The Chevron B36 sits at the heart of late-1970s privateer endurance racing culture. Built by Chevron Cars Ltd in Bolton, England, it was the production racer of choice for independent teams targeting the 2-litre prototype class at events including the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Car No. 26, fielded by Team Societe Racing in 1979, was shared by three drivers — Michel Dubois, Marc Menant, and Pierre-Francoise Rousselot — in the classic Le Mans format that demanded stamina from both machinery and crew alike.
The Chevron B36: Bolton's Customer Endurance Weapon
Chevron Cars Ltd developed the B36 as a direct successor to the B26 and B31, refining an already proven mid-engined open-top sports prototype formula for customer teams. Targeted squarely at 2-litre class competition, the B36 was raced extensively across European and international endurance events throughout the late 1970s, earning a reputation as one of the more reliable and competitive customer cars available in its category. Its inline-4 engine configuration met the Group 6 and IMSA-style class regulations of the period.
Three Drivers, One Night at the Circuit de la Sarthe
The 1979 24 Hours of Le Mans ran on 9–10 June at the Circuit de la Sarthe. Within the 2-litre prototype class, the entry list included multiple Chevron, Lola, and Osella cars — making it one of the most competitive small-displacement fields of the era. Team Societe Racing's No. 26 Chevron B36 was crewed by Michel Dubois, Marc Menant, and Pierre-Francoise Rousselot, a three-driver rotation standard for the 24-hour distance.
Spark Model in 1:43: Resin Construction, Privateer Precision
Spark Model has systematically catalogued Le Mans grid entries across multiple decades, and this 1:43 scale model follows the manufacturer's standard resin construction process. Resin allows Spark to reproduce the open-top bodywork, low-slung aerodynamic profile, and team-specific details of a small-volume prototype like the B36 with a level of fidelity that diecast tooling rarely achieves at this scale. The result is a replica of an entry that most manufacturers have never put into production.
Where It Belongs in the Cabinet
This model pairs naturally with other Spark 1:43 releases from the 1979 Le Mans grid — including Lola T297 and Osella PA6/PA7 entries from the same 2-litre class — to build a coherent period group. Collectors assembling the full 1979 Le Mans field will find the No. 26 Chevron B36 an essential piece: French privateer teams of this era are rarely documented in model form, making this release a genuine gap-filler for anyone focused on the late-1970s prototype landscape.
