The Roaring Season

[quote="jim short"]Very interesting and not trying to prove how smart I am,but how is it the Paton with max. of 80 bhp {Lyn Rogers statment}laped at Ohakea in 82 in 1.34.27 Wyndam in 1.36.34,total times 6.23.65 against6.31.13 .Is it the shape thats my thought.but that meeting the Paton had a full screen,its next time out had only single wrapround fitted and picked up 10mph at Puke perhaps suspension the Paton was a copy of Crowthers Lotus 11,then again on the Puke club track Dennis Ganley Lotus 7 with a 1600 mtr was faster but not on the GP track,,Ohakea certanly had the longest straight in NZ,nice to see the car again[/quote]

It just goes to prove what a fantastic driver you are, Jum.

Yes in 91 at the SFOS the 18 had a great race with the most suprising man I have seen Stan Peterson ,smoked all the time ,his hands shook real bad trying to light the smokes,suprised he could climb into his Cooper,but man he was quick ,I actually asked him how long he had had parkinson as we all thought this was the case ,.Hell what do you mean ? its a damaged nerve problem,so many stories about him ,one when he went to England to pick up the BRM he had bought,but the joke he told me at the picnik day at Lake Hays? when the Ranch Rover was rolled over in a flat feild ,he asked whats the difference between a hedghog and a 4 wheel drive upmarket car?? The hedgehog has the Pricks on the outside!!

[quote="jim short"]Well I could then ask why is the Lotus 18 so quick when it has a good driver?is it the gards and lights??[/quote]

Certainly the Lotus 7 guards (particularly the flared ones as opposed to the cycle wings) add a fair bit of wind resistance and the headlights will add a bit more. I should have added - "and, of course, the driver has a big influence on how fast the car is" :)

In the case of the Lotus 18 - handling (and a bigger engine) would make a difference, the mid-engine layout helping. Wikipedia again:

The car was a classic Chapman design, being extremely light and simple; the body was made up of lightweight panels bolted to heavily-triangulated tube frame (almost spaceframe) chassis. Thus the car was rigid and strong, maintaining the 16's forward weight distribution despite the engine moving behind the driver.

It was powered initially by a 2,494.93 cc Coventry Climax (3.70 x 3.54 in) four cylinder engine inherited from the Lotus 16 which produced 239 hp (178 kW) at 6,750 rpm from a weight of only 290 lbs (132 kg) and had a wide torque range. In order to capitalize on this weight advantage, Chapman designed a light, sleek machine only 28 inches (71 cm) high (excluding windscreen) and weighing just 980 lbs (440 kg). To help facilitate this, the driver was placed in a semi-reclining position, pioneered about a decade before by Gustav Baumm of NSU.

The Lotus 18 had remarkably good handling with a unique suspension system which drastically reduced weight transfer and body roll in cornering. Shortly, the Lotus 18 was proving to be faster than any car Grand Prix racing had ever seen, eclipsing even the legendary Auto Unions and being widely copied. It was also built as a two-seat sports-racer called the Lotus 19 or Monte Carlo.

Well I could then ask why is the Lotus 18 so quick when it has a good driver?is it the gards and lights??

[quote="jim short"]Very interesting and not trying to prove how smart I am,but how is it the Paton with max. of 80 bhp {Lyn Rogers statment}laped at Ohakea in 82 in 1.34.27 Wyndam in 1.36.34,total times 6.23.65 against6.31.13 .Is it the shape thats my thought.but that meeting the Paton had a full screen,its next time out had only single wrapround fitted and picked up 10mph at Puke perhaps suspension the Paton was a copy of Crowthers Lotus 11,then again on the Puke club track Dennis Ganley Lotus 7 with a 1600 mtr was faster but not on the GP track,,Ohakea certanly had the longest straight in NZ,nice to see the car again[/quote]

I should think you're spot on with the shape - the Lotus 7 shape is as aerodynamic as a brick :(

Wikipedia
The Eleven was designed by Colin Chapman and fitted with a sleek body designed by aerodynamicist Frank Costin.
Despite the wide variety of engines installed, the car was primarily designed to compete in the 1100 cc class where it was one of the most successful cars during the mid- to late-1950s. In 1956, An Eleven, modified by Costin with a bubble canopy over the cockpit was driven by Stirling Moss to a class world record of 143 mph (230 km/h) for a lap at Monza. Several class victories at Le Mans and Sebring followed, and the Eleven became Lotus' most successful race car design. A 750cc version won the Index of Performance at Le Mans in 1957.

Lotus Eleven Register website ([url]http://lotuseleven.org[/url])
1956: Although generally powered by only an 1,100cc Climax engine, in capable hands the Eleven could run rings around most other racing cars. Such was the combined effect of good horsepower, low weight, unmatched aerodynamics, powerful brakes and exemplary roadholding, that the Eleven had no rival in the 1,100cc class, and was nearly as dominant in the 1,500cc class. It was competitive in the up-to-2-liter class, and on the right course could best any sports car, regardless of engine size.

1957: Victories at LeMans: Jay Chamberlain and Mac Fraser first in the 1,100cc class, with other Elevens in 2nd and 4th, and a super lightweight 750cc Eleven driven by Cliff Allison and Keith Hall winning the Index of Performance.
1958 and on: The highlight of 1958 had to be the sweep the Elevens made in their class at Sebring. There the Weiss/ Tallaksen car finished an incredible fourth overall -- and still from only 1,100cc. Gradually however the rapid evolution of racing caught up with the Eleven, and while it was still competitive, Lotus prepared a successor. In 1959 the Lotus 17appeared, lower and lighter, but even it failed to match the handling and overall speed of the Eleven.

