold via Fred Opert to Doug Shierson Racing. According to Chevron the car used by James King at Mallory Park before being shipped to the USA. (King and Mead owned their own cars in the Shierson team.) Badly damaged by King at Mosport in July 1974 and rebuilt around a new tub. Formula Mar 75 p29 reports, 'King is trying to sell the B27 he drove in 1974 under Shierson's management'. (King still has the plate for this car.) Sold to Lloyd Callaway (Chicago, IL) and used in SCCA racing in 1975 and early 1976, and in some pro races. Callaway advises that the car was sold to Fred Opert in early 1976 in p/x for a new Chevron B34. It was bought from Opert by John Connolly (Brooklyn, NY) who raced it in local SCCA and EMRA events in 1976 and 1977. After Connolly bought a new Ralt RT1 in early 1978, he advertised the Chevron B27 in September 1978 and sold it to Bertil Roos (Blakeslee, PA), who won the Formula Atlantic race at the SCCA 'Bonus' National at Charlotte in April 1979. He then attached fenders to the car and used it in Can-Am, still with its 1600cc Cosworth BDD engine. Roos bought a different Chevron B27 for 1980, and, according to Doug Waters, his 1979 car was sold to someone in California who planned to use it as a sports car with an Alfa Romeo V8 engine. Many years later, in 1999, Sandy Dells Racing (San Diego, CA) sold two B27 tubs to Jim Sparks (San Diego, CA). Dells restored one of these to running condition for Sparks, then sold the other tub and parts on Sparks' behalf to Mike Winebrenner (Louisville, KY) in 2004. Winebrenner was able to identify his monocoque by its SCCA Chicago Region stamping as Lloyd Calloway's 1975 car, but the 74-04 chassis plate is on Sparks' car. Winebrenner's parts were sold in early 2009 to Bud Morrison (Tempe, AZ), who already owned 74-05 and 74-07. It would appear that Sparks' car is built on the original tub, and Morrison's is the replacement tub. Sparks' car was for sale in July 2017, and was sold to Gunther Hanselle.
Driven by: James King, Lloyd Callaway, John Connolly and Bertil Roos. First race: Mallory Park (R1), 10 Mar 1974. Total of 28 recorded races.
An Fred Opert team car, used by Hugh "Wink" Bancroft (Costa Mesa, CA) in the US series in 1974. The car was owned by Bancroft, who according to Formula and Sports Car retained it unraced in 1975, and then wheeled it out again for a few SCCA South Pacific Division races in early 1976. Advertised in May 1976, and then by Fred Opert in November 1976. The car now owned in 2009 by Bud Morrison had an SCCA log book showing it was owned by Ken Valan (Wilmington, DE) in August 1978, so it is assumed that this was the "B29" that Valan raced from the start of the 1977 season. The logbook then shows that it went to Frank Shober (Chatham, NJ) and was raced by him from early 1979 to 1985. In October 1988, it was bought from Bruce McQuiston at the Bertil Roos Racing School (Blakeslee PA) by Monte C. Shalett (New Orleans, LA), who sold it via Grand Prix Classics (La Jolla, CA) to Paul Wesselink (Dana Point, CA/Huntington Beach, CA) in June 1997. From Wesselink to Emmet "Bud" Morrison (Tempe, AZ) in May 2005. Still with Morrison in February 2009, but a B27 monocoque bearing SCCA number 022 576, McQuiston's bodywork and some suspension parts apparently moved from Morrison to Alan Azar (O'Fallon, IL) in 2011. These parts, together with B27-74-18, were sold by Azar via Can-Am Cars Ltd to Frank Harris (East Malvern, Victoria, Australia) in 2021.
Driven by: Hugh "Wink" Bancroft, Ken Valan, Frank Shober and Bruce McQuiston. First race: Mallory Park (R1), 10 Mar 1974. Total of 21 recorded races.
Jim Crawford in the Fred Opert Racing Chevron B27 at Thruxton in November 1974. Copyright Andrew Scriven 2010. Used with permission.
