Chevron B26 for sale hart engine
The ex-works 1974 Chevron B-26 ‘Chocolate Drop’ Hart 420R Chassis # B26 -74 -10
Built April/May 1974 by Derek Bennett’s Chevron Cars Limited, chassis no. 10 was the works car which was debuted at the Interserie race at Silverstone in May 1974 driven by Peter Gethin. Not only was the B26 design the first Chevron to feature a monocoque aluminium tub but this car was fitted with a brand-new,development Hart 420R engine, which produced an additional 15hp over the regular Cosworth BDA. It was christened ‘Chocolate Drop’ because of the unusual colour.
A week later Chocolate Drop was taken to the Nurburgring where the new Hart engine was to make its world-championship debut in the 750 kms. John Watson was paired with Gethin for the race and he too was delighted with the car. ‘The pleasure of driving that car on that circuit at that weekend was pretty special,’ Watson recalls. His main reason for doing the race was to learn the circuit in preparation for the German Grand Prix, when he would be driving the Hexagon Brabham F1. However there did not seem to be much wrong with his knowledge as in practice he lappedin 7 mins 35.5 secs, well inside the 2-litre lap record and almost 7 seconds faster than the next car in the class.
However, the best result for Chocolate Drop in 1974 was the British Airways 1000kms at Brands Hatch in September where Brian Redman and Peter Gethin teamed up for the first time in the Hart-engined works car. Despite an agonising eight-minute pit stop to change a shock absorber, they were still fourth overall at the finish, only 38 seconds behind the 3-litre Gulf GR7-DFV of Derek Bell and David Hobbs and the first and second placed Matra MS670c’s of Beltoise & Jarrier and Pescarolo & Larrousse….
