I have a B&W picture of the inside of a lotus 25 and on the left hand side of the dash is a solitary toggle switch which has the labels 'cloudy' and 'sunny' above and below it. I have no idea what this might be for other than possibly a rear light...

Any ideas?

Edit: Here is a pic:

bump...

It's for changing the weather...

Clearly.

Coventry-Climax V8s used an early type of capacitive-discharge ignition employing a bazulium rectifier. Very sensitive to ambient conditions, obviously.

Retractable hardtop.

Most certainly and the main reason why in the Dalekian Wars of the 35th century was such a tragic loss (to them, Raxacoricofallapatorians rejoiced of course) was because they failed to heed Colin Chapman's simple solution all those Millinium's before.

In "cloudy" mode there's a slight risk of vapor lock, so flicking the switch to "sunny" mode, you get opposite lock.

Presumably a Chapman windup?

well some saw him as god...but perhaps he just had special privileges such as asking god for a change in weather.

mmm... more difficult than I thought! The ingnition one sounds most plausible... even so quite curious. Perhaps they had more advanced weather systems than we previously thought back then!..

Firstly question, is this a Lotus 25? Its just the way the dashboard is shaped and looks. If a 25, it is very early in its life , pre South Africa 62. There is a switch in the same place in 63, but I suspect its the ignition as there's a starter button right below it. Strangely enough there is no stater button visible in the photo. Early 25s (carb) had an electric fuel pump controlled by a switch on the dash. The very switch Clark forgot to turn back on at the start of the 62 German GP, but why would you alter the fuel pump on a carb car because of the weather.

Later on in the car's life, Clark's car was fitted with a mixture lever for the fuel injection. This utilised a motor cycle advance/ retard lever.

Why they gave that contract to Lucas is beyond me.

You do know, don't you, cheapy, that ACBC was - one of them. I had a brief meeting with him in his office at Ketteringham Hall once, to do with the Type 88, and full-face it was himself, but I noticed that his reflection in the large glazed painting over the fireplace - lizard. You are the first and only person I have let in on this secret...

Up for racing in Britain, down for racing..err, everywhere else!

Interesting. I'm 99% sure its the 25(is under the 'lotus 25' section in sutton images) and as you say must be an early one.

No bid...

Found your photo on Sutton Images. But check the photo on the first page, suffix 29 dated as Dutch GP 62. That photo and the one with Chapman show at least 4 guages in the dashboard, your posted photo shows only 3. So unless Chapman took one of his mad turns and decided they weighed too much and removed the instruments later, it is not a 25.

Unfortunately I lent my 25 book to someone and haven't got it back.

Nippondenso had an office there, but none of the sales engineers spoke Delekian and they spent all their time drinking in the strip clubs.

Well, that changes EVERYTHING.

George Lucas? Aren't you thinking of Star Wars?

Bingo! The wet weather handling was so apalling you don't even bother to turn the ignition on when its cloudy.

Sorry guys - forgot my medication this morning.

I thought thought only time the wet weather handling on a 25/33 was considered bad was the German GP in 66 when fitted with Firestone "rain" tyres. Chapman had fitted Dunlops on the grid and the Firestone people pointed out that the clause allowing a different manufacturers tyres if superior in the Dunlop contract was not in the Firestone contract.

Clark eventually spun off into a ditch. A report of the time said " the only injury Clark suffered was when he got out a kicked the car".

Funny guy!
If that was the case, how on earth do they ever race in the UK ?????

I was only kidding. I claim no knowledge of these cars.

ahhh my stomach hurts from laff'n, you're on a roll this thread