63 replies to this topic

[RTH]

In the early 1960s when Lotus were based at Cheshunt in Hertfordshire, Lotus had a Service workshop operation at the Panshanger Airfield between Hatfield and Welwyn, Herts. I understand this was at the time when Colin Chapman had got his first light aircraft and it was kept there and he flew it in and out of Panshanger.

I am having a meeting this evening with someone whose late brother worked for Lotus at Cheshunt and Hethel from 1962 - 1967 and he was sent to the Panshanger depot early in his career and operated this satellite service workshop, which handled warranty and major problems on new road cars.

Now can anyone give me any more information about Lotus at Panshanger ?

Exactly which years did they occupy the site and why ? How many people worked there ? What exactly was done there ? Anyone got any photos and/or know just exactly were on the site the workshop was....I am thinking of visiting the site to take some photos now . What aircraft did Colin Chapman have then ?

Lotus moved to Hethel , Wymondham Norfolk in late 1966 which of course was itself a wartime aerodrome

As mentioned previously in the Hornsey thread, Panshanger is at present under threat of being built entirely over as a new town despite being in the most lovely rural countryside close to the A414 and a great benefit to amateur light aircraft pilots and housing a number of small air maintenance businesses and employing a substantial number of people.Light aircraft fields are now very few and far between.

Photo of the big hanger and flying club

http://www.geograph....uk/photo/141093


Panshanger Airfield During The Second World War

Originally known as Holwell Hyde the airfield was used during 1940-41 as a
decoy site for the De Havilland factory at Hatfield. A large dummy factory was
constructed on the site using mainly tarpaulins. From September 1942 to May
1947 it was occupied by No1 EFTS (Elementary Flying Training School). During
this time 4,800 pupils passed through the flying school and 175 instructors and
pupils were decorated for their efforts. The planes used by the school were
mainly de Havilland Tiger Moths.
The extent of the airfield in 1944 is shown on the map below:
http://www.geograph....ref_from=TL2712



Any other questions I should ask at the meeting?

http://www.northlond...r/Pansanger.htm

http://www.francisfr...r aerodrome.htm

[Allan Lupton]

I've asked a former de Havilland colleague, whose early Elite was taken to Panshanger (with brake failure IIRC) if he has anything to contribute.

[RTH]

Thanks for that Allan, the more you look in to the early origins of Lotus the more connections we seem to find with De Havilland at Hatfield.

[Allan Lupton]

Originally posted by RTH
Thanks for that Allan, the more you look in to the early origins of Lotus the more connections we seem to find with De Havilland at Hatfield.

Yes, e.g. a lot of de Havilland drawing office people worked for Lotus in their spare time.

[bradbury west]

Perhaps Jim Endruweit is your man to talk to, Richard, to get a view.
Roger Lund

[Charles Helps]

There was an article on Panshangar in Club Elite News , September 2005, by Malcolm Ricketts. There are a couple of photos of his Elite in front of the old service department.

I found a photo of what appears to be the same hut WWII flight crew building? on the site with the hangar and flying club photos that Richard (RTH) posted.

Just a short quote from the article:
For the service department to be removed from central control stock [at Cheshunt], with the allocation of labour, it was often thought that a considerable amount of valuable material vanished, but this was compensated by the fact that the majority of dissatified customers were kept at distance from those who has sold them their cars.

[RTH]

Interesting Charles, that would seem to make sense. Its not too far from me I will try to take a trip over there and see if it is still there.

Any chance of a look at the original photos from the Club Elite article ?

Interesting about keeping customers remote from the factory, I can see that as a desireable factor.
Panshanger being close to the A1 ,the then main arterial road for North - South communication by road in those days , was actually a good location.

Was there a dealer network for Lotus in 1962 ? Did you order and collect your car from the factory ?.

Where did you get warranty work done and servicing especially if you were 200 miles from London ?

I guess as so many cars were sold as Kits or even as part sets of components from 1952 up to even as far as the early '70s they would have been delivered to your house direct from the works on a flat back lorry ?

I wonder if there are photos of kits just arriving at buyers homes in the '50s & '60s ?

