Stars of the Shows
(click images to enlarge)

In January Classic Team Lotus was pleased to be invited to provide feature displays at the Autosport International Racing Car Show (five cars) and the Motor Show Festival in Zaragoza, Spain (12 cars).

The race transporter creates an impressive backdrop and practical operations centre, but of course it is the cars that are of main interest for the 250,000 visitors spread over both shows.

Sapphire Nichols, ably assisted by Steve Allen and Richard Parramint, did a great job of organsing our attendance and being front of house over back to back weekends, with Nick Yallop working wonders in terms of getting in place the transporter and the cars.

We must admit we can become somewhat blase about the tremendous histories of our cars, but the lads can always get excited about special guests, and they were especially pleased to welcome the lovely Cassie (5 languages and a PhD) and give her a seat fit.

Jim Clark’s Lotus type 49

Classic Team Lotus is delighted to be restoring the Lotus type 49 raced to victory by Jim Clark in 1967. The second type 49 chassis built by Team Lotus, and numbered R2, this car made its debut at the Dutch GP when Jimmy won, scoring the first victory for the mighty Ford Cosworth DFV. The DFV went on to win 155 Grand Prix and 12 F1 World Championships, racing up until 1985; an amazing achievement in the rarified atmosphere of F1 technology. The type 49 went on to compete in Grand Prix up until 1970, raced by Clark, Hill, Andretti, Oliver, Rindt, Miles and Fittipaldi.

In 1969 the car was sold to private entrant Pete Lovely, when the team re-numbered it as R11. Pete campaigned the car into the Nineties, before selling it to an American collector, who sold it on to Chris MacAllister, the current owner. Chris has tasked CTL with presenting the car in its 1967 specification. Happily the Team Lotus stores gave up an original ZF gearbox and numerous original 1967 parts. Together with the original design drawings and testimony of the period mechanics, including Bob Dance, we will be pleased present the car in definitive 1967 specification. Kevin Smith is lead mechanic on the project; after much research there is not much he does not know about type 49s.

Chris is hoping to race at the Monaco Historique, before Monza in June, the scene of one of Jimmy’s greatest drives, when he caught up a lap on the whole field in the 1967 Italian Grand Prix.

38/1 making good progress

38/1 back in the workshop after a painstaking and splendid paint job, courtesy of Lotus Cars

Jim Clark’s 1965 Indy winning Lotus Ford type 38 is making good progress in time for its scheduled appearance at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Lead mechanic Lewis Cullington is pleased to be re-assembling the car, after its painstaking strip-down and assessment. Lotus Cars has supported the project by matching the original paint that was discovered beneath the heat shield on the bottom, and then re-painting using good (?) old fashioned cellulose, in keeping with its period presentation.

Owners The Henry Ford have elected for the car to run with alternative front lower wishbones and hydraulic pipes, with the original parts being re-fitted before the car returns to display within the awesome museum that is the car’s home.

The engine has been rebuilt by Walt Goodwin of Indianapolis; having been dyno tested successfully it is on its way back to Hethel to be re-united with the chassis.

It is anticipated that 38/1 will also make a demo run at Indy so, either way, the Lotus marque will be returning to the Brickyard sometime soon...

Fierce Competition for Classic Team Lotus Works drives in 2010

In the light of Jacques Villeneuve’s quest for an F1 drive and his trying out 25/R4 for size, Classic Team Lotus has enjoyed a positive stampede of F1 talent. Both Jarno Trulli and Heiki Kovalainen have visited and expressed enthusiasm for the opportunity to drive cars from the Works Collection, one day. Certainly they both complied with the Team Lotus ‘Jim Clark’ dimensions criteria, and they share a healthy appreciation for the history of the marque.

In fact the Bahrain Grand Prix organisers have arranged for Classic Team Lotus to run four World Championship winning Team Lotus F1 cars as part of a celebration of 60 years of F1, so if Lotus Racing needs any back-up mechanics, or even a spare car, then CTL will be there to help. As it stands we are in good shape for drivers, with owner Nick Fennell driving his type 25/R5; Emerson scheduled for 72/5; Mario for 79/3 and Josh Hill for 49B/R10. It should be a great occasion.

