Chevron B28

Eric and Janet Fitch provided this picture of their Lola T140 to Wolfgang Klopfer. Copyright Eric and Janet Fitch.

Teddy Pilette leads Peter Gethin in the twin Chevron B28s at Mallory Park in 1974. Copyright Alan Cox 2007. Used with permission.

Despite the success of the B24, Chevron only managed to sell two of the updated 1974 B28 design, both going to Count van der Straaten's VDS team. Both of the 1973 VDS B24s went out to the Tasman series in January and February of 1974 and were both converted to B28 specification during the series. This later caused some confusion as Tony Dean referred to his ex-VDS B24 as a B28 at the same time that he owned a 'real' ex-VDS B28. It is possible that this particular B24 has got muddled up with the two genuine ex-VDS B28s or that the ex-works B24/B28 development car is now in the mix.

It is widely assumed that the two Chevron raced in historics in recent years by Keith Norris and Nick Shrigley-Feigl are the genuine two ex-VDS cars but it has not yet been possible to establish this with any certainty.

All would be gratefully received. Please e-mail Allen if you can add anything.

Thanks to Wolfgang Klopfer, Roger Andreason, Marcus Pye, Ted Walker, Jeremy Jackson, Nick Shrigley-Feigl, Keith Norris, Ian Stronach, Chris Townsend, Steve Wilkinson, John Monson, Bob Birrell and Daryl Taylor for their help constructing these histories.

Chassis History Current owner
Chevron B28
B28-74-01
Ingo Hoffman in Tony Dean's Chevron B28 at Silverstone in September 1975. Copyright Ted Walker 2005. Used with permission.

Teddy Pilette in his B28-74-01 at Mallory Park in 1974. Copyright Alan Cox 2007. Used with permission.

Ingo Hoffman in Tony Dean's Chevron B28 at Silverstone in September 1975. Copyright Ted Walker 2005. Used with permission.

Ingo Hoffman in Tony Dean's Chevron B28 at Silverstone in September 1975. Copyright Ted Walker 2005. Used with permission.

Built for 1974 season. VDS for Teddy Pilette: raced in UK 1974 - Tony Dean: raced in UK 1975 (first raced at R9 Mallory Park 10 Aug but Dean then arrested on smuggling charges; entered by Dean for Ingo Hoffman last four races of 1975) and in libre (e.g. probably the car used to win at Croft Sep 1975) - Bobby Howlings: UK libre and G8 1976 (R1) ; advertised 26 Feb to 8 Jul 1976 ... Victor Cartmill (Formby, Lancs, UK): raced in hill climbs (and sprints?) 1977. Presumably the car raced by David Flanagan at the Lancs AC Woodvale sprint on Easter Sunday (10 Apr) 1977; advertised from Liverpool 1978 - Ian Stronach: 1979 libre racing (photographed in Autosport at Aintree in October where it shows a striking resemblence to the Hoffman picture shown here even including apparantly mismatched mirrors); advertised from Manchester as ex-Pilette/Dean B28 Oct 1979 - Robin Darlington (Overton-on-Dee) 1979 - Vic Norman 1980. Subsequent history unknown but believed to be the Norris car.		 Unknown
Chevron B28
B28-74-02
Dave Walker in the B28 again at the International Trophy in 1975. Copyright Ted Walker 2005. Used with permission.

Dave Walker in the B28 again at the International Trophy in 1975. Copyright Ted Walker 2005. Used with permission.

Dennis Leech is his newly-acquired ex-RAM Chevron at Thruxton in May 1976. Copyright Ted Walker 2005. Used with permission.

Dennis Leech is his newly-acquired ex-RAM Chevron at Thruxton in May 1976. Copyright Ted Walker 2005. Used with permission.

Built for 1974 season. VDS for Peter Gethin: raced in UK 1974 - RAM Racing 1975: raced by Dave Walker. Almost certainly the car driven by Dennis Leech in 1976. Leech first appears in the car at R5 Thruxton 31 May 1976 where Autosport described it as an 'ex-RAM Chevron B28', implying B28-74-02 and it carried the old RAM number of #77. The photographs here appear to show that Leech had merely painted out the Thursdays logos for that first race. Leech: raced in UK 1976, UK 1977 (retired at Brands Hatch 26 Jun, DNS at Oulton Park 9 Jul, seventh at Donington 31 Jul, retired at Brands 29 Aug, sixth at Thruxton 11 Sep). Subsequent history unknown but believed to be the Johnty Williamson car.		 Unknown

The mystery cars

Of course, any of these B28s could have been an updated B24. It is worth noting that there would have been a spare B28 monocoque floating around after about August 74 when Gethin's B28-74-02 was subject to a precautionary rebuild. This tub would be tired but not too bent, and presumably useable.

