This B19 was sold to Harry Hundt, head of Duckhams Germany to be driven by Bernd Terbeck in European 2-litre sports car races and German Bergrennen in 1971. First known race at the Osnabrück ADAC-Bergrennen on 1 Aug 1971. The car was also seen in the Nurburgring 500 km.
Terbeck was involved in Bert Hawthorne's fatal accident in a F2 race in April 1972 and retired shortly afterwards. Later in 1972, the Duckhams Oil Racing Team entered the B19 for Heinz-Günter Wechsler in the interserie (2 races). It appeared again in 1973, at the Nürburgring 500 km 2-litre sports car race in september and at Mainz-Finthen a week later.
According to Heinz-Günter Wechsler, he took over the car from Hundt and retained it until 1976 when he sold it to Rolf Farber (DL). Wechsler's last race appears to be the ADAC-Westfalen-Pokal-Rennen at Zolder on 31 Aug 1975. Farber raced the car in Bergrennen in late 1976.
Wilfried Güllert (Wilgersdorf) then raced a Chevron B19 in Bergrennen in 1977 and 1978 and although the link from Farber to Güllert is not yet proven, it seems highly probable that it's the same car. Güllert acquired a German ONS Wagenpass for the car in March 1979 and won his class in the German hill climb series that season in the car.
The Wagenpass shows that it went to Dieter Josting (Siegen, Germany) in October 1981 and it was then bought by Claus-Peter Beckhäuser (Trier, Germany) in 1983. The car's ONS HVIF from 1987 gives its chassis number as "B19/24" and also gives a frame number (Fahrgestell-Nummer) of "AM 71 B19 24".
1990
The car raced in historic events by Beckhäuser in 1986 and in 1990, and in International Supersports 1992-1993 (as #43). It was then sold to Dr. Robert Harvey (UK) 2004 and raced in Supersports in Gulf livery in 2005, 2006 and 2007. Run by Kelvin Jones Motorsport. It was sold to Peter McLaughlin (Hannover, NH) November 2008 but still with Kelvin Jones Motorsport in the UK May 2009.In June 2011, via Grand Prix Classics (La Jolla, CA) the Chevron was to Chris MacAllister (Indianapolis, IN). At the 2011 Monterey Historics, the livery was still in pseudo-Gulf livery.
2005 Silverstone Classics
The car was sold to Central Garage Mirfield Ltd for John Lepp to drive in European 2-litre Championship 1971. Th car made his debut at Croft in March 1971. Lepp also drove the car at Oulton Park, Thruxton Yellow Pages Trophy Race and at Paul Ricard 18 Apr (co-driven by Guy Edwards). After a race in France, the car was back at Silverstone, Hockenheim, Brands Hatch, Nürburgring, Thruxton, Zandvoort and Montlhéry (co-driven by Terry Croker).
For 1972 71-09 was sold to James Gray to drive in European 2-litre sports car races and some interserie races in 1972. However, together with John Lepp, he raced the Chevron in the Brands Hatch 100km and the Spa 1000 km. With Gaydon, the car was seen at the Nurburgring 1000 km and the Austria 1000km.
In November 1972, Autosport reported that "the ex-John Lepp B19 of John Gray will be seen in the hands of B8 driver Ian Harrower next year". It was raced through 1973 and 1974 by Ian Harrower and James Bell plus guest drivers in interserie and the endurance racing.
The B19 was then bought by Tony Wadsworth (Highbridge, Somerset), brother-in-law of Special Saloon racer Jonathan Buncombe. When they bought it, it still had Ian Bracy's name on it from Silverstone 29 Sep 1974 which had been its last race. It was found to have one of Cosworth's rare FVD engines in it at this point, an ex-Rondel/Ian Grob Alan Smith unit.
Wadsworth 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 Gerry Marshall and Dealer Team Vauxhall's 'Baby Bertha'. So they converted it with an Hillman Imp body and even took it to the Chevron works in Bolton to get the chassis checked.
The Hillman Super Imp 2-litre, nicknamed the "Chimp", debuted at Thuxton 26 Oct 1975. It was protested on numerous grounds but allowed to run "for fun". Buncombe qualified second, alongside Marshall, but Marshall span under pressure from the Chimp and Buncombe led before spinning as well on tyres that refused to warm up. Over the winter Buncombe and Wadsworth had the car checked by the series' chief scrutineer Peter Jowitt who 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.