Three Generations in one Lotus

Graham Hill captured on his victory lap at Monaco 1969, taken by James King, Damon driving R10 at Brands Hatch in 2007 and Josh Hill driving R10 at the Lotus test track 2010.

On the Hethel test track in February, Josh Hill became the third generation of the Hill family to drive 49B/R10, the car which Grandfather Graham raced at Monaco in 1968, 1969 and 1970. Josh is an up and coming Formula Ford competitor, and when father Damon was invited to drive the car at the forthcoming Bahrain Grand Prix he suggested it would be nice if Josh could do the honours. Classic Team Lotus agreed it was a splendid idea, although Clive Chapman is somewhat anxious that it should not set a precedent for Colin Chapman grandchildren to start getting behind the wheel.

Josh acquitted himself very well, for what was his first experience of F1 power, despite having to break the ice on the puddles on the test track on a very cold day. He is a bit taller than Graham, but some adjustment of the pedals allowed him to get comfortable. Undoubtedly there will be a lot of attention focused on his performance in Bahrain, especially from Grandmother Bette; no pressure then.

Hazel Chapman Guest of Honour at Lotus Racing Launch
Hazel Chapman in the company of Sir Frank Williams, Nigel Mansell and Sir Stirling Moss

In appreciation of the heritage of the Lotus Marque in F1, Lotus Racing kindly invited Hazel Chapman to the unveiling of its 2010 challenger. Classic Team Lotus was pleased to provide four Grand Prix winning cars from the Works Collection.

Mrs Chapman was afforded a generous welcome by Team Principle, Tony Fernandes, and she was pleased to watch the ceremony in the company of Sir Stirling Moss and Nigel Mansell. Such an audience served to emphasise the significance of the task that Lotus Racing has set itself. Even so, the launch in itself was a significant achievement, coming just five months after the new team was given the go-ahead. The Chapman family and all at Classic Team Lotus will be cheering them on.

60 Years of Formula One Celebration in Bahrain

Classic Team Lotus was delighted to be invited to help the Bahrain Grand Prix organisers gather together an exceptional line-up of F1 cars for a celebration of 60 Years of Formula One at the first round of the 2010 World Championship. To make it really special, they also managed to assemble 18 of the 20 living World Champions, most of which did the honours behind the wheels of their respective Championship winning cars.

The Lotus marque was well represented, as Team Lotus fans would expect. Nick Fennell was pleased to make available and drive his type 25/R5, fresh from its fairly major winter overhaul, and looking splendid; the perfect first outing, in fact. CTL provided 49B/R10 for Josh Hill, 72/5 for Emerson and 79/3 for Mario.

Upon arrival the CTL crew found the cars on display within a splendid, bespoke, air conditioned pavilion, appropriately titled ‘Diamonds of the Desert’.

Immediately the cars were required for on track filming, with Nick and Mario doing laps behind a camera van. We expect the footage of the 79 in the setting sun will be quite breathtaking.

On the Friday evening the Crown Prince hosted a wonderful evening in the spectacular Royal Palace, with 17 World Champions in attendance....plus Clive and Nick and Sacha Fennell; we fitted right in, of course.

Saturday morning saw the cars on track, with all the CTL cars starting on command and running smoothly. Emerson really pushed on in 72/5, and Mario did three more laps after the chequered flag was shown. Josh acquitted himself well in the 49, and Nick Fennell relished being out on the spectacular Grand Prix track in such esteemed company.

Immediately before the race on Sunday another run took place, with the cars ending up on display on the grid. Then the World Champions lined up for one of the most momentous motorsport photographs ever.

All in all a fantastic occasion, probably never to be repeated. This exceptional gathering of Champions was a true mark of respect to the Bahrain Royal Family. They have created a wonderous Grand Prix facility and proved to be most generous hosts.

Fourth Quarter 2009

So many Special Occasions; so much hospitality; so much goodwill

Hazel and Clive Chapman were delighted to be invited by Group Lotus to attend the visit to the factory by His Royal Highness, the King of Malaysia.

Naturally, for the shareholders, Proton, this was a very special occasion, and CTL was pleased to make available its 79/3 for display alongside the type 124 Evora GT car. Clive was proud to meet His Royal Highness and present 79/3 to him. Later, at a splendid lunch, Hazel and Clive presented His Royal Highness with a spectacular 1/8th scale model of the type 79, as an expression of appreciation from the Chapman family to the country that has given such vital support to Lotus for so many years.

