Chris Harris drives the Exige 260

Chris Harris celebrates the cult of the road racer by gathering together the very best of the breed. Renault R26.R, 430 Scuderia, GT3 RS, Exige Cup 260 and more battle it out against Colin McRaes’ 1997 Subaru WRX World Rally Championship car. The Exige clip is at the start of the second video.

Elliot Moss drives a Lotus 18

It seems appropriate that on the day Elliot Moss, Stirling’s son, drives a Lotus 18 for the first time, courtesy of Classic Team Lotus, Stirling was winning the 1960 Monaco Grand Prix, the first Formula 1 win for Lotus, exactly 50 years ago. This was also the first time Elliot had ever driven a single seater let alone a race car on a race track, so the timing and type of car driven was very fitting.

The reason for Elliot driving is to demonstrate the Lotus 18 at the Classic Team Lotus Festival on 20th June 2010 at the Snetterton Race Circuit, along with 33 Formula 1 cars from the Lotus’s Formula 1 history. The festival will also feature the newest Lotus Formula 1 car on track, the T127, and its drivers Heikki Kovalainen and Jarno Trulli.

As Stirling is still recovering from the injuries he sustained from his accident back in March, Elliot will drive the Lotus 18 in a demonstration run, alongside a other Lotus Formula 1 cars around the Snetterton track. Stirling’s son did not follow his fathers professional career path, he is a trained chef and now run’s the family’s property business with his wife Helen who was present at Hethel to witness a little bit of Lotus and Moss history being made.

[via stirlingmoss.com]

Lotus Exige fire from the 24 Hours at Nurburgring

Gavan Kershaw, Matt Cummings and Roger Green had moved up to 11th in class at this weekends 24 Hours of Nurburgring when their race was ended by this fire. In the teams own words:

It appeared that Roger hadn’t seen the flames which were gaining in their momentum with flares from the rear of the car and wheel arch until they reached closer to the cabin. The heat ruptured a tyre and Roger slowed to the edge of the track and bailed out rolling to safety.

[via Lotus forums]

Old School Rallying video

Compilation of old school rallying videos from the time when men were men and safety was was for wimps.

For some extra Lotus content check out this video of Henri Toivonen in the Talbot Sunbeam Lotus. Toivonen and Guy Fréquelin drove the car to the 1981 World Rally Constructors Championship. Incidentally their co-drivers during the 1981 season were Jean Todt (current FIA president) and Claudio Berro (current head of Lotus Motorsports)

[via Jalopnik]