Dizzy Addicott's Lotus-Buick
Gatesy
been restored but with a climax engine fitted. Does the v8 car or any
of the parts still exist?
Charles Helps
. Go down to the row headed "Post-War Race Car Restoration" and click
on the left-most item (a black and white photo of the Fifteen). You
should be able to see a series of photos - navigate to the next one by
hovering your mouse over the picture and then click on the word Next
when it appears.
I believe that one or two bits of the original are incorporated into
this replica. I heard that the owner thought it would make an
interesting and enjoyable track day car.
John Watson
Vintage Cars.Com business.
John W. Watson.
Victor Thomas
This car was recreated by Graham Capel in the mid 1970s by gathering parts
such as the Buick V8 and chassis etc. It ran as a complete car before being
sold , eventually to Ken Rogers who restored it with an FPF.
Regards
VFT
Spikey-fish
Peter Ross
The car owned and driven by Dizzy Addicott was built by the factory in 1958 as a Series 1 Fifteen and given the chassis number 603. It had a 2 litre Coventry Climax FPF engine and was retained by the Lotus works and entered in competitions driven mostly by Graham Hill and sometimes Cliff Allison. Some time in its busy schedule of races it was converted to Series 3 specification, and may then have been given the chassis number 621. It was sold to David Piper in 1959 who raced it in 1959 and 1960.
In 1961 it was bought by Dizzy Addicott without engine. Addicott squeezed an Iskenderian-cammed, twin Holley carburettored, 3.5 litre Buick V8 (later to become the basis of the current Rover V8) into the chassis for the 1962 sports racing season. Chassis tubes were cut away and a Dural (aluminium alloy) fire wall bolted rigidly to the centre section, off which mounted both engine and gearbox. He used a conventional Jaguar XK140 gearbox. His first race with his car was on 26th December 1961.
But when the rear engined cars with US engines (epitomised by the Can-Am series) like the Lotus Nineteen, Cooper Monaco and McLaren appeared his car was outclassed and put to one side.
When historic racing became established, the cut-off for one of the groups of sports racing cars was the end of 1960, so the Addicott car missed out by 12 months from being included with the group of cars against which it used to race, and its then current owner sold it to Ken Rogers who restored it to its original specification with Climax FPF engine and without the Buick engine and aluminium mounting bulkhead. This car has recently been bought by Peter Horsman.
To cut a long story short the remaining bits of the Lotus Buick were bought by Stewart Couch who was persuaded to build a replica of the Lotus Buick using the original engine and bulkhead. This was completed in 2008 and was granted an FIA Historical Technical Passport which confirmed that it was a true copy of the Lotus Buick. Stewart was invited to race this car in the “up to 31 Dec 1960” group of sports cars, but has since put it up for sale.
The owner, Stewart Couch, has never claimed that this car is the real thing, and everyone should be clear that Lotus Fifteen Chassis No 603/621, which at one time in its life was the Lotus Buick, has been restored to its original form with a Coventry Climax engine and is currently owned by Peter Horsman
For more details see “Historic Lotus” #57 Summer 2009 and #58 Autumn 2009.
It is sad to see a reputable Lotus dealer continuing to spread the myth that this is in some way the original car.
Peter Ross, The Birches, Cuckoo Mills, FALMOUTH, Cornwall TR11 4HZ 01326-317789 website www.historiclotusregister.co.uk
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steve_wi...@btinternet.com
Not knowing anything about Lotus history is obvious. The history of Lotus is about the people involved in it so if you don't know the people how can you begin to understand why of the x number of completed cars made by the factory there could be x+y legitimate cars around today.
On the balance of evidence shown from someone very much a part of the history I would say this one certainly wasn't; No more than a collection of bits from the right period hung in something that isn't.
But that could be said about most of the inept "as it left the factory" restorations one sees as purporting to be original!
The debate goes on! ;)
Kind regards,
Steve
07855846963
Sent using BlackBerry® from Orange