Chris Locke gave us a great end to the season with a stirring performance at the Masters event at the splendid new Algarve circuit near Portimao. Chris raced both the 32B and 79/2, and scored the first race win for the 32B since Classic Team lotus started campaigning it, 15 years ago (!). In its wisdom, the HGPCA voted Chris as its driver of the day, which made it two in a row for CTL drivers. Chris went well in 79/2, despite a slight altercation in qualifying, and once again he won his class.

Lewis Cullington has made excellent progress on the evaluation of 38/1, and by mid October we were ready for a visit by Bob Casey and Derek Moore of The Henry Ford. Over two days a painstaking review of every part of the car was conducted, and it was concluded that the car is in remarkably good order, such that any decision to make the car running would not have an adverse effect on its originality. Fingers crossed!

John Bowers was keen for Andy Middlehurst to have the opportunity of some good quality testing of 25/R4, and it was decided that Snetterton would do, although this necessitated the manufacture of a pair of silenced exhausts, which looked most inappropriate and sounded dreadful. In the event the day went well, and, with some extended running and gradual set-up changes, Andy got the car to his liking and put in some very quick laps towards the end. This may well prove to be the pre Monaco test....!

CTL was pleased to help Scottish Television with some filming for a special programme which is seeking to establish the popular vote for the greatest Scotsman. Happily Jim Clark is a strong contender, and Clive Chapman, Bob Dance and Chris Dinnage all contributed with their endorsement for Jimmy. We will try to let you know the result.

The close season often is busy with showcar appearances at an ever varied range of events throughout Europe. This winter Team Lotus is being featured at the Essen Motor Show and the Zaragoza Motor Show Festival. The Essen Motorshow is a ten day affair which attracts up to 400,000. In their infinite wisdom, the organisers decided to create a spectacular display of Lotus and Team Lotus history, including four cars from CTL. They pulled out all the stops, with a great line-up of cars and an excellent presentation, including a vast mural of the famous picture of ACBC with his cars at Brands Hatch in 1981. In January we will be a main feature at Zaragoza, to which we will be taking TWELVE cars. It will have something of the feel of a crusade about it.

Annual dinners and prize givings are another feature of this time of year, and 2009 has seen CTL represented at a whole host of such events. Clive Chapman was the guest speaker at the Historic Lotus Register annual dinner, accompanied by Hazel Chapman; Clive chose to talk about....boats, on the basis there was nothing he could tell the audience about cars that they did not know already. Next up was the Formula Junior event, and Chris Dinnage and Clive Chapman wanted to be there especially because of Dan’s Lurani Trophy victory. Clive suggested that Hazel Chapman could present the awards, and Duncan Rabagliatti thought this would be nice, as it proved to be. Indeed, at the end Hazel received a lovely, impromptu standing ovation.

Stefano of PB Racing in Italy invited Clive to present the awards for the Lotus racing series he has established in Italy, and this took place at Monza as part of a regular, LIVE motorsport discussion forum on Italian TV, featuring a host of Italian motorsport personalities. All a bit daunting, but it proved to be a very nice occasion, of course.

Next up was the Historic Formula One luncheon and prize giving, for which CTL was providing the new Colin Chapman Trophy for the Ground Effect Class C category. Nick Yallop had created a wonderful representation of a venturi profile sidepod and skirt, in aluminium and carbon fibre, with a plinth made of the carbon and honeycomb material used in the first composite monocoque made by Team Lotus in 1981; this was especially appropriate as Nick was part of the composite team that made this first monocoque all those years ago at Ketteringham Hall.

The British Racing Drivers’ Club is the most desirable of all motorsport clubs, with its base at Silverstone, which it owns. Hazel Chapman is an honorary member, eligible as the principle of Team Lotus after Colin Chapman’s untimely death. Recently the BRDC established the Colin Chapman Award for Team Spirit, and the club was kind enough to invite Hazel to present the trophy, which this year was sponsored by Group Lotus, much to their credit.

