Mr. Chapman got the 7A homogated in 1961 for SCCA racing. SCCA bought
the idea as it needed some cars. When I raced this particular 7A there were
at least 27 others just like it on the grid (at Sears Point in 1967). By
that time the Porsche Speedsters had pretty much died out! Yes, Lotus 7s
are odd little cars
This move is similar to SCCA recently classing the Caterham S7 for road
racing, to fatten up its grids and entry lists.
When I orignally autocrossed the same car we have now there were at
least 4 that ran regularly. I know of only 3 that are still running on the
west coast, as most folks didn't think they were worth preserving and they
could be bought dirt cheap. I know of one that has never been raced...a real
rarity!
The DP/EP split came about because Randy Welch wanted to win. After the
split happened, he won 3 times, realized the consequences of 3 wins and
'retired.' And I'm sure you know he was a 510 owner.
BTW, speaking of old cars, 510 aren't that new in the scheme of things.
Also, the Swan brothers from Fresno had one of the really quick DP early
vintage Honda Civics way back after the class split. That was sold to a guy
in Missouri, who sold it to Dwayne Komush. I believe it's still alive.
The Honda that John Thomas drives is owned by Tom Lombardo, of Meridian,
Mississippi.
The 240Z has been classed in either AP or FP, never in DP, as far as I
know.
As for the irregularities of 7 construction, they were hand built (not
exactly like an early Ferrari (g)) so they were all a little different, as
were Austin Healeys, etc. It was more of a Brit quality control problem than
anything else.
If you look in a recent issue of The Wheel, there is a Lotus Super 7 for
sale apparently a real one that needs lots of work. $25,000/obo. A bit high
in my estimation.
Please stop revising history, Dennis.
And as for John's win streak in DP, it wasn't until his fifth trip to
national he won his first, and never did win both days, with a very narrow
win margin all three times. I find that a competitive situation, not a
dominating one. We just weren't smart enough to stop going to nationals,
especially with 3 wins. The formula is, everybody, if you should win 3 in a
row, stay away for a couple of years, or you will be moved up a class or 3.
> The issue seems to be coming down to whether the
> distiction between EP and DP is age, engine size, or
> car style. I wonder how many folks on this forum have
> any interest at all in the subject. The reality is,
> today folks are much more interested in SM vs SM2 than
> in DP vs EP debates. Not that there is much difference
> mind you....
Very true...
--Pat K
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