Anyone here buy a brand new Lotus in the 1950s or 1960s ?

[Sharman]

Originally posted by RTH


Where did you get warranty work done and servicing especially if you were 200 miles from London ?

I [/B]

An oxymoron if ever there was one:rotfl:

[RTH]

This is the letter Paul Brown received offering him the job at Panshanger

[RTH]

A bit of historical background about Panshanger

[RTH]

From Cedric Selzer : -


"I flew into Panshanger with Colin in his single engined Comanche from Aintree. Flew back from Nurburgring in the same aircraft to Heathrow in1963. I flew the aircraft from Germany to the English coast. "

Cedric




That would I think be one of these

http://www.pilotfrie...ce/Piper/11.htm






This was a later Colin Chapman twin engined aircraft from the late '70s and the JPS era

[Bloggsworth]

QUOTE]Originally posted by RTH
This is the letter Paul Brown received offering him the job at Panshanger

[/QUOTE]

If this is the ex-paratrooper Paul Brown (I think - he wore a paratroopers helmet when he sprinted his 1000cc Lotus 7, prepared in my father's garage) he is possibly the best driver I have known; as well as being an all round good egg. Paul was the service department test driver and drove like a gentle stream flowing down a shallow hill, a continuous smooth flow; if you shut your eyes you could only tell he had changed gear by the change in engine note.

I worked at Panshanger during the school summer holidays in 1962, and living in Stanstead, fairly near Trevor Shann, who came from Bishops Stortford, I got a lift every day. When I went back to Lotus after leaving school in '63, it was to Cheshunt.

The hanger is still there, seemingly not much more dilapidated than in 1962, although the adjacent offices, workplace of one of Mike Walton's lunchtime companions, have gone.

Apart from Trevor, I worked with, and am still friends with, Bob Curl; remember Mike Walton who went on to drive the Diva Valkerie when I was at Diva, and later raced Fiat Abarths with great success. I know that Bob Sparshott worked there, and IIRC, went off when driving a 7 round the perimeter track and impaled his leg on a girder. Whether John Suter and Richard Essame (who drove one of the Minis in "The Italian Job" and now renovates Jaguars in California) worked there, I don't know. I am legendarily bad with names, I remember Mike Walton's bearded flatmate(?), and that he was once reputed to have, allegedly, when delivering an Elite back to London, and being upset by a following car on main beam, stopped, got out and stomped up the bonnet of the offending vehicle and kicked in the windscreen!

[RTH]

Don't suppose you have any photos or documents from your time there ?

[Bloggsworth]

I was 16 - documents? Future history? No chance!

[Bloggsworth]

Had a chat with Bob Curl, and I have a little list:

John Suter was Foreman

Mike Walton’s friend, and I think, flat-mate and destroyer of windscreens was Guy ………

John Evans, a midlander with a Mini Pickup, I believe he was driving the & when Bob Sparshott was impaled on the girder.

Ian Swann with a Morris Minor in which they all charged off to lunch.

Tony Faint.

Dave “Spud” Woolhead.

Jo (probably Guiseppi) Bondi the fibreglazier, a teller of tall tales of seductions.

Terry…. Bright or Light or some homophonic name.

Mike Pickford.

Colin Wills.

Nigel ****** owner of an MG TC with a low flying aircraft affixed to the radiator cap. He was the planned victim of a catalyst bomb, but spotting it in time, he threw it away, as it flew through the air it got caught in the overhead telephone wires. As the lads hightailed it down the drive to avoid being showered in burning gloop, Trevor Shann and John Suter appeared in the hanger doors and beamed benignly at the staff departing for the annual holiday; it was it this point that the bomb exploded…………………………………………….

[RTH]

That is really great information...thanks.

[RTH]

So there I was yesterday at the Duxford aerodrome in the American hanger under the B52 bomber and there is a table showing all the US airfields in south east England in wartime and we saw Hethel marked.

