Chevron B42

[driftwood]

nobody asked if anyone had them?

[Steve Wilkinson]

Originally Posted by Chris Townsend

As I'm into serious work postponement at the moment...

Chevron said to have built 21 B42s so I have accounted for this with some 'grey area' cars late season.

17: Briggs: 1979 Brian Robinson 1980 Robinson running Tony Dean; 1981 Brian Robinson [I think that Robinson and Dean bought the Briggs cars between them as a team, running them in Briggs' colours which were very close to Dean's blue with gold pinstripe. When Dean disappeared for a few months to do her majesty's pleasure... Robinson kept the whole thing going, hence the swapping between chassis]

Chris

Chassis 17 was acquired by Russ Ward in the late 80s. He installed a Rover V8 and restored the car to the original Briggs racing blue. In 2005 the car was acquired by Peter Cox who still owns the car which still has the V8 installed.

[allenbrown]

Originally Posted by Chris Townsend

5: John David Briggs. 1979 Brian Robinson, 1980 Bob Howlings, retained 1981 then to Stuart McPherson; Peter Taylor 1985-86

10: Briggs: Don Briedenbach

17: Briggs: 1979 Brian Robinson 1980 Robinson running Tony Dean; 1981 Brian Robinson [I think that Robinson and Dean bought the Briggs cars between them as a team, running them in Briggs' colours which were very close to Dean's blue with gold pinstripe. When Dean disappeared for a few months to do her majesty's pleasure... Robinson kept the whole thing going, hence the swapping between chassis]

19: Briggs:, 1979 Tony Dean/Brian Robinson; 1980 Brian Robinson

Originally Posted by Steve Wilkinson

Chassis 17 was acquired by Russ Ward in the late 80s. He installed a Rover V8 and restored the car to the original Briggs racing blue. In 2005 the car was acquired by Peter Cox who still owns the car which still has the V8 installed.

Still not convinced about B42-10 but I have news on B42-17. Robinson drove it at the 1 April 1983 British Open race so we can close that gap by a couple of years. Marcus Pye did the report and quotes its chassis number in the results.

Allen

[allenbrown]

Originally Posted by Chris Townsend

B42-15: Opert: Keijo Rosberg; 1979 Phil Bennett->Dave Rackham (FAt); 1980 David Mercer (FAt) retained 1981, 1982 Norman Paine, gap to 1985 Antonia Loysen [FL] gap to 1990 Terry Murphy

But ... Autosport 11 Oct 1979 p57 says Bennett sold his ex-Opert Chevron B42 to Viv Candy for Atlantic racing (during Bennett's trip to Ireland with his Shadow DN3B for Candy to use to break the Irish speed record).

These events happened August 19-22, three to five weeks after Rackham started racing his B42 in England.

[allenbrown]

And previously ... Autosport 12 Jul 1979 p40: "Chevron Cars have come to [Rackham's] rescue and are enabling him to run the ex-Keke Rosberg Chevron B42, suitably adapted from Formula 2 specification".

Have we got two entirely separate ex-Opert/ex-Rosberg B42s?

[Dan Rear]

How do we know Bennett was involved in -15 before it went from Chevron to Rackham?
I guess the one he sold to Ireland was either -6 or -12, ie non-Keke Opert cars. Have we much knowledge of either of these 2 after 1978/Opert?

[driftwood]

what about race reports did keke crash 1 car at a race then get 2nd car to run in for 1 or 2 races then revrt to his main car when repaired?

where any cars converted to FA spec sent to NZ OZ USA events ?
this is maybe why keke can be down as driving 2 cars?
how many chassis do F1 drivers race in a season at least 2 poss 3

[Chris Townsend]

I can't find my source of the Phil Bennett connection between Opert and Rackham but it was probably Bennett offering an ex Rosberg car at a convenient time rather than an observed chassis number.