New to Fred Opert Racing and the car raced by Bertil Roos in the British Formula Atlantic race at Brands Hatch in mid-March. Then fitted with a 2-litre Brian Hart Ford BDA for Roos at two F2 races, Montjuich Park and Hockenheim. Apparantly returned to Formula Atlantic specification and run by the Opert team in the UK series, initially for Héctor Rebaque, and later for Johnny Kastner, William Henderson III and then local man Jim Crawford. Sold to Derek Cook (Rotherham, South Yorkshire) for early 1975 Formula Atlantic races before being replaced by a newer B29. Retained for 1976 when Cook ran it in Indylantic, Shellsport G8, and libre racing, with either a Formula Atlantic BDA or a self-built 2-litre BDA. Retained again for early 1977 and used in F2 and in Shellsport, now with a 2-litre Alan Smith BDG, before Cook acquired a F1 Williams. Subsequent history unknown.
Driven by: Bertil Roos, Héctor Rebaque, William Henderson III, Jim Crawford and Derek Cook. First race: Brands Hatch (R2), 17 Mar 1974. Total of 44 recorded races.
Chevron build record says sold via Fred Opert to George Sabin. Used by Alan Lader as well in 1974. Sold to Bobby Fisher (Lafayette, CA) for 1975 and used in some early-season Nationals and one Pro race. To Jim Van Horn (Orange, CA) for 1976 and run in west coast Pro and SCCA racing. Then a strong candidate for the car of Californian Mike Morris in SCCA races in 1977 though this may have been the ex Hayes car from 1975-76. Either this or the Hayes car likely to be the B27 for sale by Crosslé Cars Pacific in 1982. In February 2007, Emmet "Bud" Morrison (Tempe, AZ) bought what he believes to be B27-74-07 from Neil Johnson via Fantasy Junction (Emeryville, CA). Still with Morrison in February 2009.
Driven by: Allan Lader, George Sabin, Bobby Fisher and Jim van Horn. First race: Westwood (R1), 26 May 1974. Total of 12 recorded races.
The Fred Opert Racing Chevron B27 of Bertil Roos at Mosport Park in 1974. Copyright Peter Viccary (gladiatorroadracing.ca) 2021. Used with permission.
New to Fred Opert Racing and raced by US-domiciled Swede Bertil Roos in North American Formula Atlantic, and later in the season by a number of guest drivers, including Richard Melville, Bill Brack and Héctor Rebaque. This is then believed to be the "ex-Roos" B27 used by Jim Crawley (Frenchtown, NJ) in a number of SCCA Nationals in 1975, allowing him to qualify for the FB Run-Offs. At the same time, Crawley raced a newer B29 in the British series. The B27 was advertised in November 1975 by George Walsh of Intercontinental Marketing in Philadelphia, PA, Crawley's sponsor at the Run-Offs, describing it as ex-Roos, ex-Crawley and noting track records at Bridgehampton and Palm Beach. Subsequent history unknown.
Driven by: Bertil Roos, Richard Melville, Bill Brack, Héctor Rebaque and James Crawley. First race: Westwood (R1), 26 May 1974. Total of 10 recorded races.
Dieter Quester's Team Harper Chevron B27 at Rouen in 1974. Copyright Gerard Barathieu. Used with permission.
Sold to Team Harper, and used by Dieter Quester in the European F2 championship. 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. Probably the car taken to Macau by Team Harper for Purley in November 1974. Team Harper advertised both their Chevron B27s as rolling chassis in January 1975. Subsequent history unknown, but since 2006 (and quite possibly earlier), there has been a Chevron B27 in Team Harper livery in the Macau Grand Prix Museum.
Driven by: Dieter Quester, Tom Pryce, Jim Crawford and David Purley. First race: Salzburgring (R4), 2 Jun 1974. Total of 10 recorded races.
Skip Jones in his Chevron B27 at the 2013 Pacific Northwest Historics. Copyright Jim Culp 2018. Used with permission.