So I said to the 2 chaps I was with " What sort of planes flew out of Hethel ? " they didn't know but the next bloke around the display said...." Oh it was bombers, I used to work there "

"Oh really " , I said, "Do you mean at Lotus ? "... Yes he said " I worked for Team Lotus on the racing programme"

I looked at him did a double take, and I said "May I ask your name ? ".......... "Dick Scammell "... he said !

So anyway we exchanged details and he agreed to do an interview for Gary C's DVD about Lotus and the early years.............Amazing !




US WW2 airfields

[RTH]

I am thinking of going to Panshanger this coming week to take some photos of how it is now.

Can anyone find any pictures taken of Lotus at Panshanger during the 1960s to give us some idea where they were located , which buildings they used ?

Maybe some magazine adverts or articles from the period which might show the service department or any pictures showing an airfield or light aircraft at the time which in all probability would also be Panshanger ?

Maybe a picture from a book or a magazine any clues to go on really ?

[Bloggsworth]

http://www.multimap....s...and, SG14 2


Turn off the A1 onto the A414 towards Hertford, under the A1000 bridge, down to the Cole Green roundabout in the dip; fun/or a real tester depending how fast you're going, up the hill, along to the next roundabout , straight through, then after 100 yards, turn left into Panshanger Lane. Along the Lane, through the dip (taken at speed to ensure that Elite dampers were properly bedded), then turn left into the airfield; the hanger is a rusting hulk right in front of you!

I work in Welwyn Garden, so if you need further guidance........................

[John Ellacott]

Richard, Dick Scammel in Innes Irelands Lotus 18 Warwick Farm January 1961
We might be distantly related --- my grandmothers maiden name was Scammel, came from Devonshire before coming to Australia.

[RTH]

Lovely photograph John , I will pass it on to Dick......amazingly 47 years on he is not all that much changed !



Bloggs : We are thinking of going on Tuesday you are welcome to join us !!

[RTH]

[Bloggsworth]

As luck would have it, my car is being serviced on Tuesday, so what time were you thinking?

[RTH]

Mid morning Tues everyone welcome.

[RTH]

Panshanger Aerodrome as it is now in May 2008 3 miles west of Hertford , built in 1941 as a decoy to lure German bombers away from the nearby De Havilland aircraft factory in Hatfield with Clubhouse, Cafe, gardens fuel, flight training, fixed & rotary, training flight simulator, and engineering works.


Entrance is from the west its a quiet rural location but in recent time housing is now to the south of the grass runway.



Its still a busy airfield for private pilots with 40+ aircraft on the ground. I am told there is also a Spitfire and a de Havilland Tiger Moth in one of the closed hangers.

The current operator and owner of the flying club is the larger than life Israeli pilot Haim Merkado ( who has transformed the place from derelict since he took over in 1993 )who greeted us and was enthusiastic about our enquiries about Lotus being there in the 1960s and showed us a history book 'Panshanger Aerodrome' by Michael Pockham ISBN 0-7524-3917-0
This is a very friendly place and a great little thriving airfield for the private plane enthusiast , easy to see why Colin Chapman liked being there.
It is to be hoped they can resist the housing developers.



This very large building appears derelict with no glass, this was the area occupied by Keegan Aviation ( Mike and later driver son, Rupert) in 1962 before they moved to Southend as British Air Ferries.



This is where Colin Chapman's and Jim Clark's aircraft would have been stored in the Cheshunt days



Cafe



War time RAF building



Jo Briggs revisits the place where he worked as a teenager in the Lotus Service dept in the early 60s



These must have been RAF buildings a one time



The Lotus Service Department was housed in the right hand front quarter of this large hanger



This is the area Lotus occupied partitioned off



Cafe and aerodrome admin area



We were somewhat surprised to see 7 Police cars arrive with 15 Police in stab vests, but they just headed for the cafe.

In the early 1960s when Lotus were here at least there would have been vast amounts of parking available but the working conditions in the big and very cold hanger must have been far from ideal and it does make you wonder if this was a wise commercial decision or maybe Colin Chapman felt happier having a Lotus staff presence where his plane was kept ?

However, easy to see the appeal of this place.