Of the two other Opert cars we know not wot until 1986 in the case of Hayje's car, and nothing at all in the case of Elgh's car [or cars since he had a new one after Donington]. Quite prepared to accept that one of these was the car Bennett sold to Candy. The claim of 'ex Rosberg' might simply have been a sales aid.

Chris

[Dan Rear]

Originally Posted by Dan Rear

Funny old world ain't it !!

I've just spoken to Warren Booth himself, who thinks the car was sold to someone up North, but NOT Jim Evans. Given that Warren is alive and well in Blackburn, still autotrading, I think he meant someone in the NorthEast, where Jim E was/is.

However as its over 25 years ago, and Warren is nearly 70 I think, and is not especially interested in these minutiae, I wonder whether he's a little confused !!!

Guess who I had dineer with on Friday?? Yep, Warren himself!

He remembers selling the B42 to a Yorkshire chap, but NOT Phil Bennett he's sure. He said the owner didn't use the car at all, he just liked owning it. He also said he much preferred the 48 to the 42, the former being much faster. Some fascinating anecdotes were swapped!

[Dan Rear]

Originally Posted by Dan Rear

Funny old world ain't it !!

I've just spoken to Warren Booth himself, who thinks the car was sold to someone up North, but NOT Jim Evans. Given that Warren is alive and well in Blackburn, still autotrading, I think he meant someone in the NorthEast, where Jim E was/is.

However as its over 25 years ago, and Warren is nearly 70 I think, and is not especially interested in these minutiae, I wonder whether he's a little confused !!!

Guess who I had dinner with on Friday?? Yep, Warren himself!

He remembers selling the B42 to a Yorkshire chap, but NOT Phil Bennett he's sure. He said the owner didn't use the car at all, he just liked owning it. He also said he much preferred the 48 to the 42, the former being much faster. Some fascinating anecdotes were swapped!

[driftwood]

Yorkshire is Tony Dean Brian Robinson country im sure if he sold car to them he would have said
do we have a chassis number allocated to the car Warren had

maybe time for a new list /recap on the news and additions

[Dan Rear]

Yes DW, definitely -16. He showed me the invoice from when he bought the car, and the B48 a year later. Fascinating stuff, the cost shows we are talking some years ago!

[ROGER JORDAN]

Just found out who I bought B42 No 6 from in late 85, he is Martin Hill from the Camborne area of Cornwall, so if anyone remembers selling a B42 to him.................!!

[Dan Rear]

Not wishing to be rude, I've never heard of Martin Hill! I don't recall Camborne as a hive of single seater activity either. What colour was the car when you got it, Roger, still in Opert/Elgh livery or something else?

[Steve Wilkinson]

Originally Posted by Dan Rear

Not wishing to be rude, I've never heard of Martin Hill! I don't recall Camborne as a hive of single seater activity either. What colour was the car when you got it, Roger, still in Opert/Elgh livery or something else?

Camborne was and still is a "hive" of motor sport activity with a lot of Rally, Sprint & Hillclimb competitors in the area.

The fact it is a single seater doesn't necessarily mean it was being raced, especially as Castle Combe and Thruxton are so far North!

[ROGER JORDAN]

Dan my dear chap, not a hive of single seaters? rinse your mouth out, we had Brabham, March, Ralt, Lotus, Cooper, Nike, Chevron, Crossle, Ehrlich, Hawke, Merlyn, Pilbeam, Kieft, Ray, Royale, Supernova, Ensign, Sark just to name the ones off the top of my head !! not bad for a county surrounded on three sides by water and hanging on by a bridge on the other !
My Chevron was all white when I bought it so no clues there, although I had a very tatty pair of sidepods with the car, (originals I presume) they are white with blue and red (reflective) stripes along the bottom about two inches wide just above the skirts which widen and sweep up just where the rear radius arms mount to the tub, it has what appears to be a permanent number 2 but with the adhesive residue from a number 1 in front , double driven in speed events perhaps, I must photograph the sidepods and post them to see if it jogs any memories, anybody remember a B42 in white,red and blue carrying the permanent number 2 ?
Martin had two or three single seaters at various times but I can`t find him in any results, he certainly didn`t use the Chevron.

