Lap 09 - Grand Prix Imported Cars "Dress British, Think Yiddish!"

Sy Kaback formed Grand Prix Imported Cars for the purpose of importing Lotus and other British cars like MG and Morris. The informal sales motto for Grand Prix? "Dress British think Yiddish." Sy would accept every Lotus that Colin Chapman would send him. Colin was famous for promising the same car to a number of dealers, but Grand Prix was successful selling any car Lotus would happen to send.

A very specific request would be made, and he would ignore my requests and send what he wanted to send me. I could always sell them. But my customers were always kept waiting and waiting. [Colin Chapman] stayed with me for a few days in NYC in the early 60's. He was very charming in a roguish kind of way. He was frustrating to do business with, but he was very creative and made wonderful cars. When he was staying with me I said to him, 'Colin, you son of a bitch, you need to make stronger cars. They never make it through the victory lap.' He turned to me with complete sang froid and said, 'If they make it through the victory lap, they are overdesigned!'

Grand Prix ad which ran in the October 1961 issue of the SCCA's Sports Car magazine... the same issue reported the demise of Sy's Buick powered Lotus 15 at Thompson Raceway

Lotus Sevens ordered by Grand Prix Imported Cars (from original Lotus records) from June, 1961 (Kaback) 1120 1123 1124 1127 1134 1135 1136 1137 1138 1139 1140 1141 1149 1150 1151 1152 (Weathermatic) 1164 1165 1166 1167 1168 1169 1170 1171 1172 1173 1246 from Jan 2, 1962 1365 green for Dave Clark from April, 1962 (Weathermatic) 1416 1417 1418 1419 1420 June 1962 1505 1506 (LHD) 1507 (LHD) 1508 (LHD) 1509

Grand Prix went on to sell about 125 Lotus cars in total, mostly to eager "sports car-types" who would enter their new machines in various motoring competitions. Below are details from a list compiled in the early 1960s, showing examples of owners and types, including a number of 7a or "America" owners

Seven America at Hertfordshire, England ready for US market delivery

1961 New York Auto Show where a Seven was assembled as a part of the Lotus display and awarded to a lucky show attendee whose name was drawn from the boot (trunk) of a Lotus Elite by Italian car importer Luigi Chinetti

Of course, most Lotus owners race their cars, including those who purchased the Lotus 7a (America) with the diminutive 948cc BMC "A" Series engine. A record of Lotus deliveries in the early 60's shows 16 Sevens as being delivered to Sy Kaback in June of 1961, with a further 14 cars delivered to the Weathermatic Corporation. Of his many customers, Sy became good friends with Dave Clark, who became a very successful Lotus 7 racer of the time.