Chevron B20

[Chris Townsend]

Bogota was not SCCA sanctioned...
I have a theory, based only on the paint jobs on the cars that Brown used different cars in the two Bogota races. If you look at the pics in race reports the car in the second race is in his regular dark blue, in the first it's orange

Chris

[Chris Townsend]

SCCA log should cover every race.
PBIR is Palm Beach International Raceway.
We can get dates for that and Road Atlanta from Competition Press & Autoweek, and maybe results if Grob placed well.
Very often the guys running SCCA regionals would only turn out a couple of times a year. Grob would have mainly run nationals but Palm Beach was his home circuit.

Chris

[chrisks]

Dozens of original B20 drawing here if you need any info!!

[Mick Henderson]

There are some results noted in the log, presumably only the good ones, if anyone's interested I'll post them here. The car came to me with an alloy nose which was first painted orange which helps confirm it as the original colour as recorded in the log.
Thanks for offer of drawings, I'll know at a later date what info I need, can they be copied or emailed? I'll be happy to cover any costs for any info of that sort.
Mick.

[Chris Townsend]

Mick

Would be interested in the dates and circuits for all of Grob's races with the car - then we can fill in the bad results as well!

Chris

[Mick Henderson]

I will get you these results as soon as I have a bit of time.

[Steve Marschman]

Originally Posted by chrisks

Dozens of original B20 drawing here if you need any info!!

You have some of the original drawings? Would you be willing to make copies? I haven't been checking in a lot lately and we are in the process of moving to Idaho... I had hoped my first track days with my car would be at Virginia or Barber but it looks like Miller Motorsports Park will have to do.

Best-
Steve

[merriewells]

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

[allenbrown]

Here's the B15 thread. I don't think we've had much on B14s yet.

[simon langman]

i belive that i picked that car up in belguim around 7 years ago for a dealer in banbury(porsche warehouse)it was complete with engine and box and looked like the guy had left it on the trailer for many years just with a cover over it.

[allenbrown]

Didn't have your camera with you did you?

[Chris Townsend]

I think we now have all the evidence we need to concluded that Steve Marchmann's B20 is indeed ex Bobby Brown, and indeed ex Cobb and ex Mead!

Assiduous reading of ads in Autoweek has unearthed some new clues, so let's work backwards

1978 we have the car in Houston with Paul Lindell
for sale AW 28.2.76 p. 22 by Richard Jackson 12888 Noel Road, #2085 Dallas 75320 is a B20 with t/c and BDA photo shows, car has race no 2 on it, red or blue, and that modified nose!
AW30.8.75 Richard Jackson of same address seliing a B20 only here it is described as 'ex Brown' . This cannot be the first Brown car 20.71.01 as that's known to be with Symonds at this time.
early 75 AW [forget issue date] we have f/s by "Price" 20305 Mosscrest Dallas TX Immaculate Chevron B20
Now since Price Cobb came from Texas and had just run a B20 at Watkins Glenn I take this to be him. I think the Dallas connection is pretty compelling.

How do we know it was also Chip Mead's?
There are only two B20s unidentified in 1973, those of Mead and Joe Shepherd. Shepherd doesn't sell his until 1976, indeed f/s AW 17.1.76 p. 29 3901 College Ave Indianapolis 46205, so Mead's I think. And since this car was originally Brown's it suggests that Shepherd's
was originally the ex Lepp 20-72-04


Chris

[Steve Marschman]

Chris... you are a god! Thanks!
Steve

...car is now safe and sound in Idaho Falls, Idaho after 1900 miles cross country in the back of a moving trailer. I'm still going to put the car together with a BDD; I think I'll assemble the Brian Hart t/c head on top of the LA block and keep it for show.

[Mick Henderson]

B20 71 01 log details as promised.
SCCA id 11 - 192. Colour- Orange & alloy. Issued 11/8/72 by CA Winter to
James Grob.
I've quoted all dates UK fashion, although not all entries have dates.