I could not help but think if the proposed Lotus Museum on the original site at Hornsey becomes impossible then there are these derelict buildings at Panshanger, and a number of concrete bases where clearly previous buildings have been pulled down, which might be re-instated .

There is vast amounts of parking, a history of Lotus being there for 6 years, with a substantial repair workshop and service centre, very good road links , - A414 , A1 , and A1000, and mainline rail (in 3 nearby towns of Welwyn Garden City, Hertford, and Hatfield, ) , a good cafe and other visitor facilities already in place.....And of course the airfield for small aircraft.

It could be a very good place to locate the Lotus Museum and Education centre, there is unlimited potential there and I feel the owner would welcome something like this which would help them as well to boost their own businesses and raise the prestige and profile of Panshanger Aerodrome.

[RTH]

Quote from the Hornsey thread from David Mousley


I worked at Lotus, Panshanger, in December 1962 & Jan 1963 as school holiday employment. My father was a local building contractor in Cole Green and he had put down the base for the large hanger that Lotus later occupied part of. (I'd driven a dumper truck during some of the excavations for the foundations!) He had later told me that Lotus had taken part of the hanger, so I wrote to them asking about the possibility of employment for the school holidays. The reply from Trevor Shann was that I should bring my own overalls and they'd pay me £5.00 per week. So I worked alongside a fitter/mechanic (can't remember his name) servicing Elites.

Lotus occupied the entire front third (or so) of the hanger with reception on the right and the workshop on the left with the GRP repair shop on the far left behind the repair workshop. The rear two thirds of the hanger was partitioned off (with, I think, plastic sheeting) and housed various light aircraft.

I remember the GRP guy had an Elva Courier - also one of the guys there had a small rear screen VW that he put a large rear screen in over the Xmas period. Also someone had an accident in a AH Sprite in the snow on the perimeter track which resulted in a metal bar (hidden under the snow) going through the passenger footwell and into the passenger's leg! I was discussing this at a Lotus 'do' with Bob Sparshott (ex Team Lotus mechanic) who had just told me that he'd worked at Panshanger and it turns out that the unlucky passenger had been himself.

I don't remember too much detail, though have a distinct recollection of going up the road as a passenger in a Lotus 7 with the foreman - John ? - in sub zero temperatures with no hood or sidescreens.

I now run a business providing spare parts for the Elite, so I've come full circle!

David Mousley

[David Mousley]

Sorry - my first post and I posted to the Hornsey thread instead of the Panshanger thread.

Also, correction to my earlier post - I meant Bob Sparshott, ex Team Lotus mechanic (not Bob Smart) was injured in the AH Sprite incident.

David Mousley

[David Mousley]

Hi, Richard,

My present company is MK 14 Components Ltd - specialising in parts for the 1959 - 1964 Lotus Elite, including Climax engine parts.

I regret that I don't have any period photos or documents of Panshanger (not even my letter of employment) and since I was paid cash in hand at the end of each week, no pay slips either. A fellow Elite owner told me about this site and the Panshanger thread so I thought I'd add my comments.

David

[RTH]

Glad you did David.

Did you know Paul Brown who was at Panshanger mainly as a fitter/ tester '63- '67 ?

It was his brother Roger who got me started on all this and he still owns his late brother's Elite (must say I would like one myself ) and wanted to find out more about his brother who sadly died early from cancer in 1984.
Do you remember Jo Briggs who worked there as a teenager in the early 1960s ? Who re-visited the place on Tuesday.

What happened to A.N.E. (Tony ) Bates who made the new Elite bodyshells ? Are they still being made ? What is Elite parts availability generally like ?

I saw a sort of modernised Lotus Elite , made from all new parts, at the Lotus show at Donington this year, is that in production , who & where ?

[Bloggsworth]

The Elva Courier owner was Bob Curl, who worked for Elva down Hastings way before he joined Lotus.

[Roger Mason]

Hello,

This is a reply to RTH who seems very interested in Lotus at Panshanger. I have a couple of tidbits from the past that may help with the jigsaw.

