Graham Nearn, the founder of Caterham Cars, passed away on 24 Oct 2009. He helped develop and sell the original Lotus 7, creating Caterham Cars in 1959 as a Lotus dealership. When Lotus decided to end production in 1972 , Nearn bought the rights to the design and continued building the 7 under the Caterham brand. Today, the company is owned by a management team that bought out the Nearn family in 2005. The company builds 600 cars a year and has expanded the lineup to several models.
Lotus 41C stolen (reward for information)
Rare Lotus 41C in Gold Leaf colours stolen yesterday from Northamptonshire, UK. There is no paperwork/history with this car as this is all still in my possession. A substantial reward is offered for information leading to its safe return. Fitted with a Lotus (BRM) twin cam engine, Taylor Race Engineering (Hewland Mk 8/9 replica) gearbox and rare original Lotus 6 bolt 6 spoke magnesium alloy wheels. Any info please e-mail:
lesleyellaway @ yahoo. co. uk (remove all spaces when typing)
REWARD IS OFFERED FOR THE SAFE RETURN OF THIS CAR
For further information on the car please visit LotusTalk
Update: Car has been recovered by UK police
Steve Earle out at Monterey Historics
In response to the press release issued by SCRAMP on August 16, 2009 (dated August 17) regarding the future of the Monterey Historic Automobile RacesR at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Steve Earle, President of General Racing, Ltd., has issued the following statement:
General Racing, which has created and produced the Monterey Historic Automobile RacesR for 36 years, will no longer be doing so. In the future SCRAMP, the Sports Car Racing Association of Monterey Peninsula, will organize a new event.
On September 5, 2008, I was advised that the economic terms for the agreement between General Racing and SCRAMP were no longer commercially viable for SCRAMP. I’m disappointed that we were not able to come to an agreement that would allow our event to remain in Monterey. General Racing will allow SCRAMP a one-time use of the name Monterey Historic Automobile Races for the 2010 event.
General Racing will continue the tradition of the Monterey Historics at the Wine Country Classic at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., in early June 2010.
We are very proud of all that we have accomplished with the Monterey Historic Automobile Races, and I truly believe that we have brought something special to the community of Monterey as an event of world renown and the generator of substantial revenue for the local economy and the charities to which SCRAMP contributes.
The purpose of General Racing, Ltd., is and always has been to encourage the restoration, preservation and use of historic, sports and racing cars. General Racing events and races are for the enjoyment of participants and enthusiasts alike.
More information at Autoweek
Lotus Exige 260 Cup Vs Lotus 25
Drivers Republic takes the Lotus Exige 260 Cup to Goodwood to see if it can beat Jim Clarks lap record in a Lotus 25. Click through to see the result.
A tour of Classic Team Lotus
Steven Hunker, a Lotus enthusiast from Beaverton, Oregon was recently in the UK and got to go on a tour of the Classic Team Lotus workshops. He’s been kind enough to share some of the images he took on the trip with us.
That is the Type 79…Circa 1978
1st – World Driver’s Championship – Mario Andretti
1st – World Manufacturer’s Championship (seventh title for Lotus)
The Type 25…Circa 1963
Driver: Jim Clark
Type 72 Circa1972/Driver:Emerson Fittipaldi
1st – World Driver’s Championship
1st – World Manufacturer’s Championship (fifth title for Lotus)
These are the ORIGINAL drawings for absolutely every Lotus ever produced. That drawer contains drawings for cars Type 29 to Type 38!
The original drawings for the Type 27 done by Colin Chapman himself! (see his initial ACBC)
You can read Steve’ full account and see more photos on his LotusTalk thread. If you’d like to visit the factory and/or Classic Team Lotus yourself please contact Richard Parramint (richard@positivespeech.co.uk).
Clark Regains Motor Racing Championship (1965)
The Times Online archive has released some fantastic articles about historic F1 races in the original format that they appeared in the newspaper. Click through to read the original news report of how Jim Clark won his second Formula 1 world championship with a dominating victory in the 1965 German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring.
Head to the Times Online archive for more historic F1 reports including Fangio at the Nurburgring, Jackie Stewart at Monza and Fittipaldi at Watkins Glen.
The history of a race car (Lotus 49 R5/R10)
Photo by ProRallyPix
Question: Which Formula 1 car has been raced by no less than 4 World Champions?
Answer: The Lotus Type 49. More specifically the Lotus Type 49 Chassis R5/R10 which was raced by Graham Hill, Jochen Rindt, Emerson Fittipaldi and Mario Andretti. Originally introduced in 1968, the R5/R10 chassis took Graham Hill to his 1968 Championship as well as victories in the ’68 and ’69 Monaco Grand Prix. Click through to read the full history of a very special Lotus.
