26 replies to this topic

[Ralf Pickel]

Probably not existent - and a possible can of worms... - is there any register of chassis / frame numbers of the 20 FJ ?

Ralf

[David McKinney]

I've collected a few numbers over the years. Do you have a specific car in mind?

[David Beard]

Try Duncan Rabagliati?

http://www.historicl.../Rabagliati.htm

(mind you, he is usually very busy...)

Edited by David Beard, 11 February 2011 - 18:15.

[Ralf Pickel]

I've collected a few numbers over the years. Do you have a specific car in mind?

David, it would be chassis 20-J-892, unfortunately I do not have the frame nr. here.

Ralf

[Ralf Pickel]

Try Duncan Rabagliati?

http://www.historicl.../Rabagliati.htm

(mind you, he is usually very busy...)

Good idea - he would probably know.
Will contact him.

Ralf

[David McKinney]

David, it would be chassis 20-J-892, unfortunately I do not have the frame nr. here.

I believe that was the Reg Armstrong(Ireland) car

[Ralf Pickel]

Correct, bought by Reg Armstrong, later owned raced by Brian Cullen.
Would you have any frame nr. for that car ?

[David McKinney]

No, sorry

[Ralf Pickel]

No problem - thank you, though.

Ralf

[arttidesco]

I'm writing a blog about the Lotus 20 Ralf owns and am wondering if any one knows, Ralf certainly does not, if Reg Armstrong drove his Lotus 20 or if he entered the car for some one else to drive ?

Relevant answers maybe credited and used in a forth coming blog.

Thanking you in anticipation of your answers.

[David McKinney]

Reg raced it himself, fairly regularly IIRC

[Tim Murray]

I've found one result for Reg on Stefan Örnerdal's site:

http://www.formula2.net/FJ61_GB43.htm

[arttidesco]

I don't know why I didn't think of the F2 website Tim

I'll see if I can find some more there thanks to you and David

[David McKinney]

You'll probably find a source of Irish race results helpful

[Ralf Pickel]

Thank you all for bringing this up again - although I do guess it will be rather difficult to say when Armstrong did race which car. If, at all, he used it himself.
He bought two 20 at the same time and I do not expect chassis numbers would exist in any race results.
We have looked at Stefans great site, Armstrong is mentioned there, but no chassis nr.
Also the Irish results do not give any more informations.
Better documented are the years after Armstrong, for example under Brian Cullen mostly as Formula Libre car with the bigger engine and bigger rear wheels/tyres.

Ralf

[David McKinney]

According to my records Armstrong had only one 20. He had raced an 18 in 1960, and may have kept that, for others to drive, in 1961

[Ralf Pickel]

That might make things easier, of course !
But I have got the information of the two cars delivered on the same date (14/8/1961) from Duncan Rabagliati.
So, who knows for sure...
He also had a 22 - there is a photo in Edward Fitzgerald´s great book about Donboyne Circuit of Armstrong running the car in the ´65 Leinster Trophy.

Edited by Ralf Pickel, 21 November 2011 - 08:48.

[Richard Young]

If Reg Armstrong did acquire two Lotus 20s rather than one, the chances are that the second car was raced in Ireland by Edmund Gill who, like Armstron,g was successful on two wheels before switching to four !
I'm sure Eddie Fitzgerald will know more. All I can remember are the body colours which, in Armstrong's case was maroon. Gill's car was immaculately turned out in powder blue.

[Ralf Pickel]

Now, Eddie told me some time ago, that Armstrong sold a car (Eddie thought my 20) to Gill.
Brian Cullen had the car in white with twin powder blue (or metallic blue - difficult to see) stripes and wheel centres painted in the same colour.

[Ralf Pickel]

Also - almost forgot this, sorry, I also did get the information some time ago via Eamonn Ledwidge, that the car was supposedly advertised by Popplewell and then went to Henry Elliott, who sold it to Brian Cullen.
Quite a few names attached with the car.
But lining up everything it might give a decent time line.

I´ll give it a try...
Armstrong
Gill
Popplewell (also driven by Frank Keane when owned by him)
Elliot
Cullen

Edited by Ralf Pickel, 21 November 2011 - 09:34.

[Simon Thomas]

If Reg Armstrong did acquire two Lotus 20s rather than one, the chances are that the second car was raced in Ireland by Edmund Gill who, like Armstron,g was successful on two wheels before switching to four !
I'm sure Eddie Fitzgerald will know more. All I can remember are the body colours which, in Armstrong's case was maroon. Gill's car was immaculately turned out in powder blue.

I think Reg bought both his Lotus 18 and 20 new from Malcolm Templeton and he later bought Malcolm's 22. Reg never really had time to race cars as he had many ongoing business committments and also was still heavily involved with international motor bike racing throughout the 1960s.
Simon Thomas

[Simon Thomas]

If Reg Armstrong did acquire two Lotus 20s rather than one, the chances are that the second car was raced in Ireland by Edmund Gill who, like Armstron,g was successful on two wheels before switching to four !
I'm sure Eddie Fitzgerald will know more. All I can remember are the body colours which, in Armstrong's case was maroon. Gill's car was immaculately turned out in powder blue.

I think Reg bought both his Lotus 18 and 20 new from Malcolm Templeton and he later bought Malcolm's 22. Reg never really had time to race cars as he had many ongoing business committments and also was still heavily involved with international motor bike racing throughout the 1960s.
Simon Thomas

[Ralf Pickel]

I think there might be a point that he actually only had one 20 - until proven otherwise, of course.

[David McKinney]

I think there might be a point that he actually only had one 20 - until proven otherwise, of course.

I've only heard from one source the suggestion that he had two

[Ralf Pickel]

[Simon Thomas]

I've only heard from one source the suggestion that he had two

There is no logical reason for Armstrong to have had two Lotus 20s at the time.
Simon Thomas

[arttidesco]

Thanks to every one on this thread who unwittingly or otherwise contributed to this blog about the Lotus 20 #20-J-892 that was first run by Reg Armstrong.