Dear Lotus Listers,
It seems that there are a number of you who are Lotus followers and one or
more of you may be able to help me trace the US history of my Lotus 22. Ser
# FL7,
It was imported from the USA in 1982. It was purchased from a Mr Gerald
McCabe of Venice, California. It's earlier history is not known but as the
serial number on the dash plate is the same as that listed for Jo Siffert's
entry at the Brussels GP of 1962 it is possible that it was the Siffert car
and ran there as a Formula libre car with 1370 cc Cosworth pushrod Ford.
Siffert came 5 th or 6th on aggregate over three heats, an unbelievable
result considering the field.
The body colour also matches the description of the Siffert car and the body
mouldings appear to be the originals. Many repairs!!!
I have tried to trace Mr McCabe without success, Mordy Dunst told me there
was a McCabe music store in Venice and supplied a number for it but the
number is no longer in use.
I have run the car in historics here in Australia for some years and have
just about finished a major rebuild. I have all the history since it arrived
here as it was bought from McCabe by Spencer Bates, many of you in the USA
would know of Spencer, who was Club Lotus Australia Chairman at the time,
and is a close friend of mine. I drive his race Elite for him on occasions
and look after it for him. (I have 4 Elites in my workshop right now)
The car carries an Ian Raby (Empire Cars) chassis plate, he was a dealer for
Lotus race cars in the period and a close friend of both Chapman and
Siffert.
The car has some distinguishing features in that the cockpit top tubes have
been strengthened by the addition of a 2" X 3/4" tube nickel bronze welded
on the inside of the round tubes, it looks like it was done at the factory
as the tubes pass right through the dash bulkhead to meet up with a cross
brace behind the dash. At the rear they meet up with the roll bar cross
tube. Very nicely done and if you didn't know they were extras you would
believe that was the way they were designed.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Bruce Mansell Sydney Australia.
Lotus 22 #7, Lotus Elite #1724, Brabham Twin Cam BT21 #48.
/// unsubscribe/change address requests to majordomo@autox.team.net or try
/// http://www.team.net/mailman/listinfo
/// Archives at http://www.team.net/archive/vintage-race
|