<< Prev Page 3 of 3 A 'production' run of a B4 derived GT car was planned for 1967. Bennett had to increase his workforce, but he did not have to look far. Many of his friends already helped him in their evening hours and were more than happy to spend the day time in the 'factory' as well. The main differences between the production B6 and the B4 was body, which was now constructed from fiberglass by Specialised Mouldings. Owens went back to Munich with a van to collect the engines himself. Seven cars were completed, six with the modified two-litre BMW and one with the Ford twin-cam unit. Martland received the first example and promptly drove it to another debut victory. A dozen more major victories were scored that season with a B3, the B5 and the B6s. Especially Brian Redman's win with the BRM engined B5 in the in the international Group 6 race at Brands Hatch was noteworthy. It was not only Chevron's first 'international' win, but it also was the first in Chevron for Redman who would later become the team's highly successful works driver.
For international racing the Chevron B6 was considered a prototype and was required to run in the Group 6 class against advanced Ferraris and Porsches. Bennett took a bold step and set out to construct enough examples of the mid-engined racer to homologate it for the Group 4 GT class. In order to qualify at least 50 examples were required to be produced. With no type indication yet in place all versions were considered the same so 'just' 39 additional chassis were required to be build. With a Formula 3 single seater commissioned by a customer designated B7, the 1968 'GT-racer' was dubbed B8. By the time the FIA dropped by to count the cars, there were not sufficient cars completed, but there were enough supplies available to construct the remaining cars. Satisfied with their findings, the FIA homologated the new racer. Eventually 44 examples were constructed, equipped with a wide variety of engines. Unusually, the B8 had to wait almost a month to score the maiden victory, the first of many. It was not until 1969 that the B8 started to rack in Group 4 victories, including a class win in the prestigious Daytona 24 Hours. The ultimate version of the B8 body style appeared in 1968, when the unique B12 appeared, with a 3 litre Repco engine, which in proper Chevron style won its first race on its debut in Silverstone.
The design and construction of sports cars and single seaters had now taken up most of Bennett's time and his driving was restricted to shaking down and testing new developments. Fortunately for him his driving skills were matched by his drivers and fortunately for them his engineering skills were matched by few. Within five years he had achieved what Colin Chapman had worked at least a decade for. While the B8s were taking the world by force, he was already busy designing its replacement. Designated B16, it was as beautiful as it was successful and further strengthened Chevron's reputation of building fast and durable racers for many years to come. Sadly production of Chevrons came to a grinding halt in January 1980 after Derek Bennett suffered a fatal sky-diving accident in 1978. Although he operated mainly behind the scenes, the team's source of much inspiration proved impossible to replace.
Today Chevron's first sportscar is a popular choice in historic racing, where the many examples competing are still capable of taking much more powerful competition like the Ford GT40 and Lola T70. The B8 is available again from Chevron Racing as a continuation model. << Prev Page 3 of 3
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A 'production' run of a B4 derived GT car was planned for 1967. Bennett had to increase his workforce, but he did not have to look far. Many of his friends already helped him in their evening hours and were more than happy to spend the day time in the 'factory' as well. The main differences between the production B6 and the B4 was body, which was now constructed from fiberglass by Specialised Mouldings. Owens went back to Munich with a van to collect the engines himself. Seven cars were completed, six with the modified two-litre BMW and one with the Ford twin-cam unit. Martland received the first example and promptly drove it to another debut victory. A dozen more major victories were scored that season with a B3, the B5 and the B6s. Especially Brian Redman's win with the BRM engined B5 in the in the international Group 6 race at Brands Hatch was noteworthy. It was not only Chevron's first 'international' win, but it also was the first in Chevron for Redman who would later become the team's highly successful works driver.