Photo's from Dave Silcock

[markec]

Cooper Vincent Wellington

Ducati Pantha Wigram

Les Wright, Roddy McPherson, Sam Johnson

[markec]

Giving the slow Max Pennington a helping hand, much to the delight of Mr Halliday
who is about to gain 2 places.

With Alan Boyle at what looks like Levin

Taken at Timaru

[markec]

Wigram Wings and Wheels

XK120

Manfield Dummy grid

Manfield Dummy grid.

[David McKinney]

Leon Witte, DB3 Wigram.

That's not a DB3, it's a DB3S
(Quite different models)

[markec]

?

Masarari

Cooper Vincent

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ERA

Rob Whitehouse Wellington

[stubuchanan]

If you left-click on the photo it will tell you it's a Lotus-Bristol.

The Lotus Mk 9 body had quite exaggerated tail-fins. This one has a big bonnet hump to accomodate the tall Bristol 6-cylinder (like the Cooper Bristol single-seater) and has cut-away front wheel arches and no rear-wheel spat. I don't know if all Lotus-Bristols were like this one, and the body dates from before Frank Costin's involvement in Lotus aerodynamics.

Question : Who and where and when?

Stu

[markec]

Trying to get a better look at the expressions on the faces
I've almost suceeded

[Oldfart]

Are they saying, respectively "Shit", "oh dear" and "Thanks Dave" ? From right to left.

[markec]

Something along those lines.

[Dave Silcock]

Hi Stu, I was lead to belive by Roddy Mac Phearson, who brought this car to NZ, that it was a Mk X, as you may have gathered I am more interested in the car than its history, so you may well be correct. This was Roderick's second visit to our shores, and having dis posed of the ex Ken Wharton, ahem, Cooper Bristol to Jim Boult,thought he was on to a good thing and brought out this device to unload on to some gullible colonial. My company was preparing nearly all the Bristol engined cars in this country, and had in fact been looking after the Cooper Bristol for Roddy the previous season. So we were involved with this car from its arrival from the UK. At that stage it was red and the body looked some what akin to a bag of walnuts. He suceeded in selling it to a Robin Saville who sad to say took his own life, and Bill Clark bought it from his estate. As a partner in Auto Restorations he pretty soon had the body rebuilt and engaged us in the mechanical side of things. We built a hybrid 2 litre, 2.2 litre motor with the longer stroke crank but the standard bore and one of our big valve heads. It also had what the poms call the Silcock camshaft, in fact a BCF 2 Cosworth, but what would they know. Bill's son James drove it with great vigour as well as the Mk1 Cooper Bristol the Bill also owned. I once drove both cars on the same day at Wigram and could not believe the benefit of the Lotus body shape. It went back to the UK and was driven at some stage by Soames Langton. So in answer to your question, its in my work shop and driven by a chap who worked for me by the name of John Crew, otherwise known as Motley!

[stubuchanan]

Thanks Dave, I'll have to chalk this up as a "first" - I asked a question and got an absolutely complete answer.

Mr McPherson was very likely right, it probably is a Mk X, I knew there was a photo of a similar Lotus, didn't know that both Mk IX and X had very much the same body . I'll probably get a lecture from D G McKinney now (see Post #24 above!)

Presume your "Crew-man" was driving the Masarrari as well. What a great-looking car it was and still is.

Stu

[David McKinney]

Non-lecture:
The first streamlined Lotus sportscar was the MkVIII (1954). Its replacement was the MkIX (1955). Both were powered either by 1500 MG engines or, latterly, 1100cc Climax FWAs (and yes, there was a 1½-litre Connaught-engined car or two as well)

The MkX was built to take the bigger (2-litre) Bristol engine

[thunder427]

. So in answer to your question, its in my work shop and driven by a chap who worked for me by the name of John Crew, otherwise known as Motley!

Dave,John Crew/'Motley',just love it,..in the 80's was asked to pre-purchase a Panel-van for a three Kiwi's,who were arriving in Melbourne to travel to Perth,this was done quite easily as we opperated from a Ford dealership,the guys concerned were Peter,and Paul and lets say David (cant remember his name correctly),had the XC van serviced,roadworthy,vans awaiting thier arrival...just happened to have the 'Signwriter' on board to sign a Formula Ford we had just redone,Sooooooo; got him to put 'PETER,PAUL and 'MARY' on tour!!!...on the Tail door,I have reason to believe he is still called 'MARY' to this day......MJ