Very interesting and not trying to prove how smart I am,but how is it the Paton with max. of 80 bhp {Lyn Rogers statment}laped at Ohakea in 82 in 1.34.27 Wyndam in 1.36.34,total times 6.23.65 against6.31.13 .Is it the shape thats my thought.but that meeting the Paton had a full screen,its next time out had only single wrapround fitted and picked up 10mph at Puke perhaps suspension the Paton was a copy of Crowthers Lotus 11,then again on the Puke club track Dennis Ganley Lotus 7 with a 1600 mtr was faster but not on the GP track,,Ohakea certanly had the longest straight in NZ,nice to see the car again

[quote="SPman"]So - is it a 2000 engine? I had a Berlina 2000 and recall it had a lusty little engine! - about 135bhp from memory.[/quote]

It's a 1971 GTV engine of 1962cc on twin Dellortos and (according to the history) an EB Spares 11 cam so should have (or had when the engine was built!) at least the bhp you quote. It certainly goes well when you put your foot down :)

So - is it a 2000 engine? I had a Berlina 2000 and recall it had a lusty little engine! - about 135bhp from memory.

Alternator replaced (with a modern Japanese) so all good now, just need some sunshine and we'll be out driving :)

Well, the car is away having a new alternator fitted. The other teething troubles (non-working water temperature gauge and electric cooling fan, weather equipment fitting) will have to wait until the New Year, I want to drive it while the weather is (relatively) good :)

Well, the car is now in my garage :) I drove it back from Invercargill last Friday afternoon in the rain with no roof or side-curtains and didn't get as wet as I expected. It's great to drive, the engine's characteristics really suit me - you can drive it around like a Nanna car at low revs in a high gear or you can boot it and make it really fly. The previous owner in the UK seems to have spent most of the time he had it re-building it, I've got bills in the history file for nearly as much as I paid for it! I don't think it's done many miles since it went back to the UK - the records that came with it show it's done about 1,000 miles since 2008 and the teething troubles that have shown up so far are, I think, as a result of that. I've already got a list of things to do - including getting the weather equipment to fit (no fasteners on the scuttle for the tonneau, no fasteners for the side-curtains and a hood that's shrunk from lack of use), no charge from the (new in 2003) alternator and water temperature that barely gets off the bottom stop. No doubt there will be more as I drive it and it gets used to being driven after its long repose. I also want to get on with tracking down more of its history, (one of the Gore Vintage Car Club members, Alec McLennan remembers the car and Wyndham, so that's a start!) - plenty to keep me busy when I'm not driving it ;)

[attachment=1]SDC16997.JPG[/attachment][ATTACH=CONFIG]14096[/ATTACH]

[quote="Dave Silcock"]I think I did some engine mods to this car back in the day, or did Windy just ask me for quote and not get round to it? I do remember the car though.[/quote]

I think you must have done as the history file has a copy of the advertisement from when Wyndham sold the car and it says "Powered by a 2 litre Alfa rebuilt by Dave Silcock, 100% reliable and unburstable so far!" :)

I've had a reply to my letter to Wyndham Gray. It appears that, sadly, he died about 8 years ago.

Well, the history file has an undated engine build sheet from "Bob Dove Motorsport" for an Alfa Romeo engine of 1962cc with standard con rods, standard valve sizes and no inlet manifold or carbs fitted.....

Caterham Cars have confirmed that the the sales invoice for the car, a Super Seven Series III, is dated May 1, 1974. They also told me that the car was supplied to a customer in Yorkshire, England, in component form, less engine and gearbox, for the price of £1042.96 and that the customer was about to move to New Zealand. This confirms the information in the "Skidding the Tyres" book.

Just heard that the car is on a ship to New Zealand and should arrive in Lyttleton at the beginning of November. I have no further information on its history yet though.

So getting back to my Post 15, what did he race in the late '60s?

[quote="Kwaussie"]Great that you are getting the history file for your Lotus7 Alfa.
I am sure that you will have a lot of fun with a well known car.[/quote]

Yes, I certainly hope so!
I've got the history file now, which raises as many questions as it answers :confused: The chassis number shows the car is an early Caterham, which is straightforward enough. It was registered in New Zealand as a 1974 Lotus Super 7 in 1975 (with 300 miles on the clock), with a note that it was previously registered in the UK. It had a 1498cc engine in 1977 and 1983 but a 1968cc engine (presumably the Alfa one) in 1994. There's no clue in the history as to exactly when, or why, the engine was changed, or which engine it was. There are various racing programmes (including Pukekohe March 1983 - when it is shown as 1498cc - and Wigram February 1994 - when it is shown as 1962cc) included in the file, all of which show it as a 1968 Lotus (Super) 7. So it looks as though I have a bit of research to do :D On the plus side, I have addresses for the previous owners - as long as they haven't moved! It also looks as though the most recent UK owner has spent a lot of money on it, including replacing the Alfa engine with another one and putting a "proper" bulge in the bonnet. Plenty of work to do while the car makes its way to me :)

Great that you are getting the history file for your Lotus7 Alfa.
I am sure that you will have a lot of fun with a well known car.

[quote="Kwaussie"]Am sure that it was a three bearing 1340cc. Don't recall it ever with an Alfa in NZ.[/quote]

I think the "Skidding the Tyres" book entry says car started out with a Ford engine but, until I get the history file, I don't know which engine or when the Alfa unit was installed.