My friend and I were apprentices at DeHavilland Aircraft company 1963 - 68 and worked at Panshanger as tea boys and general dogbodies in the clubhouse on weekends to supplement our apprentice wages and to scrounge flights from members.

One weekend we saw Colin Chapman in the clubhouse, sketching a car shape on a paper napkin and describing to a fellow flying club member a new car that was being designed that we later learned was called the Europa. Colin later brought the grey primer prototype to Panshanger and gave rides around the peri-track.

My friend and I recently visited the aerodrome after 40 years and walked around the site taking photos. I am uncertain of the accuracy this next piece of information but offer it incase it helps. My friend said it was his understanding that Colin Chapman kept one or more aircraft in the hanger that is situated at an angle on the north side of the airfield. I have photos of this hanger, its approach on the peri-track and of its run-down interior but I am new to this forum and haven't discovered how to upload photos? Any help?

The photo that you titled 'Cafe' RTH, shows cars parked behind two concrete hard pads. Someone suggested that this could be the foundation for a Lotus Museum? These are the floors of what used to be the Clubhouse/bar/kitchen/ Fight Office and 'Control Tower'. From the aerial view you provided, they look like an aircraft facing due south? The northen most portion that would be the horizontal stabilizers of the supposed aircraft, housed the Control Tower at the right/ eastern extreme and the Clubhouse at the left, western extreme. I have also included an aerial photo of the site at the beginning of the 1961 London to Cardiff Air Race. The hanger in question can be seen at an angle on the north side of the airstrip in both aerial shots.

As I said, I'm uncertain of the accuracy of the story about Mr. Chapman using that hanger but offer it in case it helps you in your quest.

Best regards and good luck,

Roger Mason
Toronto

If I've done this correctly, there should be 10 images to view?

http://gallery.mac.c...lor=black&sel=0








[RTH]

Fascinating information Roger !

Thank you for posting and yes I can see all 10 photos perfectly.

These sort of first hand reports from the time make this forum so interesting.

Amazing how de Havilland keeps coming up in the Lotus story !

No doubt about it some sort of Lotus presence at Panshanger again would be full circle 40 years on !

I was at school in Hatfield from 1961 to 1968 our school adjoined Hatfield College of Technology and that had a close working relationship with de Havilland and we shared some of their facilities which were only there because of the aircraft maker.

De Havilland were far and away the biggest employer in the area and dominated the local economy, later they became Hawker Siddley then British Aerospace..... now it has all gone and its office blocks and retail parks.

Great stuff thanks for the post, Roger.

[RTH]

This is a link to a multimap aerial photograph which shows clearly the Panshanger site , the builings and even individual aircraft

http://www.multimap.com/maps/?loc=[object%20Object]&qs=Panshanger&countryCode=GB&mapData=&zoomFactor=18&lon=-0.15356&lat=51.79997#map=51.79997,-0.15356|18|32&loc=GB:51.80521:-0.12648:14|Panshanger|Panshanger,%20Hertford,%20Hertfordshire,%20England,%20SG14%2

Seems for some reason this will not link via this forum, you will need to copy and then paste the above on to you own e-mail and then click on to it and you should be able to see this nice close up photo ( hopefully ! )

If that does not work then put Panshanger in the search box ( or SG14 ) then click aerial, then navigate and zoom in on the airfield -- bit of work but well worth it ! to see all the buildings.






I feel sure that I have seen some Lotus publicity/magazine adverts/car brochures from the early / mid 60s showing Lotus cars on an airfield with light aircraft in the background trying to portray a glamorous jet set life style for a new Lotus owner.

Anyone remember or still have any of this material ?
This must surely have been photographed at the time at Panshanger ?

[RTH]

Originally posted by John Ellacott
Richard, Dick Scammel in Innes Irelands Lotus 18 Warwick Farm January 1961
We might be distantly related --- my grandmothers maiden name was Scammel, came from Devonshire before coming to Australia.