Chassis History Current owner
Chevron 'B28'
'the London car'
(1978) 		Advertised from 01-883 5338 (Autosport 17 Aug 1978 p68) then later from same number evenings/weekends (with Chevy Corvair Super Saloon) "in excellent condition" (Autosport 9 Nov 1978 p67, also 16 Nov 1978 p52). Another advert appeared from this number in 1979 offering a reward for the return of an ex-Mick Hill, Tony Rosen Super Saloon Capri and gave addresses in Welwyn, Herts and Stanhope Street, London NW1 (Autosport 8 Mar 1979 p53). Marcus Pye believe this would have been Tony Strawson. No other information known. Unknown
Chevron 'B28'
'the Johnty Williamson car'
(1979-2006)		 Said to be the 'ex-Gethin' car implying B28-74-02 but Roger Andreason lists this car in his register as B28-74-01. It may possibly have been the ex-Gethin B24/B28 73-08 that goes missing at the end of 1975. Bought from F. Dariani (London) in May 1979 by Johnty Williamson (UK): UK sprints 1979, 1980 (described as ex-Leech), 1981 - Alan Smith (UK) Autumn 1981 - RD Romerill (Channel Islands) and fitted with Jaguar V12 for hill climbs and sprints: used up to 1988 - Paul Gardner (Preston, UK) about 1995 - Nick Shrigley-Feigl (Andreas, Isle of Man) about 1997: raced in FORCE Historic F5000 series (UK) 2000, 2001. Raced at the Chevron 40th at Oulton Park August 2005. Sold to Bob Birrell (Driffield, Yorks) January 2006 and raced in DBT. Sold to New Zealander Ross Maxwell (London) August 2007. Ross Maxwell (UK) 2007
Chevron 'B28'
'the Norris car'
(1982-2006)
Keith Norris's Chevron B28 at Mallory Park 2 May 1994. Copyright Jeremy Jackson 2003. Used with permission.

Keith Norris's Chevron B28 at Mallory Park 2 May 1994. Copyright Jeremy Jackson 2003. Used with permission.

Bought from Plymouth car dealer Fred Davis by Keith Norris August 1981: used in libre racing from 1983 onwards (seventh in a Mallory Park libre 10 Jul 1983; sixth in Brands Hatch libre 14 Aug 1983), raced in 1984 McLaren Open Championship (BRSCC libre) and raced in FORCE Historic F5000 series (UK) 2001. Still being raced in historic racing 2005 in the Derek Bell Trophy series. Sold to John Monson (Beverley, Yorkshire) January 2006 and raced in DBT. Sold to Daryl Taylor (Bristol) August 2007. 		Daryl Taylor (UK) 2007

These histories last updated on 18 September, 2007 .

A note on chassis number identification

Dave Walker in B28-74-02 at Brands Hatch in March 1975. Copyright Ted Walker 2001. Used with permission.

Dave Walker in B28-74-02 at Brands Hatch in March 1975. Copyright Ted Walker 2001. Used with permission.

The chassis numbers above are taken from the original Chevron 'chassis register'. They largely agree with the numbers used in Paul Sheldon's Formula 1 Register Fact Book: Formula 5000 1972-1981. One exception is at the first round of the 1976 season where the F1 Register book calls Howlings' car "B28-74-03". Leech's 1976 car is also a problem: the F1 Register record this as a B28 (B28-74-01) in 1976 and as a B24 (B24-72-01) in 1977 but neither attribution looks convincing. Leech's 1975 car had been a B24 but B24-73-06, last seen when he crashed it at R15 Mallory Park 12 Oct 1975.

In 1983, Mallory Park regular Dan Rear saw Keith Norris's B28 at a libre race on 10 July. He noted '02' next to it on his entry list implying that it was wearing the 'B28-74-02' plate.