Sold in May 1974 to Team Harper, and used by David Purley in the European F2 championship. Probably the car driven by David Purley at the Brands Hatch Boxing Day libre race at the end of the season. Team Harper advertised both their Chevron B27s as rolling chassis in January 1975. This car is likely to be the "late 1974 F2 car" used by Doug Thomson (Edinburgh, Scotland) in Scottish libre, sprints and hillclimbs in 1975, and offered for sale in January 1976 with a Swindon BDA and Hewland FGA400 gearbox. Thomson recalls that he sold the car to UK-resident American Bob Brown (not Bobby Brown) who occasionally raced what is described by Autosport as an ex-Harper B27 in Indyatlantic and Formula Libre in 1976, after buying the car late in 1975. Brown was backed by Oceaneering International, a Texas company, and is believed to have been a diver working in the North Sea oil field. He appears to have taken the car back to the US. Then unknown until an "ex-Purley" B27 was raced by Bobby Brown in SVRA and HSR vintage racing. Sold to Skip Jones (Portland, OR) and used in ICSCC and SOVREN vintage racing, fitted with a 2-litre Wenz Cosworth YBM engine. Sold in August 2016 back to Bobby Brown.
Driven by: David Purley, Doug Thomson and Bob Brown. First race: Salzburgring (R4), 2 Jun 1974. Total of 25 recorded races.
James Hunt's Team Baty Chevron B27 at Rouen in 1974. Copyright Gerard Barathieu. Used with permission.
Steve Cook's Chevron B27 in January 2021, as restored by Veloce Motors West. Copyright Steve Cook 2021. Used with permission.
Built for Chris Marshall's Baty/Ottershaw Motors team as a quasi-works car in European F2 championship, fitted with a Schnitzer BMW engine. It was originally announced as a two-car works team for James Hunt and Hiroshi Kazato, managed by Bill Harding, and "the first car" was shown to the press in mid-May. This car was driven by Tom Pryce at Salzburgring, Hockenheim and Mugello, and by Hunt only at Rouen-les-Essarts. The team dropped out in August, and the car was used briefly as a development car by Derek Bennett. Harald Ertl hired the car for Hockenheim in September 1974, still using its Schnitzer BMW engine. Ertl then acquired the car and raced it in the early rounds of the 1975 season using works BMW engines. He replaced it with a brand new B29 in mid-season but then retained the B27 unraced until his death in 1982. Bought from the Ertl estate by American Jack Perkins (San Jose, CA) in the early 1990s. Perkins had the tub disassembled, reglued and re-riveted by Mark Bahner, and had its BMW M12/7 engine and Hewland FG400 gearbox overhauled by Dave Vegher and Veloce Motors West. From Perkins to Steve Cook (Napa, California) in early 2021.
Driven by: Tom Pryce, James Hunt and Harald Ertl. First race: Salzburgring (R4), 2 Jun 1974. Total of 9 recorded races.
Derek Cook in his Chevron B27 at Thruxton in November 1974. Copyright Andrew Scriven 2010. Used with permission.
Patrick Sumner takes his Chevron B27 through the paddock at Thruxton in August 1976. Copyright Andrew Scriven 2010. Used with permission.
Chevron build record says sold to Derek Cook, August 1974, so Cook's late season car in British Formula Atlantic. To Peter Munro (Birmingham) for 1975, but his sponsorship fell through, and he loaned the car back to Cook at the British GP meeting after he had wrecked his own car in practice. Cook then managed to wreck the Chevron on lap 1 of the race, and it did not appear again in 1975. To Jeremy Sumner for the 1976 Indyatlantic series, where it was also driven by Mike Wilds and John Scannell. Thought to have been the B27 bought by Christian Bonnifet in 1977, and used in French hillclimbs between 1979 and 1983. In 1997, Jean-Michel Coll (Perpignan, Pyrénées-Orientales, France) advertised chassis 74-14 as a rolling chassis. It was later reported to be under restoration in the UK.
Driven by: Derek Cook, Peter Munro, Mike Wilds, Jeromy Sumner and John Scannell. First race: Croft, 7 Oct 1974. Total of 19 recorded races.
Howdy Holmes in his Chevron B27 at Watkins Glen in October 1974. Copyright Allen Brown (slide acquired on eBay) 2019. Used with permission.