[From: Lotus Central]
The most beautiful cars of all time
Classic & Sports Car Magazine polled a jury of 20 top automotive designers to try and find the most beautiful car of all time. The power packed jury included several folks with strong Lotus connections such as Giorgetto Giugiaro (Esprit), Peter Stevens (Esprit S2), Julian Thompson (S1 Elise) and Steve Crijns (Lotus Design) along with industry stalwarts such as Gordon Murray, Ian Callum and Marcell Gandini. The Citroen DS was declared the eventual winner, but Lotus had not one but two separate entries in the top 10.
The Final Top 10
1. Citroën DS
2. Jaguar XK120
3. Ferrari 275GTB
4. Cord 810/812
5. Ferrari 250GT Lusso
6. Ferrari 250GT Short-wheelbase
7. Jaguar E-type
8. Lamborghini Miura
9. Lotus Elan
10. Lotus Elite (1957)
Lotus Elan
The original Lotus Elan is possibly one of the most iconic sportscars of all time. It encapsulated what a british roadster was all about and many would say that it is one of the best handling cars to come from Lotus. The ultimate compliment to the Elan was given by Mazda when it bought two of them for the design team that was developing the Mazda Miata. This particular Elan belongs to our own Joel Lipkin and was the “Best Lotus” winner at the 2006 Palo Alto British Car Meet.
Lotus Elite (1957)
The Lotus Elite was the first production car with a fiberglass monocoque construction. The swoopy shape was styled by Peter Kirwan-Taylor who was actually an accountant by profession. The combination of low weight, good aerodynamics and innovative construction gave the Elite an impressive turn of speed leading to 6 class wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans including winning the Index of Performance and the Index of Thermal Efficiency.
Full Press release
What’s the most beautiful car of all time? A multi-million pound Ferrari or the curvy Jaguar E-type perhaps? No, it is now officially Citroën’s humble DS, the car most famous for saving President De Gaulle from assassination.
That was the verdict when Classic & Sports Car magazine polled a jury of the world’s leading car designers to nominate the most gorgeous cars ever.
The 20-strong panel ranged from Car designer of the Century Giorgetto Giugiaro – the man behind the Maserati Bora, VW Golf, Fiat Panda and Lotus Esprit – to current Jaguar director of design Ian Callum, and each picked their top three beauties.
Although Ferrari secured the most votes as a marque, they were spread across nine different models, leaving the Citroën to scoop the honours as the single most beautiful classic.
The top 10
1. Citroën DS
2. Jaguar XK120
3. Ferrari 275GTB
4. Cord 810/812
5. Ferrari 250GT Lusso
6. Ferrari 250GT Short-wheelbase
7. Jaguar E-type
8. Lamborghini Miura
9. Lotus Elan
10. Lotus Elite (1957)
James Elliott, editor of Classic & Sports Car, said: “The Citroën is a benchmark design, but we were still astonished that it came out on top when you look at the sexiness – and values – of some of its rivals.
“Apart from the Mini, it’s by far the most affordable car to get any nominations at all, which probably means it’s a great investment!
“Petrolheads everywhere are forever arguing about the most beautiful cars and we hope that this will put an end to the debate once and for all, though we suspect that it might just be lighting a rocket under it. I don’t think anyone has ever asked this many great designers what their views are, so who better to pick the official winner… even if they all missed my favourite, the Alfa Romeo T33 Stradale?”
“It’s great to see the iconic DS getting such recognition amongst such an august group of car designers , and with the amazing news that a new DS range from Citroën will appear over the next few years, it’s clear we have lost none of our styling panache or instinct for innovation,” commented Citroën spokesperson Marc Raven on hearing the news.
What they said about the Citroën DS
- Giorgetto Giugiaro: “The only example of a car really conceived ‘outside the box’. It is just impossible to imitate.”
- Leonardo Fioravanti (former Pininfarina design chief and the man behind Ferrari’s Daytona, Dino and 308GTB): “A real road car that, at its time and perhaps still now, has represented the ‘dream’ in its extreme progress.”
- Peter Stevens (British great responsible for the McLaren F1 and second-generation Lotus Esprit): “I have always considered the fact that this car was first drawn in 1955 to be extraordinary.”
- Marcello Gandini (Bertone stalwart responsible for Lancia Stratos and Lamborghini Countach among many others): “At the time I think it was complete folly, madness from a business and industrial point of view… but it was a really innovative car in 1955. A few people may have thought of all those beautiful ideas, but it was real bravery to implement all of them in one car.”
About the Citroën DS
With its name derived from Déesse (French for Goddess), this innovative design was styled by Italian sculptor Flaminio Bertoni and launched in 1955.
The futuristic shape was an instant design classic and over the next 20 years more than 1.5 million cars were sold in a range of specifications.
But it wasn’t just the shape that revolutionised automotive design: the complex self-levelling suspension, plus powered steering, clutch and brakes were otherwordly compared to rival cars of the era.
While regarded today as a technical masterpiece – and a potential nightmare for the home mechanic – it was of pioneering construction for its day with unitary ‘tub’, bolt on panels and a plastic roof.