Road Atlanta Nat, Palm Beach Reg, Atl 6/7/72, PBIR Reg 5/8/72, Watkins Glen Nat 11/8/72, Paul Whiteman 19/8/72, Atl Reg/Nat 2-3/9/72, Atl Nat, PBIR Nat 23/9/72, GIR ?, PBIR 14/10/72, ARRC Rd Atl 19/11/72, PBIR Reg 17/2/73, PBIR Reg, VIR ? 6/4/73, Rd Atl Nat 5/5/73, SAV or SAN? Nat, PBIR Reg 2/6/73, PBIR, Rd America 23/8/73, GIR Nat 15/9/73,PBIR 9/73, CSPRRC 30/10/73 (12th 16 laps), PBIR, PBIR Nat 16/2/74, PBIR, Atl Nat 7/6/74, Atl Nat, Gainsville Nat, PBIR Reg/Nat 14/9/74, Run Offs ?/?/74 (DNF 3laps), PBIR, PBIR 2/75 (2nd Rain).
Peter Symonds, Bryar Reg/Nat 24/5/75, Thompson Reg 14/6/75, Thompson Reg 21/8/76, Bryar Reg 25-26/9/76 (Qual 2nd DNS rain),
Jack Van Dell, Bryar Reg 11-12/5/85, 27/5/85, Lime Rock Reg 20/7/85, Bryar Reg 3/8/85.

I would be very interested to know what my car did between Bogota 71 & being isssued the log book in Aug 72.
Regarding its' recent state, it certainly appears to have spent a while outside, although fundamentally it's in better condition than first impressions suggest, apart from a bit of crash damage it hasn,t been abused. I hope the results here are of use & interest.

[Henk Vasmel]

I have an entry for Bob Brown in a Chevron B20, on May 3rd, 1972, in the Japanese Grand Prix. Entrant Fred Opert, Number (2), started 11th (out of 11), no result available.

[allenbrown]

Originally Posted by Henk Vasmel

I have an entry for Bob Brown in a Chevron B20, on May 3rd, 1972, in the Japanese Grand Prix. Entrant Fred Opert, Number (2), started 11th (out of 11), no result available.

He finished sixth. Race results.

[Mick Henderson]

Thanks for the update, I'd no idea they had raced it in in Japan as well, although there's no certainty it was 01. Work is ongoing with the restoration, but there's a long way to go yet.

[allenbrown]

A little more on Bobby Brown's B20. While frantically photocopying 1972 FB race reports for Chris in my very limited time at the IMRRC a few weeks ago, I also copied a Fred Opert advert (26 Aug 1972 p13).

He lists a "Chevron B20 '72 F2/FB ex Bob Brown 6 races from new, 4 first places, winner of Bogota championship...".

Interesting that this is his Bogota car. I can count six races up to August (two in Bogota, Fuji, Laguna Seca, Bryar Raceway, Lime Rock and Watkins Glen but he can't realistically have used the same car at Fuji and Laguna Seca) but I struggle to see four wins - just one at Bogota and one at Lime Rock. Maybe he had two cars and this was one of them? A couple of wins in Nationals could bring his main car up to four wins in six outings.

Also in the advert is a "brand new orange" "Chevron B20 '72 FB", the ex-Fred Van Buren B18, an ex factory/works B18 '71 F3/FC with 1100cc BDA, a B17 '70 FB, a new BT38, the ex-Craw BT38, the ex-Couture Lotus 69 and a Lola T240.

Also on the subject of the Brown B20, a photo in the other place of the Fuji car shows it was entirely blue. The 16 July Road America entry list says Blue/Yellow.

Am I helping?

[Chris Townsend]

Yes, but I am holidaying and worse, my main computer has died, so using the wife's.
Of Brown's Opert cars, however, I have always been sure that he used two and that the one sold to Grob [20/71/1] was the Bogota car. I think that the car sent to Fuji was probably the newer one [now Steve Marchmann's car] for the same reason as you [how did they get it from Japan to California and race ready?]