Hello Richard
Pleased that Dick enjoyed my photo. Back then as a young guy I used to hang about with the Leaton Motors team who had just taken delivery of the ex Team Lotus 15 with the 2.5 Climax for Frank Matich to drive, so their workshop was used as a base for Innes Irelands car while in Sydney for the first internatioal meeting at Warwick Farm.
Yes I do have a few Lotus photos, some have been on TNF posted by Ray Bell before I learnt how to do it myself.
I do like to share anything I have with current owners of cars and others with a genuine interest. I never thought back then that they would be of interest to anyone 45 years later.
I am coming over for the Silverstone Classic at the end of July, as I have for the last 2 years so if you are there it would be nice to say hello. Last year I stayed on for Goodwood and saw the abovementioned 15 with Jac Nellemann win.
Regards John



This from Dick scammell this morning

Hello Richard,

I remember the garage well and the 15 and D type.

Frank was very good to me when I was in Australia, it was just Innes the car and me, he let me use his workshop and provided me with a car and trailer.

We also took a trip to Warwick Farm where we did some laps together to see if we could improve its handling

I also drove the D type on the publice road for about 20 miles delivering to another garage for Frank, as he said that if he was stopped he would lose his licence where as I would get away with it -----what a thrill.

I hope that Frank is still ok

Best wishes

Dick

[David Mousley]

HI, Richard,

I don't remember the names of many (any?) of the people who were at Panshanger during the short (3 - 4 weeks over Xmas '62) that I worked there.

I know Roger Brown (who has inherited his brother, Paul's, Elite) and have supplied some parts to him. However, I did not know (or remember) Paul.

Re Elites, In March 2000 I bought the business that Tony Bates (A.N.E. Bates) had set up in about 1985, so I took over all parts supply, including the moulds for the new bodyshells. We do a few shells (one or two a year) which are generally accident replacements (often racing accidents!).

The 'sort of modernised' Elite was developed by Howard Emes who had the intention to productionise it as a 'kit car'. I think he probably still has that intention but, like all these projects, it takes a long time to get off the ground.

David Mousley

[David Mousley]

Hi, Roger Mason,

You have not correctly identified the hanger where Lotus were working (though what you have called the Chapman hanger may have been where he kept his aircraft). Lotus were in the Cessna hanger.

I note with interest that the Cessna hanger was already in place in your June '61 aerial photograph. As I previously mentioned, my father (a local building contractor) had installed the foundations for this hanger (obviously pre June '61) and I drove a dump truck on the site carting and dumping spoil. Since I was born in 1945, I was probably only 15 or 16 years old when I was doing this holiday job for my father - perhaps it was summer 1960 (when I'd have been 15). Does anyone know when the Cessna hanger was erected?

Regards

David Mousley

[Roger Mason]

Hi David,

Fascinating to learn that your Dad installed the foundation of the T2 Cessna hanger.

There is a very good book on the history of Panshanger. Last time I was in England, I picked one up at Meyers in the Howard Centre. It is called 'Panshanger Aerodrome' by Michael Packham (ISBN 0-7524-3917-£16.99. There is a photograph of Colin's aircraft G-ARLC, a Cessna 180A, inside the T2 Cessna hanger and lots of other very interesting images and stories Lotus Cars is mentioned a couple of times also. The T2 hanger was erected in the latter half of 1959 according to the book.

(By the way, I did state that my friend though that Colin Chapman kept one or more aircraft in the north field hanger, not the Cessna hanger as you thought). :-) I wonder if it is possible that one of the other aircraft my friend thought he kept there was in fact Jim Clark's?

Best regards,
Rog Mason
Toronto

[David Mousley]

Hi, Roger,

If the Cessna hanger was put up in late 1959, I guess we were doing the foundations in 1959 when I'd have been 14 years old. I do remember that I was driving the dump truck well before I had a driving licence! It was an interesting learning experience, especially with rear wheel steering which took some getting used to. I'd previously learnt to drive around my father's builders yard in a 1927 Austin 7!

David

[Allan Lupton]

Originally posted by Allan Lupton
I've asked a former de Havilland colleague, whose early Elite was taken to Panshanger (with brake failure IIRC) if he has anything to contribute.

