Chevron B19

[allenbrown]

Yes indeed, I am now quite confident that the Chimp was B19-71-9 but we've already covered all this on 5 Feb. The area that remains unresolved is what happened to it after Buncombe.

On 5 Feb, I said:

Originally Posted by allenbrown

What I'd like to examine a little more is how it got from Buncombe to Wallis as two routes have been suggested. ... this page says the Chimp went to Paul Howarth and there's no mention of Howarth in the history I've seen of B19-71-9. Also, a completely different B19 claims to have come from Howarth in 1979.

Howarth and Buncombe could clear this up if anyone can get in touch with them.

[driftwood]

looking at the 2 fotos the B19 has b26 rear tail with wing highly unlikely that there where 2 or 3 cars around like that but i know u dont like assumptions!

[allenbrown]

Originally Posted by allenbrown

Howarth and Buncombe could clear this up if anyone can get in touch with them.

I've just left a message for Jonathan Buncombe to phone me back. I should have an answer this afternoon.

Allen

[allenbrown]

I just got off the phone with Jonathan Buncombe.

He confirmed that he bought the B19 from Harrower, still with Ian Bracy stickers on it [from Brands Hatch 29 Sep 1974 which appears to have been its last race]. It still had the rare Cosworth FVD in it at this point.

Jonathan's brother-in-law Tony Wadsworth actually owned the Chevron and he tried it in sprints but didn't get along with it and it sat for a good time unused. Then Buncombe's father, who raced an Imp in Saloon car racing, suggested they turned it into a Special Saloon to challenge Marshall and Baby Bertha. So they converted it to an Imp body and even took it to Chevron to get the chassis checked. Buncombe says he was too embarrassed to go but apparently the Chevron mechanics loved it!

It debuted at Thuxton at the end of the 1975 season and I think Jonathan said he was on pole or alongside Marshall on the front row. They were protested but allowed to run "for fun". Marshall span under pressure from the Chimp and Buncombe led before spinning as well on tyres that refused to warm up.

Over the winter they had the car checked by the chief scrutineer (Jowett?) and he agreed that it met the silhouette rules - although this was mainly because the wheels weren't thought to effect the silhouette so it was legal even though the wheelbase was different. They raced at Silverstone at the start of 1976 and were turned down at scrutineering but had the letter from Jowett and were allowed to race. They won - against Baby Bertha - and Vauxhall weren't happy. After one more race (about May) again at Silverstone where the Chimp retired with a broken gearbox, Vauxhall brandished their barristers and the Chimp was banned as the silhouette was now deemed to incorporate the wheels.

The car was sold as a Chevron less engine to Paul Howarth in Wolverhampton but Jonathan lost track of it at this point. The FVD went into the F2 March he bought from Friswell and sold to Orgee unraced [see the 732 thread]. Orgee blew up the FVD almost first race he recalls.

So that takes B19-71-9 to the end of 1976 or beginning of 1977. He is sure he didn't sell it to Vin, who he knows of course, so it must have got to Vin after Howarth.

Anyone know how to contact Paul Howarth?

[driftwood]

I think that Mr Hadfield has spoken in the past on this. He was away last week, in the USA. The bottom line is that what info was given before for the car is correct (so far) and I doubt that it will change much. We'll probably get some info added like engine change, bodywork additions, ie B26 tail

[Delbert]

Allen
Please see the email James has kindly sent me -
Dear Kevin, Thanks for your lateste-mail; I am sorry that I have not replied before to your earlier one but I have been extremely busy recently working as I do in the floristry industry.

You were questioning if the blue Bi9 was mine with the wing,splitter etc and I have to own up to it. This wasdone by my racing partner Ian Harrower at the start of the 1974 season!

With regard to your latest e-mail, I may be able to shed some light on the Howarth situation
as I attended the opening meeting of the revamped Donnington circuit in 1977 with my friend Richard Bond who was racing the Marsh Plant Lola T70 Mk3b GT. Richard introduced me to Paul Howarth who was out in 'our' B19 and following a rather inauspicious
race Paul said that he would be testing at Oulton Park (my then home circuit) on the following Monday and could I go along and help them with setting up the car.

At Oulton, I distinctly remember looking at the chassis plate and found it to be the right one. By the way, when I first ventured out at Oulton that day the car was a complete 'dog' in the handling department but I did manage to get it to my liking or as near as I could remember! The other distinctive thing I remember was the bodywork was brilliant white(not really a Chevron colour at all).

I don't know what happened to the car after that but Paul Howarth contacted me about 8 years later to ask me about a car that my friend Ian Bracey had once owned.

Hpoe this is of some help but in the meantime I will definitely dig out some photos for you.

Kind regards,

James.

[Delbert]

oh and then he sent this:
Hi Kevin, I forgot to add that Paul Howarth said that this was the former Chimp chassis and my seeing the chassis number would bear this out.

Kind regards,

James.

[allenbrown]

Thanks for this Kevin.

Howarth is no longer with us but Whyman or Griffin may be able to help (according to three sources, Whyman drove the car for Howarth; Griffin then bought it from him).

