Jump to content


Photo

Lotus 56s at Goodwood Festival of Speed - photos required


  • Please log in to reply
20 replies to this topic

#1 Michael Oliver

Michael Oliver
  • Member

  • 1,070 posts
  • Joined: January 03

Posted 21 November 2011 - 21:52

I know there are several threads devoted to different aspects of this car but I am interested in the surviving cars in their current form.

Two 56s (plus the 56B F1 car) have appeared at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. The car from the IMS museum in the livery of the Graham Hill entry with the race number 70 came in, I believe, 1998, while the Parnelli Jones car in the livery of the Joe Leonard entry with the race number 60 came last year in 2011. Unfortunately, last year was also the first year I haven't been to the Festival since it began...

So, I am looking for photos of these two cars but particularly, body-off shots of the front footbox and the rear bulkhead. Can anyone help? I'm not interested (well, that's a relative term used only in the context of this thread!) in photos of the 56B, just the Indy 56s.

Of course if someone has photos of these cars 'body-off' back in Parnelli's workshop or the IMS, I'm not going to quibble!

Here's hoping someone can help.

Michael

Advertisement

#2 hipperson

hipperson
  • Member

  • 623 posts
  • Joined: January 06

Posted 22 November 2011 - 15:12

Michael......emailed you a couple of HighRes.
Hope it is the right car..No 60 ?

#3 Pedro 917

Pedro 917
  • Member

  • 1,767 posts
  • Joined: August 02

Posted 22 November 2011 - 20:17

Hi Michael
Unfortunately, I don't have body-off pictures but you can find a lot of pictures of the # 60 on my Jalbum here

#4 Michael Oliver

Michael Oliver
  • Member

  • 1,070 posts
  • Joined: January 03

Posted 22 November 2011 - 21:46

Hi Michael and Pedro917

Thanks to you both for those pics. They are all helpful - the more the merrier!

It seems the PJ team were somewhat coy about what was under the hood then...

Michael

#5 ktrhe

ktrhe
  • Member

  • 91 posts
  • Joined: February 10

Posted 22 November 2011 - 22:21

Posted Image Posted Image Posted Image Posted Image Posted Image

Here are my photos of the Lotus 56, just on track and no detail pics

Edited by ktrhe, 22 November 2011 - 22:23.


#6 arttidesco

arttidesco
  • Member

  • 6,708 posts
  • Joined: April 10

Posted 23 November 2011 - 00:15

Close as I got at Goodwood, all but stept into it, all the pics I have of the 56 are with the body on and the canvass cover in the cockpit, but I did find this on the net, of what looks like where the rear bulkhead ought to be (?) , which might be of interest.

#7 Arese

Arese
  • Member

  • 485 posts
  • Joined: January 10

Posted 23 November 2011 - 08:21

Hi Michael
Unfortunately, I don't have body-off pictures but you can find a lot of pictures of the # 60 on my Jalbum here


Certainly not the purpose of this thread, but I enjoyed your excellent photos very much. Thank you. They made me think I should go to the Festival of Speed next year.

#8 f1steveuk

f1steveuk
  • Member

  • 3,588 posts
  • Joined: June 04

Posted 23 November 2011 - 09:25

Would this have anything to do with 56/3? I only ask as there was a whole website devoted to the car, and the rebuild of a "sister" car that was awash with pictures, if I could recall where it was!

#9 Hamish Robson

Hamish Robson
  • Member

  • 389 posts
  • Joined: May 09

Posted 23 November 2011 - 11:22

I've got this one

Posted Image

And a couple more like it, but I too never saw it "undressed".

#10 Michael Oliver

Michael Oliver
  • Member

  • 1,070 posts
  • Joined: January 03

Posted 23 November 2011 - 14:15

ktrhe and Hamish: Many thanks for the photos. Guess the car didn't need fettling for the whole weekend then, guess that's what you get with aviation engines with lifespans in the thousands of hours!

Arttidesco: I have seen this photo and it is of a genuine Lotus chassis but I don't believe it is a recent pic of the Parnelli chassis. By the rear bulkhead, I mean the 'Terry hoop' structure which can just be seen right at the rear of the car, rather than what we might normally call the rear bulkhead, between the driver and engine.

f1steveuk: I have (for the best part of a decade now) been trying to unravel the history of the 68 Indy turbines and this is part of that ongoing process, although the recent offer of 56/3 for sale has re-piqued my interest! The photos of the rebuild of the 'sister' car that you recall is on the Avon Aero website. This is a car owned by Bruce Linsmeyer but I understand that this carries the chassis plate 56/1 RE and is constructed from one of the Parnelli Jones Lotus copies sold at auction in the late 1990s.


#11 RA Historian

RA Historian
  • Member

  • 3,833 posts
  • Joined: October 06

Posted 23 November 2011 - 14:22

This is a car owned by Bruce Linsmeyer but I understand that this carries the chassis plate 56/1 RE and is constructed from one of the Parnelli Jones Lotus copies sold at auction in the late 1990s.

When I saw the Linsmeyer car at Milwaukee a few years ago I was told by a crew member that it was not original, but was a replica. Then, as now, I thought that to be surprising candor as the usual practice by most owners of non-original cars is to claim that everything is original.
Tom

#12 B Squared

B Squared
  • Member

  • 7,314 posts
  • Joined: September 08

Posted 25 November 2011 - 13:25

Of course if someone has photos of these cars 'body-off' back in Parnelli's workshop or the IMS, I'm not going to quibble!


Jabby Crombac did a book called Turbine Grand Prix, there are quite a few photos of the Indy car without bodywork at the time of its introduction.