He's had computer bothers, and then I've been away, but this is what he wrote in response:

So far as I can recall, to get to the Lotus bit at Panshanger you drove up the link road to where the hangars were, and Lotus used the first one on the right. To get to the entrance you made 3 right turns to reach the side which faced the main road. I think the hangar was divided in half and Lotus used the half nearer the main road.

It was their service department since Elite and racing car manufacture had taken up all the available space at Cheshunt. In charge was the Service Manager, one Trevor Shand as I recall, a somewhat forbidding character on first acquaintance. (The name "Street" also rings a bell, but I think that was from the Cheshunt days before the Service Department moved to Panshanger. I think Street ended up running a Lotus workshop/dealership(?) in a Mews in Chelsea somewhere.

My Elite was there for many, many months being repaired after being heavily t-boned at Shepherd's Bush. As soon as I got it back the integral fuel tank started leaking and they retrieved it on a transporter. After deciding they couldn't repair the original tank with any form of guarantee, they offered me the choice of the, by then standard, metal tank in the boot or a custom made alloy scuttle tank. I opted for the latter, and it went back to Cheshunt to have a tank specially made and fitted by the racing department. Certainly it never gave any problems and of course the exterior appearance was unchanged since the scuttle racing filler cap was retained.,

This would have been the early/mid 60s. I used to go up there occasionally during lunchtime to check on progress, which was slow to say the least. One Friday there was Les Leston's red Elite DAD10 having some front end damage hastily repaired. Apparently he had stuffed it in the bank at Brands during practice for some big event at the weekend, hence the urgency. It was perhaps reassuring to discover that Lotus can work quickly when it really mattered, though sadly never relevant in my case! That might pin down the year for a historian.

I only recall seeing Elites there, though presumably they dealt with Sevens as well (but only road cars). How long Lotus were there for I have no idea. That is about the sum of my recollections, not having your photographic memory for minutiae! However, like all of us, I expect there's more in there, awaiting a memory jog.

[DOHC]

Originally posted by RTH

This was a later Colin Chapman twin engined aircraft from the late '70s and the JPS era

That registration letter, G-PRIX, was particularly cool.

[RTH]

Thanks for getting that information Allan.

The Lotus dealer in Chelsea was Len Street from the mid 60s to I think the '90s If I recall correctly it was in Drayton Park Gardens.

All of what you former college at de Havilland says fits with what we already know, and fills some of the gaps.

The early Elites had fuel tanks in the front wings I wonder how many are still in existance in that form. another example of Chapman using every spare inch of space and ounce of existing structure, however probably not as safe as you might have wished !

[Bloggsworth]

Depends with which side you hit the telegraph pole.

I remember Len Street's place in Bayswater - I was there one Saturday afternoon, probably to pick up a Rotoflex for a FF Merlyn, and gave Max Mosely a hand with fixing the rear suspension of his Elite - You bump into all sorts on a Saturday........................................

[Allan Lupton]

Originally posted by RTH

The early Elites had fuel tanks in the front wings

Yes, John's was one of the first Elites, registered either 6 SME or 6 SML - I forget which, and IIRC both were Motor Show exhibits.
John eventually got fed up with the Coventry Climax engine (too fragile for a road car) and fitted a cross-flow Ford.

[RTH]

Thus far at least we do not seem to be having much joy in getting the owner of Panshanger Aerodrome enthusiastic about it being a site for the Lotus Museum, pity really because it is a great location with a history of a Lotus works there in the 1960s, anyone got any ideas ?

[Roger Mason]

Hi Richard,

Maybe it's because at heart he's an aeroplane guy? After all he did buy an aerodrome, not a race track.

I think a Lotus museum is a great idea and a very appropriate one for Panshanger but it must be an aviation/racing connection. How about focussing on the aeronautical connection - Colin Chapman's aircraft and Jim Clark's aircraft? Race car drivers/fighter pilots/quick reactions etc.

