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introduction
1968
- 1972
1973
- 1974
1975
- 1977
1978
- 1984
1985
- 1989
1990
- 2000
2001
- 2003
conclusion
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| In a
dimly lit pub in East Anglia late in 1968, on a rainy Saturday
afternoon, I found myself pounding pints of mild and bitter with
Mildenhall Air Bases' weather officer, one Lt. Lucky Luna. Lucky
owned two Lotus 7's about which I knew nothing until he began
explaining physics to me. Ten pounds per horsepower? |
| The
next Saturday I found myself at Lotus' sparkling new Hethel Airdrome
facility in Norwich, checkbook in hand. After placing my order
with Mr. Spurgeon, I was given a tour of the Seven assembly area
where two fellows were leisurely popping rivets into a chassis
propped on saw horses. Amazing process, I thought. There was
a stack of twincam engines along one wall and when I asked if
one of those could be fitted to my car, I was told "cahn't
be done, old chap". Of course it WAS done right there a
few weeks later, but LSB 2325 got the 1600GT pushrod powerplant
instead. It would have to wait a couple years for a twincam. |
 |
| Six
months later, Judy and I had settled in Los Angeles and we both
began competing in slaloms sponsored by the Southern California
Council of Sports Car Clubs, known as "sick sick".
The car was a ttod winner for years and I had run as many as
three events in one day down there.The car served as my daily
driver at that time and the odometer still registers the 49,000
road miles driven before I disconnected it. |
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A twin cam engine was acquired
for the car in 1971 and the extra power made the car undriveable
until 10" wide slicks were fitted. At that point, it had
become virtually unbeatable with literally hundreds of men's
and women's top time trophies ending up on our family room shelf.
The car was driven on the street
from 1968 until 1982 and I merely changed the wheels for competition.
Note 10 inch wheels
and shortened, chromed exhaust
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