16 replies to this topic

[Barry Boor]

I am told that there is at least one Chevron B.31 in existence that uses a DFV engine.

 

Does anyone know anything about such a car and, better yet, does anyone have photos of a Cosworth DFV powered car?

[Tim Murray]

Bonhams sold one such in 2006:

https://www.bonhams..../14267/lot/639/

[Barry Boor]

I've discovered that this is the car I was hoping to find out about - B.31 75-05.

It seems to have appeared in several different liveries and even different engines.

[arttidesco]

Martin Raymonds '75 Fisons formerly Hart powered car ran a DFV from '76 to '78 then it was converted to run a 4 cylinder BMW, before running a DFV again in 1981 for just one season. Some contemporary pics here :- https://www.racingsp.../B31-75-05.html

 

More recently... ish, Bonhams had one for sale, do not recall seeing one action let alone with a camera in my hand :- https://www.bonhams..../14267/lot/639/

 

Hope that helps ;-)

[Barry Boor]

Have you noticed the air box on the car at the Zolder race in 1976?

[arttidesco]

Similar to the one used at the Nurburgring, is it one of yours Barry ?

[Barry Boor]

One of? We only ever had one and it's never left the Connew environment.

This looks to me like a copy. A very good one but with a bigger opening at the front.

[Charlieman]

The car looked "well used" in the auction site photos. An excellent restoration project with a relatively low number DFV engine to be sold on? Does anyone know the spec of it racing today?

[Doug Nye]

Most long-distance race users of the DFV-family V8s suffered terrible problems caused by the unit's punishing vibration, Gulf Mirage heading the queue.  Read John Horsman's wonderful book to appreciate the lengths to which they had to go to enable their chassis to survive.  

 

I'm not at all sure a DFV in a Chevron is a good idea, but for  pipsqueak Historic sprint races - which, after all are a matter of 'climb on, tremble and fall off' - I suppose the problem would be minimised.

 

DCN

[arttidesco]

 

 

I'm not at all sure a DFV in a Chevron is a good idea, but for  pipsqueak Historic sprint races - which, after all are a matter of 'climb on, tremble and fall off' - I suppose the problem would be minimised.

 

DCN

 

42 laps  at Zolder for an Interserie Round seems to have been well with John Blanckey's Chevron DFV capabilities, where Martin Raymond won, 4 Hours at Monza not so much retired with cooling problem ;-)  

[doc knutsen]

42 laps  at Zolder for an Interserie Round seems to have been well with John Blanckey's Chevron DFV capabilities, where Martin Raymond won, 4 Hours at Monza not so much retired with cooling problem ;-)  

Joakim Bonnier, who lost his life at Le Mans in 1972, ran a Lola that was conceptually very similar to the Chevron, and running a DFV engine. And in Thundersports in the UK in the Eighties, Robin Smith/"Randaccio" ran another Chevron DFV, but I cannot recall whether that was a B31 or a B36.  And in Group C, especially C2, DFV engines were utilized by a lot of people. Both Spice and Ecosse were DF-powered, and ran all the 1000km races as well as Le Mans - and the sprint races, like Norisring.

[Mallory Dan]

Good point that Doc, the DFV/DFL was the engine to have in C2 for many years. I wonder whether they were detuned to make the fuel last, which could have helped the vibrations and reliability. Though my tech knowledge is zero. 

[elansprint72]

I seem to recall DSJ went into detail with what had to be done to the DFV to stop sports-racers vibrating to death, as mentioned by Doug. 

[FLB]

Charles James's book La preuve par 24 heures (about Jean Rondeau's project for Le Mans 1976 that became Inaltéra) also goes into some detail about it. Rondeau was worried about the vibrations of the DFV, but he felt it was worth the risk.

[doc knutsen]

Charles James's book La preuve par 24 heures (about Jean Rondeau's project for Le Mans 1976 that became Inaltéra) also goes into some detail about it. Rondeau was worried about the vibrations of the DFV, but he felt it was worth the risk.

Rondeau won the Vingt-Quatre Heures in 1980, using the DVF. Anybody know anything about what needed to be done to the DF series engines in order to last for 24 hours - and

not  shake the host machine to bits in the process?

Edited by doc knutsen, 10 March 2021 - 10:05.

[BRG]

Why didn't the evil DFV not shake all those fragile Lotus F1 cars to bits if it vibrated so badly?

 

The Cosworth mill might have only won Le Mans twice, but the first time (1975) it took the top three places, plus a finish by the de Cadenet car.  So how bad could it have been?

[arttidesco]

Why didn't the evil DFV not shake all those fragile Lotus F1 cars to bits if it vibrated so badly?

 

The Cosworth mill might have only won Le Mans twice, but the first time (1975) it took the top three places, plus a finish by the de Cadenet car.  So how bad could it have been?

 

I suspect initially Keith Duckworths reluctance to see the DFV's in sportscars when the 3 litre sports prototype rules were introduced in 1968 was because he already had enough work on his plate keeping his Formula One customers happy, though he did stipulate that he would only supply Alan Mann DFV's if they were to be mounted in a subframe and not bolted direct to the chassis as per F1 cars, so he obviously had some concerns about something.

 

One only has to look at the appalling reliability of the larger DFL's to see there was not much margin for altering the basic DFV specs for long distance use.