Consigned to Fred Opert in July 1974 for "a Californian SCCA driver", but very likely to be the Fred Opert #8 team car that appears in Formula Atlantic in July 1974 for Howdy Holmes (Ann Arbor, MI), which was described as 'brand new'. Used by Tom Pryce at Trois Rivieres on 1 Sep, and badly damaged. Presumably rebuilt for Holmes at Watkins Glen on 4 Oct. Advertised by Opert in April 1975 as "ex-Holmes" and "4 races from new". Very probably the car sold to Dan Neuman (St Paul, Minnesota) early 1975, and advertised by Neuman as "ex-Pryce" in 1976. Subsequent history unknown.
Driven by: Howdy Holmes and Tom Pryce. First race: St Johns (R6), 27 Jul 1974. Total of 4 recorded races.
Peter Williams' Coin Monthly Chevron B27 in the paddock at Thruxton in November 1974. Copyright Andrew Scriven 2010. Used with permission.
Sold to Peter Williams (Brentwood, Essex) in June 1974 for British Formula Atlantic; and retained for the 1975 season. To Porsche racer and driving instructor Mike Franey (London) later in 1975 and raced in F/Atlantic with Samatco Ltd backing. Unknown in 1976, but in early 1977, novice racer Martin Murphy (London) won a Formule Libre race at Thruxton in the "ex-Peter Williams Coin Monthly" B27. The car remained in Franey's possession until September 1979, when it was sold to Jeremy Bouckley (Sutton Coldfield, West Midands) as a rolling chassis. Bouckley cannot recall what happened to it, but this car was reportedly owned by Phil Sharp for hillclimbs in 1984. Subsequent history unknown.
Driven by: Peter Williams, Mike Franey and Martin Murphy. First race: Silverstone (R3), 30 Jun 1974. Total of 32 recorded races.
Peter Broeker's Chevron B27 at Mosport Park in 1974. Copyright Peter Viccary (gladiatorroadracing.ca) 2021. Used with permission.
Chevron build record says sold to Peter Broeker, June 1974. This car was destroyed in a trailer fire in late 1974 on the way to Trois Rivieres.
Driven by: Peter W. Broeker. First race: Gimli (R3), 16 Jun 1974. Total of 5 recorded races.
Bobby Brown's Chevron B27 at Mosport Park in 1974. Copyright Peter Viccary (gladiatorroadracing.ca) 2021. Used with permission.
Chevron build record says 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. However, advertised by Brown in May and June 1975 as 'not raced since complete rebuild at Chevron' which suggests that the car came back to him. Sold later in 1975 to Thomas Christ (Racine, WI), and raced by him in SCCA Nationals in late 1975, then in Pro Formula Atlantic and SCCA Nationals in 1976 and 1977. To John Scola (Kenosha, WI) for 1978 and 1979, and raced by him as late as July 1981. Then unknown until owned by Daniel Sauriol (Appleton, WI) in 1984. Sold to Cliff Ebben (Appleton, WI) at the end of the 1984 season, then sold by him to Comprep (i.e. Dennis Eade of ComPrep (Competition Preparation) in Zenda, WI) for ComPrep customer Alan Lewis (Indianapolis, IN). Run by ComPrep for Eade. Sold to Alan Azar (O'Fallon, IL) in 1999. With dealer Chuck Haines of Can-Am Cars Ltd (St. Louis, MO) in 2018. Sold by Can-Am Cars Ltd to Frank Harris (East Malvern, Victoria, Australia) in 2021.
Driven by: Bobby Brown, Tom Christ, John Scola, Daniel Sauriol and Cliff Ebben. First race: Mosport Park (R4), 1 Jul 1974. Total of 12 recorded races.
The 1975-1976 mystery cars
Of the 16 Chevron B27s built in 1974, four had been built for F2 in Europe (74-01, 74-09, 74-10, 74-12) three for Formula Atlantic in the UK (74-06, 74-14, 74-16), and nine for Formula Atlantic in the US (74-02, 74-03, 74-04, 74-05, 74-07, 74-08, 74-15, 74-17 and 74-18). Of the F2 cars, 74-01 remained in Bob Marsland's hands until heading off to Belgium for hillclimbs in 1976, and the ex-Tom Pryce 74-12 went to Harald Ertl and remained with him. That leaves the two ex-Harper cars which are slightly trickier. One appears to have gone to Doug Thomson for Scottish hillclimbs and may later have been used in British Indylantic before heading off to the US. The other may have gone to Ashtune Race Hire for 1975 and may later have been rebuilt into a Formula Vee, but it's always possible that it never came back after the Macau GP.
