DWhitesdJr wrote:
>Colin Chapman built approximately 100 Lotus VIs between 1953 and 1957.
>Does that make it a production car? If so, then what about the Lotus
>Eleven. Lotus built 270 Lotus Elevens, all of which were capable of
>being driven on the road. Many (perhaps as much as one-half) were
>actually road registered and driven routinely on the public roads.
>Should they be put in the production based Group 3 or 1 depending on
>engine size? What about the Lotus 23, of which 130 copies were made by
>the factory [and 200 survive ;-) ]? What about the Lotus 26R and 47, or
>for that matter the Lotus 22 Formula Juniors that were sold with
>fenders?
I believe the FIA definition of a production car was that 500 examples
had to be built in a 12 month period. That was the reason Ferrari had
to get Fiat to build Dinos so they could use the motor in F2 racing. By
this definition, there may not be very many early Loti that could be
called "production cars" IMO. A number of early race cars were sold
with removable fenders so they could compete in sports or open wheel car
classes.
Remember that the Ford GT-40 was also licenseable for street use. The
FIA required that of many classes. They even had to carry luggage at
one point. I've seen some cars that still have them. In typical
fashion, Chapman made cardboard luggage. ;=)
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