1976 'chimp-car' 1975 next to Gerry Marshall
They raced at Silverstone in early May 1976 in a race supporting the Six Hour race and were turned down at scrutineering but because of the letter from Jowitt, they were allowed to race. They won - narrowly from Baby Bertha after an epic battle - and Vauxhall weren't happy. After one more race later in 1976 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 "Super Chimp" was advertised by Tony Wadsworth Racing (Highbridge, Somerset) in September 1976 and the Chevron less engine was sold to Paul Howarth in Wolverhampton.
Howarth drove the B19 in a Historic Racing Cars race at the Rufforth season-opener in April 1977.
Howarth moved on to a Lotus Elan at the end of 1977 and the B19 (Plygrange/Prestige Windows livery) was raced by Vin Malkie in historic races from 1978 onwards. The car changed significantly over this time, possibly due to a restoration to proper B19 spec for historic racing. Although the car was routinely referred to as Malkie's during this period, it was prepared by Neil Bailey's Plygrange Racing .
In 1982, James Wallis (Otford Racing). Wallis, Mike Wilds and Andrew Gilbert-Scott were the regular drivers. They competed in the Thundersport Series.
After 1986, the car's HSCC papers say that it went to Ray Bellm in 1987 as the 'Lifestyle' B19. Bellm used this car in the 1987 HSCC Atlantic Computers Historic GT series.
The B19 then goes to Roger Andreason in 1988 and was taken to USA. It was restored into the original red livery with white stripes.However, the car's movements over the next 18 years remain a mystery. A photograph taken of a Chevron B8 in Andreason's UK workshop in 2003 appears to show the B19 under a dust sheet in the background. The next that is known for certain of the car is when it was sold by Andreason to Kevin Wilkins in 2006. Wilkins was told the car had raced in the US but was not given any details.
2007 - again in original colours
Sold by Wilkins in February 2019 to a Belgian owner.
This car may have begun life as a 1971 Chevron B16 (DBE 35) purchased and raced contemporarily British privateer Roger Heavens. Updated to B21 specifications for 1972. Roger Heavan and Mike Garton raced in the endurance championship (Brands Hatch, Spa, Nurburgring and Zeltweg) and in the Interserie, but also in the Angola and South African Spingbok series. Back in Europe, the car was updated to B23 Spec in 1973. Heaven did some races with it and sold the car to Waldemer Texeira in Angola to race there. It was almost certainly the car that went to Bandeira Vieira later in 1974. The Angolan civil war then intervened and the B21 remained in storage of Carlos Santos in Angola until 1985. The car was sold to Stein Johansen from Norway, who worked in Angola. The car was shipped back to Europe in 1991, and a restoration was started by Steve Sheldon.
The restoration was not completed and the Chevron was then not seen for some years until sold at Bonhams' Stoneleigh auction in B21 specifications in February 2006 to Eddie McLurgin. It was later sold to Mike Fisher, who had the restoration completed by Jeremy Bennett of Nemesis Racing in Gloucestershire, and they repainted it from the yellow livery it wore in 2006, to maroon with black and white stripes.
It was sold by Silverstone Auctioins about 2011, and subsequently went to France. In May 2015, the car was offered again by Bonhams at their Spa auction.
Martin Raymond (London) bought the car late in 1972 to replace his Daren Mk. 3, B21-72-26 was used for the last three races of the European series2L and the interserie. After that it was upgraded into B23 form for the whole 1973 season. It was unused in 1974 and was advertised by Raymond in November that year. Bought by John Blanckley (London) for 1975 and raced by him and John Calvert that season, like the Spa 1000 km and the European 2L. Then it was sold to Rolf Götz (Waldenbuch, Germany) and raced from 1976 to 1978, described as a B26.
For 1979, Götz bought Blanckley's newer B31 and the fate of the B21 is unknown. Between 1980 and 1982, a car with this identity was advertised by Bob Speak's Barrowford Garage (Nelson, Lancashire) but how it had got from southwestern Germany to Lancashire is unclear.
For the record: Martin Raymond got killed in the 6H Brands Hatch 1980 when an Osella drove into his Chevron B36, who stood parked after mechanical failure.