For Drifty's benefit, the key issue now is that Buncombe says the car went to Howarth (which is what Simon, Marcus and David had already told me), not to Vin Malkie. So the history of Delbert's car is - for now at least - broken.

Of course we may find that Howarth had two B19s and sold the ex-Chimp to Vin and the other one to Griffin.

This is Griffin's car in 1983:

(Copyright Jeremy Jackson. Used with permission.)

Griffin sold it to Sid Marler in 1983 and he sold it to Ed Swart in 1989. Swart still has it.

[driftwood]

1 what is chassis number for this car that ed swart has?
2 have u asked Vin directly if he took Howarths b19-9 car

[allenbrown]

1 It's said to be B19-25. I've asked Ed for the AM number.
2 Vin said I should talk to Helen about B19s but she's down with the 'flu.

[Delbert]

Allen
But surely James has shown that "our" car was in the hands of Howarth (as asked to help test it) it had the right chassis # and Howarth confirmed it was the Chimp car. Where is the break?

[driftwood]

Does Helen have "man " flu or the real thing?
Allen will not accept the trail until it is proven the 2nd B19 that was in Griffins hands was not used as chimp it is easier to let him have his stance until the next owner confirms aaht is already said as some times he is proven right
he does not believe he is Allen Brown until he looks at his passport!

[allenbrown]

James has shown that the ex-Lepp B19-71-9 gets all the way to Howarth. Your car goes back to Malkie but is supposed to have gone from Buncombe to Malkie which we now know it didn't. The history I've seen for your car makes no mention of Howarth.

So the break is between Buncombe and Malkie. That's where it's always been.

We now appear to have a continuous history for B19-71-9 that goes Lepp, Gray, Bell/Harrower, Buncombe, Howarth, Griffin, Marler, Swart to the present day. I have stressed "appear" because Swart's car doesn't claim to be the Lepp/Chimp car. All this points to Howarth having had two B19s in the late 1970s.

The reason for Drifty's comment about me not believing my own identity until I read my passport is because he doesn't get this. He has the attention span of a goldfish and probably won't even read this post far enough to read this insult.

When Helen recovers from the 'flu, she may be able to confirm that Vin bought his car from Howarth and that Howarth had two B19s.

I have a number now for Whyman so the trail isn't cold yet.

[Delbert]

..............but isn't the Swart car chassis #25?

[allenbrown]

That's what it is said to be but the Chevron chassis list says chassis 25 was rebuilt with chassis 29 so #25 shouldn't exist any more. As far as I can tell, it was the car Hine was driving when he was launched over the earth bank at Brands Hatch on 30 Aug 1971. Maybe it was rebuilt and acquired somehow by Howarth but I'd love to know how.

[driftwood]

Oi Browny i resemble that remark and my passport is getting wet in my gold fish bowl

I did not pass any comment on chassis 25 as i thought here we go again another car that was writen off seems to be "alive"

with reference to Howarth Malkie car
was there a comment about white bodywork on the B19 from someone ?
look at the fotos on the other site u mentoned earlier where the Howarth malkie cars are with B26 rear bodywork- i do not believe that 2 cars whould have the same bodywrk fitted

[driftwood]

Oct 30 1975 AS snippet
Buncombe Chimp p49
John Wadsworth built the car in which he sprinted into the Chimp. Buncombe made the body fitted with 10 pins and easily converted back to sports car body car had rear wing a kin to the Imps rear window in the open position and no roll cage just the standard B19 roll hoop

[Delbert]

with reference to Howarth Malkie car
was there a comment about white bodywork on the B19 from someone ?

White bodywork quote is from James: "The other distinctive thing I remember was the bodywork was brilliant white(not really a Chevron colour at all)".

[allenbrown]

Tony Griffin just emailed me. He says the B19 was red when he bought it from Howarth.

[Delbert]

Originally Posted by driftwood

Messrs Twaite and Humble are a live and do speak to 1 of our top secret contributors here

Would you pass me the contact details for them and I will pass them on to James. Thanks

[driftwood]

dont have them but mail me JB data and i will pass it to the top secret contributor when he next sends me his email for his top secret location

this poster will self destruct after i have eaten my hot curry- stand back!!

[allenbrown]

While writing up a history of the Lola T282, I noticed that Motoring News describe the Drysdale/Harradine Chevron at Kyalami 3 Nov 1973 as "the ex-John Lepp Chevron B21". Taken with everything else we know about B19-71-29, I think that that it now counts as the first Chevron B19 (on this thread at least) to have a complete history from manufacturer to the present day.

[driftwood]

what lola t282 are u writing about

[allenbrown]

There was only one - HU6

[p261brm]

Originally Posted by driftwood

dont have them but mail me JB data and i will pass it to the top secret contributor when he next sends me his email for his top secret location

this poster will self destruct after i have eaten my hot curry- stand back!!

Could not have been that strong still waiting for the explosion or does that not hapen until another fake B19/21/23 mysteriously appears. Know anything about fake HWM's? Busy doing nothing working the whole day through.....