The awards luncheon for 500 in Park Lane was a splendid affair, with a great turnout of famous drivers and even a surprise appearance by none other than Gordon Brown.

The winner was Ross Brawn, and Hazel Chapman did very well, especially in coping with presenter Tiff Needell putting her on the spot with, in retrospect, the inevitable question “What do you think about Lotus returning to F1?”. Seeing as Clive was back at the table with Mike Gascoyne, it was nice that Hazel came up with a pleasantly polite answer, when, as Mike knows, she has made it clear that she will get really interested when they start winning!

Kevin Smith has been busy with Nick Fennell’s type 25, getting the car ready for his first full season of historic motorsport. Tim Gardner has been involved in just about every project, including composites. Recently he has been working on Malcolm Ricketts’ type 18. Nick Yallop has been leading the composite work as well as giving 91/10 its winter overhaul.

In the midst of all this, we have received an increasing number of visitors at the workshop, what with new arrivals at the factory and the establishment of Lotus F1. On something of a fact finding mission, Jonathan Legard and Jake Humphrey of BBC TV fame undertook an extended tour and expressed a very enthusiastic appreciation for the history of Team Lotus, which currently is represented in the workshop by a pretty spectacular line-up of CTL and customer cars. Another well known visitor was Jacques Villeneuve, who was a guest of Lotus Cars. Jacques was particularly interested in the Jim Clark type 38 Indy winning car, which is completely stripped down. Then he could not resist the type 25 and readily accepted the invitation to try it out for size; after all, he is the perfect size to fill Jimmy’s shoes. Owner John Bowers approved of our choice of back-up driver for Andy Middlehurst.

The icing on the cake of what has been an interesting quarter was the arrival at CTL of the Lotus Mark IV, which was the first customer car for Mike Lawson, back in 1952. Recently the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum has acquired this important Lotus from Martyn Halliday, who had rescued the car from oblivion and restored it to excellent condition. Martyn delivered the car to Hethel, and it was arranged for him to present the car to Hazel Chapman, who was surprised and delighted. The Mk IV is now on display at the factory, pending shipping to the States where it will take its place in the fantastic line-up of Lotus history in the Barber Museum.

3rd Quarter review 2009
(click images to enlarge)

1965 Indy 500 Winning Lotus Ford type 38 at Classic Team Lotus

Classic Team Lotus is delighted to have in its workshops the Lotus Ford type 38 chassis 1, in which Jim Clark won the 1965 Indy 500. The Henry Ford Museum has entrusted the car to Classic Team Lotus for the purpose of evaluating its condition; this might lead to the car being restored to be driven once again, for the first time since Jimmy switched her off in Victory Lane, all those years ago. 
ACBC conferring with Jimmy and the (Goodyear) tyre man during the early days of May

Victory came in the third year of the Team Lotus campaign to win the World’s greatest motor race. Colin Chapman visited in 1962 and was amazed to discover the huge, unsophisticated, front engined roadsters roaring around the famous Brickyard. The Lotus type 29 sent tremors through the Indy establishment by finishing second in 1963 and showing itself to be the quickest car by far. The 1964 grid was dominated by the Works Lotus type 34s and privateer type 29s sold by the team; Jim Clark was on pole but tyre troubles denied what had looked like an inevitable Team Lotus victory.
Team Lotus the day after
winning The Big One

1965 and it all came good. The type 38 was a great design which ran almost faultlessly. Jim Clark had won over the American competitors, media and fans alike, by his sporting and charming manner in defeat in the previous years. The American Woods Brothers pit crew and Ford engines made it almost acceptable to cheer on the ‘funny little green cars’ that had created so much antipathy back in ’62. For Colin Chapman and his small band of mechanics it was the most fantastic achievement, mixed with relief to have won it after dominating previously.

38/1 then embarked on a prolonged promotional tour of the States, before being ensconced within The Henry Ford, somewhat battered and bruised. In 2001 she was given a cosmetic restoration in order to take part in the 100 years of Ford celebrations.

When Lord March established the Goodwood Festival of Speed, together with Doug Nye, he drew up a wish list of the 100 ‘must have’ cars. 12 years on and there are only six cars outstanding, one of which is 38/1. The Henry Ford appreciates the spirit of the Festival and succumbed to the persuasion of Lord March; the car was displayed there statically this year and, it is hoped, will run there next year. So, after the event, 38/1 was loaded onto the CTL transporter and brought to the Hethel workshops. 

