1970 Chevron B16 Pilots: I. Skailes, J. Hine Team: Chevron Racing Team Race: DNF (SP 3.0 class) at Le Mans in 1970 Bizarre - BZ312 (resin)
Published 11/25/19
Derek Bennett, born in 1933, was a self-taught engineer and amateur racing pilot. After years of working on cars, piloting and eventually building his own cars, in 1965 he founded Chevron Cars Ltd. He opened a small shop in Salford, Manchester, and began production of small-capacity sports cars and single-seaters for Formula 2, 3 and 5000. His was the first car with a diffuser (Chevron GT) and the first car with a crash box (Chevron B16). With the good result of his smaller cars, soon came the requests for bigger GT class cars. To begin with, he needed an engine, and he got Cosworth to supply him with their FVC unit. The FVC was an inline-4 that displaced 1790 cm³, with a nominal output of 235 hp.
With the engine sorted, subsequently the next issue was the chassis. Bennett opted for a tubular space-frame, reinforced by steel and aluminum sheets. For ease of repairs, the front and rear sub-frames could be detached. To keep things aerodynamic, around all that went a fiberglass body produced by Specialized Mouldings. Called the B16, the coupe had dashing good looks that made it stand out. From 1969 to 1970 Chevron produced a total of 23 units.
In the 1970’s 24 Heures du Mans Chevron had a factory team with two cars. Unfortunately though, neither finished the race. The B16 #44 abandoned on lap 187 and this #49 lasted until lap 213, when a broken valve gear forced it to retirement. The B16 is a rare car, and there’s not much to find about it on the web. Therefore, only Bizarre to replicate it in scale. Well, who else makes the oddballs? But, obscure car or not, it came out fine in 1:43. That said, it’s not a model for the masses, but definitively something for the Le Mans nut.
Like me 😎.