Detailed analysis of Fred's ads can be hard but rewarding work if you trace when cars appear and disappear. But wouldn't we just love to see his sales ledgers!

Chris

[Fenton]

The Richard Parsons B20 was navy blue when he had it and it ran a March nosecone (can't remember which model). It was sold to Bill Lord in Scotland if I remember correctly.

[Steve Marschman]

In case anyone still looks here...

I wonder if my car really was the Opert car used at Fuji. The link to the Fuji results suggest that the car was equipped with a Cosworth FVC 1.8 liter engine. My car came to me with a Lotus 1600 with a Brian Hart head. Did they swap engines out like that and run the cars in multiple classes? That suggests that my car ran FB in the US and F2 overseas. Interesting.

Steve

[Kevin D]

Hey Fenton Kevin Dorrian here. What are you up to? Keeping well?

[Harry Hickling]

Hi All,

I'm not 100% clear yet about the chassis No of Steve's car - but here is my suggestion.

I can confirm it is definitely not B20-72-4. I would accept Chris's point of view that this is Joe Shepherd's car. I saw the car first hand and unless something has changed B20-72-4 was at Roger Andreason's (ec. Chevron Factory when I saw it in England) and under restoration. This is the John Lepp, Alex Lowe, Chevron car. (I have detailed photos of the car in England under restoration).

Now three B20s were sold to Fred Opert, which might account for the confusion of where cars are at certain dates. All were sold as FB Cars.

B20-72-3, B20-72-5 and B20-72-7.

B20-72-7 was the Brian Robertson - Player's Challenge Car, said to be in storage from 1979-84 and owned by Alex Poisnello up to 1991 (Source Chevron Files).

B20-72-5 was owned by Ed Swart in 1989.

Therefore, Steve's car could should be B20-72-3 an original Fred Opert FB car 1598 cc Ford Twin Cam. (Steve if you can confirm from the previous owner / or your log book lists different owners in 1991 and 1989 then this is almost certain).

Henk (Vasmel) is there any way you can find the Japenese GP race entry listing with Chassis No's and Engine configurations?

I suspect that Steve's car is B20-72-3 Fred Opert FB Car and the later Japanese car is either B20-72-5 or B20-72-7.

Would be nice to clear this up - because we then have a pretty tight account of the 10 cars.

Harry

[Mick Henderson]

Hi, It's good to see this thread's alive again! I'm still restoring B20 71 01, I've been helped in my research by Michael at bobbybrownracing.com. Bobby says that the blue car was flown from Chevron to Bogota for Fred Opert, it was assmbled & run by Chevron race manager Dave Wilson, he also confirms it as the Fuji car. It's unlikely that he raced my car, he thinks he might have tested it. I do have a photo of '01 from Fred, it clearly has his distincive logo on the side but there's no info about where it was taken. This is the only picture I have of my car racing, if anybody has more I'd love to see them. It's easily identified by the B18 main body without the moulded mirror mountings, and the cross tube on the roll hoop is lower down than on the later cars. I still have this body, the orange gel coat is preserved under thick black paint, & the original alloy nose survived remarkably well. This suggests an easy or uncompetitve life until the car's layup in the mid '80s. Any other photos of the chassis & engine bay etc of any B20s would be much appreciated too, as I'm very keen to keep it as original as possible. I have some of Harry's photos on my workshop wall to keep me inspired, he has done a beautiful restoration which is a credit to him.
I did see a results website which included chassis numbers, when I find it again I'll post it, racingdatabase.com seems to be pretty comprehensive although I know nothing about their source material.

Michael.

[allenbrown]

Originally Posted by Mick Henderson

I did see a results website which included chassis numbers, when I find it again I'll post it, racingdatabase.com seems to be pretty comprehensive although I know nothing about their source material.

Maybe this was www.oldracingcars.com/atlantic/.