Christian Overland and Bob Casey of The Henry Ford,
together with Dan Gurney and Clive Chapman at the Festival of Speed

Before any work commenced, Clive Chapman invited the 1965 Works Team Lotus mechanics for a reunion with the car. Mike Underwood (poor health), Jim Smith (Australia) and John Davies (AWOL since ’65) were unable to attend.

David Lazenby (Chief Mechanic), Graham Clode, Bob Sparshott and Bob Dance were joined by Designer Len Terry for what turned out to be a fascinating day of detailed inspection, revelations and reminisences. These men had shared one of the great Team Lotus adventures. A small band of young Brits (aka ‘long haired Limeys’), far from home, taking on the American establishment, at the greatest race in the World, under the gaze of the largest gathering of spectators in the World, with the event beamed live Worldwide for the first time…and winning! What a moment!

Bob Sparshott, Graham Clode, David Lazenby, Len Terry
and Bob Dance reunited with each other and 38/1, 44 years on

The car is unique in that it did just one race, driven by Jim Clark, after which it was switched off and kept intact. This is an extraordinary provenance. The cockpit is exactly as Jimmy left it. Naturally The Henry Ford is determined that this provenance should be preserved, whatever happens to the car, and Classic Team Lotus is fully in accord with this objective. And for all you conspiracy theorists…without a doubt this is the car. 38/1 went immediately to Ford and never left the States. Meanwhile the liveries of its sister cars were changed to match it for the purposes of exhibition, including in Europe, and this gave rise to some confusion. Upon close inspection there are many aspects of the car that confirm its provenance, including the no small matter of the engine number tallying with its official entry form. The absolute clincher is the small bulge in the monocoque around the rollover hoop on the left hand side; once chassis one had been assembled it became clear this feature was not necessary so it was not present on any of the other chassis.

Getting down to detail

With advice from the expert group of veterans, together with reference to the original design drawings, written records and photographic archives, the Classic Team Lotus mechanics have embarked on the careful evaluation of 38/1. In particular Lewis Cullington and Tim Gardner have photographed and dismantled key components as necessary in an almost forensic manner.

1300 images have recorded progress so far, and every component has been individually labeled and stored. The engine has been sent back to the States for assessment, once we had drained about 15 litres of 1965 Indy 500 winning engine oil. At this stage it is not yet decided if the car will be made running; it is anticipated this will depend upon balancing the desirability of running the car against any compromise of the provenance, however much this can be kept to a minimum. A decision is expected by the end of October. In the meantime we are taking great car of….the greatest Team Lotus car ever? (I sense a poll coming on!) 
Engine out! (after a LOT of effort)

Indy 1965 Footnote: Trawling through the Team Lotus archives (in the loft of Ketteringham Hall!) for information about the type 38 led to the discovery of a couple of nice images from the day after the event. Hazel Chapman and Sally Stokes were at Indy and became the first women to get in to Victory Lane when, in true Team Lotus fashion, they flagrantly ignored the ‘Men Only’ rule, in place since 1911. Evidently they took the opportunity to grab the victory flowers as their trophy, which they then displayed back at their hotel the next day. Well done girls!

Hazel Chapman 

Sally Stokes

Classic Team Lotus was delighted to run Nick Fennell in his Lotus type 25/R5 for his first race with the Historic Grand Prix Cars Association at the prestigious Oulton Park Gold Cup meeting.

R5 was rebuilt and run for many years by Cedric Selzer, Jim Clark’s lead mechanic, and Nick acquired it from Cedric last year. Nick is a great Lotus enthusiast who has raced cars and bikes in the Far East; this was the first UK historic meeting in his pride and joy. He acquitted himself very well, and the HGPCA afforded him a friendly welcome, even to the point of awarding him their ‘Driver of the Day’ award. Well done to Nick; it is great that he has chosen to race such a rare and special car, and Classic Team Lotus is looking forward to helping him make the most of it.
Lotus type 25 chassis R5 at the
Oulton Park Gold Cup

Lotus type 25 chassis R4 at the Goodwood Revival

You wait for years, then two type 25s are racing at once; well, not on the same weekend, yet; but hopefully even this will happen in 2010.