The two late-season British Formula Atlantic cars, Derek Cook's 74-14 and Peter Williams' 74-16, were both in Britain in 1976, and then appeared to have headed into hillclimbs, one in Britain and one in France. Fred Opert's UK-based 74-06 went to Derek Cook and remained with him until early 1977.
That leaves the nine cars in the US, of which the simplest is 74-17 which was Peter Broeker's car and was destroyed by fire. Of the others: 74-02 went to Freeman Racing but appears to have come back to the Opert team, after which it can be tracked until 1985; 74-03 was the Doug Shierson Racing (DSR) car for Chip Mead that was with Keith Feldott in 1977; 74-04 was the DSR car for James King which went to Lloyd Callaway and then John Connolly until 1978; 74-05 was Wink Bancroft's car in 1974 and may have been retained by him into 1976; 74-07 went from George Sabin to Bobby Fisher to Jim Van Horn in 1976; 74-08 was Jim Crawley's ex-Bertil Roos car; 74-15 was probably Howdy Holmes' later season car and may then have gone to Dan Neuman for 1975; and 74-18 which went to Bobby Brown but was crashed, repaired at the Chevron factory, and sold to Tom Christ.
The main puzzle in 1975 is Dick Hayes' car, which may be yet another Fred Opert team car that somehow escaped Chevron records. Also in 1975, Ashtune Race Hire ran a car which cannot have been the Derek Cook car, as earlier suggested here, as Ashtune's car was once raced by Steve Bradley in late May on the same day Cook was racing elsewhere. The only car it could really have been is chassis 74-09, one of the two Team Harper B27s. In early 1976, Paul Corazzo in New England had either a B27 or a rebodied B25, but it appears to have had side engine mounts, which would identify it as a B27. This car does not quite fit into the gap in the history of Wink Bancroft's 74-05, so is more likely to have been Jim Crawley's 74-08.
Dick Hayes (Huntingdon Beach, CA) raced a Chevron in SCCA Nationals and one IMSA Pro race in 1975 and 1976. It was described as an "ex-Howdy Holmes B27" by Finish Line in 1975, and a photograph shows that it was dark blue with dark green sidepods when it appeared at Ontario in May 1976. However, the car Holmes drove was also driven by Tom Pryce at Trois-Rivières, and an ex-Pryce car was owned by Dan Neuman in 1975 and 1976. So it is possible that the car Holmes drove at Watkins Glen in October 1974 was a new car, unrecorded in Chevron records, and this is what went to Hayes. Subsequent history unknown.
Driven by: Dick Hayes. First race: Riverside, 25 May 1975. Total of 12 recorded races.
Ashtune Race Hire ran a Chevron B27 in Formule Libre and Formula Atlantic in 1975. It was first recorded when Steve Bradley (Newmarket) raced it in a libre race at Silverstone in May, when it had a Don Moore engine, like the Ashtune-entered Lotus 69 Bradley had used earlier in the season. From August to October 1975, Ashtune Race Hire entered the Chevron B27 in Formula Atlantic races for Dutch Formula Ford racer Ronald Remeeus. Process of elimination would suggest this was chassis 27-74-09, the second Team Harper B27. Subsequent history unknown.
Driven by: Steve Bradley and Ronald Remeeus. First race: Silverstone (R3), 26 May 1975. Total of 2 recorded races.
Paul Corazzo in his Chevron B27 at Bryar Park in October 1976. Copyright Arny Spahn 2021. Used with permission.
