• Recent work carried by Rawlson Racing
• FIA Papers from 2025
• A rare and eligible car to race

During the late-1960s into the early 1970s Chevron sports-racing cars built in England became extremely popular with private owners interested in competing in 2-litre class competition, up to and including not only the European 2-Litre Championship but also the World Championship of Makes race series.

The name of Scots-derived graphic artist Andrew Mylius became familiar as a British club-racing regular who aspired to occasional international forays, initially with a Chevron. However, he was also interested in further improving the breed.

To this effect he engaged engineer Bob Curl to design and build what was in effect intended to be a 'super-Chevron', updating Chevron constructor Derek Bennett's original and competitive cars to maintain adequate standards into the early 1970s.

Bob Curl had worked for legendary Lotus Cars creator Colin Chapman, notably upon repair of customers' crashed racing Lotus Elites and Elans. Two particularly engaging customers were Mark Konig and his wife Gabriel. After leaving Lotus Bob Curl also worked on race engineering chassis to optimise performance. From there it was a small step to designing frames from a blank sheet of paper.

Mark Konig worked as a salesman for British Ferrari importer Maranello Concessionaires Ltd. Through 1966 he co-drove Peter Clarke's Ferrari 250LM at World Championship of Makes level and they engaged Curl as part time team mechanic. Subsequently, Konig commissioned him to build his own custom-made 2-litre sports-racing car for World Championship competition. That car emerged as the Konig couple's Nomad Mark 1 with 1600cc Ford engine. Nomad Mark 2 then Mark 3 followed in 1968-69, initially with 2-litre F1-derived 'Tasman' BRM V8 power.

In late 1969 Chevron B8 Coupe driver Andrew Mylius discussed the possibility with Konig and Curl of converting the Chevron to open bodywork. Bob Curl had to modify the chassis to retain rigidity, while relocating both the radiator and fuel tank. Some 80lbs weight was saved, and the new open sports-racing variant was launched as the Gropa-Ford CMC, GROPA standing for Graphic Racing Organisation Prototype Automobiles and CMC Curl Mylius Chevron).
Bob Curl would recall ""We ended up making about 20 of them. After the first two or three, we stopped using Chevron chassis: Andy made complete cars, with me styling it and Arthur Rothon making the bodywork. A good number of them went to America, and it was a very competitive car. Bill Tuckett had a BRM V8 engine in his, but most of them were Ford BDA- or BMW-powered."

We understand that this individual Gropa-Cosworth-Ford was built new from the ground up in 1971. It was raced by George Whitehead of WRA Engineering, running the FVC engine from new.
A succession of British owners then followed:
Allen Gibson (1971-1973), Tony Charnell (1973), Frank Aston (1973-1975). Still within the 1970s the car passed via auction sale to Cyril Baxter, thence to historic Lotus specialist Malcolm Ricketts in 1985. It was restored then with an FVC engine and the chassis restored by specialist Paul Fox. The car passed to Mike Scott in 1998.

The chassis serial '008' became associated with the car around this period.
In recent years this Gropa-Cosworth-Ford has been extensively restored by British specialist Guy Sheppard of Rawlson Racing based near the port of Dover and the British mouth of the Channel Tunnel in eastern Kent. We understand that it has not been used since completion of this work. Fresh FIA papers were issued in November 2025.

Please note that if this vehicle is sold to a French private buyer or an EU private individual the reduced rate of Import VAT at 5.5% will be charged on the hammer price. The Import VAT will be invoiced to you by our custom broker who will also charge a clearance fee. If you buy as a Trader or Company however, the Finances Publiques will charge you directly (based on our customs broker clearance) and the French VAT Import Charges will not appear on your Bonhams invoice. Please note that if you purchase as an EU Company, you are required to pay the VAT in your registered country at the relevant rate. Import rates to other EU Countries may vary and an administration fee will be charged to prepare the necessary customs clearance. If you have any questions regarding customs clearance, please contact the Bonhams Motorcar Department or our recommended shippers.