Cliff Bissett - Lotus 7 - Tasman Series Races

[RogerH]

I'm trying to track down some history of a Lotus 7 (originally a 1959 Series 1) that I have just found out had a racing history presumably in the sports car races aligned to the Tasman Series.

The owner at that time (Cliff Bissett out of Christchurch) has told me that he bought the car from his brother Geoffrey but at that stage it wouldn't have looked much like a Series 1 car as it had a Ford engine with Webers, Cortina front hubs with disc brakes, larger fenders (so presumably much wider wheels) and was painted yellow with black fenders.

I'm not sure what season he raced it but he sold it in August 1975 and it was registered by him in 1974 (but may have had another plate in his ownership prior to this). He says he ran it at all the Tasman Series races at Teretonga, Renwick?, Pukekohe, Wigram, Ruapuna and Bay Park.

Cliff is still involved with race cars and has lived in California since 1981.

Does anyone have any knowledge or photos of this car?

Edit : On re-reading the message I got from Cliff he says he "went to" Teretonga, Renwick etc - maybe I'm wrongly assuming the car raced at these meetings - possibly he was a keen spectator?

[Steve Holmes]

Do you have any photos of it you can post Roger?

[Howard Wood]

Roger,

As an aside, Cliff worked on Alain deCadenet's Le Mans car with me in 1977. He was ex Air NZ and a very good fabricator.

Glad to hear he is still alive and well, if you are in contact with him give him my and JA's regards.

[Oldfart]

Roger, if it's the car I think it is it originally had a BMC A series.

[RogerH]

Just heard back from Cliff and he followed the Tasman Series around the country in the Lotus 7 but did not race it - so my question should be cancelled!

Rhys : the Lotus 7 in question is my car which I found in pieces a few years ago in Rotorua. According to the original 1959 build sheet it first had a 100E motor, then a Ford and then a BMC A Series. It now has a 3/4 race BMC A Series - photo of the car below.



Howard : Cliff sent me the following (in which you are mentioned) : Worked with Alain DeCadenet with the Le Mans Lola DFV Cosworth 24 hr sports car , the Ibec Hesketh 24hr Le Mans project ,and Formula Two with Keke Rosburg , Spent time with Dick Crosswaite , and John Gardiner building Bugattis while living in England. Came back to NZ with Howard Wood to race the Lyncar Pacific car but a testing crash stopped that . Moved to USA to work on John Pauls Porsche 935 endurance car. Now i run a Lightning Sprint on the dirt for my 17 yr old .

[Kwaussie]

Any connection with the Lotus 7 that I remember racing in NZ?
It was the light blue Blackburn car at Dunedin early 1961. This car was 100E powered.
Have a photo somewhere of it parked outside a hotel in downtown Dunedin!

[RogerH]

Any connection with the Lotus 7 that I remember racing in NZ?
It was the light blue Blackburn car at Dunedin early 1961. This car was 100E powered.
Have a photo somewhere of it parked outside a hotel in downtown Dunedin!

This is the Blackburn car :



I spent ages researching it a few years ago thinking it was my car (only to find it wasn't as it was a later Series 2 model). I ended with lots of race history and photos which I provided to the current owner.

[RogerH]

An interesting photo which might start a bit of discussion as to location, date and car identity. The Blackburn Series 2 Lotus 7 is in the middle of the front row.




Can't seem to get rid of the smaller images!

[Oldfart]

Hi Roger, that car shown looks rather like one I looked at somewhere near to Pandora Place Pakuranga around 1968. The other I mentioned was in ChCh about a year later, at a car yard somewhere near to the Hagley Park end, maybe Peterborough St or somewhere there. From vague memory had red guards and a red 'glass nosecone.
Around the same time as the Pakuranga car I seem to remember someone was going to make a 7 replica called a Dolphin, did Dave Bray (brother of Frank) have one?

[pallmall]

An interesting photo which might start a bit of discussion as to location, date and car identity. The Blackburn Series 2 Lotus 7 is in the middle of the front row.




Can't seem to get rid of the smaller images!

Waimate 1961.
NZ Specials and Racing Cars.
Front Row. Doug Lawrence Cooper, Peter Preston Ford Spl, Bob Blackburn Lotus, David Young C type Jaguar, Ron Rutherford RA Zephyr.

1st Lawrence, 2nd Young, 3rd Rutherford, 4th Candy Healy Corvette, 5th Blackburn, 6th Tims Austin Healy.

[RogerH]

Waimate 1961.
NZ Specials and Racing Cars.
Front Row. Doug Lawrence Cooper, Peter Preston Ford Spl, Bob Blackburn Lotus, David Young C type Jaguar, Ron Rutherford RA Zephyr.

1st Lawrence, 2nd Young, 3rd Rutherford, 4th Candy Healy Corvette, 5th Blackburn, 6th Tims Austin Healy.

Gee - that didn't take long ...........

[RogerH]

Could be the same car as I think there were only two or three Series 1 Lotus 7 cars in NZ. My one goes back to Chch in 1974 (and probably a bit before that with Geoffrey Bissett) and after that it came to Auckland in 1975. The unsubstantiated story I heard was that it came here as a kit around 1960 and was put together by Hec Green for the owner. The factory records show it was sold as a kit (as most were) to a Mr Dade on 16 October 1959.

[David McKinney]

The Bob Blackburn car was, I think, NZ's first Lotus 7. It was put together by (or with the help of) Hec Green...

[Kwaussie]

The Bob Blackburn car was, I think, NZ's first Lotus 7. It was put together by (or with the help of) Hec Green...

As you say David I was confident that the first Lotus 7 [that was raced] in NZ was the Bob Blackburn light blue car complete with white plastic steering wheel!
On good authority I do know of a Mark 6 that had a very keen owner!
pf

[RogerH]

The Bob Blackburn car was, I think, NZ's first Lotus 7. It was put together by (or with the help of) Hec Green...

That could well be right David, as the story I heard relative to my car was very much unsubstantiated. The Blackburn car was a Series 2 car (identified by the less rounded rear fenders) which was a model introduced in June 1960. If it was the first Lotus 7 here then the two or three Series 1 cars (introduced in October 1957) must have been later imports? I know that one of the Series 1 cars didn't arrive until the late 1970s but the others???

[David McKinney]

My notes have one S1 imported in the 1960s and another in 1972...