Paul Corazzo (Wethersfield, CT) raced a Chevron B27 in Formula B in 1976, dominating the New England Region NERRC championship. The car was blue and yellow in 1976, and typically entered by Sherry Cup, Inc. New England Region records show that it was registered to Corazzo with a NER number in May 1976, indicating that it had not raced with the SCCA before that time. Corazzo won the New England Region FB title in 1976 with five wins and maximum points. He retained the car for 1977 and 1978, by which time it was red and yellow, with International Automobile Enterprises Inc signwriting. It was bought from Corazzo by James Deady, who remembers changing the red and yellow livery to "black and white with a red slash". Deady ws originally planning to share the car with Peter Portante of ERA Cars, but Portante crashed at Bridgehampton and after than just ran the car for Deady. Raced by Deady until he upgraded to a newer B29. He recalls that the B27 "went to guy in Penn who painted it brown and tried driving it at Pocono without the rear wing - it did not go well!". Subsequent history unknown.
Driven by: Paul Corazzo and Peter Portante. First race: Bryar Motorsport Park, 30 May 1976. Total of 15 recorded races.
Chevron B27s in 1977 and 1978
By the start of the 1977 season, 74-01 was in Belgium, 74-02 was with Frank Scott in Wisconsin, 74-03 was with Keith Feldott in Illinois, 74-04 was with John Connolly in New York, 74-05 was missing but would turn up a year later in Delaware; 74-06 was with Derek Cook in England; 74-07 had been with Jim Van Horn in California in 1976 but was now missing until 1982 when it would still be in California, 74-08 had been missing since the end of 1975, 74-09 was and remains missing, 74-10 had returned to the US with Bob Brown but its location was unknown, 74-12 was in Germany, 74-14 was missing but quite likely in France, 74-15 had been missing since early 1975, 74-16 was in England, 74-17 had been destroyed in a fire, and 74-18 was with Thomas Christ in Wisconsin. The seven missing cars up to that point were 74-05 (since early 1976 in California), 74-07 (since 1976 in California), 74-08 (since November 1975 in Pennsylvania), 74-09 (in England or Macau), 74-10 (since 1976), 74-14 (in England or France), 74-15 (since April 1975 with Opert). One of these will be explained by Dick Hayes' mystery car in 1975/76, and another by Paul Corazzo's 1976-78 car, most likely to have been 74-08.
In 1977, four more mysteries appear in the US: Mike Morris's car in California, Tom Cooney's in Indiana, Pat Phalan's in Delaware and, later in the season, Matt Berryhill's in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Geography suggests Morris had the ex-Wink Bancroft 74-05, the ex-Jim Van Horn 74-07 or the Dick Hayes' mystery car; but we have no clues about Cooney's or Phalan's. Berryhill's was entered at Lake Afton in August as #91, the number Keith Feldott had used at the 1976 Runoffs, suggesting Berryhill had acquired Feldott's 74-03 mid-season. The other mystery is the Ashtune Race Hire car in England in 1975.
A further mystery appears in southern California in 1978, where a local Police Captain, Lloyd Wood, raced a Chevron B27. His could have been the car of Dick Hayes, or Mike Morris, or Jim van Horn, or Wink Bancroft, the latter being the least likely.
Mike Morris raced a Chevron in an SCCA National at Riverside in February 1977, which Chris Townsend has identified as a B27. At the equivalent race in February 1978, he entered a yellow Chevron B27 sponsored by Stern's BarbQ and finished fifth, scoring two points in the Southern Pacific Division Formula B table for 1978. Nothing more known.
Driven by: Michael Morris. First race: Riverside, 13 Feb 1977. Total of 3 recorded races.
Tom Cooney (Indianapolis, IN) ran a Chevron B27 in Central Div SCCA from 1977 to 1982 or later. Nothing more known.
Driven by: Tom Cooney. First race: Mid-Ohio, 17 Jul 1977. Total of 4 recorded races.
Pat Phalan (Wilmington, DE) raced a Chevron in Northeast Division Formula B Nationals and Regionals in 1977 and 1978. He advertised the car in April 1979 as a Chevron B27 with Hart BDA engine. Nothing more known.
Driven by: Pat Phalan. First race: Summit Point, 24 Jul 1977. Total of 3 recorded races.