Since becoming the proud owner of 25/R4, John Bowers has coped admirably with various trials and tribulations as this great car was readied to go racing again, for the first time since the Sixties. With the engine back in the workshop on the Tuesday before Goodwood, the CTL mechanics had their work cut out to give the car a brief shakedown test at Hethel, before setting off to the Revival on Thursday morning, in the company of 21-933 (Dan Collins), 32B (Chris Locke) and 30-S2-09 (Andy Middlehurst).

Glover Trophy qualifying went very well, with all three CTL run cars circulating like clockwork and going quicker and quicker. Sadly the 30 had an engine problem such that it was decided against racing it; especially disappointing as we had been looking forward to seeing Andy Middlehurst hopping from the elegant type 25 into the brutish type 30.

Classic Team Lotus joining in the spirit of the occasion

This year the Glover Trophy was the feature event on Saturday, and it proved to be an exciting race in front of a capacity crowd in glorious weather. It must be said that the Revival was more impressive than ever, which was no mean feat. Most spectators joined in the 1950s/1960s spirit of the occasion, the racing was excellent and the air displays spectacular, especially the Vulcan bomber.

Classic Team Lotus Works drivers lined up on the grid;
Dan, Chris, Andy

The CTL run cars lined up 8th (Dan), 9th (Chris) and 11th (Andy), and all three drivers made good starts. Chris got ahead of Dan and up into 6th. Dan felt his best chance to get back was into the chicane, but got caught out by the marbles and slid into the chicane. The polystyrene blocks are good news, but Dan could have done without one of Lord March’s Begonia ending up in the cockpit; of course the crowd loved it. Andy Middlehurst moved up to 6th, behind Chris, and this is how they finished.

Team photo after the Glover Trophy race; (Bob Dance is holding our only Trophy)

Spa and Nurburgring Double Double Double Header (Triple Double Header?)

The next weekend saw CTL split between Chris Locke in 79/2 at Spa and Dan Collins in 91/10 and 18 FJ 723 at Nurburgring, with each car scheduled for two races. Thankfully the weather was glorious; happily we enjoyed another great weekend. After an initial clutch hiccup, 79/2 ran faultlessly in its first race since 1979. It attracted a huge amount of attention, looking glorious in the Autumn sun. Chris realised a very creditable 2nd in class overall.

Bob, Chris, Kevin and Clive alongside 79/2
just before Sunday''s race at Spa; the car looked lovely 

Nurburgring was the last round of the prestigious FIA Lurani Trophy for Formula Junior cars, and Dan was Championship leader going into it; exciting stuff! After a cautious start in race one, Dan gradually clawed his way back to John Hutchinson, the FJ1 leader, and managed to take the lead and win on the last lap. Dan reckoned it was his best ever race. Race two turned into an epic, race long duel between Dan and John, this time with John winning out on the last lap. Terrific racing and …..Dan Collins is the 2009 Lurani Champion!
A first championship for Dan and a first for Classic Team Lotus.

As a result of the excitement and significance of the FJ racing, in a strange way the HFOne races were something of an anti-climax for Dan, although there was some great racing at the front. Dan qualified 7th , but in both races the first lap proved to be a challenge for survival. In race one Dan did, and came 6th. In race two Dan did not, and sat out the race after being punted off.

The end of the season is nigh; well, we can see it from here

CTL is looking forward to two more historic meetings; the Masters meeting at the Algarve on the 18th/19th October and HFOne at Ricard on the 1st November. The Algarve circuit looks very impressive, and there is plenty of running on offer. It will be great to go back to Ricard, a circuit so closely associated with the F1 period celebrated by HFOne.

Meanwhile, back in the workshop, we will be completing the report on 38/1 for The Henry Ford, working on both 25s, hopefully receiving an engine for 94T/2 and probably spending a bit more time on the Eleven. All this along with the general maintenance and preparation of other customer cars.

The Eleven on wheels again (borrowed from Vic Thomas!)

At the same time we will be maintaining a watching brief on Lotus F1 Team; perhaps they will need our help. At least they should consider Bob Dance for Chief Mechanic!