I’m trying to research the early history of my 1956 Lotus Eleven and have drawn a blank. I purchased the car 3 years ago from Seattle USA and brought it back to the UK. I have history for the car going back to 1980 and the car has been seen by the HLR registrar but no early records exist.
The only clues I have are some unusual build features on the car, an old UK registration plate that came with the car, but is not of the same year, and a name.
The registration plate is ROV 511G which is 1968, and comes from Birmingham, who destroyed all of their old records. The ‘story’ I was given as to why the plate is much newer than the car was that all used cars being imported into the states at that time had to be registered, so an old race car was road registered and exported. I’ve written to the DVLA but they definitely have no records, even in storage, of that registration.
When rebuilding the back axle of the car I came across a name scratched into the inside of the hub. The name reads Bill Wintree or Bill Winfree. I’ve asked as many old Lotus people as I can but no one has heard this name. The location of the name means it could only have been written when the car was dismantled.
The unusual build features follow characteristics only seen on some Team Lotus cars (which unfortunately mine is not). The car has twin fuel tanks, twin fuel pumps (SU with green end caps), additional reinforcing across the width of the car in the cockpit beneath the drivers knees, bracing between the rocker cover and inlet manifold and full cruciform bracing behind the passenger seat. These features are very similar to some found on the 1956 Le Man cars. My personal belief, plucked from the ether, is that someone saw those team cars and wanted similar features built into their car. The car has definitely been modified for endurance racing rather than short sprint races, the twin tanks hold 9 gallons each, a lot for a 1098cc car.
If anyone has any info or ideas of where else I could look I’d be very grateful
Thanks in advance
Jon Adams
Edited by 56Lotus, 07 May 2013 - 18:43.