Matt Berryhill (Tulsa, OK) raced a Chevron in Midwest Division Formula B/Atlantic in 1977, 1978 and 1979. The Berryhill family ran "Original Chili Bowl" company, which sponsored The Chili Bowl Midget Nationals at Tulsa from 1987 onwards. Matt Berryhill was recorded as running at Lake Afton in August 1977, scored points early in the 1978 season, and also appeared in results in 1979.
Driven by: Matt Berryhill. First race: Lake Afton, 21 Aug 1977. Total of 9 recorded races.
Lloyd Wood (Covina, CA), a Captain in the El Monte Police Department, raced a Chevron B27 in 1978, and may have raced it in 1977. Wood was later promoted to be Chief of Police in Azusa in 1981, then in Pomona in 1990, before being appointed Inspector General of California's Youth and Adult Correctional Agency in the late 1990s. Nothing more is known of the Chevron.
Driven by: Lloyd Wood. First race: Riverside, 20 Aug 1978. Total of 2 recorded races.
The later mystery cars
After 1978, the next mystery is the car of Christian Bonnifet in France, which looks likely to have been 74-14. After that, we get to Bertil Roos' 1980 Can-Am car, which used sports car bodywork on a Chevron B27.
In 1979, Christian Bonnifet (Vendée, France) bought a Chevron B27 in England in 1977, fitted with a new tub, FT200 gearbox and fresh Cosworth 1600cc engine. He told researcher Philippe Demeyer in 2016 that he had bought the car as a Formula Atlantic in the UK, and that it had a new monocoque, Hewland FT200 gearbox and bolted wheels. He raced the car in minor regional events in 1979, and in 1980, when he also competed at national events in his area, such as Bournezeau-Vendée and Corcoué-sur-Logne in May. He competed again at Bournezeau-Vendée in May 1981, and was winning regional events to the end of the season. Seen again in Limousin Atlantique regional events in 1982. He raced the car again in 1983, finishing second at Vaux-Rouillac in April.
Driven by: Christian Bonnifet. First race: Fréteval, 17 Jun 1979. Total of 22 recorded races.
Bertil Roos in his second Chevron B27-based Can-Am car, at Road America in 1980. Copyright Mark Windecker 2005. Used with permission.
Having raced a Chevron B27 with a 1.6-litre Cosworth BDD and fenders in Can-Am in 1979, Bertil Roos (Blakeslee, PA) acquired another Chevron B27 for 1980, and fitted a full sports car body and a 2-litre Hart 420R engine. He raced this six times in Can-Am in 1980, finishing in the top 10 every time. According to Doug Waters, this 1980 car was sold to someone in Pennsylvania for regional racing. Subsequent history unknown.
Driven by: Bertil Roos. First race: Mid-Ohio (Can-Am R2), 8 Jun 1980. Total of 7 recorded races.
Alex Lowe acquired "the ex-Jim Crawford" Chevron B27 and rebuilt it as a Formula Vee. Advertised in that form by Lowe in July 1983. Subsequent history unknown. This could be B27-74-06, the Fred Opert Racing Formula Atlantic car raced by Crawford a few times in late-1974 and last seen in Derek Cook's hands in 1977, or could be the Team Harper F2 B27 raced by Crawford at Nogaro in November 1974 and likely to have gone to Doug Thomson in Scotland, and then to American expat Bob Brown for 1976. However, Bob Brown is thought to have taken his car back to the US, so the ex-Derek Cook 74-06 is the most likely.
Current cars with incomplete provenance
In addition to the above, an unknown Chevron B27 was driven by Rick Stone.
Acknowledgements
Thanks to Chris Townsend for his early work on these cars. Thanks also to Philippe Demeyer, James Murray, Marcus Pye, Simon Hadfield, David Hutson, Steve Wilkinson, Dan Rear, Bryan Miller, Alan Brown, Richard Cooke, Frank Monise, Jay Braffert and Art Hebert for their contributions; to current owners Bud Morrison and Mike Winebrenner; and to former owners Paul Henry, Bobby Brown, Alan Bell, Brad Ellingson, John Connolly, Douglas Thomson and James Deady for their assistance.
These histories last updated on .