Collect as many photos as possible of anything aeronautical that is linked to Lotus Cars and especially Panshanger and use that as a hook in a PowerPoint presentation? Lean heavily on the romantic and nostalgic. Rent 'The Right Stuff' DVD and look at Pancho's bar in the desert and the sentimental stuff that surrounded it and Chuck Yeager. There must be a marketing person in the forum, have them write the pitch, lace it with old and new photos of Panshanger/ Lotus Cars/ race driver's aircraft, the sun setting over a quiet airfield, audio track of aircraft and race car engines, fading to imagry and sounds of skylarks twittering in a warm Hertfordshire summer evening, etc. Do your homework. Find out what turns this guy's crank. Get your ducks in a row first and don't broach the subject agin until you are sure that you can give it your best effort.

Respectfully,
Rog Mason

[RTH]

Thank you for that Roger, that is really good advice , I will pass you letter on to the museum trustees.

......you make it sound so good I would want to do it !!



.........don't suppose you would like to try putting the case ??

[coupekarter]

Anybody know which cafe the legendary lunchtime napkin sketch was done in? Is it still a cafe?

[Roger Mason]

Hi 'coupekarter',

Actually It was the flying club's 'Clubhouse', which can best be described as the tailplane or horizontal stabilizers of the white, 'aircraft' shaped concrete foundation pads that are seen in the modern aerial photo of Panshanger posted by Richard (RTH) earlier in this thread.

The early black & white aerial shot of the airfield, (which I hope appears in this message once I click submit?) shows the actual building on that pad, which was shared by the old control tower. The Clubhouse was left of the high structure (control tower) to left (or West) of the tower. Mr. Chapman would have been sitting under the roof, just left of centre when he made that sketch.


http://gallery.mac.c...6&bgcolor=black


Hi Richard,

I'll be happy to help in anyway I can but I am limited somewhat by the fact that I live in Canada. If you can round up photos, eyewitness accounts, etc., I will attempt to make a Powerpoint presentation or better still, a short 'pitch movie' that you can show on a laptop. You would need to burn photos, text etc onto CD's and mail them as email won't likely handle the kind of volume that will be necessary to make a go of this? Contact me for my address: rogermason@mac.com

Anyone who is good with a video camera and could visit the airfield and shoot some 'creative' footage would be a great help? Footage of the hanger(s), aircraft, present facilities (café etc), old tumble down structures from the same angle as original images you might find in the Panshanger book I described earlier, would help. It is very impactful to cross fade from an old black and white photo to present day colour scenes doing 'before and after' comparisons. Given the footage, I can scan the corresponding images from my copy of the Panshanger book and stitch them together in the presentation.I can write a 'clip list' for anyone who has the time to shoot this stuff.

Technical notes: Movies should be on Mini DV tapes or footage that has already been burned onto a DVD in MPEG-4, QuickTime or .mov format. I can't read any other formats.

Video should be unedited and contain as few 'zooms' as possible. 'Very slow', non jerky pans are fine. Any live action of aircraft landing or taking off are good. Sunny day shots are great for general airfield detail and a lovely red sunset to the west with building/aircraft silhouettes would be 'golden'!! (not asking much am? :-)

I am limited in my knowledge of Lotus Cars, so I'd need nicely written copy from your side of the pond and anything you can get on the car/aircraft links mentioned previously. Include any words you have on Lotus and the Panshanger connection.

Regards,
Rog Mason

[Mistron]

Originally posted by RTH


I feel sure that I have seen some Lotus publicity/magazine adverts/car brochures from the early / mid 60s showing Lotus cars on an airfield with light aircraft in the background trying to portray a glamorous jet set life style for a new Lotus owner.

Anyone remember or still have any of this material ?
This must surely have been photographed at the time at Panshanger ?

I seem to recall a promotion advertised (in Motorsport I think, but possibly Autocar) in the late '60s / early '70s which featured light aircraft, an elan +2 and a bicycle......

From memory, you bought the elan and got a free bike and a flying lesson!

It was very 'jet set' and aimed at the 'upwardly mobile' +2 owner

[RTH]

Thanks for that Roger, quite a lot to take in there.

I will pass your thoughts to the committee , see what they think. I could take some video.Between us we could do this.

I have to say I am quite surprised the initial approach got an instant turn down. Business wise it could be really good for them as well, puzzling .