Some notes on brief reports on classic Lotus that might be of interest to
the List.
Thoroughbred and Classic Cars, the UK magazine, November issue, has a
one-page article on the Lotus Elan (26 to 45), including the car (and the
Turbo
Esprit) in its list of 50 great cars for under L10,000. They admit you
won't get a clean S4 at that price, but might find a scruffy one in need of
a chassis change (in which event the Lotus List will be mandatory reading
for the buyer!). The listing is a bit strained, but has good pictures and
is very complementary to the model.
Victory Lane, October, has a very short article on the 23 by a certain Dan
Davis, who promises to continue with "vintage race-prepping the 23" in the
next issue. Very short though (I almost missed it) and, unfortunately, not
enough dedicated space. Does anyone know Dan Davis?
Motorsport, in its new format probably the best vintage racing magazine
presently, concludes its quest for the greatest racing cars with a poll of
its readers, and the choice for the Greatest Overall is the Lotus 79 -
"elegant and revolutionary." The Lotus 25 ended on par with the Porsche 917
at second. This is in the October issue, which has Jim Clark on the cover
and an accompanying article. Of course, there are plenty of pictures of
Lotus and ACBC.
Incidentally, a wonderful magazine for Lotus buffs is the Japanese "Tipo -
Dramatic Car Magazine." This usually has articles, illustrations, and
pictures of classic Elan, Europa, and occasionally Esprit. There is a
regular cartoon feature, called "Nuts and Bolts," that covers mechanical
topics such as rim widths, transmissions, etc., and the hero drives a Lotus
26 (he heard scrping noises at the rear when he fitted wide wheels -
probably the rim rubbing on the lower A-arm ends). If you have worked on
Elans, you will know the cartoonist knows his Elan - down to the smallest
mechanical detail. The magazine once featured fine drawings on the classic
Elan series, points of difference, and so forth. Even the advertisements
are good - a Europa speedboat frequently appears and also period accessories
(leather racing shoes, string-back gloves, even Momo Prototipo wheels,
etc.). The advertising spread on Tony Thompson's 26Rs is good, with
detailed pictures of the car and substitute parts. Great entertainment.
Even better if you read Japanese.
Regards to all,
Andres
MSCC (Manila)
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