But the appeal of the DS is as much as a cultural icon as a car with a long list of celebrity owners and fans (Alec Guinness, Peter Cook and Will Self among them), plus regular appearances on film and in design museums and art galleries.
About Classic & Sports Car
Founded in 1982, Classic & Sports Car is the UK’s market-leading classic car magazine and Britain’s third best-selling motoring monthly.
The “most beautiful classics” feature coincides with an extensive redesign of the magazine and is accompanied by a free A2 poster featuring Lamborghini Miura and Jaguar E-type, plus the definitive buyers’ guide to the Citroën DS.
About the panel of designers
On their own designs:
- Peter Stevens (McLaren F1): “I always intended that the design should be timeless rather than ‘of the minute’, and that is something that I would use as a measure of other designs.”
- Ian Callum (Jaguar XF): “It is the biggest challenge I’ve faced, but I think we pulled it off. I don’t think people appreciate how well proportioned it is, given that it’s a five-seater.”
- Gordon Murray (McLaren F1): “Designed as a road car, but went on to win Le Mans, which in my opinion is more difficult than F1.”
- John Heffernan (Aston Martin Vantage): “When I borrowed one, it was much appreciated by ‘bikers of the Hells Angels persuasion, which I liked.”
- Patrick Le Quément (Renault Twingo): “Some love it, some hated it. I wrote to the president of Renault and said: ‘I think you have to vote for instinctive design rather than extinctive marketing.’ He wrote back: ‘I agree.'”
And on other peoples’ cars:
- Steve Crijns of Lotus on the Ford GT40: “It’s so sexy and has so much presence without really being aggressive.”
- Paul Bracq, former head of design for both Mercedes and BMW, on the Aston Martin DB9: “It’s more beautiful than the current Ferraris. I don’t understand modern Ferrari design: the new California looks like a big VW Karmann-Ghia.”
- Julian Thomson of Jaguar on the Lamborghini Gallardo: “I love the proportions… It’s a tiny modern interpretation of a supercar: things like the Bugatti Veyron are totally irrelevant to me.”
- Martin Smith, executive design director of Ford of Europe on the Lamborghini Countach: “It was like a spaceship, something totally new combining smooth curves with geometric forms. I remember thinking ‘I’ll never be able to do something as good as that!'”
- Ian Callum, Jaguar director of design, on the Ferrari 250GT Short-wheelbase: “A blend of beauty and aggression… I just drool over them, and I can draw them with my eyes closed.”
- Marcello Gandini on the Cord 810/812: “It was an impressive design for the 1930s, with solutions that could be seen in cars of 20 years later.”
- Tom Tjaarda, former head of Ghia’s studios, on the Jaguar E-type: “A gorgeous car. It looks narrow, like a woman in high heels. It doesn’t have the stance that cars have today.”
The jury
- Adams, Dennis
- Axe, Roy
- Bracq, Paul
- Callum, Ian
- Carr, Russell
- Crijns, Steve
- Fioravanti, Leonardo
- Gandini, Marcello
- Giugiaro, Giorgetto
- Heffernan, John
- Karen, Tom
- Le Quément, Patrick
- Martin, Paulo
- Murray, Gordon
- Okuyama, Ken
- Smith, Martin
- Stevens, Peter
- Thomson, Julian
- Tjaarda, Tom
- Winterbottom, Oliver
All the cars that received votes
- Alfa Romeo Canguro
- Aston Martin DB9
- Audi A6
- Bentley Continental GT
- Bentley R-Type Continental
- Bertone BAT 5
- Bertone Marzal
- BMW 328 Mille Miglia
- Bugatti T41 Royale Coupé Napoleon
- Bugatti T57SC Atlantic
- Buick Riviera (1963-’65)
- “Cadzilla”
- Citroën ID/DS
- Cord 810/812
- Delage D8-120S
- Ferrari 166 Barchetta
- Ferrari 250GT Lusso
- Ferrari 250GT swb
- Ferrari 250GTO
- Ferrari 275GTB
- Ferrari 330 P3/4
- Ferrari Dino 206S
- Citroen DSFerrari Dino 246GT
- Ferrari P6
- Ford GT40
- Hispano-Suiza H6 (Tulip Wood)
- Jaguar E-type
- Jaguar XJ6 S1
- Jaguar XK120
- Jaguar XKSS
- Lagonda Rapide
- Lamborghini Countach
- Lamborghini Gallardo
- Lamborghini Miura
- Lancia Stratos
- Lincoln Continental (1961)
- Lotus Elan +2
- Lotus Elan S3
- Lotus Elite (1957)
- Maserati Boomerang
- Maserati Khamsin
- Mercedes-Benz 500K
- Mercedes-Benz Gullwing 300SL
- Mini
- Pagaso Z102 ‘Thrill’
- Phantom Corsair
- Triumph TR4
[via Jalopnik]