1972 CHEVRON B20 - PAU GRAND PRIX WINNER

KEY FACTS

• Winner of the 1972 Pau Grand Prix, driven by Peter Gethin.
• Also driven in period by Vic Elford, John Watson, and David Morgan.
• Recently acquired directly from the Chevron Heritage collection where it was carefully stored and maintained for more than 30 years by marque technicians.

HISTORY

• The Chevron B20 was the marque’s 1972 single-seater design, designed primarily for Formula Two (F2) racing. A significant development over the B18 F2 predecessor, its front wing was replaced with a full-width squared-off nose, based largely on the front end of the B19 sports car.
• Chevron’s single seaters were sold to privateer teams for the purposes of Formula B, for hill climbs in Europe, F3 racing in the UK, and even the 1600cc twin-cam Formula in the Far East.
• The manufacturer itself focused on Formula Two, and this particular B20 was prepared for the 1972 season, raced by Peter Gethin and Vic Elford. In 1967, Elford had achieved a class win at Le Mans; while Gethin was fresh from his 1971 Formula One season, where he had set the fastest average speed in history at Monza in his BRM - a record that would stand for more than 30 years before Schumacher broke it in 2003.
• While reliability issues affected the overall standing throughout the 1972 season, the B20 proved to be very fast. In the fourth race of the season, the Pau Grand Prix, Gethin clinched overall victory in this very car - making it the first Chevron to win an international F2 race. He also set the fastest lap times during the races at Imola in July and Mantorp Park in Sweden in August; and even secured pole position at the latter.
• In late August 1972, it is understood that this car was also raced at the famous Rothmans 50,000 ‘Formula Libre’ race at Brands Hatch, equipped with a 1900cc Cosworth FVC engine and driven by John Watson.
• Chevron B20 72-2 is believed to be the car that David Morgan raced in the Torneio do Brasil at the end 1972. Unfortunately, the history books also state that Morgan crashed in practice at Interlagos when the car hit the Armco and suffered significant damage. In total, the car has 15 recorded races in its history, driven by Peter Gethin, Vic Elford, John Watson and David Morgan.
• While it was initially thought to be irreparable, the car was evidently rebuilt, as it then joined the collection of club racer and British Formula Four champion, Alex Lowe, before being bought back in 1986 by Roger Andreason and Tim Colman - who had acquired all of the assets and rights to Chevron Cars. It remained in this heritage collection until Andreason passed away in 2019.
• The car was subsequently acquired by the current owners - just the third from new - who collected it directly from the Chevron workshops, where it was personally handed over by one the original Chevron technicians who worked on the car from the 1970s through to recent years.
• This Chevron B20 is complete and presented in good cosmetic condition, having been dry stored for many years, though it will require expert recommissioning prior to running once again.
• A close friend of the vendor who has encyclopaedic knowledge of race car engines has reviewed images of the car, and he believes the engine installed is that of a very early Cosworth, which alone holds a significant value in the historic racing community.

SUMMARY

This Chevron B20 is an exceptionally rare car; one of only 11 examples built, and one of only four that were completed to Formula Two specifications. It also boasts unique provenance, having won the 1972 Pau Grand Prix in the hands of Peter Gethin. All of the information on file, and the stated history above, has been confirmed by Tim Coleman, who is managing director of Chevron Heritage and Official Chevron Historian. This represents a fantastic opportunity to acquire a race-winning car with well-documented early history, and which is now ready to be recommissioned so it can once again experience some of the world’s most famous circuits.

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