[Steve Wilkinson]

Originally Posted by ROGER JORDAN

My Chevron was all white when I bought it so no clues there, although I had a very tatty pair of sidepods with the car, (originals I presume) they are white with blue and red (reflective) stripes along the bottom about two inches wide just above the skirts which widen and sweep up just where the rear radius arms mount to the tub, it has what appears to be a permanent number 2 but with the adhesive residue from a number 1 in front , double driven in speed events perhaps, I must photograph the sidepods and post them to see if it jogs any memories, anybody remember a B42 in white,red and blue carrying the permanent number 2 ?

In 1984 Ray Rowan came second in the BSC so would have carried Number 2 in 1985. HOWEVER he was running the Toleman/Roman that year, plus when Rowan ran his B42 it was all over RED with white sign-writing.

[driftwood]

Rays B42 is the car that we know was made into b48 car replated run around then back to B42
Ray had a B40 car ex Opert rosberg prost car

[dublinguy]

I can confirm that the B42 used by Vivian Candy in F Atlantic in Ireland in 1979 was Chassis No 04. The ex Opert Car driven by Boy Harje in F2. It was White with Red around the cockpit. (No blue on it at the time).Regarding the number residue it carried the number 7 when racing in Ireland and the number was on the left of the front wing. Have photos of the car racing in Ireland.

[Dan Rear]

Are you sure dublinguy? We reckon that -04, ex Ertl/Siller, is in Central Europe somewhere. Chassis -06, is the ex Opert/Hayje car, that Roger Jordan has/had, isn't this the one Candy used?

[dublinguy]

Sorry all , Upon checking my photos of the car I saw that I had written the wrong chassis no on my post. Thanks for correcting me Dan.

Chassis No 06, the car that Roger has/had, is the car that Candy drove. It was no where near as sucessful as the B29 that Jordan/Candy/Fallon drove; well in Mondello and Phoenix Park it wasnt !

[Chris Townsend]

Thanks Dublinguy!
Any thoughts on the Parsons and Templeton B42s that were also in that race? [Templeton DNS after practice]
I'm guessing that one is the ex Lees car and the other the ex Elgh car from Opert, but that's based solely on possible availability of British based cars.

Chris

[Dan Rear]

If we're talking about the 1979 Phoenix Park race Chris, is there any evidence the Parsons car wassn't his usual B34 from that year? OTOH, that year, Candy mainly used his ex-Jordan B29, and Parsons the B34. I appreciate they may have wanted to get something a little more modern/quicker for the big race, but were they both really in B42s??

[dublinguy]

Dan, Chris & all,
I am very aware of the vast knowledge you all have and am trying to help clarify these cars and dates so bear with me ! I worked for EJ, Candy and Gibson on these cars.
I have a pic of the ex Opert Chassis:06 (which was sold as ex Rosberg, I remember it being said.) in Mondello on 22 March 1980 when it was used for potential sponsors to drive.
I am almost certain that 29.75.04 was the one used by Candy throughout 1979 & that PJ Fallon did use it in the Phoenix Park that year.
Candy was competing Vs Gibson for the Irish title. Gibson got the B42 Chassis No:8 the ex ICI car so Candy got the Opert car Chassis 6.
1980 Candy continued with the B42 and so did Gibson with his.
In 1981 (?) Gibson was driving a 'Mac' Chevron B49 (?) as I remember Robin Smith being over with the car. It was all over Red and we had to extend the exhaust due to the wing being set so far back for the Phoenix Park I have pic of it in Phoenix park in what I have written down as 1981.
Re: the Tom O Leary B48 ( I know different thread!) could the GRANGE stickers have been Grange Motors in Dublin ? That I will investigate. Please help & correct me where you can !
Thanks

[allenbrown]

Good to have you here Dublinguy!