#13 Michael Oliver

Michael Oliver
  • Member

  • 1,070 posts
  • Joined: January 03

Posted 25 November 2011 - 14:13

Jabby Crombac did a book called Turbine Grand Prix, there are quite a few photos of the Indy car without bodywork at the time of its introduction.

Hi B Squared

Yes, I have this book and it is very useful indeed. What I am looking for are current shots of the cars that are around, to try and determine which is real and which isn't! Have had several very illuminating conversations and email exchanges in the past few days, with more to come. Hopefully will have nailed it all down after one particular call...although the problem is that many of the events I am interested in occurred 42 or 43 years ago and understandably, people's memories are a little bit fuzzy. I have enough problem remembering what I did yesterday let alone 42 years ago!

Michael

#14 Pullman99

Pullman99
  • Member

  • 839 posts
  • Joined: January 09

Posted 25 November 2011 - 14:51

What I am looking for are current shots of the cars that are around, to try and determine which is real and which isn't! Have had several very illuminating conversations and email exchanges in the past few days, with more to come.


I am hugely fascinated by all the gas turbine cars (hence my avatar!) and the Lotus 56 saga is one in particular that has held my interest since 1968. I do remember that the BBC's "Tomorrow's World" did some coverage of the car's debut and this, I think, featured some of its construction as well as one (56/1 possibly) being tested at Hethel by Graham Hill. Might be worth enquiring. I have a few contacts there that I will try to follow up.

BTW, will the results your researches be published?

#15 Michael Oliver

Michael Oliver
  • Member

  • 1,070 posts
  • Joined: January 03

Posted 26 November 2011 - 11:04

I am hugely fascinated by all the gas turbine cars (hence my avatar!) and the Lotus 56 saga is one in particular that has held my interest since 1968. I do remember that the BBC's "Tomorrow's World" did some coverage of the car's debut and this, I think, featured some of its construction as well as one (56/1 possibly) being tested at Hethel by Graham Hill. Might be worth enquiring. I have a few contacts there that I will try to follow up.

BTW, will the results your researches be published?

It would be fascinating to see the TW programme, anything you can do to help on that front would be appreciated, thanks. I suspect you are right that it was almost certainly 56/1 which would have been filmed as this was the 'test mule', with all changes resulting from March 68 testing at Indy and any UK testing done at Hethel etc incorporated into the subsequent chassis.

In terms of the results of my researches being published, I would hope to put together enough for a comprehensive feature for one of the mags but because of the Crombac and Ferguson books I don't think there would be sufficient demand/new material for a book.

#16 B Squared

B Squared
  • Member

  • 7,314 posts
  • Joined: September 08

Posted 01 December 2011 - 10:59

A few photos of a Lotus 56 from Goodwood that Aaron Lewis sent to me for posting. I think this is 56/1.

Posted Image
Posted Image
Posted Image

#17 Michael Oliver

Michael Oliver
  • Member

  • 1,070 posts
  • Joined: January 03

Posted 01 December 2011 - 17:44

A few photos of a Lotus 56 from Goodwood that Aaron Lewis sent to me for posting. I think this is 56/1.

Posted Image
Posted Image
Posted Image

Thanks for those, Brian. It certainly looks good.

Do you know of any regular snappers who would have followed the 1969 USAC trail? I guess we are talking the likes of Bob Tronolone, maybe Dave Friedman? But any others you know, even those who would only have covered the one race would be useful.

I am looking for detail shots of the cars run by the Granatellis in 1969, mostly with Plymouth normally aspirated engines but also a turbo Offy. These ran at Indy, Castle Rock 6/7/69, Trenton 19/7/69, IRP 27/7/69, Milwauke 17/8/69, Dover Downs 24/8/69, Brainerd 14/9/69, Trenton 21/9/69, Seattle 19/10/69, Phoenix again 15/11/69 and Riverside 7/12/69. Drivers included Art Pollard, Sam Posey, Joe Leonard, Jim Malloy and George Follmer.

Also looking for detail shots of the #3 wedge run by Vel's Parnelli Ford for Joe Leonard at Trenton 21/09/69, Seattle 19/10/69, Phoenix 15/11/69 and Riverside 7/12/69.

BTW sorry, all dates are UK format, eg day/month/year!!!

Hope you can help, or know someone who can.

Thanks

Michael

#18 B Squared

B Squared
  • Member

  • 7,314 posts
  • Joined: September 08

Posted 02 December 2011 - 12:31

Michael - Thanks for the listing the specific cars and dates that you need photos of. Unsure if I have anything, but I'll look.

#19 Michael Oliver

Michael Oliver
  • Member

  • 1,070 posts
  • Joined: January 03

Posted 02 December 2011 - 13:53

Michael - Thanks for the listing the specific cars and dates that you need photos of. Unsure if I have anything, but I'll look.

Great, thanks Brian. Even if you don't have anything, any suggestions for photographers I could try would be very useful!

Michael

Advertisement

#20 RA Historian

RA Historian
  • Member

  • 3,833 posts
  • Joined: October 06

Posted 02 December 2011 - 16:13

Russ Lake, of Milwaukee, has been shooting for decades, principally of oval racing, and his father before that. He has a very large library and I would be quite sure that he was at Milwaukee in 1969. I do not have contact info handy, but may be able to get it.

Tom

#21 Michael Oliver

Michael Oliver
  • Member

  • 1,070 posts
  • Joined: January 03

Posted 03 December 2011 - 00:42

Russ Lake, of Milwaukee, has been shooting for decades, principally of oval racing, and his father before that. He has a very large library and I would be quite sure that he was at Milwaukee in 1969. I do not have contact info handy, but may be able to get it.

Tom

Tom that would be great if you could procure some contact details. I think I have one very grainy shot of Malloy at Milwaukee but it is not really good enough for detailed analysis, so anything additional would be really useful.

Michael