Footnotes

• Shy intuitive engineer and vastly underrated driver Derek Bennett was once dubbed Britain’s Enzo Ferrari, yet his most stunning world-beating Chevron cars emerged from the gloom of a lofty old brick-built Lancashire cotton mill in Bolton’s Old Chorley Road.
  
  The Chevron story officially started with a pair of beautifully built front-engined sports cars for the quirky new Clubmans Formula of 1965. Bennett himself started a tradition by winning the model’s debut race, at Kirkistown in Northern Ireland. But the prototype GT cars, which followed, paved the marque’s way to international stardom.
  The ubiquitous B6 and B8 coupes of ’67 and ’68 took the world by storm, particularly with two-litre BMW 2002 engines, enabling pecunious privateers to take on the world while satisfying the demands of the greatest professional talents – superstars like Lancastrian Brian Redman.
  
  Like that of Peter Gethin, the young Redman’s name is intertwined with Chevron lore, for the local hero scored maiden wins in B5 and B16 sports cars, and the prototype Formula 5000 B24 single-seater which originated a new specialty. One which earned Bennett and his crew unique notoriety when Gethin defeated Formula 1 opposition to win the 1973 Race of Champions.
  
  Debuted in 1969, the B16 sports racer – arguably the prettiest sports coupe ever to grace the circuits - spawned a long series of two-litre prototypes, much beloved by connoisseurs of the sport then as now.
  Chevron enjoyed success in the junior single-seater leagues too, from Formula 3 (in its 1-litre and 2-litre eras) to two-litre F2, in which Keke Rosberg won twice in Chevron-Hart and future world champions Alain Prost and Nigel Mansell also joined the ‘Bolton Wanderers.’
  
  Today, the closed coupes are among the most popular models, but the incredibly agile and quick open Group 6 sports cars derived from a cut-down B16 Spyder (Bennett’s response to Lola’s T210) enjoy a loyal following throughout Europe and in ‘vintage’ events in the USA.
  
  
  The B31 offered here, is the fifth of six documented as built in 1975, marks the evolution of the B26, Chevron’s first monocoque sports car, which succeeded a series of tube frame chassis.
  
  Bearing an unmistakable family resemblance to their forbears, all were built as two-litre cars. This example, however, has been adapted to carry a Cosworth DFV V8 engine in place of its original in-line four. The most successful three-litre F1 power unit of all time – the Keith Duckworth-designed Double Four Valve won no fewer than 155 Grand Prix between 1967 and ’83
  
  No paperwork is on file and we hope to have further information by time of sale. This car has not been run in recent years and we recommend complete mechanical inspection and careful preparation is undertaken before using this vehicle.
  

Saleroom notices

• Please note that this Chevron B31 sports-prototype – a model originally intended to accept 2-litre Hart 420R and 1.6-litre Cosworth-Ford 4-cylinder power units – is offered here with nothing less than a 3-litre Cosworth-Ford DFV V8 engine installed.